The KNCB has announced the appointment of its first two Regional Development Officers, who will take up their appointments in Amsterdam and in Utrecht, the East and the South next week.

They are 30-year-old Hannah Hofman, who will be responsible for Amsterdam, and 28-year-old Subir Shrestha, who will take on the large region extending east and south from Utrecht.

Hofman, who made her international debut during the Women’s World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh in November, plays for VRA Amsterdam in the Women’s Hoofdklasse. She holds a Bachelor of Sports degree from the Hogeschool InHolland in Haarlem, and will combine her new job with her current role in the Sports Department of the Amsterdam local authority.

A Bachelor in Business Administration, Shrestha is currently completing a Master’s degree in Leisure Studies at the University of Tilburg, and also works for the Tlburg council’s ‘Huis van de Wereld’, where he organises sporting events aimed at promoting social cohesion in the city’s various districts.

Shrestha has been heavily involved in the development of a new youth section at the MOP club in Vught, the club for whom he plays in the Division 3 of the men's competition.

The appointments come at a crucial moment for the KNCB, which is set to launch its ambitious new Youth Plan at a national meeting in Amsterdam on Saturday. With plans for four such Regional Development Officers in the longer term, Hofman and Shrestha will play a key role in initiatives such as the building of links between clubs and schools, the expansion of existing youth sections, and the development of new ones.