Ryan Koolwijk


Ryan Koolwijk is a professional football manager and former player who is the assistant coach of the Suriname national team and the ADO Den Haag under-19 team.
During his playing career, he played for Excelsior, NEC, Dordrecht, AS Trenčín, Almere City, and PEC Zwolle. Born in the Netherlands, he represented the Suriname national team.

Club career

Born in Rotterdam, Koolwijk began his senior career with Excelsior during the 2007–08 season. He signed for NEC in May 2011. He also played for Dordrecht and AS Trenčín, before returning to Excelsior in May 2016. He returned to Trenčín in June 2019 and became a regular in the team's starting eleven. In April 2020, when the Fortuna Liga was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Koolwijk ended his contract with the club by mutual agreement, as he intended to spend more time with his family in the Netherlands and he was dissatisfied by the proposed salary cut of over 50%, due to the pandemic. He signed with Almere City in May 2020.
He signed for PEC Zwolle in September 2021. After a season, which ended with relegation to the 2022–23 Eerste Divisie, 36-year old Koolwijk announced his retirement from professional football, as he had accepted a job offer as assistant coach of the Suriname national team.
At age 36, Koolwijk opted to continue playing and joined Smitshoek in the Vierde Divisie ahead of the 2022–23 season, encouraged by friend Luigi Bruins, who highlighted the club's positive environment. Koolwijk spent two seasons at Smitshoek before retiring from playing in June 2024 to focus on his coaching career.

International career

Born in the Netherlands, Koolwijk is of Surinamese descent. He debuted with the Suriname national team in a 6–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Bermuda on 4 June 2021. On 25 June Koolwijk was named to the Suriname squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Coaching career

Koolwijk retired as a professional player in 2022, and became an assistant coach of the Suriname national team.
He continued to play in the lower leagues, and after retiring from playing in 2024, Koolwijk was appointed assistant coach of ADO Den Haag's under-19s.

Career statistics