Commercial manager Jiry Funke leaves Fortuna

Jiry Funke will leave the Fortuna organization at the end of the current soccer season. The commercial manager, after nearly seven seasons in Sittard service, is opting for a route to commercial director at Bruls Prefab Beton.
The 37-year-old Brunssummer joined Fortuna in January 2017 and, among other things, experienced promotion from close up. Now that the club has secured its sixth consecutive year in the Eredivisie, Funke is opting for a follow-up step in his career. "But I do so with pain in my heart, because I love this club incredibly," Funke said. "Fortuna has been an important part of my life since 1997 and it will obviously remain so after my departure. When I started, the club was still struggling with the aftermath of relegation in 2002. From then on, we did everything we could to get the Limburg business community excited about Fortuna again."
"If I then look at how we currently stand commercially, I think we have succeeded quite well. I'm incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people I've had the opportunity to get to know in recent years. Business contacts that turned into friendships in record time. With the ups and downs of Fortuna always as a common denominator. This makes that I can leave Fortuna, after a wonderful offer from Bruls Prefab Beton full of development prospects, with peace of mind."
"With Jiry's departure we wave goodbye to a valued colleague," says Ivo Pfennings. "He started at the club when it was in a difficult phase, but has nevertheless always held his own in this dynamic world. Partly thanks to his tireless efforts, we have seen our sponsor base grow enormously over the years and there is a good basis to build on next season as well. We would of course like to wish Jiry every success in his new adventure and thank him for his commitment over the past years."
Funke will leave the club on June 1, 2023. Until then, he will take care of existing relationships and a flawless transfer. For questions or to discuss commercial opportunities, Tom Daemen (06-41426490) and Roger Kessels (06-48098675) will remain available.