Feyenoord Rotterdam
Encyclopedia
Feyenoord (ˈfɛi.ə.ˌnʊːrt) is a Dutch
professional football club
located in Rotterdam
. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands
. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division. In domestic competition, Feyenoord has won 14 Dutch Championships
, 11 Dutch Cups
and two Dutch Supercups
to go with the European Cup
, two UEFA Cup
s and the Intercontinental Cup
, making it one of the most successful Dutch clubs.
The football club Wilhelmina were founded in the pub De Vereeniging on 19 July 1908 and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908, 1910, 1911 and 1912 the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming Hillesluise Football Club in 1909 and then RVV Celeritas. Upon earning promotion to the National football association
in 1912, the club renamed to become SC Feijenoord, after the city district in which the team was founded and again changed uniform, adopting the red and white shirts, black shorts and black socks they still wear today. In 1917 Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football, 1e klasse (1st division) and moved to the ground Kromme Zandweg.
Sixteen years after the formation of the club and a mere three years after they were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football Feijenoord earned their first honours by capturing the national league championship in 1924. The team enjoyed a string of successes in the latter half of the decade, taking divisional titles in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1929, and winning their second national championship in 1928.
Feijenoord won their first Dutch Cup in 1930 by scoring the only goal in a derby
final against Excelsior. They continued to dominate their division with three consecutive titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a second time in 1935 by beating Helmond Sport
.
Feijenoord started to attract more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg, and in 1933 decided to build a new facility. The club moved to the Feijenoord Stadion
(nicknamed "De Kuip" or "the Tub") in 1937, playing the first match there on 27 March against Beerschot. During this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from 1936 to 1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938.
Feijenoord played their matches at Sparta Rotterdam
's Kasteel
, as the Nazis
had occupied De Kuip. When Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtues, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg.
Feijenoord's again won a division title with a national championship in 1940, their fifth Dutch title. During the German occupation of the Netherlands play continued in Dutch football leagues, though the 1945 championship was cancelled as the war came to its conclusion. During this period Feijenoord's only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had in previous decades, not seriously challenging in their division and so missing the national playoff rounds.
On 30 June 1954 the chairmen of the three biggest Rotterdam teams organised a meeting in Utrecht
, which was attended by several chairmen of other clubs and a delegation of the KNVB
to discuss the start of professional football in the Netherlands. The professional era commenced with the first Eredivisie
season in 1954/1955. Feijenoord were one of the clubs participating in the inaugural Eredivisie and have never been relegated. One of the most memorable matches in these first years of professional football was the clash between Feijenoord and the Volewijckers
at 2 April 1956, which Feijenoord won 11–4 with nine goals by Henk Schouten
. Feijenoord would grow an intense rivalry with AFC Ajax. Matches between the two clubs quickly were dubbed as 'de Klassieker' (The Classic). The first memorable Klassieker
from a Feijenoord point of view took place at 11 November 1956, when Daan den Bleijker
scored four times to give Feijenoord a 7–3 win over their arch rivals.
Feijenoord claimed their first professional Eredivisie Championship and their sixth Dutch Championship in history in 1961. On the road to the title Ajax were beaten 9–5 in De Kuip, four of Feijenoord's goals were scored by Henk Schouten. The following season, they played their first European Cup
match facing IFK Göteborg
. The Swedes were beaten 0–3 in Gothenburg and 8–2 in Rotterdam. Feijenoord were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur
in the following round. In 1962 Feijenoord successfully defended their Dutch Championship title and reached the final of the Intertoto Cup 1961-62
. Feijenoord faced arch-rivals Ajax in the final, which was won by the Amsterdam team 4–2.
On 12 December 1962 Feyenoord played a decisive match versus Vasas SC
in the second round of the European Cup 1962-63
. The first two legs, in Rotterdam and Budapest
both ended in 1–0 home victories, and a replay on a neutral ground took place. The match was played in Antwerp, Belgium
and 30,000 Feijenoord fans travelled by bus to see their team play. For the third time the final score was 1–0, with the only goal scored by Rinus Bennaars
who was immediately nicknamed "The hero of Deurne" (the neighbourhood in Antwerp where the match was played). The events in Antwerp resulted in an enduring friendly relationship between the fans of Feyenoord and Royal Antwerp FC.
In 1963 hundreds of thousands of people stood ashore by the Nieuwe Maas
and the Nieuwe Waterweg
to wave two ships, deGroote Beer and the Waterman goodbye. The ships transported thousands of Feijenoord fans to Lisbon
where the club faced Benfica on 8 May 1963 in the European Cup semi-finals. The first leg, held in Rotterdam a month earlier, finished 0–0. Feijenoord eventually lost the match against Benfica 3–1, but this turned out to be the start of the most successful period in the club's history. Feijenoord won the double for the first time in their history in 1965 and managed to win another double a few years later in 1969. The 1965 title secured Feijenoord a spot in the European Cup 1965-66 where they faced multiple cup champions Real Madrid
on 8 September 1965 in the preliminaries. During the match Hans Kraay
had to leave the pitch injured after 31 minutes, without being substituted. He returned at the start of the second half and scored the goal which resulted in a 2–1 win. Later during the match fans' favourite Coen Moulijn
was attacked roughly by a Spanish defender. Moulijn then chased the defender all over the pitch. Several other players did the same, as did some fans who entered the pitch. The referee could do nothing but suspend the match at 2–1 in Feijenoord's favour. Two weeks later Real comfortably beat Feyenoord 5–0, and eventually won the European Cup that season.
. After thrashing Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
16–2 on aggregate in the first round the team faced AC Milan. Feijenoord lost the first leg 1–0 in Italy, but overcame the deficit in their own stadium following a 2–0 win, securing a place in the quarter finals where they faced ASK Vorwärts Berlin
.
The tie followed the same pattern as the previous round, Feijenoord losing the first match 1–0 away, then winning 2–0 at home. In the semi-finals Legia Warszawa
were beaten 2–0 on aggregate, earning Feijenoord their first European final. Ajax had reached the same final in 1969 but were not able to win. Feijenoord faced Celtic
in the final, held in the San Siro
stadium in Milan
. Goals by Tommy Gemmell
and Rinus Israël
resulted in a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes. Three minutes before the end of extra time, Ove Kindvall
scored Feijenoord's winning goal to make them the first Dutch team to claim a major European trophy.
