Sparta Rotterdam

Sparta Rotterdam
Full name	Sparta Rotterdam
Nickname(s)	De Kasteelheren ; (The Castle Lords) ; De Rood-Witte Gladiatoren (The Red-White Gladiators)
Founded	April 1, 1888
Ground	Het Kasteel (The Castle); Rotterdam
Capacity	11,926
Chairman	Rob Westerhof
Manager	Henk Fraser
League	Jupiler League
2017–18	17th, relegated after playoffs
Website	Club website
Home colours	Away colours

Sparta Rotterdam (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈspɑrtaː ˌrɔtərˈdɑm]) is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands.

In the 2018–19 season, Sparta will play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch professional football. The club is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior (est. 1902) and Feyenoord (1908).

History

Sparta Rotterdam vs Blackpool F.C., Aug. 1957

On 1 April 1888, several students from Rotterdam founded a cricket club called Sparta. In July 1888, a football branch of the club was established. In 1890, Sparta played its first real football match, and in 1892 Sparta disbanded the cricket branch. Sparta was promoted to the highest league of Dutch football on 23 April 1893. In 1897, Sparta withdrew from the competition after continuous dubious arbitration of Sparta matches. The club continued to exist, however, and in 1899 the board of Sparta visited a match of Sunderland. Impressed with the red-and-white jersey of the English club, the board decided that Sunderland's colours (red-white striped jersey, black shorts) would henceforth be the colours of Sparta.

In 1905, Sparta initiated and organised the first home match of the Netherlands national team, against Belgium. The match, won 4–0 by the Netherlands, was a rematch of a game two weeks prior, when the Netherlands beat Belgium 4–1 in Antwerp, Belgium.

The first match at Sparta's new stadium, Het Kasteel (The Castle), in the Spangen area of west Rotterdam, was played on 14 October 1916. The stadium was renovated in 1999 and is still Sparta's stadium.

Until the 2002–03 season, Sparta had always played at the highest level, but after they appointed the former international player Frank Rijkaard as a manager they were relegated from the top-level Eredivisie in 2002. That made Rijkaard resign from his position^[1]. Sparta returned to the Eredivisie for the 2005–06 season. They were relegated again in 2010. On 20 August 2010, they equalled Ajax's and Heracles Almelo's Dutch league record win when they defeated Almere City 12–1^[2] with Johan Voskamp scoring an Eerste Divisie record 8 goals on his debut.^[3]

After six years in the Eerste Divisie, Sparta again won promotion to the Eredivisie in April 2016 after a 3–1 win over Jong Ajax won them an unassailable lead over second placed VVV-Venlo.^[4] However, they were relegated for the third time in their history in May 2018 after they were beaten 1-3 on aggregate by FC Emmen in the promotion/relegation play-offs. The result proved to be a historical one since Emmen won their first ever promotion to the Eredivisie.^[5]

Sparta has won six national titles (1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1959) and three national cups (1958, 1962 and 1966).

Meuse/Scheldt Cup

The best footballers of Rotterdam and Antwerp contested a yearly match between 1909 and 1959 for the Meuse- and Scheldt Cup (Maas- en Schelde Beker). It was agreed to play the game at stadium Het Kasteel in Rotterdam and at the Bosuilstadion in Antwerp. The cup was provided in 1909 by Kees van Hasselt from Rotterdam and P. Havenith from Antwerp.

Youth program

The Sparta Jeugdopleiding (English: Sparta Youth Academy) is a four-star certified youth academy and amongst the strongest in the nation, having won the national academy of the year award on several occasions.^[6] Several International footballers have progressed through the ranks of the academy, including Danny Blind, Danny Koevermans, David Mendes da Silva, Ed de Goey, Winston Bogarde, Memphis Depay, Henk Fräser, Jan van Beveren, Georginio Wijnaldum, Anwar El Ghazi, Jetro Willems, John de Wolf, Kevin Strootman, Rick van Drongelen and Nick Viergever, amongst others.^[7]

Honours

National

Netherlands Football League Championship / Eredivisie: 6

1908–09, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1958–59

Eerste Divisie: 1

2015–16

KNVB Cup: 3

1957–58, 1961–62, 1965–66

Eerste Klasse (Tier 6): 10

1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1925, 1929, 1953, 1956

Others

Rotterdam Easter Tournament

Runners-up (2): 1934, 1948^[8]

Domestic results

Below is a table with Sparta Rotterdam's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.

