Dayton Dutch Lions of USL PRO Have Genuine “Dutch” Influence

The Dayton Dutch Lions of USL PRO are indeed an ‘orange’ club, the nickname and colors of the Netherlands’ national team that played in last year’s FIFA World Cup final against Spain.  The imprint of Dutch football runs through the organization from top to bottom, and Dayton fans will be treated to a club run by individuals with such strong backgrounds in the Dutch game.

The team announced late last week the appointment of Technical Director Cor van Hoeven.  Signed to a four-year contract, van Hoeven will begin with the club on February 5, and will oversee the club’s men’s and women’s teams, their Super-20 squad, and be responsible for the team’s camps, clinics and youth academy. Van Hoeven has a great deal of soccer experience in his native Netherlands,  having coached several second division Dutch clubs and having established three club youth academies.

“I am glad to finally start today as the new Technical Director of the DDL,” van Hoeven said. “A fantastic new ‘orange’ club. It is a great job with many challenges: first to play in the USL PRO Division, then starting a new women’s team as well as the Super20’s. But overall, in my view, the biggest challenge for me is to build the best and most professional youth academy in Ohio and the surrounding area. This is what my staff and I will start working on.”

The Dutch Lions, who tasted their first on-field action last season in the USL PDL, have an affiliation with 2009-2010 Eredivisie champions FC Twente, but the Dutch influence doesn’t stop there.  The team is co-owned by former Sparta Rotterdam and Heerenveen forward Erik Tammer, along with Xavier University graduate Mike Mossel.

Mossel, a former USL player, and Tammer, 41,  earlier named Ivar van Dinteren to succeed Sonny Silooy as head coach of the men’s team for 2011. Van Dinteren, 31, is another native of the Netherlands who played 13 games last year for the Dutch Lions after a lengthy career playing in Holland’s top two divisions for such clubs as FC Groningen, FC Zwolle and Helmond Sport. Van Dinteren is making his professional coaching debut, but gained experience coaching two Dutch Lions’ Academy youth teams to championships last fall. Last year’s Dutch Lions roster included many players with a background in Dutch soccer.

The Dutch Lions kick off their 2011 season on Saturday, April 16 hosting last year’s USL-2 champion Charleston Battery side at their 4,000 seat Miami Valley South Stadium.  In 2010 the Dutch Lions had an average home attendance of over 1,200 fans, sixth best in the PDL, while finishing third in the Great Lakes Conference.