As reigning European champions, Feijenoord faced Estudiantes La Plata in the Intercontinental Cup
. The first match in Buenos Aires
' La Bombonera
finished in a 2–2 draw. Back in Rotterdam, Feijenoord managed a 1–0 victory (winning goal by Joop van Daele
) to win the world club crown, the first Dutch team to do so. Estudiantes player Oscar Malbernat
got frustrated and grabbed Van Daele's glasses and trampled on them. "You are not allowed to play with glasses... at least not in South America" was his excuse. As the cup holders, Feijenoord participated in the European Cup 1970-71
despite relinquishing the Dutch title, which was won by Ajax. Feijenoord were eliminated in the first round following a surprise defeat by the Romanian team UT Arad. In 1971, Feijenoord won their 10th Dutch Championship.
In 1973, the club decided to change their name to Feyenoord, as people from outside the Netherlands found it difficult to pronounce the "ij" in Feijenoord. Under their new name they played in the UEFA Cup 1973-74, reaching the final following a 4–3 aggregate win over VfB Stuttgart
in the semi finals. The opponent in the final was Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the first leg at White Hart Lane
, but Theo de Jong
equalised after 85 minutes and the match ended in a 2–2 draw. Feyenoord then won their match in Rotterdam 2–0 thanks to goals by Wim Rijsbergen and Peter Ressel
, and became the first Dutch team to win the UEFA Cup
. As a result, Spurs fans started to riot, introducing Dutch football to the spectre of hooliganism
in the process. The remainder of the decade saw Feyenoord win only one more honour: the Dutch Championship in 1974. In 1978 the club divided their professional and amateur sides to form two separate teams, Feyenoord for professionals and Sportclub Feyenoord for amateurs.
Feyenoord won their fifth Dutch Cup in 1980 by beating Ajax 3–1 in the final.
In 1984, Feyenoord had another bright season, winning the double for the third time in their history. Key players in the squad from this period included Johan Cruijff, Ruud Gullit
and Peter Houtman
(who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer). Cruijff reacted to Ajax's decision not to offer him a new contract at the start of the season and signed for arch rivals Feyenoord instead. Cruijffs move to Rotterdam was criticised and increased Ajax's motivation to beat Feyenoord. In the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam Feyenoord suffered one of their most heavy defeats ever: 8–2. However, Feyenoord later defeated Ajax in Rotterdam 4–1 and Ajax were subsequently beaten a second time in the Dutch Cup. Feyenoord proceeded to win a league and cup double by beating Fortuna Sittard
in the cup final.
After the successful season Feyenoord experienced a lean period and were unable to finish the season in a higher position than third. In the 1989/1990 season, the club struggled to remain in the Eredivisie, but eventually managed to avoid relegation. The club had financial problems, the staff was not able to recover and their main sponsor HCS went bankrupt.
When Wim Jansen
was appointed as the interim manager to replace Günder Bengtsson
and Pim Verbeek after a 6–0 defeat against PSV, the outlook began to improve for the club. PSV, the strongest Dutch club of the period, were knocked out of the KNVB Cup by a Henk Fräser
goal in Eindhoven. Feyenoord progressed to the 1991 final where they beat BVV Den Bosch 1–0 to win the competition. As the cup holders, they faced champions PSV again, this time in the 1991 Dutch Supercup
, the first Supercup held since 1949. PSV were beaten 1–0 by a Marian Damaschin
goal to add another honour to the club's achievements. They went on to win another Dutch Cup in 1992, beating Roda JC 3–0 in the final. The same year Feyenoord reached the semi finals in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991-92 beating Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter final before being knocked out by AS Monaco
on away goals after two draws.
In 1993, Feyenoord secured another Dutch Championship by beating FC Groningen 5–0 in the last league match of the season. The match was played at the Oosterpark Stadion
in Groningen, so 40.000 Feyenoord fans watched the game on giant screens in De Kuip. The title was followed by another two Dutch Cups in 1994 (beating N.E.C. (2–1)) and 1995 (beating FC Volendam
(2–1)). During the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994-95
, Feyenoord reached the quarter finals after beating Werder Bremen
in the second round. They eventually lost to Real Zaragoza
. In the quarter-final in the 1995 KNVB Cup
Feyenoord visited Ajax, the team that would win the UEFA Champions League 1994-95
later that season. Ajax was leading 1–0 when Ruud Heus
equalised with a penalty just before time. In the extra time Feyenoord became the only team to beat Ajax the season they won the Eredivisie and the Champions League unbeaten. The goal scored by Mike Obiku was the decider as the new golden goal
rule became in use. During the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1995-96
Everton
and Borussia Mönchengladbach
were beaten. A total of 14,000 Feyenoord fans travelled to Germany to support the team against Mönchengladbach. Feyenoord were knocked out in the semi-finals by a Carsten Jancker
inspired SK Rapid Wien
.
Feyenoord made their UEFA Champions League
debut during the UEFA Champions League 1997-98
, finishing third in their group behind Manchester United
and Juventus
. However, Juventus were beaten 2–0 in Rotterdam, both goals scored by Julio Ricardo Cruz
. In 1998, the FIOD-ECD
(Fiscal Information and Investigation Service/Economic Investigation Service) visited Feyenoord because of suspected fraud, mainly based on the signings of Aurelio Vidmar
, Christian Gyan
and Patrick Allotey
. This became an ongoing scandal in the years to come with chairman Jorien van den Herik
as the main suspect. On 25 April 1999, Feyenoord secured their 14th Dutch Championship. 250,000 fans celebrated with the team in the center of Rotterdam. However, later in the evening heavy rioting started. Before the start of the new 1999/2000 season, Ajax were beaten in their own stadium when Feyenoord won their second Dutch Supercup after a free kick by Patrick Paauwe
, which secured a 3–2 win.
