KVC Westerlo backroom staff
We hold the names of 39 people on KVC Westerlo's staff for 2025/26, beyond the players. Issame Charai manages the first team, with Yoni Buyens as assistant manager. KVC Westerlo's is the joint 5th longest staff list of the 17 Belgian Pro League clubs we hold.
Coaching staff
The manager, the assistants and the coaches at every level of the club, 15 people
| NAME | ROLE | TEAM | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issame Charai | Manager | First team | 42 | Belgium |  |
| David Sannen | Manager | Under-21s | 53 | Belgium | - |
| Sil Rouvrois | Manager | Under-18s | 35 | Belgium |  |
| Yoni Buyens | Assistant manager | First team | 37 | Belgium | - |
| Bart Goor | Coach | First team | 52 | Belgium | - |
| Marc Lelièvre | Coach | Under-21s | 65 | Belgium | - |
| Chris Bruyninckx | Coach | Under-18s | 47 | Belgium | - |
| Jens Pauwels | Coach | Under-18s | 41 | Belgium |  |
| Nico Van Kerckhoven | Coach | Under-18s | 54 | Belgium | Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring |
| Stein Huysegems | Coach | Under-18s | 43 | Belgium | - |
| Vladan Kujović | Goalkeeping coach | First team | 46 | Serbia | Lommel SK |
| Frédéric De Wilde | Goalkeeping coach | Under-21s | 38 | Belgium | - |
| Paul Peeters | Goalkeeping coach | Under-18s | 59 | Belgium | - |
| Sander De Witte | Fitness coach | First team | 34 | Belgium | - |
| Tibo Verdeyen | Fitness coach | Under-21s | 23 | Belgium | - |
Medical and sports science
Doctors, physios and sports scientists, 10 people
| NAME | ROLE | TEAM | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirk Van Genechten | Chief doctor | Club-wide | 60 | Belgium | Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring |
| Valère Van Olst | Head physio | Club-wide | 70 | Belgium | - |
| Mathias Wiame | Physio | First team | 27 | Belgium | - |
| Mien Engelen | Physio | First team | 27 | - | - |
| Yannick Strauven | Physio | First team | 36 | Belgium | |
| Liesbeth Vanhoof | Physio | Under-21s | 42 | - | Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring |
| André Gomes Algarvio | Physio | Under-18s | 34 | Belgium | - |
| Kris Ekelmans | Physio | Under-18s | 53 | Belgium | - |
| Nico Claes | Physio | Under-18s | 40 | Belgium | - |
| Sophie Kets | Physio | Under-18s | 44 | - | - |
Scouting and analysis
Scouts, recruitment analysts and performance analysts, 6 people
| NAME | ROLE | TEAM | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niel Cuijvers | Chief scout | Club-wide | 39 | Belgium | - |
| Igor Vetokele | Scout | Club-wide | 33 | Angola | - |
| Jasper Molenberghs | Scout | Club-wide | 27 | Belgium | - |
| Ruben Corstjens | Scout | Club-wide | 38 | Belgium | - |
| Jonas Dioos | Head performance analyst | Club-wide | 32 | Belgium | |
| Damien Januel | Performance analyst | First team | 31 | France |  |
Football management
The people who run the football side, from the sporting director to the academy, 2 people
| NAME | ROLE | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francesco Carratta | Technical director | 37 | Belgium | - |
| Dario Antico | Head of youth development | 36 | Belgium |  |
Owners and directors
Who owns KVC Westerlo and sits on its board
| NAME | ROLE | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oktay Ercan | Owner | 52 | Türkiye | - |
| Wim Van Hove | Managing director | 61 | Belgium | - |
| Hasan Çetinkaya | Director | 43 | Türkiye |  |
| Johan Van Loo | Director | 42 | Belgium | - |
| Kris Vandepaer | Director | 60 | Belgium | - |
| Sedat Berk Ercan | Director | 40 | Türkiye | - |
Backroom staff at every Belgian Pro League club
The names we hold at each club in the division, 2025/26
KVC Westerlo's list is the joint 5th longest of the 17, against a median of 37 across the division. RSC Anderlecht names the most, 65. SV Zulte Waregem names the fewest, 24.
