One of the big figures in international women’s handball over the last decade, Tess Lieder, has officially announced her retirement from professional play, bringing an illustrious career to a close. The Dutch star is known for excellent performances between the posts, which saw her named the All-Star goalkeeper at the IHF Women’s World Championship two times, in 2015 and 2019.

At only 31 years old, Lieder has spent over a decade at the top of the game, representing the Netherlands in multiple editions of the IHF Women’s World Championship, European Championships, and Olympic Games. 

She was part of the Dutch team which made history for the country, becoming world champions for the first time, at Japan 2019, in a fantastic final against Spain, 30:29. In that edition of the world handball flagship competition, Lieder had 107 saves, for a 31% saving efficiency. Prior to Japan 2019, Lieder had won the silver medal at Denmark 2015 and the bronze medal at Germany 2017.

She was also part of the Netherlands team which secured the bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2016 and the bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2018, also finishing fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Lieder was also a member of the Netherlands women’s youth national team, which secured the bronze medal at the 2010 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

"I really enjoy being a mother, but it does take up a lot of time. I think that motherhood and top-level sport are not ideal to combine if you want to do both at one hundred percent," said Lieder to Dutch TV station, NOS.

In her retirement statement, Lieder expressed deep gratitude to her teammates, coaches, fans, and family. “Handball has given me more than I ever dreamed possible. I’ve grown not just as an athlete, but as a person. I’m thankful for every moment—the wins, the losses, and the friendships that will last a lifetime.”

“This sport has given me more than I could ever give in return and holy moly, what a journey it has been. If you would have told the five-year old Tess that she’d win championships and cups with teams all around Europe, win medals at the European and World Championships, get to represent her country at the Olympics two times and have the time of her life while doing it all, I bet you; she wouldn’t believe it. Even though it wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun. It was bloody hard work and determination. But man, was it worth it,” added Lieder.

Lieder began her professional career with VOC Amsterdam before playing for clubs across Europe, including VfL Oldenburg in Germany, SG BBM Bietigheim, and Odense Håndbold in Denmark. Her club career was marked by domestic titles, in Denmark and Germany. The last team she played for was BV Borussia 09 Dortmund.

“I made friends from all over the world. Friends that turned into family, and with them I had the honour to create forever lasting memories. And those memories are worth more than any medal in the world. Everyone sees the medals, they see the pictures with the trophy and the big smiles. But what they don’t see are the hours alone at home waiting for the next practice, the sometimes endless hours of work we put in on training to strive for perfection and the disappointment we can feel when things don’t go the way we hoped and work for so hard,” continued Lieder.

From the Dutch team which won the gold medal, Lieder is just one of the numerous players who have stopped their careers or retired from the national team. Debbie Bont, Martine Smeets, Jessy Kramer and Delaila Amega have stopped their playing careers, while Laura van der Heijden retired from the national team in 2025.