Feyenoord participated in the UEFA Champions League for the second time. This time the club managed to finish second in their group behind Rosenborg BK, but in front of Borussia Dortmund
. Feyenoord reached the second group stage and secured wins versus Olympique Marseille
(at home) and Lazio
(away). Chelsea
won both clashes and as a result Feyenoord had to win their last group match away to Marseille to reach the knock-out stages. The final result was 0–0 and Feyenoord were eliminated.
Feyenoord again participated in the Champions League in 2001–02
, finishing third in a group containing FC Bayern Munich
, AC Sparta Prague and FC Spartak Moscow
. This meant Feyenoord had to continue their European season in the UEFA Cup 2001-02 instead of the 2nd Champions League group stage. The disappointment of failing to reach the second group stage eventually resulted in optimism and celebration. By winning over SC Freiburg
and Rangers
, Feyenoord faced fellow Dutch team PSV in the quarter finals. Both matches ended in 1–1 draws, and the clash went into extra time and a penalty shoot-out. Pierre van Hooijdonk
who had a superb season by scoring many goals from free kicks secured Feyenoord's win by scoring in the 90th minute equalizer before finishing PSV off by scoring the last goal in the penalty shoot-out. A win in Milan
(0–1) over Inter
and a 2–2 return match in Rotterdam earned Feyenoord their spot in the final, in which Borussia Dortmund was the opponent. The final was held in De Kuip and as a result most spectators inside the stadium were Feyenoord fans. Feyenoord took a 2–0 lead thanks to another free kick and a penalty by Pierre van Hooijdonk. Early in the second half Jan Koller
scored a goal to make it 2–1. Jon Dahl Tomasson
then made it 3–1 and things looked good for Feyenoord. Dortmund only managed to score one more goal and the cup was won by Bert van Marwijk
's Feyenoord.
A huge party erupted in and outside De Kuip not only because of the title, but also because the final was held several days after Rotterdam's political hero Pim Fortuyn
was murdered. Lots of fans were still full of emotion before and after the match. As a result of Fortuyn's murder, the cup was not officially celebrated in the city center.
The 2002 UEFA Cup win was the start of a long dry spell for Feyenoord. In the 2002/03 season the club managed to finish 3rd in the national league, as well as reach the final of the Dutch Cup (which was lost 1–4 to FC Utrecht), but in the following years Feyenoord disappointed in both the national league and the Dutch Cup.
In between, Feyenoord and chairman Jorien van den Herik were found to be not guilty
in 2002. The Public Prosecutor however appealed, but in 2005, after three years of investigations the results stayed the same. Still, the prosecution has not given up the case
yet.
The 2005/06 season ended in disappointment for Feyenoord. The team challenged for the Dutch Championship for most of the season, but eventually lost out to PSV. The newly created Dutch play-offs then proved to be gloomy for Feyenoord. Ajax, which finished several points behind in the regular league, were Feyenoord's opponent in the play-offs. Ajax ouclassed them and Feyenoord lost out on a Champions League place.
In the 2006–07 season the nightmare grew even bigger. The supporters saw their two star players leave to Chelsea (Salomon Kalou
) and Liverpool (Dirk Kuyt
). At the same time it became clear that Feyenoord were in an appalling financial state despite earlier comments made by chairman Van den Herik
who claimed that the club was financially healthy. Supporters unrest grew into anger when Feyenoord bought Charisteas
, a back-up striker of arch rivals Ajax with a poor track record, as a replacement for Kuyt. After continuous protests chairman Van den Herik resigned and the club started managerial reforms. The worst was not over though. Feyenoord were expelled from European competition following hooliganism prior to and during a match with ASNancy, despite an appeal by the club. The season ended in bitter disappointment with a 7th place finish, causing Feyenoord to miss European football for the first time in 16 years.
While desperate supporters started preparing for a dark age, the club surprised friend and foe in the 2007 summer transfer window. A brilliant performance of young left back Royston Drenthe
at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
had investors flocking to the new investment schemes Feyenoord had set up. The club appointed former coach Bert van Marwijk
and was able to make a number of high profile signings amongst which Giovanni van Bronckhorst
and Roy Makaay
. Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the national league, finishing in a disappointing 6th place. The pain was relieved by claiming the first prize in 6 years: 100 years after the foundation of the club, Feyenoord managed to win the Dutch Cup, beating Roda JC by 2–0. As Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk
accepted a job as coach of the national team, Feyenoord appointed Gertjan Verbeek
as their new coach for the 2008/09 season.
In the 2008–09 season, Feyenoord officially celebrated their 100th birthday and organised many events throughout the year. The old "golden logo" returned as Feyenoord's official logo, which was presented at the 2007 new years brunch. During the summer a historical tournament was held between Feyenoord and the three opponents they met in the European Cup
finals they played, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC (Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament
).
Mid-way through the season manager Verbeek was fired because of disappointing league results. His assistant, Leon Vlemmings, then took over the job as head coach. The results in this period improved slightly, resulting in securing a spot in the playoffs for the final Dutch Europa League slot.
For the 2009/2010 season Feyenoord appointed ex-assistant coach and former Feyenoord player Mario Been to take over from Leon Vlemmings. Been, after achieving minor European successes with NEC Nijmegen, was considered the ideal man for the job. Former coach Leo Beenhakker, at the time coach of the Polish national squad, took over the role as Technical Director. Partly because of this position he was able to attract more investors to the club leading to
some unexpected signings such as Sekou Cissé, Dani Fernandez and Stefan Babovic.
In mid-January 2011 after multiple clashes between Beenhakker and the Feyenoord Directory Staff, Beenhakker resigned.. His replacement was old-Feyenoord player Martin van Geel, who at the time was working as Technical Director for another Dutch club: Roda JC.
In July 2011 the players took a vote about if they had faith in Mario Been, in total 13 of the 18 players voted that they had no more faith in him, resulting in his resignation which was world news for a day thanks to new online media, such as Twitter.
After Louis van Gaal turned down the offer of being headcoach, the club went after legendary defender Ronald Koeman, who has played for the club in the late nineties.
