Sander Branko van Gessel (born November 4, 1976 in Leidschendam

Leidschendam

Leidschendam is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg.- History :...

, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 currently playing for JEF United Ichihara Chiba

JEF United Ichihara Chiba

is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...

 in the J. League Division 2

J. League Division 2

The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...

.

Career

He started his professional career in the 1995–1996 season playing for FC Groningen. He later served SC Heerenveen, NAC Breda

NAC Breda

NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...

 and Sparta Rotterdam

Sparta Rotterdam

Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....

.

In summer 2010 he was signed by FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 2010, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....

 in preparation for the club's competitive debut in the 2011 North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League (2010)

The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...

 season. However, van Gessel exercised a contract clause and left Edmonton on January 17, 2011 when JEF United Ichihara Chiba

JEF United Ichihara Chiba

is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...

 of J. League Division 2

J. League Division 2

The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...

made a more lucrative offer.