The Long Game
Dender and Hayk Milkon
Last weekend, East Flemish club Dender from the municipality of Denderleeuw announced the appointment of Hayk Milkon as their new T1. Milkon’s appointment follows in line with a number of appointments in Belgian football in recent years, which have seen young Belgian coaches with significant experience of youth development being given an opportunity to coach at the top level. So who exactly is Hayk Milkon?
Milkon was born in Lebanon to Syrian parents but found himself living in Antwerp from an early age. Initially Milkon dreamed of being a player; however, when it became clear that opportunities were not presenting, he decided from a young age to follow a career in coaching. Milkon began diligently building his profile and learning early his trade in a variety of roles, beginning as a youth coach at Beerschot in 2012, before becoming T2 to Antwerp’s U21s in 2013. Milkon remained with The Great Old for 2 years before taking up a position as a youth coach at KV Mechelen. This led to him getting an opportunity to become a youth scout with The Red Devils U18s, which further developed his networks. Milkon remained in this strategic role for a little over three years before, at the age of 23, becoming a senior coach for the very first time in his own right in amateur football with KV Woluwe-Zaventem. At this time he was the youngest manager in national-level football, a statistic underlining his ambition and will to develop. It would not take long for Milkon to make an impression with other clubs, and he remained at Woulwe Zaventem for only six months before being whisked away by KVC Turnhout, where he would remain for two years. His commitment to developing young players led to him becoming KAA Gent’s Academy Manager in the summer of 2020. Managing the academy underlined how much Milkon enjoyed working directly with young players (on the pitch), and he returned to direct coaching with Jong Gent. His background in talent development and youth work caught the eye of Club Brugge, and in 2021 he joined Blauw-Zwart to manage the U18s and Club Nxt. Milkon becomes embedded in Club Brugge’s coaching set over the next three years in a number of roles, under Ronny Deila and Nicky Hayen. When current Club Brugge T1 Nicky Hayen made the step up from leading Club Nxt to the senior side, he asked Milkon to become part of his senior coaching staff.
Michiel Jonckheere, Nicky Hayen and Hayk Milkon at Club Brugge - Image Copyright: Photo News
The opportunity to become T1 at Dender provides Milkon with the opportunity to take his career to the next level by managing a senior side at the top level for the very first time. Interestingly, he will also become the youngest of all T1s at this senior level (by far) at just 32. He faces a big task, principal of which is maintaining Dender’s Pro League status for another season. The Denderleeuw club find themselves at the bottom of the table after a poor start to the season, losing 4 of their opening 6 fixtures. They remain winless. Dender also has one of the two smallest budgets in the Pro League. However, Sporting Director Julien Gorius has made effective use of the loans and free market successfully since the club was promoted back to the Pro League in 2024. Milkon is motivated for the challenge ahead:
“My initial impressions? I’m absolutely loving it here. Everything is in place to continue building the story. The move came about very quickly; I had a very good and clear conversation with the board, and it was obvious that everything is in place to build upon and achieve strategic objectives. It’s a really good opportunity for me. I’ve done my own analysis, and I am satisfied with what I have available in terms of quality to maintain our status.”
Hayk Milkon - Image Copyright: Dender FC
Dender’s Sporting Director, Julien Gorius, explains the choice after the surprise departure of Vincent Euvrard for Standard Liege:
“Hayk possesses excellent knowledge of Belgian football and stood out as a coach with a strong personality and great determination. He has a modern approach to football, combined with his ability to develop young talents, which aligns perfectly with Dender’s vision and strategic objectives.”
Dender have a difficult upcoming schedule with fixtures against Champions Union Saint-Gilloise and Gent before facing newly promoted RAAL La Louvière. It will be important for Milkon to start positively to build confidence in a side who are struggling offensively, something Milkon is gloing to have taksed with finding an solution too. The appointment is yet further evidence of the renaissance of young Belgian coaches and the importance of developing a long-term strategic approach to building youth development. This is about the right personality for the long game.