Through such appointment, Koeman has notably become the first man ever to serve as both player and head coach at all teams of the so-called "traditional big three" of Dutch football (AFC Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord itself) Moreover, he has completed this in the same order as player and as manager.
At the beginning of the 2011/2012 season, Feyenoord lost players Leroy Fer
, Georginio Wijnaldum
and André Bahia
to FC Twente
, PSV Eindhoven and Samsunspor
respectfully. In return the club bought players Jordy Clasie
, Miquel Nelom
, Guyon Fernandez
and Kaj Ramsteijn
. Two other players were loaned: John Guidetti
of Manchester City and Otman Bakkal
of PSV.
Feyenoord started the season well and played the first game of the Eredivisie, to kick off the season, against Excelsior. Feyenoord has been front runner twice to date and now resides on fifth place, one place behind arch-rival Ajax.
Feyenoord are located in the Feijenoord district
of southern Rotterdam
and is named after the district in which the club was founded. More frequent appearances in international tournaments led the club to change its name in 1974, because foreign fans unfamiliar with the Dutch language did not know how to pronounce ij.
Beside Feyenoord, there are two other professional football clubs in Rotterdam: Sparta
and Excelsior. Feyenoord and Excelsior are currently playing in the Eredivisie
, while Sparta was relegated to the second tier after the 2009–10
season.
The club's Feijenoord Stadion
, located in the IJsselmonde district of Rotterdam, is nicknamed De Kuip, Dutch for The Tub. It was built in 1937 and is one of the major European stadiums. It has 51,117 seats and has hosted a record of 10 finals of UEFA
club competitions, including the 2002 UEFA Cup
Final which was won by Feyenoord. Former Feyenoord player Mike Obiku once said "Every time you enter the pitch, you're stepping into a lion's home." Feyenoord does not own the stadium, it is an organisation on its own.
In 1935 Feijenoord player Puck van Heel
hit the first pole on their way into their new stadium. The stadium was opened on 27 March 1937 and Beerschot was beaten by 5 goals to 2, Leen Vente
scored the first goal in De Kuip. Already in the very beginning the stadium was sold out on several occasions and other events held at de Kuip also gained lots of attendance. During the second World War the stadium was one of the few locations which was not bombed, however the Nazis occupied the stadium. After the war De Kuip became popular location once again. In 1949 the attendance record was broken during the match to decide the Dutch championship between SVV Schiedam
and SC Heerenveen; 64,368 fans visited the match.
Besides football there were also boxing
and motorcycle speedway
races in De Kuip, which were also gaining popularity. In 1953 people had to hide inside the stadium during the North Sea flood of 1953
. On 27 November 1957 Feyenoord played versus Bolton Wanderers
during an evening match. It was the first time the floodlights
were taken in use. The players entered the pitch in the dark and the fans were asked to light their matchsticks when the floodlights were activated. Since that evening, that match at De Kuip has always been special among Feyenoord fans.
In 1963, De Kuip hosted their first European final (Cup winners' Cup) between Tottenham Hotspur
and Atlético Madrid. Nine more European finals would follow in the years after with Feyenoord's win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup final being the 10th and latest. The attendance record of 1949 was broken in 1968 when 65,427 fans visited the Feyenoord-FC Twente
match.
announced that Feyenoord were developing plans to build a new stadium which would have a capacity of roughly 90,000 seats. The stadium would most likely be placed on the Meuse river, the river that runs through Rotterdam, and should be completed by 2016.
In May 2008 Woerts announced further details: the club is aiming for a stadium with a capacity of around 100.000 seats. If possible, a capacity of over 130.000 should be realized according to Woerts, which would earn the title of biggest stadium in Europe. The club emphasized its efforts to make it a true football stadium with seats close to the pitch. The stadium will get a retractable roof so that other events can be held as well. According to plans, the stadium should be ready in 2016.
Wilhelm Speidel. In 1961 Jaap Valkhoff
wrote the lyrics which became popular among Feyenoord supporters who adopted the song as their unofficial hymn. Valkhoff wrote lyrics on the same melody for several other teams as well. Among them were Feyenoord's arch rivals Ajax. Nowadays the song is heard wherever Feyenoord play their matches, but also fans of MVV
and Club Brugge have their own version that they sing.
, covered by the Hermes House Band
, but made famous by Gloria Gaynor
in the 1970s is played.
Feyenoord supporters are known to be creative and have a lot of various songs and chants in their equipment during matches. Among the most important Feyenoord songs are "Mijn Feyenoord" by Lee Towers
, "Feyenoord, wat gaan we doen vandaag?" by Cock van der Palm and "De laatste trein naar Rotterdam" by Dorus
. During the 2001/02 season when Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup a parody was launched of the song "Put your hands up" by Black and White Brothers called "Put your hands up for Pi-Air" as a tribute to Pierre (Pi-Air) van Hooijdonk. In the 1970s Coen Moulijn
also had a song dedicated to him named "Coentje Coentje Coentje".
for The Legion and can be found everywhere in The Netherlands and far across the Dutch borders. Squad number 12 is never given to a player, but is reserved for Het Legioen instead.
Feyenoord supporters are known to have a connection with fans of English Premier League club, Sunderland AFC. It is thought to have started in the 1970s when supporters of Sunderland moved to Rotterdam to work in the ports and docks, some of which remained in Rotterdam and settled there, thus taking an interest in the local team, Feyenoord. As the years passed, the interest from both sides grew and more people got involved. Supporters of Feyenoord often travel to the Stadium of Light
on matchdays to support Sunderland, and vice versa with some Sunderland fans travelling to watch Feyenoord at De Kuip. It is common to find Sunderland shirts in De Kuip on a matchday and at the Stadium of Light, a St George's England flag with Feyenoord Mackems written across the red cross is on show at every match. Images of this flag can be found by searching 'Feyenoord Mackems' into Google Images.
's inaugural session.
