OranjeLeeuwinnen having coffee in Mount Maunganui. Photo credit: Brenna Roband
The Netherlands women’s football team are based in Tauranga for the group stage matches of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and have been making the most of the sunny Bay of Plenty city in their downtime.
The team, known as the OranjeLeeuwinnen or Orange Lionesses, have been out and about enjoying team bike rides, great local New Zealand cafes, the Mount Maunganui beach and boating on the harbour, while making Tauranga their home-away-from-home.
“We pride ourselves on being a fantastic host city and it’s great to be able to showcase our city to the OranjeLeeuwinnen during their time in Tauranga. It’s so great to see them getting out and experiencing all the things we love about our city,” says Nelita Byrne, Tauranga City Council Manager, Venues & Events.
Last week, 30 members of the team rode their bright orange bikes from Trinity Wharf to Mount Maunganui, delighting members of the community with their waves and smiles on the popular commuter route.
OranjeLeeuwinnen ready to explore on their orange bikes. Photo credit: Brenna Roband
We feel really welcome here and the people have been really kind," star attacker Lieke Martens, who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain and has 61 international goals, said.
Local cafes and restaurants have become familiar with the OranjeLeeuwinnen as they explore the food scene and get their caffeine fix. The team also spent a day on a boat, exploring the stunning Tauranga Moana harbour– complete with Gingernuts and Tim Tams to complete the true down-under experience!
OranjeLeeuwinnen exploring the Tauranga Harbour. Photo credit: Brenna Roband
The Netherlands coaching team also demonstrated their support for Tauranga by presenting at a Coaching Symposium, held on Saturday night as the first use of the Hine te Hiringa funding in Tauranga.
Aiming to support and empower women in sport and leave a lasting legacy after the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, the coaches inspired local sports coaches from a broad range of codes about how they build team culture, resilience and their work as professional coaches.
Andries Jonker and Janneke Bijl inspire at coaching symposium. Photo credit: Aimee Young
“We wanted to say thank you to the New Zealand people for the way they have received us and Tauranga has embraced us. This for the sports in New Zealand, and the coaches of boys, girls, men, women. If we can do something back, it should be something like this,” said head coach Andries Jonker at the symposium.
“It’s such a privilege to have the Netherlands women’s football team based here and our community is really embracing them as our own when we see them out and about, and during the competition. Tauranga is behind the OranjeLeeuwinnen all the way!” says Byrne.
The Netherlands women’s football team have topped their pool of the group stage matches and will leave Tauranga on Friday to progress to the next stage of the tournament in Sydney.
The Netherlands team with members of the Tauranga community. Photo credit: Alan Gibson