All Whites, Ferns, and other international teams

Fred de Dong High Performance Manager

45 replies · 8,354 views

over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Probably an upgrade on Alex Chiet. Maybe this is the first result of Danny Hay's calls for some accountability for Ricki in NZF? Is he now Ricki's boss?? Seems like an odd candidate, he has no actual current day to day coaching or management experience, just a blazer really.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/7388095/Fred-De-Jong-quits-NZF-board-for-director-role

If anyone received the presser with the Q&A please please post it here _ I think it will be very revealing on the motivations behind this decision.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

This is very strange indeed

Founder

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Fred de Dong - very funny.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

him?

People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

de Jong appointed to NZF High Performance Role

July 26, 2012

AUCKLAND – Former All Whites striker Fred de Jong has been appointed to the role of New Zealand Football’s High Performance Director. He will be responsible for all facets of NZ Footballs Elite Coach Development and all Interntational age group and senior teams. His first task will be to develop a long term HP vision and strategy for NZ Football which will include vertical alignment to the Whole of Football Plan.

de Jong has served on the New Zealand Football board since 2002, and has been on the OFC Executive Committee since 2006.He was appointed as a member of the FIFA World Cup Organising Committee during that time. He will be stepping down from these positions to take up the role.

de Jong played 21 internationals for New Zealand between 1984 and 1993. He also played professionally for Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch Eredivisie and for the Football Kingz upon his return to New Zealand.

Since retiring from playing football, de Jong has carved a successful business career and is currently the General Manager of StayinFront Asia-Pacific, a company developing customer relationship management (CRM) software for multi-national customers worldwide. The New Zealand Rugby Union, New Zealand Cricket and High Performance Sport NZ all use StayinFront’s sports management software to monitor and manage New Zealand’s elite athletes.

In the role of High Performance Director, de Jong will be charged with improving capability in all areas of elite football and New Zealand Football Chief Executive Grant McKavanagh said de Jong’s combination of skills and experience would allow him to hit the ground running.

“Fred has a good understanding of football at a professional level, has intimate knowledge of the confederation we compete in and has first hand experience of the demands of international football,” McKavanagh said.

“But allied to that, Fred brings the business acumen and a discipline to process that is arguably more important when trying to find new and better ways of approaching the challenge of giving New Zealand teams world class preparation when resources are limited.”

de Jong was relishing the new challenge.

“Our teams have made great strides in recent years and I’m really looking forward to helping the organisation ensure those teams make the jump from credible to competitive in the most elite sporting environment in the world.”

Q&A

How objective was the recruitment process considering the tight relationship with NZF?

An outside recruitment firm was utilised for the initial screening and first interview stage of the process. Shortlisting was done through a panel process including high performance specialists. Interviews were done with a panel of three, and the final interview panel included members of HP Sport NZ.

What is De Jong’s HP experience specifically?

Having played both professional and international football, de Jong can call on personal experience as an elite athlete in high perofrmance environments. This coupled with many years invoved with in other facets of the game leads to a very solid understanding of the requirements of a High Perfromance Director in the modern game.

Did you look at international candidates or applicants from other sports?

Yes, but Fred’s combination of HP experience, local and international football knowledge, project management and business acumen made him the best candidate.

Will he keep his board roles?
No. De Jong will relinquish his board positions with NZF and OFC.

Will he keep his commentary role?

Yes.

Why has it taken so long to fill?

This role is quite posssibly the most important placement that NZF has made. High Performance in NZF is viewed as a long term strategy, and with such, we needed to ensure we understood the key outcomes and built a picture of the key competencies required to perform the role.

Would a HPD have made a difference to how the All Whites performed in Honiara?

Possibly, however, this will never be known. Without question, De Jong will be spending time to understand what learnings can be taken from the experience to ensure that NZF improves from the exercise.

What is Fred’s relationship with Ricki and other national team staff like?

His relationship with all the current national coaches is very good. Fred has a level of experience in the NZ game that will enable him to share his knowledge. He also has a strong desire to seek out opportunities for the further development of the NZF elite coaching group.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Also interesting to note that the press release still had tracked changes through it when Grant sent it out.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

And he keeps the commentating gig. Someone shoot me now.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

el grapadura wrote:

And he keeps the commentating gig. Someone shoot me now.

yes - had thought him having to stop commentating seemed to be the only good thing about this announcement - all joy gone now ....

