Pietie Coetzee is the all-time leading goal scorer in women's international hockey, with more than 250 goals to her name. She made her debut for South Africa in 1995, aged 16, and in 2002 she was top scorer in the Women's World Hockey Cup, despite South Africa finishing in 13th position.
Since 1995, Pietie has played in three Olympic Games and two World Cups. She retired from the sport at the age of 27, but returned five years later to take up where she left off, scoring 35 goals in as many matches.
South African assistant coach Fabian Gregory, interviewed by Jonathan Cook in April 2012, said of Coetzee: "Pietie is the ultimate professional, exemplary in her work ethic, training, how she takes care of her body and in preparation for matches.
He added: "Pietie is meticulous in her analysis of the opposition and her tactical input is immense.
"Her experience has played a massive role in the development of the less experienced players.
"Pietie has added a new dimension to the striker line in that she has defined roles for the strikers, which has taken their individual performances to a new level
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Talking about the South African hockey icon, Fabian Gregory, who is now coach to the men's team, said: "Pietie is the ultimate professional, exemplary in her work ethic, training, how she takes care of her body and in preparation for matches." He added: "Pietie is meticulous in her analysis of the opposition and her tactical input is immense. Her experience has played a massive role in the development of the less experienced players."During her 'retirement' Pietie studied sports medicine and became a paramedic. She is also a respected coach and has now set up 15 Pietie Coetzee hockey clinics across the country. Pietie also runs popular coaching clinics for clubs and teams at their own grounds, both in South Africa and abroad. Her own playing ambitions remain strong, and even though she has been battling injury of late, there is still every possibility that this South African hockey superstar will be gracing the stage at the Hague.
