The Netherlands Handball Association (NHV) has announced the appointment of Henrik Signell as the new coach for the senior women’s national team, as the Swedish coach replaces Per Johansson, who tendered his resignation in September, after the fifth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Signell, who is 48 years old, will now lead the team at the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, which will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Germany, where the Dutch side will have big ambitions and aim for a medal.

“I am really looking forward to working with the staff and players,” said Signell, according to the official website of the Netherlands Handball Association.

A former centre back, Signell played only in Sweden, for IK Sävehof, Partille IF and Alingsås HK, before switching to a coaching career when he was only 29 years old, upon his retirement as a player.

He then coached at IK Sävehof, slowly working up the ladder from the men’s junior team, the assistant coach position of the men’s team, before finally switching to the women’s side, where he coached between 2012 and 2018.

In parallel, Signell also led the Sweden women’s senior national team, between 2016 and 2020, finishing fourth at the 2017 IHF Women’s World Championship and seventh at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

After leaving this position, he coached at men’s club IFK Skövde, before joining the Republic of Korea women’s senior national team in 2023, finishing 22nd at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and 10th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Signell will be the fifth coach for the Dutch side in the last eight years, after Helle Thomsen led the side between 2016 and 2018, Emmanuel Mayonnade was in charge between 2019 and 2021, Monique Tijsterman led the side briefly for a few months in 2021, and Johansson took over in February 2022. 

The first official competition for Signell in his new position will be the Women's EHF EURO 2024, where the Netherlands will be in Group F, alongside Germany, Iceland and Ukraine.

“The Dutch way of playing is incredibly attractive and the team consists of many high-level players. I see it as a great challenge to continue the development of this team in the coming years,” added Signell.

The Netherlands’ senior women’s national team is one of the most consistent sides in recent years. Since 2015, the Netherlands always finished in the top-10 at the IHF Women’s World Championship, with three medals – gold in 2019, silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017 – as well as finishing fifth in each of the last two Olympic Games editions – Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.