In 1963 about 3000 fans boarded on two ships, among thousands of others by train or car and they travelled to Lisbon
where Feyenoord faced Benfica in the European Cup
. When Feyenoord plays abroad in European Cup about 8000 travel together to support their team. Almost 15,000 fans were cheering for their team in 1996 when Feyenoord played in Germany versus Borussia Mönchengladbach
. About 40,000 fans visit a regular match at home while top classes versus Ajax, PSV and European Cup opponents are sold out most of the time. About 250,000 fans showed up when Feyenoord's latest Dutch championship was celebrated in 1999 at the Coolsingel
in the center of the city. After Feyenoord beat Internazionale
in the 2002 UEFA Cup semi final, Inter midfielder Clarence Seedorf
said: "I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Kuip. As an ex-Ajax player I was really given the bird, but that’s all part of the emotions in football. It also illustrates the intense way in which the Feyenoord supporters experience their club’s matches."
Beyond the Netherlands, Feyenoord opened a fanshop in the center of Tokyo
, Japan
when Japan
ese player Shinji Ono
was a key player at the club, and also in South Korea
when Song Chong-Gug
played for Feyenoord.
Feyenoord have one official fan supporters club, the Feyenoord Supportersvereniging. Independent of the club, FSV has a membership of about 23,000, as of 2006. The FSV act as a liaison between club and fans, produce match programmes, arrange travel to away games and organise supporters' evenings, as well as being involved in the other supporters organisations. Children between 0 and 12 years old can join the Kameraadjes group (little comrades).
In 1998 the Feyenoord Supporters Vereniging were wondering about whether or not it would be possible to create more atmosphere inside the stadium mainly during important matches. As a result, a few huge flags were produced and brought into the stadium prior to matches played by Feyenoord. The flags were a success, but people started asking for more activities and a meeting between fans and officials were arranged. In 2000 Harry Veth was given permission to establish a group of five Feyenoord fans called TIFO team Feyenoord Rotterdam. Besides creating more flags and small pieces of paper released from the second platform the team also started to organise bigger activities. The first big activity was held on 10 December 2000 when Feyenoord faced Ajax and 40 fog machine
s were activated when the players entered the pitch. In the following years many different and various activities were held to improve the atmosphere inside the stadium. Feyenoord's TIFO team became famous abroad as well and the Italian TIFO foundation awarded Feyenoord the Best of TIFO Award 2000/01.
,Gerard Cox
, Wouter Bos
, Jan Marijnissen
, Robert Eenhoorn
, Arjan Erkel
, Dennis van der Geest
, DJ Paul Elstak
, Raemon Sluiter
,, Vincent Le Blanc, and Renate Verbaan.
Raemon Sluiter
, Lee Towers
, Dennis van der Geest
, Robert Eenhoorn
and Renate Verbaan have all officially been Feyenoord ambassadors. Gerard Meijer
is the current ambassador, and was appointed 'ambassador for life' on 19 July 2008.
are Feyenoord's arch rivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the Klassieker
(The Classic) The rivalry is not only between the two teams, but also a confrontation between the two largest cities of the country, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, two cities with extreme differences in attitude and culture. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be the biggest game of the season. In the past there have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk clash in 1997 is the most infamous, with Ajax fan Carlo Picornie being killed and several others injured. In 2004 Feyenoord player Jorge Acuña
was taken to hospital with head, neck and rib injuries after Feyenoord players were attacked by Ajax hooligans during a match between the reserve teams of both clubs. Another Feyenoord player, Robin van Persie
had to be rescued by Ajax coach John van 't Schip
and player Daniël de Ridder
. Then in 2005 riots before and after the match happened in Rotterdam and were considered to belong to the worst in the history of Dutch football.
Rotterdam is the city with the most professional teams in the Netherlands. Besides Feyenoord there are Sparta Rotterdam
and Excelsior and the city is often referred to as "Voetbalstad nummer 1" (Football city number 1). There is a rivalry between the teams, mostly between Feyenoord and Sparta as Excelsior can be seen as Feyenoord's feeder club, but it is not comparable to other local derbies
. The rivalry between Sparta and Feyenoord is mostly seen on the Sparta side. Some Sparta fans have refused to enter Feyenoord's De Kuip stadium, even when Sparta had reached the KNVB Cup
final, which was played in De Kuip. In the 1950s there was much more of a rivalry. One of the key factors for these feelings was footballer Tinus Bosselaar
, who moved from Sparta to Feyenoord in 1954 before Sparta re-signed him, despite Feyenoord trying to prevent the deal in court.
Feyenoord also have a fierce rivalry abroad in Tottenham Hotspur, who following several violent clashes with the club coupled with a link to Ajax are not popular with the Rotterdam club.
European Cup
UEFA Cup
, 2001–02
UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
in 1956.
), while Richard Dombi is seen as the first successful coach. He led the team in three different periods. During the club's weakest period in history Feyenoord was managed by two managers at once, Dutchman Pim Verbeek and Swede Gunder Bengtsson
. Bengtsson was the last foreign manager to lead Feyenoord. Feyenoord's international trophies were won by Ernst Happel, Wiel Coerver
and Bert van Marwijk
.
Bill Julian
(1921–22) Harry Waites
(1924–25) Engel Geneugelijk (1925–26) (a.i.
) Jack Hall (1926–29) Joseph Lamb
(1929–30) Jaap Kruys (1930–31) (a.i.
) Eddy Donaghy
(1931–35) Richard Dombi (1935–39) Jack Hall (1939–40) Karel Kaufman
(1940) (a.i.
) Theo Huizenaar (1940–41) Kees van Dijke (1941–42) Kees Pijl
(1942–46) Adriaan Koonings
(1946–50) Harry Topping
(1950–51) Richard Dombi (1951–55)
Piet de Wolf (1955–56) (a.i.
) Jaap van der Leck (1956–58) Piet de Wolf (1958–59) (a.i.
) George Sobotka (1959–61) Franz Fuchs (1961–63) Norberto Höfling (1963–64) Willy Kment (1964–67) Ben Peeters (1967–69) Ernst Happel (1969–73) Ad Zonderland (1973) (a.i.
) Wiel Coerver
(1973–75) Antoni Brzezanczyk
(1975–76) Ad Zonderland (1976) (a.i.
) Vujadin Boškov
(1976–78) Vaclav Jezek
(1978–82) Clemens Westerhof
(1982) (a.i.
