Few athletes step away from the limelight for three years before finding the right vibe to re-invigorate a career. Dutch goalkeeper Laura Aarts is one such person, taking a break between August 2019 and December 2022 then last month standing on top of the dais with a third European gold medal around her neck.
Laura Aarts knows what she wants and doesn’t let anyone get in her way.
Disagreements with the coach and about the certain requirements to play in the Dutch league were at the core of her decision to step away from the national squad.
“At that time, I was also experiencing a lack of joy within the team environment and felt the need to shift my focus toward my studies and building my dual career.”
A member of the Dutch national squad since 2013 at the age of 17, she made her international debut at a tournament in Greece in 2014 and the following year “I had my major breakthrough” when the team gained silver at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Aarts realised that as Hungary had the best league in the world, she would further her career there — much like the past three years where she has played in Spain.
“After being out of the water for nearly a year due to COVID, I decided to return to water polo in Utrecht, playing in the third team of UZSC. It was a conscious step back that allowed me to rediscover my joy for the sport without pressure. Once that joy returned, the ambition followed naturally.
“After several positive conversations with the new head coach (Evangelos Doudesis), the desire to represent my country returned as well. I rejoined the national team and since that change, I have never enjoyed playing for my national team more than I do now.”
That desire has now led to 211 senior internationals.
Aarts started life as a football goalkeeper. “When I was 11 years old, I was playing on a mixed football team, and one of my teammates also played water polo. He invited the entire team to come and try a water polo training session. After that very first practice, I immediately went to my mom and said, ‘I want to play water polo’. That same week, I had my first training.
“At that time, no one in my family, including my cousins, was familiar with water polo. They didn’t really know the sport until I started competing at a high international level.
“From the beginning, I became a goalkeeper because I was already playing as a goalie in football. I loved it immediately, and I quickly discovered that I had talent for the position,” she said.
Aarts’ career started with Aqua Novio in Nijmegen (2007-10) before switching to Polar Bears in Ede (2010-14) and on to UZSC in Utrecht (2014-17). She shifted to DFVE (Dunaujvaros in Hungary) for 2017-20. Playing for the third team at UZSC in Utrecht followed in 2021-22. It was back to Dunaujvaros the following season for one final year with Spain beckoning, playing for CN Mataro, CN Sabadell and the past season with CN Catalunya in Barcelona.
“I have spent a total of four years playing in Hungary. My first three seasons were played in a row from 2017 to 2020. I chose to compete there because, at that time, it offered the strongest league in the world, and water polo is a major and highly respected sport in Hungary.
“During my time in Hungary, I experienced one of the biggest growth phases of my career. Competing at such a high level on a daily basis pushed me to develop both technically and mentally, and it significantly shaped me into the goalkeeper I am today.
“For my fourth season, I decided to return as it provided a valuable opportunity to resume my international career where I had left off two years earlier.
“At the moment, I am in my third season playing in Spain, as the Spanish league is currently considered the strongest in the world. Competing in different top leagues has helped me continue to evolve and adapt at the highest level,” she said.
What European club successes has she had?
Trophies have come her way with the 2018 LEN Cup (DFVE); 2018 European Super Cup (DFVE) and the 2024 European Super cup (CN Sabadell).
What makes goalkeepers so different?
“For me, goalkeeping is a very special and highly rewarding role. After all, the team that concedes the fewest goals usually wins, right? The rush you get from stopping a ball makes you feel incredibly strong. I think I like it most because so few people want, or are able, to do this job.
“A goalkeeper’s biggest challenge is mental. We are the ones who face the most setbacks every single day. Every training session, every goal we concede, over and over, we have to reset our minds for the next shot that’s coming.
“Nevertheless, a goalie does not work alone, even though it often seems that way. In my opinion, the best goalkeepers know how to work together with their defence.”
Internationally, Aarts has an impressive list of medals and that includes January’s European Championship crown in Funchal, Portugal. It was her third European gold medal.
“After the semifinal, I had an interview and they asked me, ‘How does it feel to maybe win your third European gold?’ I wasn’t even aware of it at the time. For me, every tournament is a new one and we always set the goal to be the best.
"Now it does feel pretty cool to say that I’ve won three of the seven European gold medals the Netherlands have ever won, ha ha!"
What about the synergy in the Funchal team?
“The Funchal team was different than we have experienced before. We had debutants who haven’t played that long at the high level before or are completely new to the Dutch nationality. The power of this team, and I am speaking in general for the past six years, is that we are a very open and welcoming team. Everybody wants to give their all for their team-mates. This tournament we showed again that the magic of wanting your team-mate to succeed is beneficial and even essential to winning gold in a team sport,” she said.
On what does Eve Doudesis brings to the team as a head coach, she said: “He installs a lot of knowledge into our players. He makes sure we all understand how to play water polo and I am not talking about the boring tactics. I am talking about understanding and reading the game.
“He also makes sure we are always giving our best until the last minute of every practice or game and that everybody’s noses are pointing in the same direction.”
About the positive dynamics in the team that keeps it on the dais in recent years?
“There was a big change in the team’s dynamics six years ago, and I’m sure we owe a large part of that to the players who have been in this team since then. We have a loving environment where everybody can be themselves and feels free to share their opinions or ask any questions. For us, it doesn’t matter how big or small your contribution is in the water, it’s mostly about what you give with your heart to the team outside the water, as well. That’s what makes us a very close and genuine team,” Aarts said.
You have a set of World Championship medals and bronzes at Olympics and World Cup; what more do you wish to achieve?
“My goal is to keep growing and continue learning so I can become better, both as a player and as a person. Being able to live this life and make amazing memories is something worth working hard for, and I want to keep doing it for as long as possible. The perfect ending would be to go to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and win a gold medal," Aarts said.
For The Record:
Olympic Games
Bronze, 2024 Paris
World Aquatics Championships
Gold, 2023 Fukuoka
Silver 2015 Kazan
Bronze 2022 Budapest
World Aquatics World Cup
Silver 2023 Long Beach
European Championships
Gold, 2018 Barcelona
Gold, 2024 Eindhoven
Gold, 2026 Funchal
Silver, 2016 Belgrade