Eric Meijers

Meijers is mostly known for his ten-year spell as head coach of Achilles '29, which he turned into a mainstay of Dutch amateur football and a national Topklasse in 2012, for which he was awarded the Rinus Michels Award as best amateur coach of the year. His successes in 2012 won him interest from Eerste Divisie professionals Helmond Sport, who hired him as new head coach for the 2012–13 season in a one-year contract. Thanks also to five wins in the first five games of the seasons, Helmond ended the season in an impressive fourth place, but was defeated by Sparta Rotterdam in the promotion playoffs. Meijers could not repeat his positive performances in the following seasons, as he was dismissed in September 2013 due to poor results after a home loss to Almere City FC. In January 2014, it was announced Meijers would return into amateur football, replacing Hans Kraay, Jr. at ambitious Topklasse club JVC Cuijk, effective from the following 2014–15 season. On 9 November 2014, it was announced that he would return to Achilles '29 after the season to succeed François Gesthuizen, who had made the move to professional football. In 2017, he relegated with Achilles '29 to the Tweede Divisie. After the club struggled with bankruptcy for its professional and first team refused to practice, Meijers immediately stepped down from his position on 11 January 2018. Meijers gained national fame in September 2018 because of a trailer for the documentary Voetbal is oorlog (Football is war) about…