The Football Associaiton of Ireland has appointed Dutch national, Ruud Dokter as its High Performance Director following an extensive worldwide recruitment process.Ruud Dokter, aged 57 has wide ranging international experience, most recently with the KNVB, the Dutch Football Association, where he has fulfilled a large variety of senior coaching positions at men's U21, U18, U17, U16 and U15 level as well as the senior women's team and has built up a wealth of experience in delivering the world famous Dutch model of player development.Dokter, who takes up the position on August 1, will oversee the non-senior international men's programme, the women's senior and underage international programme, coach education and player development. This will include the Emerging Talent Programme as well as the Academy in Abbotstown where the first phase is currently being developed.Speaking about his appointment, Ruud Dokter commented,"I am really looking forward to taking up the role of High Performance Director for the FAI. I will be getting involved in Irish football at an exciting time for the game here with the emergence of many promising young players and solid performances at underage international level."My first priority will be to cultivate relationships with those people who invest so much time in nurturing young Irish talent, provide a good sense of direction and influencing everyone to work together. Ireland has a fine footballing tradition and I want to build on that, using my experience to optimise the development of the coming generation of elite players."Welcoming today's announcement John Delaney, FAI Chief Executive added,"Ruud will be working closely with all of the affiliates involved in Irish football with an emphasis on coaching and the development of our elite player pathway. His experience will be a great addition to the Association and we look forward to having him on board."