Former All Whites striker Fred de Jong will guide New Zealand Football's high performance programme, chief executive Grant McKavanagh said today.
De Jong, who played 21 internationals for New Zealand between 1984 and 1993, takes up the position of high performance director on September 17.
McKavanagh says de Jong's combination of skills and experience means he'll hit the ground running in taking up his new position.
"Fred has a good understanding of football at a professional level, and first hand experience of the demands of international football," he said.
Elite coach development will be an important focus, McKavanagh said, adding he was looking forward to working with de Jong in creating a high performance vision and strategy for NZF.
De Jong, who also played for Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch Eredivisie and for the Auckland-based Football Kingz, says New Zealand teams have made great strides recently.
"I'm really looking forward to helping the organisation ensure those teams make the jump from credible to competitive."
NZN