Domestic Results since 1956
Domestic league	League result	Qualification to	KNVB Cup season	Cup result
2015–16 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie	2015–16	third round
2014–15 Eerste Divisie	8th	-	2014–15	third round
2013–14 Eerste Divisie	16th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2013–14	second round
2012–13 Eerste Divisie	3rd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2012–13	third round
2011–12 Eerste Divisie	2nd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2011–12	round of 16
2010–11 Eerste Divisie	9th	-	2010–11	third round
2009–10 Eredivisie	16th	Eerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-offs)	2009–10	quarter-final
2008–09 Eredivisie	13th	-	2008–09	round of 16
2007–08 Eredivisie	13th	-	2007–08	third round
2006–07 Eredivisie	13th	- (after losing IC-play-offs)	2006–07	round of 16
2005–06 Eredivisie	14th	-	2005–06	second round
2004–05 Eerste Divisie	2nd	Eredivisie (winning promotion/releg. play-offs)	2004–05	second round
2003–04 Eerste Divisie	3rd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2003–04	semi-final
2002–03 Eerste Divisie	8th	-	2002–03	third round
2001–02 Eredivisie	17th	Eerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-offs)	2001–02	second round
2000–01 Eredivisie	17th	- (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs)	2000–01	third round
1999–2000 Eredivisie	13th	-	1999-2000	second round
1998–99 Eredivisie	17th	- (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs)	1998-99	second round
1997–98 Eredivisie	13th	-	1997-98	second round
1996–97 Eredivisie	13th	-	1996-97	second round
1995–96 Eredivisie	6th	-	1995-96	final
1994–95 Eredivisie	14th	-	1994-95	round of 16
1993–94 Eredivisie	9th	-	1993-94	third round
1992–93 Eredivisie	13th	-	1992-93	round of 16
1991–92 Eredivisie	8th	-	1991-92	semi-final
1990–91 Eredivisie	13th	-	1990-91	round of 16
1989–90 Eredivisie	12th	-	1989-90	first round
1988–89 Eredivisie	12th	-	1988-89	round of 16
1987–88 Eredivisie	12th	-	1987-88	first round
1986–87 Eredivisie	8th	-	1986-87	round of 16
1985–86 Eredivisie	7th	-	1985-86	first round
1984–85 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1984-85	quarter-final
1983–84 Eredivisie	5th	-	1983-84	round of 16
1982–83 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1982-83	second round
1981–82 Eredivisie	8th	-	1981-82	semi-final
1980–81 Eredivisie	7th	-	1980-81	second round
1979–80 Eredivisie	13th	-	1979-80	semi-final
1978–79 Eredivisie	6th	-	1978-79	quarter-final
1977–78 Eredivisie	5th	-	1977-78	semi-final
1976–77 Eredivisie	7th	-	1976-77	second round
1975–76 Eredivisie	10th	-	1975-76	second round
1974–75 Eredivisie	6th	-	1974-75	quarter-final
1973–74 Eredivisie	8th	-	1973-74	round of 16
1972–73 Eredivisie	4th	-	1972-73	semi-final
1971–72 Eredivisie	4th	-	1971-72	quarter-final
1970–71 Eredivisie	6th	Cup Winners' Cup	1970-71	final
1969–70 Eredivisie	5th	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1969-70	second round
1968–69 Eredivisie	8th	-	1968-69	semi-final
1967–68 Eredivisie	5th	-	1967-68	quarter-final
1966–67 Eredivisie	3rd	-	1966-67	round of 16
1965–66 Eredivisie	7th	Cup Winners' Cup	1965-66	winners
1964–65 Eredivisie	5th	-	1964-65	first round
1963–64 Eredivisie	14th	-	1963-64	round of 16
1962–63 Eredivisie	3rd	-	1962-63	third round
1961–62 Eredivisie	9th	Cup Winners' Cup	1961-62	winners
1960–61 Eredivisie	4th	-	1960-61	?
1959–60 Eredivisie	7th	-	not held	not held
1958–59 Eredivisie	1st	European Cup	1958-59	?
1957–58 Eredivisie	9th	-	1957-58	winners
1956–57 Eredivisie	8th	-	1956-57	?

Sparta in Europe

Q = Qualifying Round
1R = First Round
2R = Second Round
3R = Third Round
1/4 = Quarter Final

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Score
1959–60	European Cup	1R	IFK Göteborg	3–1, 1–3, 3–1
1959–60	European Cup	1/4	Rangers	2–3, 1–0, 2–3
1962–63	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	Q	Lausanne-Sport	0–3, 4–2
1966–67	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Floriana	1–1, 6–0
1966–67	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	2R	Servette	0–2, 1–0
1970–71	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1R	ÍA Akranes	6–0, 9–0
		2R	Coleraine	2–0, 2–1
		3R	Bayern Munich	1–2, 1–3
1971–72	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Levski-Spartak	1–1, 2–0
1971–72	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	2R	Red Star Belgrade	1–1, 1–2
1983–84	UEFA Cup	1R	Coleraine	4–0, 1–1
		2R	Carl Zeiss Jena	3–2, 1–1
		3R	Spartak Moscow	1–1, 0–2
1985–86	UEFA Cup	1R	Hamburger SV	2–0, 0–2 (4–3 n.p.)
1985–86	UEFA Cup	2R	Borussia Mönchengladbach	1–1, 1–5

Current squad

As of 9 August 2018

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Tim Coremans
		GK	Michael Fabrie
		GK	Roy Kortsmit

		DF	Lorenzo Soares Fonseca
		DF	Jeffrey Neral
		DF	Janne Saksela
		DF	Bart Vriends
		DF	Dries Wuytens
		DF	Fankaty Dabo
		DF	Bradley Martis

		MF	Adil Auassar
		MF	Ayoub Boukhari
		MF	Gregor Breinburg
		MF	Deroy Duarte

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Royston Drenthe
		MF	Abdou Harroui
		MF	Mohamed Rayhi
		MF	Stijn Spierings
		MF	Mark Veenhoven
		MF	Daniel Baggio

		FW	Ragnar Ache
		FW	Ilias Alhaft
		FW	Halil Dervişoğlu
		FW	Édouard Duplan
		FW	Lars Veldwijk
		FW	Thomas Verhaar

Reserve squad