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Me too, was hoping he'd get his sidekick Dewhurst a job too and they'd both be gone. Do SkyTV have any idea how bad those two are? And do they care?

Fruglo on 15.01.2013 wrote:

Fuck this stupid game

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

ditto to that

Kotahitanga. We are one.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Sky relaying Piney's Radio commentary over the top of the video coverage would be far superior.

Yellow Fever - Misery loves company

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Probably not such a bad choice for what is largely a bureaucratic role and not so strange when you consider Sir Trevor Brooking has occupied the same sort of position for the English FA as Director of Football Development for the last decade with scant coaching experience (apart from filling in at West Ham for a few weeks some years ago when the manager was ill). Brooking has always said team management is not for him and his background since playing has funnily enough been almost identical to Fred: involvement in sports admin., running a business (Sir Trev runs a book-binding business) and TV commentary.

Funnily enough, both played in NZ's national league at the same time in the mid-eighties, Fred for Mount Wellington and Sir Trev for University (of Auckland) for a few games: "Late on June 23 1984 Trevor Brooking MBE, an England international with 47 caps, flew into Auckland and the very next day turned out for the University club versus Manurewa in the Rothmans National League. At the time he was considered by many to be the best player to have taken the field in New Zealand, making guest appearances in Wally Hughes' University team alongside the likes of Ricki Herbert, Glen Adam and Peter Henry." Remember it well.

As someone who played 53 games in the Dutch top flight over three seasons (and a fourth season in the second div.) at a time when it was a very strong league and had Romario, Bergkamp etc. playing, Fred is one of a handful of Kiwis with that sort of experience. Fortuna Sittard's main fan's site lists him as one of the top 54 players of all time at the club (my Dutch cousin pointed this out to me). Love the fact the fans there used to chant "They're afraid of Fred de Jong!"

http://www.fortuna-online.nl/pages/07_noaachtere/top54.htm

THE PERENNIAL TOP FIFTY-FOUR 54. Fred de Jong
Fred de Jong comes to Sittard in 1990. He played 3 years for Fortuna in the Eredivisie and scored 5 league goals. Hard-working striker, but not exactly a gifted technician. Sympathetic guy who is also on the North Stand The Baandert shows. Why he gets the top 54? Not because he is the only New Zealander ever to have worn the green and yellow. Not because of his football skills. A little bit because of his own song "They're afraid of Fred de Jong." But mainly because he fans a bit reminiscent of John Linford. Perhaps the wish is father to the thought.

Also Fred qualifies on the basis of having a beer with me once:

From another of my postings:

"Fred de Jong I had a beer with at an after-match in the 90's when he played for a Wynton Rufer 11 against a Canterbury rep team for charity. Like most well-known people, quite different when you meet them socially - Fred was very relaxed, friendly and articulate and willing to answer all questions about his career with the All Whites and playing in the Dutch top flight against Romario, Bergkamp etc. in the early nineties. He has qualifications in computing and owns a computer business in Auckland I think, so has a sharp brain. I like the guy."

Big Pete 65, Christchurch

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

The more I think about it the more bizarre this gets. He has literally no experience or qualification for this job.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I think most peoples sentiments sum it up.

The thing I look at, and is cliched a bit, that just because you had a successful (we can call him successful?) career, does not mean you will cross over into position X. All the more worrying is that as others have mentioned, he lacks some experience which I would have thought to have been a given in a candidate.

Queue the lols but as much as I am not a Wynton fan, I would have taken him over Fred purely because I think he does have a bit more technical know how and being a high performance director/technician role, he would perhaps offer more from that standpoint but we all know that is never going to happen. That being said, Fred's non football job seems pretty decent and maybe its his managerial/organisational skills that is required for the role.

Either way, I really do hope he gives up his night job as a commentator. I'd take Daryl Halligan and Murray Mexted over him.

Grumpy old bastard alert

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I think playing for the football kingz automatically disqualifies you from holding any role with the title "high performance" in it.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

This is the equilvent in FFA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boultbee_%28sport_administrator%29

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I guess you can only pick the people who apply.

