Amsterdam, 2 July 2026
HERA United has appointed Juryan Zandvliet as its new head coach. The 32-year-old manager succeeds Ed Engelkes and will take charge from 1 July 2026, with the task of leading the Amsterdam club back to the Eredivisie. Zandvliet signs a contract for the 2026-2027 season.
Zandvliet built up experience in recent years within the youth academies of PEC Zwolle andAZ. At PEC Zwolle he spent ten years in the youth set-up before moving to AZ in 2023, where he progressed from Under-14 to Under-16 coach. He also worked as assistant coach at Diriyah SC in Saudi Arabia under Alfred Schreuder. At HERA United, Zandvliet takes his first step into senior head coaching.
HERA United General Director Susan van Geenen: “With Juryan Zandvliet we bring in a coach who has made a deliberate choice for women’s football and for HERA United. We look forward to working with the technical staff to build the footballing foundation of HERA United. Juryan proved at PEC Zwolle and AZ that he can develop both young andexperienced players. He also brings international experience, tactical insight and real ambition. That is exactly the combination we need to find our way back to the Eredivisie together with this team.”
Zandvliet: “The conversations with the people of HERA completely surprised, challengedand inspired me. This choice was not one I had anticipated. But the vision and the plans thatHERA has gave me an immediate feeling of trust. HERA is going to take major steps in thecoming years, and I want to be part of the foundations on which that development is built.
I am really looking forward to creating, together with the staff and players, an environment where performance, development and a high-performance culture come together — not onlywith the ambition to bring HERA back to the highest level, but also to help build anorganisation that over time grows into a sustainable and leading force in women’s football.”
Note to editors
For further information, images or interview requests, please contact the press department of HERA United at pers@hera-united.nl.