Marina van der Merwe

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Marina van der Werve is a former field hockey coach, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She was the head coach of the Canada women's national field hockey team from 1976 to 1995.

When Van der Merwe was named head coach of the national team, Canada was ranked 16th in the world. She led the team to three Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992) appearances, and silver and bronze medals at the 1983 and 1986 World Cups respectively. Over that period, the women’s field hockey squad was Canada’s best summer sports team, male or female.

Van der Merwe credits her success to a collaborative team effort from associates and coaches coast-to-coast. Canada’s women’s field hockey squad was one of the few national teams developed almost solely through the Canadian university system. Therefore allies such as Dru Marshall at the University of Alberta and several others were able to pinpoint talent and recommend players to the national team.

From 1971 to 1999, Van der Merwe coached women’s field hockey at York University in Toronto, one of the longest standing coaching terms in interuniversity sports history. She earned six CIAU (Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, now called Canadian Interuniversity Sport) silver medals, two CIAU bronze medals and seven OUA (Ontario University Athletics) titles.

Van der Merwe received an MA from the Syracuse University and a PhD from Ohio State. She was a faculty member at York's School of Physical Education with a specialization in health studies. A 3M National Coaching Certification Program Level 4 certified coach, she was the 1995 and 1999 CIAU Coach of the Year and the Air Canada Coach of the Year in 1983.