20/02/2019 09:00
Gert Vande Broek steps down from coaching position at Asterix after 25 years
News from the clubs
Leuven, Belgium, February 20, 2019. On Tuesday night, Gert Vande Broek (51) announced he will step down from his role as head coach of Asterix Avo BEVEREN after 25 years in a row at the helm of the team, which this season celebrates its 50th anniversary.
“It was a big pleasure to be the coach of this team and to make a lot of friends for my life. I have great memories from my time with players such as Jessica De Smet, Stien Deleuil, Tania Zmakova and of course Virginie De Carne, speaking only about the ‘older’ generation. I will not leave this club, but I will become their sports director. I will be sharing all my experience with the club and with the man who will follow in my footsteps as head coach, Kris Vansnick, who at this moment is my assistant coach at Asterix as well as with the Yellow Tigers,” Vande Broek said.
Gert, who is also adviser to Flemish Sports Minister Philippe Muyters and a professor at the University of Leuven, will also stay as coach of the women’s national team at least until 2022. He very much hopes he will help Belgium qualify for the next World Championship due to take place in the Netherlands and Poland. “Ad for what happens afterwards, we will see at that moment, depending on how I feel physically,” he continued.
“My biggest success with Asterix was the victory in Vienna in the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2001 and reaching the final of the CEV Challenge Cup in 2010. On the other hand, I found it even more important that we created in 2008 a structure in the club with 20 hours of training a week and laid the foundations for a professional career for the best Belgian female players,” he said.
Gert Vande Broek won 12 Belgian national league and 15 Belgian national cup titles with Asterix and he has been Belgium’s ‘Coach of the Year’ as many as 16 times.
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