Marcel Loosveld
Wednesday 2 July 2008
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Netherlands coach Marcel Loosveld (©KNVB)
Netherlands coach Marcel Loosveld had a successful amateur football career as a forward with VV Caesar Beek and GSV '28 between 1984 and 1997, but was simultaneously achieving huge success in futsal.
Loosveld started in the small-sided game with ZVV de Haantjes Beek in 1982 and went on to play for Ceverbo Dordrecht, American Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team Dallas Sidekicks, Bouwfonds Geleen, ZVK Genk, Isola Hoeselt and Bunga Melati. In that time he won three Dutch titles plus one in Belgium, two Dutch Cups, two Benelux Cups and played in the 1989 MISL All-Star game. Capped 34 times by the Netherlands, he scored 16 goals including the equaliser in the 2-1 defeat by Brazil in the inaugural FIFA Futsal World Cup final in 1989 – after which he was snapped up by Dallas.
Bunga Melati made Loosveld assistant coach in 1997 and he took sole charge a year later. In 2003 he was appointed assistant to Netherlands senior and Under-21 coach Vic Hermans, his 1989 World Cup team-mate, and took over the junior side last year. Loosveld immediately led the Netherlands to the inaugural UEFA European Under-21 Futsal Tournament and the 45-year-old – who has run an oriental rug shop for the last two decades – said: "We drew attention to ourselves with our qualification. We have to improve a bit as the finals are a step higher, but we have qualities and the biggest is our team spirit."
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