The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) has announced a big change in its coaching staff in this post-Tokyo 2020 phase.
Mark Faber has been appointed national coach of all senior swimmers through Paris 2024, adding to his current responsibilities as lead of the High Performance Center (HPC) Amsterdam.
Faber will remain as active head coach and be responsible for the daily supervision of top athletes such as Arno Kamminga and Kira Toussaint. However, our 2020 Swammy Award winner for European Coach of the Year will also now be responsible for planning national activities, putting together coaching teams and making selection proposals.
“With Mark, the KNZB has positioned an experienced and proven successful coach in this important position. Mark has shown that he can guide a swim team towards compelling global results,” said Technical Director André Cats.
“With a largely renewed swimming team, we want to express ourselves at a global level in the coming years. A strong leader is vital on that route to new successes.”
In another change, Marcel Wouda will be stepping away from his role as head of the HPC Eindhoven, handing the reigns over instead to Thijs Hagelstein and Patrick Pearson. Hagelstein focuses on longer distances while Pearson is the sprint coach specialist, with Cats at the helm of the entire HPC Eindhoven.
However, Wouda isn’t leaving elite Dutch coaching entirely. Says Cats of where the former swimming champion. is head, “Marcel’s new role arose from the wish we had for some time to start various projects in areas where we see great opportunities, but were unable to free up enough time.
“An example of this is the ‘Medley Stroke 2032’ project. We want to scout, educate and train individual medley talents to eventually win a medal at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
“With Marcel, the KNZB will provide a major boost to knowledge development among coaches of both clubs and the KNZB coaches. Our coaches must be smarter and more knowledgeable than colleagues abroad. Then we put our athletes ahead of the competition. Marcel, with his enormous wealth of knowledge and experience, will shape this ambition.”
I have interacted with Mark on a few occasions. Class act, good to athletes, tough, and a good communicator.
Hup Holland!