Former Oranje playmaker takes next step in his coaching career at ADO Den Haag | OneFootball

Former Eredivisie and Oranje playmaker Eljero Elia (38) will become assistant coach with the ADO Den Haag U21s. Working under coach Henk de Zeeuw, this marks a new step in his fledgling coaching career.

Elia was already getting his bearings in ADO’s youth academy, as he confirmed earlier this year on Voetbal International’s Dave & Drenthe podcast. At the time, he was working on obtaining his coaching qualifications, while also having other plans in football.

The former player, who began and ended his professional career in The Hague, expressed a different objective. “Ultimately, my main goal is to become head of youth development at a professional football club.”

This season, he will be joining ADO’s reserves. Elia has an experienced assistant in Ronald Samson, who has been an assistant to ADO’s Under-21 team since 2022.

ADO’s reserves were relegated from Division 1 last season and will therefore play in Division 2 of the Under-21 league this season. They will play against reserves from teams including SC Heerenveen, Vitesse, NAC Breda, Fortuna Sittard, and IJsselmeervogels.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield