| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1996-12-14)14 December 1996 (age 28) | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Kampong | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
| Netherlands | |||
Terrance Pieters (born 14 December 1996) is a Dutch professionalfield hockey player who plays as a forward for theNetherlands at international level and also plays as a forward forKampong.[1][2][3] He is the first person of colour to play for the Netherlands men's national field hockey team.[4][5]
He was born to a Surinamese mother and to Dutch father of Indonesian origin. His elder sisterMelissa Pieters is also a field hockey player. Both he and his elder sister grew and raised up inAlmere which is a multicultural city.[6] During his childhood days, just like fellow young boys of colour, he also dreamed of pursuing his interest in the sport of football with even aiming to play for world renowned clubs likeManchester United andBarcelona. He even idolised former Ivorian veteran footballerDidier Drogba and had since worn the No 11 jersey as a sign of respect to him.[5] However, he decided to give up his ambition of becoming a footballer after realising the fact that it would be easier for his parents to send both him and his sister to the same hockey club. He pursued field hockey at the age of six and he changed his mindset from football to hockey mainly due to the influence of his sister. His cousinMarlon Landburg is also a field hockey player.[5]
He openly spoke out against the racism for the first time in 2020 sharing his own experiences in wake of aftermath the brutal murder of African-American manGeorge Floyd.[7] He revealed the bitter experience of having confronted racism and discrimination as a person of colour in a Dutch national paper de Volkskrant, where he points out that derogatory remarks such as monkey and Zwarte Piet were often directed at him especially at primary school where he studied.[8][5][9]
He was part of the Dutch team which competed at the2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup.[10] He was a vital member of the Dutch side which emerged triumphant at the2017 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship. He made his senior international debut with the Dutch team in 2017.
He was part of the Dutch side which claimed third place at the2019 Men's FIH Pro League which was also the inaugural edition of theMen's FIH Pro League. He was also named in Netherlands squad for the2020–21 Men's FIH Pro League and Dutch finished at fifth position during the tournament.[11] He was ruled out of the national team for weeks due to a hamstring injury and he was subsequently omitted from selection trials by the previous national head coachMaximiliano Caldas for the2020 Summer Olympics.[12]
He was part of the Dutch national side which competed at the2021–22 Men's FIH Pro League where Spain finished at seventh position.[13] He is a member of the Dutch squad which is currently competing at the2022–23 Men's FIH Pro League. He was also named in Dutch squad for the2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup and it also marked his maidenFIH Hockey World Cup appearance.[14]
