Five days ago, Daan Polders resigned his position as head field hockey coach at the University of Mount Olive, a Division II field hockey program that competes in the South Atlantic Conference.
Polders has been a superb coach over his career, and he is one of only two (that we know of) coaches who have won scholastic state championships in more than one state, having won titles in Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Polders, after his time with Malvern Villa Maria (Pa.), had taken the Trojans through two undefeated league campaigns in 2022 and 2023 before the team slipped a bit to an 11-8 record.
But I don’t think that’s the reason that he resigned.
I think the reason lies at an acre of blue turf located on a hill overlooking part of the athletic complex at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. The school, which plays its sports in the American Athletic Conference, does not have a varsity field hockey team.
Yet.
I have been expecting some sort of announcement on this topic since the field was first announced last year. A number of people in the Carolinas, including U.S. national team alumnae, call the Carolinas their home.
And now, Daan Polders enters the conversation. Though nothing was said about a specific landing place, it was interesting that the Mount Olive press release mentioned the reason as “to pursue other professional opportunities.”
I usually don’t like to speculate on the next moves of coaches after they leave a position. After all, we are talking about someone’s employment and the way the coach affects the trajectory of players and their respective careers in the game.
But I’ve been around long enough to recognize an opportunity. This could get interesting.
