Dayton, August 2 2014 - Sid van Druenen is stepping down as the Head Coach for the professional team. Instead he will mainly focus on the development of the Youth Academy. Assistant Coach Jack Hermans will be the interim Head Coach for now with Catherine Gordon assisting him.
Sid has been with the Dayton Dutch Lions FC for three years and took over the Head Coach position of Patrick Bal last year after winning the Conference Championship with the Women’s team. The challenge was to make the playoffs for the second consecutive time in the four-year history of the club in USL PRO. This season Sid was very successful on the road winning five games of the 10 away games, tying Orlando and Sacramento for most wins in the League. But at home the team has been struggling not winning a game yet and two ties in 11 games.
CEO Mike Mossel commented on the change: “Sid has been with us for three years and is a big asset for both me and the club. Besides doing a great job coaching his youth teams he won the Championship with the Women’s team last year and had a great part in earning us the 2013 USL Organization of the Year Award. We had a good start of the season with the Men’s pro team but have been less successful throughout the season, especially at home. We both felt that we could finish the season but also that we needed to make some important improvements in the Youth Academy right now and that this would mean he needs more time to focus on the Academy to provide a quality product from the start. On the other side having a new face in front of the Men’s pro team can also bring a spark to the team to finish the season in style. I am very pleased with Sid’s commitment to the club and hope to have him with us for many years.
Sid van Druenen had this to say on his decision: “This was tough for me personally but I think it’s the best decision for both me and the club. Assuring the quality of our Youth Academy is key right now and needs full attention. Improving our methods of communication and further develop the Academy will be the main focus points for me in the next weeks while starting up the new Academy season and I feel that it is better for the club that I spent all my time and effort to that instead of the Men’s pro team. Besides the Youth Academy I will also be working on other projects like the DL CUP, Super Y, Super 20’s, scheduling and partnerships with other local clubs. I am happy to stay with the club and to be able to focus on the Technical Manager role from now on.”
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC are playing Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday August 2 at 7.00pm at DOC Stadium.