 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1963-08-06)6 August 1963 (age 62)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Nijmegen, Netherlands | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | TEC (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?–1983 | NEC | ||
| 1983–1991 | SV Hatert | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1992–1999 | SV Hatert | ||
| 1999–2002 | RKHVV | ||
| 2002–2012 | Achilles '29 | ||
| 2012–2013 | Helmond Sport | ||
| 2014–2015 | JVC Cuijk | ||
| 2015–2018 | Achilles '29 | ||
| 2018–2019 | VVSB | ||
| 2019–2021 | SV Spakenburg | ||
| 2024 | DUNO | ||
| 2024– | TEC | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Eric Meijers (born 6 August 1963) is a Dutch professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who is the head coach ofDerde Divisie clubTEC.
Meijers is mostly known for his ten-year spell as head coach ofAchilles '29, which he turned into a mainstay of Dutch amateur football and a nationalTopklasse in 2012, for which he was awarded theRinus Michels Award as best amateur coach of the year.
His successes in 2012 won him interest fromEerste Divisie professionalsHelmond 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 bySparta 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 toAlmere City FC.[2]
In January 2014, it was announced Meijers would return into amateur football, replacingHans Kraay, Jr. at ambitiousTopklasse clubJVC Cuijk, effective from the following 2014–15 season.[3]
On 9 November 2014, it was announced that he would return to Achilles '29 after the season to succeedFrançois Gesthuizen, who had made the move to professional football.[4] In 2017, he relegated with Achilles '29 to theTweede 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.[5] Meijers gained national fame in September 2018 because of a trailer for the documentaryVoetbal is oorlog (Football is war) about the relegation year with Achilles '29.[6][7][8]
Starting November 2018 he began coachingVVSB.[9] He left the position on 14 November 2019 to become the manager ofTweede Divisie clubSV Spakenburg.[10] On 8 November 2021, Meijers was sacked by Spakenburg, with the club sitting in seventeenth position in theTweede Divisie.[11]
On 8 November 2022, Meijers was appointed assistant coach toHans van de Haar atTweede Divisie clubTEC.[12] In March 2024, it was announced that he would become head coach ofEerste Klasse clubDUNO for the 2024–25 season.[13] However, just months into his role at DUNO, Meijers returned to TEC in November 2024 to replaceEric Speelziek as head coach.[14][15]