Martin van Geel new Eredivisie technical manager

Martin van Geel (63) will succeed Mark-Jan Fledderus, who left in March, as the technical manager at Eredivisie CV. Van Geel will focus on further developing sporting and technical disciplines in Dutch professional football, including the Eredivisie Change Agenda, the sports data project, competition structure, match calendar, playing surfaces, youth academies, reserve teams, transfer windows, and the football pyramid.

He will also work to enhance collaboration with technical directors of clubs through the Technical Platform and maintain contacts with other national and international football organizations such as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, KNVB, European Leagues, UEFA, and FIFA.

Jan de Jong, Director of Eredivisie CV, said: "Martin van Geel has been involved in Dutch professional football since he was sixteen, up to the present day. That's almost 47 consecutive years! A lifetime of experience with the full spectrum of football's colors. He played over 400 matches (scoring 127 goals) and has served as a (technical) director at Ajax, AZ, Feyenoord, Roda JC, and Willem II. You can't get more Eredivisie experience in one person! It's a rarity. The choice for him was an easy one. Martin's task is clear: work with the clubs to ensure we remain the sixth-best league in Europe. Achieving this is much more complicated. A fantastic challenge awaits him!"

Martin van Geel, who will become the technical manager at Eredivisie CV on July 1st, said: "After 29 years, I may be stepping down as a club director, but I still have plenty of passion and energy to embrace this new challenge with great enthusiasm and to contribute my knowledge and experience to Dutch football. Additionally, I look forward to working with Jan de Jong and other colleagues, many of whom I've known for many years."

In 1977, Martin van Geel began his football career at Willem II, which subsequently took him to Ajax, Roda JC, and Feyenoord, before eventually ending back in Tilburg. After playing 403 Eredivisie matches and scoring 127 goals, the midfielder traded his football boots in 1995 for a role as the technical director at Willem II.

Following a successful period with Co Adriaanse in the Champions League, Van Geel moved to AZ and subsequently held the technical director position at Ajax, Roda JC, and Feyenoord, mirroring his playing career path. He concluded his club career in 2019 as the CEO at Willem II. Since September 2023, he combined this role with that of technical director at the Tricolores. In February, Van Geel announced his departure from the Tilburg club.

During his tenure as technical director at Ajax, Van Geel won the KNVB Cup twice and the Johan Cruyff Shield three times. At Feyenoord, he also won both trophies (two KNVB Cups and two Johan Cruyff Shields) and witnessed the club's first league championship in eighteen years. Additionally, under Van Geel, Willem II qualified for European football in the past five years, navigated through the COVID-19 crisis, saw significant revenue growth, and achieved his last sporting highlight last weekend: winning the Keuken Kampioen Divisie championship.

This summer, Martin van Geel will be succeeded at Willem II by Merijn Goris (CEO) and Tom Caluwé (technical director).