)
Hans Kraay
(1982–83) Ab Fafié (1983) (a.i.
) Thijs Libregts
(1983–84) Ab Fafié (1984–86) Rinus Israël
(1986–88) Rob Jacobs (1988–89) Pim Verbeek (1989–91) (dual) Gunder Bengtsson
(1989–91) (dual) Wim Jansen
(1991) (a.i.
) Hans Dorjee
(1991–92) Wim Jansen
(1992) (a.i.
) Willem van Hanegem
(1992–95) Geert Meijer
(1995) (a.i.
) Arie Haan (1995–97) Geert Meijer
(1997) (dual a.i.
) John Metgod
(1997) (dual a.i.
)
Leo Beenhakker
(1997–00) Henk van Stee
(2000) (a.i.
) Bert van Marwijk
(2000–04) Ruud Gullit
(2004–05) Erwin Koeman
(2005–07) Leo Beenhakker
(2007) (a.i.
) Bert van Marwijk
(2007–08) Gertjan Verbeek
(2008–09) Leon Vlemmings
(2009) (a.i.
) Mario Been
(2009–11) Ronald Koeman
(2011- )
G.D. van Leerdam (1908–11) Leen van Zandvliet (1911–18) Jan van Bennekom (1918–19) Johan Weber (1920–25) Leen van Zandvliet (1925–39)
Cor Kieboom (1939–67) Guus Couwenberg (1967–73) Leo van Zandvliet (1973–79) Guus Couwenberg (1979–82) Gerard Kerkum
(1982–89)
Carlo de Swart (1989–90) Amandus Lundqvist (1990–92) Jorien van den Herik
(1992–06) Gerard Kerkum
(2006–07) Dick van Well
(2007–)
. The show features interviews with players and other team members as well as documentaries about the team. As of the 2006–07 season Feyenoord launched its own Feyenoord TV project on their website with daily news and reports that tells everything about the club.
In 1993 Feyenoord introduced their own newspaper, the Feyenoord Krant, the first and only Dutch club to do so. The newspaper is published fortnightly, with a print run of 25,000. Extra editions are published to coincide with European matches. Inside the newspaper news, background information, interviews, reports and columns by Feyenoord related figures can be found.
Feyenoord were one of the latest Dutch teams to open their own official website on 21 May 2001.
The site is available in Dutch and English, plus other languages depending upon the nationalities of the club's high profile players. As of 2007, Japanese and Korean editions are available due to the popularity of Shinji Ono
and Song Chong-Gug
in their home countries. Since 2004 Feyenoord have shared a website 2 teams 1 goal with UNICEF
as part of Feyenoord's children's welfare project in Ghana
. To mark Feyenoord's centenary another site was launched in January 2007 to publicise events related to the occasion. Feyenoord also opened official Live.com
and YouTube
pages in 2006.
Feyenoord also offer the option to follow the club with news and statistics on cell phones or email. For each and every home match a daily program magazine is created and children who are members of the Kameraadjes also receive a magazine. At the beginning of the season Feyenoord produce a new presentation magazine, while at the end of the season a Feyenoord yearbook is created.
The Feyenoord squad typically contains a number of players who joined the club after playing for Sportclub Feyenoord, and several players from Sportclub Feyenoord have progressed to have successful careers at international level, including Puck van Heel
, Wim Jansen
and Giovanni van Bronckhorst
. A number of high profile managers also started their coaching careers at Varkenoord, including Clemens Westerhof
and Leo Beenhakker
.
and the Feyenoord Academy
in Ghana. The most of strongest of these partnerships is that with Excelsior, who since 1996 have loaned young Feyenoord players on the verge of the first team. The purpose of this is to allow them to experience regular first-team football, aiding their development while simultaneously strengthening Excelsior's squad. The highest profile players to have played at Excelsior as part of this arrangement are Thomas Buffel
and Salomon Kalou
, who were both subsequently involved in transfer deals worth several million Euros. The partnership between Feyenoord and Excelsior was scaled back in 2006, though the clubs still work together.
Feyenoord's co-operation with Újpest FC started when Hungarian ex-footballer and former Feyenoord player Jószef Kiprich joined the Hungarian team as a under 19 coach and started as a scout for Feyenoord.
The academy in Ghana arose form a visit by Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik
to Abidjan
to sign the then unknown Bonaventure Kalou, when Van den Herik contacted with the education institute at Kalou’s club. The academy was built in Fetteh, just outside Accra
. after go-ahead for and was given by the Chief of Fetteh in 1998. At the academy, young talented African footballers can work on their football skills. In addition to helping their football potential the students are provided with formal education which is funded by Feyenoord. The Feyenoord Academy currently play their matches in the OneTouch Premier League.
The club have also entered into several other partnerships which are now discontinued, most extensively in Brazil with América Futebol Clube
and J.J.'s football school in Rio de Janeiro
. Other clubs who have previously entered partnerships with Feyenoord include Parramatta Power
, Nagoya Grampus Eight
, Boldklubben 1893
, Helsingborgs IF
, Supersport United, KVC Westerlo
, KV Mechelen, Breiðablik UBK
, FC Lyn Oslo
, UKS SMS Lodz
, Omiya Ardija
and Jiangsu Shuntian.
As of the 1981–82 Eredivisie season the KNVB allowed the teams participating in the league to use sponsor names on their shirts in exchange for money. At the time Feyenoord's shirts were produced by Adidas
and the first main sponsor became the Dutch Yellow Pages
called Gouden Gids. In the second half of the 1982–83 season Adidas were replaced by Puma
as the shirt supplier. As a result the Gouden Gids name was enlarged and was more visible on the shirts. Gouden Gids sponsored the team until 1984, when Opel
became the new sponsor. The deal between Feyenoord and Opel lasted until 1989, but in 1987 Puma no longer produced the shirts, but Hummel International
. In 1989 Hummel produced the shirts sponsored by HCS. Adidas came back to the club in 1990, at the time that HCS got into big financial troubles and got bankrupt and was unable to sponsor Feyenoord any longer. Where HCS left Adidas stayed and the new main sponsor became Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen
. This turned out to be a longterm deal as they were Feyenoord's main sponsor until 2004, when it was overtaken by Fortis
. Since that time Fortis is the club's sponsor and the current contract was extended to 2009 with an option of three more seasons on 18 January 2007, the day before Feyenoord was excluded from the UEFA Cup 2006-07
. Feyenoord's kits are currently produced by Kappa
, which replaced Adidas in 2000.
