The Netherlands and Den Bosch trailblazer Mijntje Donners is the third EuroHockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025 to be announced, honouring her fearsome attacking prowess.
Donners was often compared to a predator due to her cunning in the opposition circle, someone with a killer instinct and a scarcely matched passion for the game and ability to perform under pressure.
Internationally, she made 235 international appearances, racking up an astonishing 96 goals in an orange shirt, yielding a plethora of medals. She was a three-time EuroHockey Championship winner (1995, 1999 and 2003) and a Champions Trophy gold medalist.
At the Olympics, Donners played a key role to earn silver in 2004, adding to bronze medals in both 1996 and 2000. She was also honoured as the 2003 FIH Player of the Year.
On the club front, she is a Den Bosch icon, staying true to the club from the age of 7 through to her retirement from the field in 2007.
She joined the team at the genesis of it becoming the most successful European club dynasty. Donners made her debut in the Brabant club’s first season since promotion to the top division in 1990. When Donners stepped back 17 years later, her side had finished a 10th successive Hoofdklasse title and an eighth consecutive EuroHockey Club Cup, scoring 263 goals.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Mijntje Donners — a fearless striker, a relentless competitor, and a legend of the game.
Mijntje Donners (Netherlands)
235 caps
96 goals
Major team trophies (4)
Champions Trophy: 2000
EuroHockey championships: 1995, 1999, 2003