I get the impression these kinda roles don't neccessarily require coaching experience. They aren't the coaches' coach so to speak.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

james dean wrote:

The more I think about it the more bizarre this gets. He has literally no experience or qualification for this job.

It's a surprising appointment but "literally no experience or qualification" is a bit harsh.

He's been on the NZF Board for 10 years, Oceania Executive for 6 years, has played professionally in Australasia and Europe, and has commercial/management experience.

Without knowing who the other candidates were it's a bit hard to judge innit?

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

A think saying that's "a bit harsh" is a bit lenient.

Allegedly

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Jeff Vader wrote:

I think most peoples sentiments sum it up.

Funny how people seem to be upset about this yet it does not bother anyone that exactly the same thing could be said about Greenacres coaching appointment.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Here is the job description btw

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/Vacancies/NZF_High_Performance_Director_JD_April2012.pdf

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

zinidane wrote:

Jeff Vader wrote:

I think most peoples sentiments sum it up.

Funny how people seem to be upset about this yet it does not bother anyone that exactly the same thing could be said about Greenacres coaching appointment.

Umm, apart from you and James Dean and Jeff Vader who else is meant to be upset about this?

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Exactly the same.

One being an entry level coaching position for someone already involved in coaching at a professional club,

The other being a key appointment for the direction of the sport in the country.

Exactly.

First season Kingz Normo, credible.

How's my driving? - Whine here

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I wouldn't say I'm upset but I would say I'm surprised and a little confused.

The difference between this and Greenacre's appointment is that Greenacre is taking on an assistant role under someone who is more experienced so he can learn on the job, whereas De Jong's job seems to be more of a "coach for the coaches" role. Interesting that the job description lists one of the preferred person specifications as "a high performance coaching qualification or high performance coaching experience" which as far as I am aware Fred doesn't have, although he might tick a lot of the other boxes.

People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

2ndBest wrote:

This is the equilvent in FFA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boultbee_%28sport_administrator%29

Which reveals the Aussie Director of Football Development, John Boultbee, has no football background whatsoever either in playing or coaching but only in rowing as a participant and administrator and is primarily a lawyer. The Aussies haven't been doing too bad under him. Just confirms it's mostly an admin role involving co-ordinating the national coaching. (Note that different national bodies use different terms for these kinds of posts - NZ Football call this position "High Performance Director" but they also have a "Head of Football Development" who, differing from the Aussie term, is in fact technical director and is involved in coaching.)

"Since 2004, he has held the position of Head of National/International Football Development at the Football Federation of Australia.

...he was appointed by the Football Federation of Australia to establish a high performance unit.[8] He is responsible for overseeing the national teams including the Socceroos, Olyroos andMatildas. During this period, the Socceroos qualified for World Cups in Germany and South Africa."

As I point out in my previous post above, Sir Trevor Brooking has held the equivalent position with the English FA since 2003 and similarly has no background in coaching but as with Fred only experience as a player, businessman, sports administrator (in Sir Trev's case, outside of football) and TV commentator.

With regards to assumptions such as Barry Zuckerhorn's above that the role involves "coaching the coaches", in fact there is no involvement in actual coaching. NZ Football have another position for that, the Head of Football Development (a technical director's role) who Fred will be working with. It is the Head of Football Development who "coaches the coaches" and is involved in technical aspects of coaching.

The job description states: " The High Performance Director is responsible for ensuring that players and coaches have a clear pathway from national participation level through international teams, to elite level, and that coaching and training programs are available to ensure this occurs."

Fred will also be involved in co-ordinating the tracking (scouting) of potential national team players and arranging the men's and women's national team schedules and budgets.

Big Pete 65, Christchurch

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Big Pete 65 wrote:

Conjecture

Sir Trevor had a memorable spell coaching (Manager) West Ham United in 2003. Alas only in a caretaker roll

Known as the "Best Manager West Ham Never Had"

Played 14 Won 9 Drew 4 Lost 1

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

UK Kiwi wrote:

Big Pete 65 wrote:

Conjecture

Sir Trevor had a memorable spell coaching (Manager) West Ham United in 2003. Alas only in a caretaker roll

Known as the "Best Manager West Ham Never Had"

Played 14 Won 9 Drew 4 Lost 1

That hardly constitutes a background in coaching - 14 games in your entire lifetime! Actually I mention that short stint filling in for Glenn Roeder when he had a brain tumour, in my first post...(I saw many of those games on TV at the time.) It's something he's said he's never been interested in due to the stress - probably too nice a guy (easy-going) as well -and as far as I know has never done any coaching courses or been an assistant.