Feyenoord's contract with Kappa ended after the 2008/09 season. After that season, Puma
produces Feyenoord's kits.
Other sites
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
professional football club
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
located in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division. In domestic competition, Feyenoord has won 14 Dutch Championships
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, 11 Dutch Cups
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
and two Dutch Supercups
Johan Cruijff-schaal
The Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
to go with the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, two UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
s and the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
, making it one of the most successful Dutch clubs.
1908–1939
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
in 1912, the club renamed to become SC Feijenoord, after the city district in which the team was founded and again changed uniform, adopting the red and white shirts, black shorts and black socks they still wear today. In 1917 Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football, 1e klasse (1st division) and moved to the ground Kromme Zandweg.
Feijenoord won their first Dutch Cup in 1930 by scoring the only goal in a derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
final against Excelsior. They continued to dominate their division with three consecutive titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a second time in 1935 by beating Helmond Sport
Helmond Sport
Helmond Sport is a Dutch football club, playing in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and located in Helmond, Noord-Brabant. The club was founded on July 27, 1967, as a breakaway from the local professional club Helmondia '55, which had gone bankrupt.-History:...
.
Feijenoord started to attract more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg, and in 1933 decided to build a new facility. The club moved to the Feijenoord Stadion
Feijenoord Stadion
The Feijenoord Stadion, better known by its nickname De Kuip , is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the area "Feijenoord" in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same name .Capacity at completion: 64,000. Maximum capacity: 69,000...
(nicknamed "De Kuip" or "the Tub") in 1937, playing the first match there on 27 March against Beerschot. During this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from 1936 to 1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938.
1940–1969
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Feijenoord played their matches at 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....
's Kasteel
Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel
Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel is a football stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is the home ground of Sparta Rotterdam. It has a capacity of 11,026.-History and layout:...
, as the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
had occupied De Kuip. When Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtues, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg.
Feijenoord's again won a division title with a national championship in 1940, their fifth Dutch title. During the German occupation of the Netherlands play continued in Dutch football leagues, though the 1945 championship was cancelled as the war came to its conclusion. During this period Feijenoord's only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had in previous decades, not seriously challenging in their division and so missing the national playoff rounds.
On 30 June 1954 the chairmen of the three biggest Rotterdam teams organised a meeting in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, which was attended by several chairmen of other clubs and a delegation of the KNVB
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
to discuss the start of professional football in the Netherlands. The professional era commenced with the first Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
season in 1954/1955. Feijenoord were one of the clubs participating in the inaugural Eredivisie and have never been relegated. One of the most memorable matches in these first years of professional football was the clash between Feijenoord and the Volewijckers
Volewijckers
De Volewijckers is a football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. They are one of a number of Dutch clubs that were successful in post-war leagues before being forced to merge to cope with the popularity of the big teams such as Ajax and Feyenoord.-History:...
at 2 April 1956, which Feijenoord won 11–4 with nine goals by Henk Schouten
Henk Schouten
Henk Schouten is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a midfielder. Schouten made his debut at Excelsior Rotterdam and also played for Holland Sport and Feijenoord.-Honours:...
. Feijenoord would grow an intense rivalry with AFC Ajax. Matches between the two clubs quickly were dubbed as 'de Klassieker' (The Classic). The first memorable Klassieker
Klassieker
De Klassieker is the main football rivalry of the Netherlands. It is between Ajax, of Amsterdam and Feyenoord, of Rotterdam and is highly contested. The record attendance was on 9 January 1966, when 65,562 watched in Rotterdam....
from a Feijenoord point of view took place at 11 November 1956, when Daan den Bleijker
Daan den Bleijker
Daan den Bleijker is a former Dutch footballer who was active as a forward. Den Bleijker made his debut at Feijenoord, but also played for DHC.-References:*...
scored four times to give Feijenoord a 7–3 win over their arch rivals.
Feijenoord claimed their first professional Eredivisie Championship and their sixth Dutch Championship in history in 1961. On the road to the title Ajax were beaten 9–5 in De Kuip, four of Feijenoord's goals were scored by Henk Schouten. The following season, they played their first European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match facing IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
. The Swedes were beaten 0–3 in Gothenburg and 8–2 in Rotterdam. Feijenoord were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in the following round. In 1962 Feijenoord successfully defended their Dutch Championship title and reached the final of the Intertoto Cup 1961-62
Intertoto Cup 1961-62
The 1961–62 Intertoto Cup was the first Intertoto Cup, a football tournament for European clubs that would otherwise not have a European competition to compete in. The inaugural tournament was won by Ajax, who defeated Feyenoord in the final...
. Feijenoord faced arch-rivals Ajax in the final, which was won by the Amsterdam team 4–2.
On 12 December 1962 Feyenoord played a decisive match versus Vasas SC
Vasas SC
Vasas SC is one of Hungary's major sports clubs. Most of its facilities are situated in Budapest's 13th district in the north of the town. Members of the Hungarian Union of Iron Workers founded the club as Vas-és Fémmunkások Sport Clubja, the "Sport Club of Iron and Steel Workers", on 16 March 1911...
in the second round of the European Cup 1962-63
European Cup 1962-63
The 1962–63 season of the European Cup – a football tournament for clubs in Europe – was won by Milan for the first time, in a final match against defending champions Benfica, who were appearing in a third consecutive final.-Preliminary round:...
