Freek Heerkens remains technical director of Willem II. He signs a contract until the summer of 2028 as technical director at the club. The former player has recently started working on an interim basis in this position. This after Tom Caluwé’s departure. Heerkens will receive assistance from his former trainer Adrie Koster next season, who will start working as a technical adviser in Tilburg. The new technical coordinator is Sam Strijbosch (30) who comes across from Helmond Sport.
According to general director Merijn Goris, the fact that Heerkens remains technical director is no surprise. “In the past year, Freek immediately made a big impression through his vision and leadership. He earns all the compliments for that,” he says on the club’s website. “When the position of technical director became vacant, it was clear to me and the Supervisory Board that we already had the best candidate. In consultation with Freek we started thinking about the design of the technical structure.”
Herkens himself did not hesitate for a moment. “It went fast, but the confidence I get from the club and the conversations with people inside and outside Willem II have convinced me to take this responsibility. Nowadays, the role of technical director is much broader. Good cooperation with different expertise within a clear structure is essential. I am therefore happy with the knowledge and experience that Adrie and Sam support us in the area of football.”
Koster returns to Tilburg where he was previously assistant trainer and was head coach over two periods. Heerkens sees in the 70-year-old sexton an important reinforcement in the field of scouting, technical vision and team development. Heerkens: “He has a lot of experience in the profession and knows the identity of the club through and through. Thanks to his various functions in football, he also has a broad and valuable network.” Koster was an assistant coach of PhD student Excelsior last season.