Unrelated, but another thing in Fred's favour is his experience as a FIFA official at the 2010 World Cup Finals, a role he has maintained to date. From FIFA's website:

Fred DE JONG:
Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup (TM) Member
Bureau 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (TM) Member

Big Pete 65, Christchurch

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I did qualify my opinion that perhaps its his managerial skills that are required for the job.

The way I look at it is that this would be a role that has the foundation and intent on taking the upper echelon of 'football' (whether thats players, coaches, managers, officials) and trying to improve it. Thats got to be the fundamental marker in the ground or else what else are you trying to achieve?

Having now read the job description, it looks like it is very much a managerial role. I would think he would draft in people to help fill in knowledge gaps he has (and I expect there would be a bit with the lack of some football specific skills/experience) and use their expertise to help contribute to an overall plan that he is accountable for. I think if I look at it from a business-comparable perspective, you are hardly going to see the head of marketing at Woolworths be hands on designing the catalogues... They are going to have underlings that will do that and he will have overall final signoff based on his vision and send back down anything he wants done/changed/improved/developed. Perhaps thats similarly how this role is meant to be.

Grumpy old bastard alert

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Hard News wrote:

Exactly the same.

One being an entry level coaching position for someone already involved in coaching at a professional club,

The other being a key appointment for the direction of the sport in the country.

Exactly.

First season Kingz Normo, credible.

This is the real point here - let's ignore Greenacre. This is an absolutely key appointment, long overdue and I think they've duffed it. Let's be real here, if he wasn't in the running as an NZF employee they aren't going to encourage him to apply then screw him so it's safe to assume that he had the inside running from the start.

2nd best and TX - this is a new job so if you don't like the applicants you re-advertise and change the scope - if they weren't happy with who applied then don't make an appointment just for the sake of it.

That aussie guy may not have football knowledge but he's run the aussie Olympic programme as part of running the Asutralian institute of sport - one of the foremost institutions of its type in the world, safe to assume he knows what he's doing. And what do we get? More failed leadership from NZF.

High performance sports management is a specialist position and he has no experience. You would not appoint an accountant without a degree to work in the back office so why do we parachute guys like this in?

Jeff, without experience in a true high performance culture, or relevant qualifications in that area, how are you supposed to develop a HPC in an organisation like NZF? At best, he'll have to learn on the job.

It's unprofessional and I think we need to start demanding more from an organisation that has money to spend.

Finally, Pete65, if English football's high performance culture is the one we're attempting to copy then shoot me now.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I agree JD. Thats why I wonder if he has been bought in more as an overaching manager with other peoples input sought to fill the knowledge gaps he has. I agree that this is not ideal and should not have made the appointment for the sake of it if thats the case. If anything, they could have learned from the NZC coaching merry go-round.

Grumpy old bastard alert

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Think so people are assuming we have a large sums of money. Fact is, we are a poor, isolated, tin pot country that will always struggle to attract top people for most, if not all, job.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

zinidane wrote:

Jeff Vader wrote:

I think most peoples sentiments sum it up.

Funny how people seem to be upset about this yet it does not bother anyone that exactly the same thing could be said about Greenacres coaching appointment.

Umm, apart from you and James Dean and Jeff Vader who else is meant to be upset about this?

Not me....I am not upset at all by the De Jong appointment. I'm very happy about it.

I'm upset by the Greenacre appointment...but thats old ground now and there is little point rehashing that as he now has the job.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Whoa there JD!!

So far my contribution to this thread is:

- laughing at you calling him Fred de Dong

- call you out on your statement about "literally no experience or qualifications" (which was a total exaggeration btw) while still noting it was a surprising appointment

- questioning Zinidane's statement that "people are upset about this" by asking how many?

I haven't actually expressed an opinion on whether Fred is a good appointment or not because I don't know. I don't have enough information to decide.

I think 2nd Best is right to point out the affordability factor though.

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I don't think we have any information on affordability either, which really just makes that a convenient excuse.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

You honestly think that NZF is flush with cash and can get anyone they want for any role?

