On the 7th June 2011 Fulham Football Club announced the appointment of Martin Jol as its new manager.
Jol signed an initial two year contract with the Club having an option to extend for a further year. Joining Jol at Fulham are Michael Lindeman, Cornelis Jol and Hans Segers.
"I am very happy to join Fulham Football Club, a wonderful traditional club," Jol told fulhamfc.com. "It is a club with good, solid foundations and a great fan base.
"I am looking forward to being part of the Fulham family and thank the Chairman for the trust he’s shown in me.’
Following Jol's appointment Fullham Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed spoke of his belief that Jol would lead Fulham to further success on the field over the coming seasons.
“I would like to welcome Martin Jol to Fulham,” said Mr Al Fayed. “He understands my vision for the Club, and believes in what we are striving to achieve here.
“I know that he will dedicate himself to helping us move forward, and is with us for the long term, to help us build and progress. We have enjoyed three incredibly successful years, and my hopes and dreams for this club are for that journey to continue. I know that with his wealth of experience and success, Martin is the right man to help us do this.’
Jol's coaching career began in 1991 when he took over at the amateur side ADO Den Haag and took them to the highest local amateur division.
He then moved to the leading local amateur side Scheveningen and won the national non-league championship. He spent two years as manager at the professional Eredivisie side Roda JC of Kerkrade, where he won the Dutch cup.
Between 1998 and 2004 Jol managed the Dutch professional team RKC Waalwijk where he saved them from relegation and was honoured as the Dutch Football Writers Coach of the Year in 2001, and Dutch Players and Coaches Coach of the Year in 2002.
In June 2004 Jol became assistant manager of Tottenham Hotspur under Jacques Santini. After thirteen games Santini resigned from the manager's job and in November 2004 Jol was confirmed as his replacement. He won the FA Manager of the Month award in December 2004 and in the same season led Tottenham to the verge of European qualification.
During the 2005–2006 season Spurs did not drop out of the top 6 places in the league, and for much of the season sat in 4th place. However on the final day of the season, Tottenham's squad was struck down by illness and lost the final game, missing out on Champions League qualification, finishing 5th - their highest league finish since 1990 - and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
He joined Bundesliga club SVHamburg for the 2008–09 season and finished in 5th place qualifying for the Europa League.
On 26 May 2009 it was announced that Jol was to be the new head coach of AFC Ajax, taking over from Marco van Basten who resigned at the end of the season.
Ajax ended the season with the league's strongest defense and the fewest league goals conceded by any Dutch team in 5 years, including just 4 conceded at home all season. Jol's side did not drop a single point after January, winning the final 14 games of the season and finishing with 85 point, with a 17 point improvement on the previous season, and a Dutch Cup win under his belt.
In his first season at Craven Cottage, Jol guided Fulham to a highly impressive ninth place finish in the Barclays Premier League.