Andries Jonker is the successor of Mark Parsons as national coach of the Dutch women’s team. The former trainer of Telstar will be presented this afternoon in Zeist. The 59-year-old Amsterdammer signs a contract up to and including the European Championship of 2025.
Jonker left Telstar this summer after three years, because he saw no progress with the Velsense first divisionist. Where the club took steps forward off the field, it failed to increase the player budget. In his last year as head coach, Jonker finished in penultimate place with Telstar.
His name soon spread as a possible successor to Parsons at the Orange Lionesses. The Englishman was fired after the disappointing performance at the last European Championship. Jonker previously worked for the KNVB for two periods and, according to the association, has always been very involved in women’s football.
In a statement on the website of the KNVB, Jonker says: “I have previously experienced how great it is to get started with a group of ambitious, dedicated players. During the last European Championship we also saw how incredibly quickly women’s football developed over the last few years. We have ambitious goals, but also an enormous amount of quality and talent that we can draw on towards the 2023 World Cup. It is of course very nice to be able to give direction to that.”
At the Orange women, Jonker will work with another White Lion, former player and trainer Arvid Smit. Smit and Jessica Torny stay on as assistants.
Crucial World Cup match
On Tuesday, September 6, the Netherlands will play the last World Cup qualifier against Iceland for a ticket for the World Cup. After seven games, the Orange squad is in first place in the group, with a two-point lead over Iceland, which has played one game less. If the Orange wins this match, it will qualify for next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.