Marleen Molenaar (born 30 September 1962) is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a forward and featured for the Netherlands women's national football team. She later oversaw Eredivisie clubs AZ Alkmaar and AFC Ajax, and won the league four times between the two clubs.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 September 1962 | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 22 | (13) |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1991 | Netherlands | 16 | (1) |
Early life and education edit
Molenaar, of Laren, Netherlands, didn't start playing football until the age of 16 when in secondary school.[1] Upon consultation with coaches from the Netherlands national team, she decided to play overseas to and continue her education, ultimately landing at the University of California, Santa Barbara in Spring 1984.[1] While enrolled as a student, she played for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's soccer team, where she played forward with future internationals Carin Jennings and Gina Cassella.[2] Molenaar broke the school's record for assists in a season with 17 total en route to the 1984 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, the first time the Gauchos had appeared in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.[3] Upon completion of her freshman season, she appeared in 22 games for the Gauchos and scored 13 goals.[4]
International career edit
Molenaar made her national team debut for Netherlands on 3 October 1989 in an international friendly against Belgium.[5] She appeared in UEFA Women's Euro 1991 qualifying matches shortly thereafter. She scored her only international goal on 28 May 1991 in a friendly against the United States.[6] Her last international appearance came later that year in October 1991 against Sweden.[7]
Post-playing career edit
Molenaar was named manager of AZ Alkmaar prior to the start of the 2007–08 Eredivisie season, the first for the league and club. Under her leadership, the club won the first three Eredivisie titles prior to leaving the club in July 2010.[8][9]
AFC Ajax named Molenaar as their manager prior to their inaugural season in the 2012–13 BeNe League.[10] She won the KNVB Women's Cup and another Eredivisie title before leaving the club in November 2017.[11]
Personal life edit
Molenaar's father, Cees Molenaar, was also a footballer who founded AZ Alkmaar with her uncle, Klaas Molenaar.
Honors edit
AZ Alkmaar
AFC Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2016–17
- KNVB Women's Cup: 2013–14
References edit
- ^ a b Hoppin, Mary (November 1, 1984). "Dutch Soccer Player Brings Enthusiasm, Talent To UCSB; Assists Program". Daily Nexus. Vol. 65, no. 40. Santa Barbara, California. pp. 9–10. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ Evans, Ed (14 September 1984). "Women Look To NCAA Tourney". Daily Nexus. Vol. 65, no. 9. Santa Barbara, California. p. 7D. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ Hoppin, Mary (7 November 1984). "Team Leaves Wake Of Records Behind Proud 16-4-1 Season". Daily Nexus. Vol. 65, no. 44. Santa Barbara, California. pp. 13–14. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "UCSB Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. July 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Oefeninterlands, seizoen 1989/'90". Netherlands women's national football team. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Oefeninterlands, seizoen 1990/'91". Netherlands women's national football team. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Oefeninterlands, seizoen 1990/'91". Netherlands women's national football team. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "AZ en Molenaar scheiden de wegen". soccernews.nl (in Dutch). 3 July 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Marleen Molenaar verlaat AZ". AZ Alkmaar (in Dutch). 2 July 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Ajax neemt per direct afscheid van manager Marleen Molenaar". hetamsterdamschevoetbal.nl (in Dutch). 2 November 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ van der Linden, Burt (2 November 2017). "Molenaar stopt als manager vrouwenvoetbal bij Ajax". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 September 2021.