Kansas City Current Appoints Erwin van Bennekom as Head of Player Development

KANSAS CITY (Dec. 15, 2025) – The Kansas City Current announced Monday that Erwin van Bennekom has been named the club’s head of player development. As head of player development, van Bennekom will work hands-on with players across the first team and KC Current II, partnering closely with sporting director Vlatko Andonovski as well as the coaching and performance staff.

“Adding Erwin to our staff represents an important milestone in the KC Current’s long-term technical strategy, ensuring we maximize the talent on our roster and within the Kansas City region,” said co-owners Angie and Chris Long. “We are thrilled to welcome Erwin into such a pivotal role and believe he has the ideal background to capitalize on all-things player development.”

In this position, van Bennekom will help shape all aspects of player development on and off the pitch, such as on-field decision-making, technical detail, physical performance, skill enhancement, mental readiness and nutrition – all with an emphasis on athletic excellence. Through personalized development plans, each athlete’s individual progression will be enhanced under van Bennekom.

Van Bennekom will also be vital in Kansas City's continued efforts of creating a complete player pathway from grassroots to professional. A core responsibility in his role will be ensuring regional talent can grow into future stars within the Current organization, reinforcing the club’s commitment to turning local promise into professional success. He will aid in identifying and nurturing talent through academies within the Teal Rising Alliance to connect those players to professional opportunities within the Kansas City Current organization, which includes the Current, Kansas City Current II and HB Køge, and prepare them for the transition into the pro environment. His role will report to the sporting director and ownership.

"I am honored to join the Kansas City Current and contribute to the club's high standard of excellence,” said van Bennekom. “I believe in the vision Angie, Chris and Vlatko have for this club and admire the ambition they, and everyone within the organization, share to make the Current the best women's football club in the world. This is a club that knows what it takes to be successful, and I am eager to work alongside the technical staff, support staff, players, front office, ownership and community to do whatever it takes to keep raising the bar. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and am excited to see what we can accomplish together, on and off the field.”

Van Bennekom arrives in Kansas City having most recently served as an assistant coach at Florida State University. He helped lead the Seminoles to their fifth national championship in December 2025 – which was played at CPKC Stadium – with five players landing on the College Cup All-Tournament Team, highlighted by a sweep of the offensive and defensive Most Outstanding Player. The 2025 season, his lone year in Tallahassee, saw three All-Americans, five All-Region honorees, five All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selections and a Hermann Trophy semifinalist.

He joined the Seminoles following six years as the women’s soccer head coach at Indiana University from 2019-24 where he led the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Tournament berth in a decade in 2023. Ten players garnered All-Big Ten accolades under his guidance with six on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, plus the 2023 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year.

Prior to his time at Indiana, van Bennekom was an assistant coach at Duke University from 2015-16 before being promoted to associate head coach from 2017-18. The Blue Devils played in two College Cups with an appearance in the 2015 national title match during his time in Durham, also winning the ACC regular season title in 2017. With van Bennekom on staff, Duke totaled 17 All-ACC selections, six All-Americans, four ACC Players of the Year, four Hermann Trophy semifinalists and nine National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft picks. He was part of the 2017 United Soccer Coaches Coaching Staff of the Year.

“I am excited to work with Erwin and the rest of our world-class technical staff as we continue to become the best women’s football club in the world,” said Andonovski. “Erwin has a proven track record of player development, and his expertise will greatly benefit all our players. Just as he has in his previous positions through his experience, professionalism and devotion to the game, we know Erwin will have significant influence here in Kansas City.”

Van Bennekom served two stints as an assistant coach in the NWSL at Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC, in 2013 and 2015, earning a playoff berth and reaching the semifinals during the league’s inaugural season. His coaching career began as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the New Jersey Institute of Technology from 2011-13, and he held the same role at the University of Alabama in 2014.

A native of the Netherlands, van Bennekom embarked on his coaching career after an impressive playing career that saw him compete in a variety of semi-professional leagues in the United States from 2006-09. He also played in the first division of the National Futsal League in Holland from 2002-04 and was a member of Holland’s youth academy system growing up. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports education and management at CIOS Sports Institute. He and his wife, Kim, have one son, Jackson.