Henk Veldmate leaves Ajax after seven years, the team from Amsterdam announced. The head scout returns to FC Groningen, the club where he also worked for 33 years in the past. Veldmate, who was responsible for attracting Antony, Edson Álvarez, Nicolás Tagliafico and Lisandro Martínez, among other things, joined in 2016 to lead the scouting department. Ajax lets him go early.
At the beginning of 2016, Veldmate succeeded Marc Overmars, who became director of football affairs. Since then, Veldmate has scouted Davison Sánchez, Martínez, Álvarez and Mohammed Kudus, among others. Antony also came from the 66-year-old scout. After more than seven years, however, his employment comes to an end. “I had a great period in Amsterdam, for which I would like to thank the club very much. I also very much appreciate that Ajax has cooperated in an early departure despite my ongoing agreement,” says Veldmate on the Ajax club site.
Veldmate will also be involved in attracting foreign players at Groningen. The Schalkhaarder already showed himself to be a very skilled scout in his first period in Groningen, as he brought Luis Suárez, Dusan Tadic, Marcus Berg and Filip Kostic to the Euroborg, among others. All were sold for millions of dollars in profit. Veldmdate officially starts his new job on July 15th and has joined the Pride of the North signed a contract until mid-2026.
“My bond with FC Groningen has always been very strong,” says Veldmate in a first reaction to the website of his new employer. “A very large part of my working life is green and white. The club has a special place in my heart. I always lived in Groningen during my work for Ajax. Now I also return home figuratively. I am happy to return to FC Groningen and look forward to helping the club get back on track and contribute to the realization of its sporting ambitions.”
General manager Wouter Gudde is also pleased with the return of Veldmate. “We are very happy that we managed to persuade Henk to return to the club. In addition to a great personality, Henk is an absolute professional with a lot of experience, has a large national and international network within the football industry and a very good view of football. With his expertise, we are convinced that Henk can help us enormously in the coming years in the further development of the club and the realization of our goals.