Versleijen to exit youth football set-up

Australian football’s youth teams coach Jan Versleijen will leave the post when his contract expires at the end of the year after two disappointing World Cup campaigns.

Versleijen will not be among the applicants for either of two positions that have been created following a Football Federation Australia (FFA) restructure of the youth set-up.

From next year, the under-20 Young Socceroos and the under-17 Joeys will have different mentors.

The Joeys job will also include overseeing the Australian Institute of Sport program.

FFA has called for applications for both positions.

Versleijen this year oversaw the Young Socceroos’ failure to get past the group stages in the U-20 World Cup in Colombia, and the Joeys’ exit in the first knockout stage of the U-17 event in Mexico.

“The incumbent Young Socceroos, Joeys and AIS Football Program head coach Jan Versleijen has indicated to FFA that he will not be re-applying for any of the national youth team coaching positions once his current contract ends at the end of this calendar year,” a FFA statement said.

Reports have suggested his departure represents the end of Australian football’s embrace of Dutch coaching methods that began with former Socceroos World Cup boss Guus Hiddink in the lead-up to the 2006 tournament.

Former Socceroos Tony Vidmar and Paul Okon are among the names that have been mentioned as possibilities for the jobs.

“During his tenure, Jan qualified Australian national representative teams for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia and the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico,” the statement said.

“In the process, the Young Socceroos were also runners up to (North) Korea at the 2010 AFC U-19 Championships and the Joeys qualified for the knockout stage of the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.”