Englishman Darren Cheesman will take up the men’s coaching reins at Rot-Weiss Köln Hockey Club next summer.
The 37-year-old will move following two seasons with Berliner HC, his stock having previously risen in both the Hoofdklasse in the Netherlands and the Belgian Honor Division.
Cheesman will succeed Pasha Gademan who announced that he wanted to be active again in the Netherlands, closer to his family, in the future.
Cheesman played for the likes of Reading and East Grinstead, as well as England and Great Britain, during his playing career.
Cheesman said: “It is a great honour for me to take responsibility for the best team in Germany. Of course, the goal is to build on Pasha’s successful time.
“The challenge will be to integrate the many good talents into the Rot-Weiss team, which is made up of experienced top players, in the post-Olympic year.”
Rot-Weiss’s Timo Wess added: “We are very pleased that we were able to win Darren, our ideal candidate. His focus will be on continuing the change that has already begun, rejuvenating the team and building on Pasha’s very successful time.
“At this point we would like to thank Pasha, who does an outstanding job for us and who we are very reluctant to let go in the summer.”