KVC Westerlo against the Belgian Pro League, department by department
Names held in each department, beside the average and the most at any one club
| DEPARTMENT | KVC WESTERLO | AVERAGE | MOST | AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaching | 15 | 13 | 26 |  |
| Medical and sports science | 10 | 9 | 13 | |
| Scouting and analysis | 6 | 6 | 12 |  |
| Football management | 2 | 1 | 3 |  |
| Owners and directors | 6 | 7 | 14 | |
Backrooms the size of KVC Westerlo's, in every league
KVC Westerlo's 39 names make the joint 189th longest staff list of the 815 clubs we hold one for
| # | CLUB | LEAGUE | STAFF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 174 | | Belgian Pro League | 40 |
| 174 |  | J1 League | 40 |
| 174 |  | Russian Premier League | 40 |
| 174 | SK Slavia Praha | Czech First League | 40 |
| 174 |  | Bundesliga | 40 |
| 174 |  | La Liga 2 | 40 |
| 189 |  | Superleague Greece | 39 |
| 189 |  | Scottish Premiership | 39 |
| 189 |  | La Liga | 39 |
| 189 |  | Süper Lig | 39 |
| 189 | KVC Westerlo | Belgian Pro League | 39 |
| 189 | | Belgian Pro League | 39 |
| 189 |  | Danish Superliga | 39 |
| 189 |  | Championship | 39 |
| 189 |  | J1 League | 39 |
| 189 |  | - | 39 |
| 189 |  | Championship | 39 |
| 200 |  | 2. Bundesliga | 38 |
| 200 |  | Saudi Pro League | 38 |
| 200 |  | 2. Bundesliga | 38 |
| 200 | | Süper Lig | 38 |
Where KVC Westerlo's staff come from
5 nationalities across the 36 staff whose nationality we hold
Belgium supplies 30 of the 36, 83%. The median age is 41. The oldest is Valère Van Olst, head physio, at 70, and the youngest Tibo Verdeyen, fitness coach, at 23. 12 members of staff came from another club, most often Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring (3).
Where KVC Westerlo's former staff work now
On KVC Westerlo's staff in an earlier season and at another club in 2025/26, 14 people
| NAME | ROLE NOW | NOW AT |
|---|---|---|
| Jonas De Roeck | Manager | Club NXT |
| Mohamed Messoudi | Manager |  |
| Rik De Mil | Manager | |
| Steve Colpaert | Manager |  |
| Eric Reenaers | Manager | |
| Maxime Biset | Manager | |
| Jarno Gaarthuis | Coach | |
| Werner Manteleers | Coach | |
| Kristof Van Hout | Goalkeeping coach | Lommel SK |
| Peter Verhaegen | Goalkeeping coach | |
| Deniz Zengin | Physio | KRC Jong Genk |
| Rutger Van Snick | Head of sports science | |
| Olivier Naessens | Performance analyst | |
| Bob Peeters | Technical director | SK Beveren |
Frequently asked questions
Who is KVC Westerlo's manager?
Issame Charai is the KVC Westerlo first-team manager, aged 42. Yoni Buyens is the assistant manager.
Who is the goalkeeping coach at KVC Westerlo?
Vladan Kujović coaches the KVC Westerlo first-team goalkeepers.
Who is KVC Westerlo's head physio?
Valère Van Olst is head physio at KVC Westerlo.
Who is KVC Westerlo's chief scout?
Niel Cuijvers is chief scout at KVC Westerlo.
Who is KVC Westerlo's technical director?
Francesco Carratta is technical director at KVC Westerlo.
How many backroom staff do KVC Westerlo have?
We hold the names of 39 people on KVC Westerlo's staff for 2025/26: 15 in coaching, 10 in medical and sports science, 6 in scouting and analysis, 2 in football management and 6 owners and directors. That is the joint 5th longest list of the 17 Belgian Pro League clubs we hold, against a median of 37. Across every league we hold, that list is the joint 189th longest of 815.
Where to next
For what KVC Westerlo pays its squad, see KVC Westerlo player wages. What each of these jobs pays across football is on backroom staff wages. Every club in the division is on Belgian Pro League wages.