Heerenveen’s Surprising Choice: Veldman Takes the Helm After Van Persie

SC Heerenveen has appointed a new head coach, Robin Veldman, who is transitioning from his role within the youth setup at Club Brugge. The discussions surrounding his appointment are in their final stages and are expected to conclude shortly.

Veldman will take over from Robin van Persie, who moved to Feyenoord at the end of February. The 39-year-old coach previously held a youth coaching position at Heerenveen and is set to make his debut in charge during an away match against FC Utrecht on March 30.

With Veldman’s hiring, Heerenveen has successfully completed its search for a new coach, which began after Van Persie’s departure. For the past few weeks, Henk Brugge has been serving as interim coach, but his tenure was limited due to a lack of the necessary coaching qualifications.

Returning to Familiar Grounds

Robin Veldman is no stranger to Heerenveen, having previously worked as a youth coach at the club from 2006 to 2017. After leaving Heerenveen, he spent several years developing his coaching skills within the youth academy at Ajax.

In 2021, Veldman briefly took on the role of interim coach for the first team at the Belgian top club RSC Anderlecht. Following a short stint at Queen’s Park FC in Scotland, he returned to Belgium to coach the reserve team at Club Brugge. He is now set to step into the first-team managerial role at Heerenveen.