Sarina Wiegman, wheelchair tennis player Niels Vink and shot putter Jessica Schilder were among the prize winners at the NOC*NSF Sportgala on Wednesday evening.

Wiegman made history as the first woman to be named Coach of the Year and used her acceptance speech to urge more women to take up coaching. Reflecting on her own career, she said opportunities for women in football had been almost non-existent when she started.

“Come on girls, go and coach,” Wiegman said. She said she felt honoured by the award and briefly listed her major successes, including European Championship titles with the Netherlands in 2017 and with England in 2022 and 2025.

The growth in audiences for women’s football, she added, was the achievement she valued most.

Shot putter Jessica Schilder was named Sportswoman of the Year after winning gold at the Tokyo world championships – the first Dutch woman ever to take the title. Parasportswoman of the Year was Lara Baars, also a shot putter.

The award for Sportsman of the Year went to cyclist Harrie Lavreysen, who won four gold medals at the world championships in Chile.

The team of the year prize went to the men’s eight rowing team, who won gold at the world championships in Shanghai. It was the first time a Dutch team had won the flagship event.

Parasportman of the Year Niels Vink delivered an emotional speech after accepting his award. The wheelchair tennis player enjoyed a highly successful season, winning Wimbledon and the US Open, but said the death of his long-time coach Hans-Jurgen Striek in September had overshadowed the year.

“Without him I could never have achieved this,” Vink said, calling Striek his best friend and crediting him with every title he has won.