Sjaak Lettinga
Birth date16 September 1982 (age 43)
Birth placeAmsterdam, Netherlands
Height1.75 m
PositionMidfielder
Youthclubs 1DCG
Youthclubs 2Ajax
Years 12001–2006
Clubs 1Stormvogels Telstar
Caps 1119
Goals 121
Years 22006–2007
Clubs 2Volendam
Caps 211
Goals 21
Years 32007–2011
Clubs 3Helmond Sport
Caps 378
Goals 38
Years 42011–2014
Clubs 4Telstar
Caps 4100
Goals 47
Years 52014–2015
Clubs 5Katwijk
Years 62015–2016
Clubs 6IJVV Stormvogels
Totalcaps308+
Totalgoals37+
Manageryears 12016–2021
Managerclubs 1IJVV Stormvogels

Sjaak Lettinga (born 16 September 1982) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, he played professionally for Telstar, Volendam, and Helmond Sport.

Career

Lettinga started playing football as a youth at DCG and played in the youth teams of Ajax from the under-11s through to the under-19s.[1] He broke through at Telstar during the 2001–02 season, but at his next club, FC Volendam, he was unable to secure a regular place in the starting line-up.[2]

From the 2007–08 season, Lettinga played for Helmond Sport.[3][4] He featured in almost every match during his first two seasons there, but a serious groin injury kept him sidelined for a prolonged period. A clause in his contract stipulated that he would earn a new deal if he made at least 25 appearances during the 2010–11 season.[5] As it became clear during the winter break that this target would not be reached, he left the club on a free transfer and returned to Telstar.[6]

In 2014–15, he played as an amateur for VV Katwijk, reaching promotion to the fourth-tier Topklasse with the club.[7][8][9] This was followed by a spell at Tweede Klasse club IJVV Stormvogels the following year.[10]

Coaching career

In the 2016–17 season, Lettinga was appointed head coach of his former club Stormvogels, a position he held until 2021.[11][12]

Honours

Katwijk

References

  1. ^ Suister, Ed (1994). "Sjaak Lettinga, voetballer juniorenelftal Ajax" (in Dutch). archief.amsterdam. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Volendam strikt middenvelder Lettinga" [Volendam secures midfielder Lettinga] (in nl-NL). Voetbal International. 18 May 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Lettinga gaat naar Helmond voor herstart" [Lettinga joined Helmond Sport in an attempt to revive his career] (in nl-NL). VoetbalPrimeur.nl. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  4. ^ Freriks, Koen (17 May 2007). "Lettinga heeft Helmond Sport overtuigd" [Lettinga impressed Helmond Sport] (in Dutch). FCUpdate.nl. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Lettinga blijft bij Helmond Sport" [Lettinga stays with Helmond Sport] (in Dutch). Eindhovens Dagblad. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Sjaak Lettinga naar Telstar" [Sjaak Lettinga to Telstar] (in Dutch). Eindhovens Dagblad. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  7. ^ "VV Katwijk test Sjaak Lettinga" [VV Katwijk test Sjaak Lettinga] (in Dutch). Omroep West. 13 August 2014. Archived 28 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Sjaak Lettinga: 'Nu moet ik op zoek naar een echte baan'" [Sjaak Lettinga: "Now I have to look for a real job"] (in Dutch). NH Nieuws. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Om in te Lijsten: Katwijk promoveert naar de nieuw te vormen topklasse" [Worth noting: Katwijk promoted to the newly formed Topklasse] (in Dutch). Omroep West. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ^ Geen, Gertjan van (15 June 2015). "Alle overschrijvingen in het amateurvoetbal op een rijtje" [All amateur football transfers at a glance] (in Dutch). IJmuider Courant. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Sjaak Lettinga nieuwe trainer Stormvogels" [Sjaak Lettinga new head coach of Stormvogels] (in nl-NL). Voetbal in Haarlem. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Sjaak Lettinga blijft trainer Stormvogels" [Sjaak Lettinga remains head coach of Stormvogels] (in nl-NL). Voetbal in Haarlem. 26 January 2019. Archived 24 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 February 2026.