Adelaide United is delighted to announce Dutchman, Gerald Sibon, has joined Gertjan Verbeek’s coaching team ahead of the upcoming Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season.
Sibon, a former Dutch striker during his playing days, will work closely with recently appointed Head Coach, Gertjan Verbeek, and Assistant Head Coach, Carl Veart, as the Reds’ Performance Coach.
The news follows the returns of former Reds stars, Carl Veart and Eugene Galekovic, to the Club as Assistant Coach and Goalkeeping Coach respectively, as well as Bruce Djite as the Club’s Director of Football.
A component of Sibon’s role will encompass youth football and the progression to the senior level, ensuring a more cohesive high-performance framework is implemented right across the club. He will also work on improving the Reds’ attacking talents at all levels, looking to pass on his profound knowledge of the craft.
The 45-year-old previously gained considerable managerial experience as an assistant coach in the Eredivisie at SC Heerenveen over the last four years.
Mirko is excited to be playing under Gertjan Verbeek and discussed the plans for pre-season! #AUFC
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📸 Chris Kelly Photographics pic.twitter.com/3LUQPrDUtq— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) July 13, 2019
Sibon is also familiar with the Hyundai A-League landscape after spending the 2010/11 campaign with the formerly-named Melbourne Heart as a player.
A three-time Eredivisie and six-time domestic cup winner, Sibon has immense pedigree in a playing career that spanned 20 years which included Dutch giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, the aforementioned Heerenveen, and English side Sheffield Wednesday.
Sibon spent three years at the Yorkshire club and finished as their top scorer for three consecutive seasons.
Speaking on joining the Club, Sibon said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for me to be here at Adelaide United.
“I am very passionate about all levels of football and I’m looking forward to working alongside Gertjan, Carl, and Eugene for the upcoming season to develop our senior players, but also the younger talent we have in our youth teams.
“Having played in the A-League before, I have experience in this competition and have very fond memories of my time in Australia.
“The hard work begins now and I cannot wait to get deep into preparations for the new season.”
.@JordanElsey1 says the Reds are determined to defend their @FFACup title and shares his thoughts on pre-season so far. 🏆⚽🏃 #AUFC
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📸 Chris Kelly Photographics pic.twitter.com/QBFCHFLJlY— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) July 15, 2019
Adelaide United Director of Football, Bruce Djite, said Sibon’s experience will be paramount to the integration of many young talents into the club’s senior football.
“Gerald had an outstanding playing career and he possesses exceptional knowledge of the game,” Djite explained. “To add Gerald to our backroom staff for the upcoming season is another significant coup for the Club and especially for the players.
“Our backroom staff is now fully in-place and in-line with the culture we’re looking to develop over the next few seasons and longer-term at the club.
“Since taking on the Director of Football role, the most alarming feedback I received was the complete disconnect between the youth teams and the first team during the last few seasons.
“Therefore, a key component of this role will see Gerald dedicated to integrating youth players into senior football and to better create better synergies between our youth setup and the first team squad.
“We all look forward to Gerald having a significantly positive impact throughout the organisation.”
