 Vlemmings in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1970-04-03)3 April 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Gemert, Netherlands | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Helmond Sport (development director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gemert | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1990 | Helmond Sport | 9 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Gemert | ||
| 1990–1992 | Wageningen | 61 | (3) |
| 1992 | Den Bosch | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1991–2000 | PSV (youth) | ||
| 2000–2001 | Eindhoven (assistant) | ||
| 2001–2005 | Eindhoven | ||
| 2005–2006 | Netherlands U19 (assistant) | ||
| 2006–2008 | NAC Breda (assistant) | ||
| 2008–2011 | Feyenoord (assistant) | ||
| 2009 | Feyenoord (interim) | ||
| 2011–2012 | AEK Larnaca | ||
| 2012–2013 | Excelsior | ||
| 2017 | Go Ahead Eagles | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leon Vlemmings (born 3 April 1970) is a Dutchfootballmanager and former professional player.
After a brief playing career as amidfielder, he moved into coaching and football administration, holding roles as head coach, assistant coach and executive at several clubs in the Netherlands and abroad. Vlemmings has served as assistant and interim head coach ofFeyenoord, head coach of clubs includingExcelsior andGo Ahead Eagles, and in senior executive positions atRoda JC,Helmond Sport andDordrecht.
Vlemmings' career as a professional footballer was relatively short. He played as amidfielder forWageningen,Helmond Sport andDen Bosch.[1] In between his spells in professional football, he spent two seasons withVV Gemert, from his hometown, competing in theEerste Klasse, then the fourth tier of theDutch football league system.[2]
During his time at Den Bosch, Vlemmings was medically assessed as unfit for professional football, after which he decided to end his playing career. At the age of 22, he turned his focus to coaching.[3]
After nine years working as coach within the youth academy ofPSV, Vlemmings moved toFC Eindhoven in 2000. He spent one season as assistant coach before being appointed head coach, a position he held for four years. Following his departure from Eindhoven, he worked as an assistant coach with theNetherlands under-19 national team.
Ahead of the2006–07 season, Vlemmings joinedNAC Breda as assistant coach toErnie Brandts, with whom he had previously worked at PSV. On 18 December 2007, his contract was extended until 2013; however, several months later he left the club to take up a role atFeyenoord.
Vlemmings joined Feyenoord on 1 July 2008 as assistant coach toGertjan Verbeek. On 14 January 2009, he was appointed interim head coach following Verbeek's resignation earlier that day. The following season, he returned to an assistant role underMario Been. During preparations for the2011–12 season, Been stepped down and Vlemmings again served briefly as interim head coach. On 21 July, after the appointment ofRonald Koeman as Feyenoord's new head coach, the club announced that Vlemmings' contract would be terminated with immediate effect. Vlemmings stated that his departure was an act of solidarity with Been.
In December 2011, Vlemmings was appointed head coach of Cypriot clubAEK Larnaca on a contract running until the end of the season, succeedingTon Caanen. On 3 May 2012, it was announced that he would take over as head coach ofExcelsior from the summer break, replacingJohn Lammers. He signed a two-year contract. During the2012–13 season, Excelsior finished 15th in theEerste Divisie, the club’s lowest league position since the1997–98 season. Despite having a year remaining on his contract, Vlemmings and the club mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season.[4][5] He was succeeded byJon Dahl Tomasson.[6]
On 30 August 2013, Vlemmings was appointed technical manager ofRoda JC, signing a five-year contract.[7] He resigned from the position on 26 May 2014 following the club's relegation from the Eredivisie and the dismissal of head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, stating that he saw "no future in continued cooperation".[8]
On 8 May 2017, it was announced that Vlemmings would become head coach ofGo Ahead Eagles from the2017–18 season, following the club's relegation from the Eredivisie the previous day.[3][9] He was dismissed on 4 December 2017, having become the sixth head coach of the club in a three-year period.[10]
In March 2018, Vlemmings was appointed chief executive officer of his former clubHelmond Sport, signing a contract until 30 June 2020.[2] In October 2018, his contract was extended by three years, which would have kept him at the club until 2023.[11] In June 2020, Vlemmings stepped down from his position with immediate effect, together with the club's board, following an impasse surrounding plans for a proposed new stadium as part of the Sport- en BeleefcampusDe Braak project. The club withdrew from the project amid financial uncertainty during theCOVID-19 pandemic, leading the board and executive management to make way for new leadership.[12]
In 2021, Vlemmings joinedFC Dordrecht as technical and innovation manager, where he was responsible for leading the club's long-term strategic development project. His tenure came to an end in November 2024, when the club and Vlemmings parted ways by mutual agreement following differences over the direction of the project.[13] In January 2025, Vlemmings returned to FC Dordrecht after both parties reached renewed agreement on the club's strategic course, restoring their cooperation.[14]
Alongside his coaching career, Vlemmings has been co-owner of a management consultancy firm since 2000.[15] He has also worked on behalf of theRoyal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) in the renewal of theUEFA Pro Licence coaching programme.[9]