Giovanni van Bronckhorst Returns as Head Coach

With Van Bronckhorst, Feyenoord welcomes back a true club icon to De Kuip. As a player, he wore the red-and-white shirt between 1993 and 1998 and again from 2007 to 2010. As captain, he led Feyenoord to KNVB Cup glory in 2008 and established himself as one of the most respected players in the club’s recent history.

Van Bronckhorst enjoyed even greater success at De Kuip as head coach. During his first spell in charge (2015–2019), he guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in the 2016–17 season, ending the club’s 18-year wait for a league championship. Under his leadership, Feyenoord also won the KNVB Cup twice (2016 and 2018) and the Johan Cruijff Shield twice (2017 and 2018).

With an attractive style of play, strong team spirit and a close connection with the supporters, Van Bronckhorst left a lasting positive mark on the club.

Technical Director Dévy Rigaux said: “The return of Giovanni van Bronckhorst marks a new chapter for Feyenoord. We want to continue building on our sporting ambitions with a head coach who combines extensive international experience with a deep understanding of the club’s culture.

‘I have followed Giovanni’s career with great interest for many years. He is an outstanding coach and a strong personality. His broad experience, combined with his Feyenoord DNA and the hunger for new success that Robert Eenhoorn and I sensed during our conversations with him, give us great confidence that he can help take the club forward once again.’

Sipke Hulshoff
Van Bronckhorst will begin the new season with Sipke Hulshoff as his assistant coach. The 51-year-old from Leeuwarden, who also has a Feyenoord background, has been appointed as assistant coach of Feyenoord’s first team and, like Van Bronckhorst, has signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional year.

Hulshoff previously worked within the Feyenoord Academy, served as an assistant coach with the Netherlands national team, and won the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord in 2022–23 and the KNVB Cup a year later as part of the coaching staff. Until recently, Hulshoff was assistant coach at Liverpool, where he worked closely with Van Bronckhorst.

Rigaux added: ‘The partnership between Van Bronckhorst and Hulshoff, which was further developed and strengthened in England, provides Feyenoord with a complementary coaching duo that combines international experience, a winning mentality and in-depth knowledge of the club. We are therefore delighted to welcome them both back to Rotterdam.’