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

james dean wrote:

I don't think we have any information on affordability either, which really just makes that a convenient excuse.

How about getting the annual report of NZF and the annual report of the FFA, or the English FA, or the German FA, or the Japanese FA and see if you spot the difference. I'll give you a clue - it's in the finance section

(I'm winking at you again. With both eyes. I have my eyes closed)

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

el grapadura wrote:

You honestly think that NZF is flush with cash and can get anyone they want for any role?

What on earth makes you think that? Of course not

High Performance is not sport specific - it's not about football coaching (as pointed out already). It is about creating a high performance culture and environment.

Of course I'm not suggesting we can compete within the football world for top talent in this area. However, within New Zealand of course we are competitive salary wise. Do you think de Jong is giving up a successful business career and NZF board member fees + OFC positions for peanuts?

First example I looked at - Rowing New Zealand. Run a big international programme, send teams all over the world, win gold medals, genuinely good at what they do. Total annual budget approx NZD8.5mn.

Football NZ, we all know the drill. Total annual budget NZD9.5mn.

Check out rowing's set up - it's light years ahead of what NZF is doing. Why can they do it and we can't (I realise we're talking about different sports in different contexts)? Because crap decisions get made and we shrug our shoulders, we're conditioned to accept poor quality leadership because that's all we've had.

Normo's coming home

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

james dean wrote:

(I realise we're talking about different sports in different contexts)?

Really? It seems like you don't.

Allegedly

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Feel NZF did better in appointing Fred who has a strong football background as a professional player, international and administrator (NZF and OFC boards, FIFA World Cup Organising Commitee 2010) than someone from rowing for example - as James Dean above admits, totally different sports and contexts, so don't see his point about NZF paying competitively in the NZ context. They certainly don't pay much in actuality, so I suspect Fred's taking it on out of passion for the game, rather than money.

NZF's wage bill was only $1,647,000 in 2011 so they must certainly pay peanuts !!! See 2011 annual report:

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/NZF-AnnualReport-2011.pdf

Football Fed Australia 2009 Annual Report:

https://secure.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/429720/Football_Federation_Australia_Annual_Report_2009.pdf

2009 revenue: $AUS 97,000,000

Wage bill (employees and player payments): $AUS 24,584,000

We have to face the fact we're a football backwater, a minnow and do the best with what meagre resources we can scrape together. And that will usually involve employing those locally available prepared to accept lower wages and familiar with local realities. I agree though NZF can do better in organizing a "high performance" environment - but at least they seem aware to some extent such a thing exists. Quite a fiasco in the 1980's when John Adshead's demands for more involvement in the running of things and a more professional environment, saw him being pushed out by Charlie Dempsey...

ASIAN ASSOCIATIONS' BUDGETS (IN $US):

NZ's is less than Singapore's (one of the weaker Asian football nations):

http://www.lionsatw.com/2010/12/harimau-menang-garuda-kecundang-singa.html

#Japan Football Association’s annual budget is around $264 million

#Chinese Football Association’s budget is around $180 million

#Korean Football Association’s budget is around $95 million

#Football Federation’ Australia’s budget is around $60 million......"

"Even our regional Asean neighbours have continued to invest heavily in the game.For example:

#The Indonesian Football Association has a budget of around $112.5 million

#Vietnam Football Federation has a budget of around $60 million

#Football Association of Thailand has a budget of around $ 52 million

#Football Association of Malaysia has a budget of around $35 million........."

"Football Association of Singapore have on the other hand worked within a modest budget of $9.7 million....."

( taken from FAS Strategic Plan Address, April 2010)

Big Pete 65, Christchurch

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over 13 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Big Pete....you are a virtual oasis of information, a wonderful fountain of knowledge, a spring of interesting facts

Keep it up...its saves lazy buggers like me looking it up!!!!

If they did the FIFA country ratings based on "getting by on the smell of an oily rag" then NZ would be number one in the world. We often slag our association off( and true they do some dumb-arse things sometimes) but they do get a lot of stuff right and we often punch above our weight on the world stage. Imagine what they could do with Vietnams budget....6 times ours...and they are shiite!! Imagine what we could do if we could afford a Hiddink running our high performance stuff.

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