NEC has presented Rini Coolen as the new director of football on Friday. The 58-year-old Coolen has extensive experience in the football world, including at Feyenoord.
“I am grateful for the trust and look forward to working together on the further development of our football technical vision,” Coolen reacts on the NEC website. “With a strong focus on top sports, talent development and collaboration, we as an organization want to take the next steps towards realizing our ambitions.”
In Nijmegen, Coolen will work with general manager Wilco van Schaik and director of player affairs Carlos Aalbers. He focuses on the so-called “football technical processes” at the first team and the youth academy.
This means that Coolen takes over a number of Aalbers’ tasks. “In line with developments at other clubs in professional football, it was decided to divide the technical policy over two directors,” says Ron van Oijen, chairman of the supervisory board of NEC. Ajax and Go Ahead Eagles, among others, also use this construction.
Coolen has been involved in the football world for a long time. He was a player at Go Ahead Eagles and Heracles Almelo, among others. In 2004 he was appointed head coach of FC Twente, later he was in charge of AGOVV Apeldoorn, RBC Roosendaal and the Norwegian top club Rosenborg BK.
Since 2020 he worked for Feyenoord: first as coach of the Under 21 team, then as head of youth training. Coolen said goodbye to the Rotterdam club last year.