. The first two legs, in Rotterdam and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
both ended in 1–0 home victories, and a replay on a neutral ground took place. The match was played in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and 30,000 Feijenoord fans travelled by bus to see their team play. For the third time the final score was 1–0, with the only goal scored by Rinus Bennaars
Rinus Bennaars
Rinus Bennaars is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a right midfielder.Bennaars started his career at the time that professional football in the Netherlands did not yet exist. On 25 November 1951, when playing for SV Dosko Bennaars played his first match for the Dutch national football...
who was immediately nicknamed "The hero of Deurne" (the neighbourhood in Antwerp where the match was played). The events in Antwerp resulted in an enduring friendly relationship between the fans of Feyenoord and Royal Antwerp FC.
In 1963 hundreds of thousands of people stood ashore by the Nieuwe Maas
Nieuwe Maas
The Nieuwe Maas distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It runs from the confluence of the rivers Noord and Lek, and flows west through Rotterdam. It ends west of the city where it meets the Oude Maas , near Vlaardingen,...
and the Nieuwe Waterweg
Nieuwe Waterweg
The Nieuwe Waterweg is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland...
to wave two ships, deGroote Beer and the Waterman goodbye. The ships transported thousands of Feijenoord fans to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
where the club faced Benfica on 8 May 1963 in the European Cup semi-finals. The first leg, held in Rotterdam a month earlier, finished 0–0. Feijenoord eventually lost the match against Benfica 3–1, but this turned out to be the start of the most successful period in the club's history. Feijenoord won the double for the first time in their history in 1965 and managed to win another double a few years later in 1969. The 1965 title secured Feijenoord a spot in the European Cup 1965-66 where they faced multiple cup champions Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
on 8 September 1965 in the preliminaries. During the match Hans Kraay
Hans Kraay
Hans Kraay is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a defender and then in football management and television.Born in Utrecht, Kraay made his professional debut at DOS and also played for Feijenoord....
had to leave the pitch injured after 31 minutes, without being substituted. He returned at the start of the second half and scored the goal which resulted in a 2–1 win. Later during the match fans' favourite Coen Moulijn
Coen Moulijn
Coenraadt "Coen" Moulijn OON was a Dutch footballer who played for Feyenoord from 1955 to 1972 and was part of their European Cup victory in 1970.- Club career :...
was attacked roughly by a Spanish defender. Moulijn then chased the defender all over the pitch. Several other players did the same, as did some fans who entered the pitch. The referee could do nothing but suspend the match at 2–1 in Feijenoord's favour. Two weeks later Real comfortably beat Feyenoord 5–0, and eventually won the European Cup that season.
1970–1999
As the 1969 Dutch champions, Feijenoord participated in the European Cup 1969-70European Cup 1969-70
The season 1969–70 of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Feyenoord in an extra time final victory against Celtic FC. It was the first time the cup went to the Netherlands, and beginning a run of four consecutive years the trophy went there...
. After thrashing Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, , for short KR or KR Reykjavík, is an Icelandic athletic club based in the capital, Reykjavík. KR is the oldest and most successful club in Icelandic football.-History:...
16–2 on aggregate in the first round the team faced AC Milan. Feijenoord lost the first leg 1–0 in Italy, but overcame the deficit in their own stadium following a 2–0 win, securing a place in the quarter finals where they faced ASK Vorwärts Berlin
FC Viktoria Frankfurt
Frankfurter FC Viktoria is a German association football club based in Frankfurt , Brandenburg. The club was originally founded in East Germany as the army club SV Vorwärts der HVA Leipzig in 1951 in the city of Leipzig.- History :One of the characteristics of East German football after World War...
.
The tie followed the same pattern as the previous round, Feijenoord losing the first match 1–0 away, then winning 2–0 at home. In the semi-finals Legia Warszawa
Legia Warszawa
Legia Warszawa is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. It was founded in March 1916 in the area of Maniewicze in Volhynia as the football club of the Polish Legions...
were beaten 2–0 on aggregate, earning Feijenoord their first European final. Ajax had reached the same final in 1969 but were not able to win. Feijenoord faced Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the final, held in the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
stadium in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. Goals by Tommy Gemmell
Tommy Gemmell
Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that...
and Rinus Israël
Rinus Israël
Marinus David Israël is a former Dutch football player, manager and currently scout....
resulted in a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes. Three minutes before the end of extra time, Ove Kindvall
Ove Kindvall
Ove Kindvall is a former Swedish footballer .He started his career at IFK Norrköping, where he played until he joined Feyenoord in and became professional. The same year, he won the Guldbollen, as the best Swedish footballer of the year.With Feyenoord he won two national championships as well as...
scored Feijenoord's winning goal to make them the first Dutch team to claim a major European trophy.
As reigning European champions, Feijenoord faced Estudiantes La Plata in the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
. The first match in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
' La Bombonera
Estadio Alberto J. Armando
The Estadio Alberto J. Armando is a stadium located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium...
finished in a 2–2 draw. Back in Rotterdam, Feijenoord managed a 1–0 victory (winning goal by Joop van Daele
Joop van Daele
Joop van Daele is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a defender.Van Daele started his career in his town of birth, Rotterdam where he played for RVAV Overmaas, before he joined Eredivisie side Feijenoord...
) to win the world club crown, the first Dutch team to do so. Estudiantes player Oscar Malbernat
Oscar Malbernat
Oscar Miguel Malbernat is a retired Argentine footballer, who was the captain of Estudiantes de La Plata between 1967 and 1972, when the team won a local championship in 1967, three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles and one Intercontinental Cup , where he marked Manchester United's George...
got frustrated and grabbed Van Daele's glasses and trampled on them. "You are not allowed to play with glasses... at least not in South America" was his excuse. As the cup holders, Feijenoord participated in the European Cup 1970-71
European Cup 1970-71
The 1970–71 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Ajax in the final against Panathinaikos. It was the first time the cup went to Ajax, beginning a three-year period of domination, and the second consecutive championship for the Netherlands...
despite relinquishing the Dutch title, which was won by Ajax. Feijenoord were eliminated in the first round following a surprise defeat by the Romanian team UT Arad. In 1971, Feijenoord won their 10th Dutch Championship.
In 1973, the club decided to change their name to Feyenoord, as people from outside the Netherlands found it difficult to pronounce the "ij" in Feijenoord. Under their new name they played in the UEFA Cup 1973-74, reaching the final following a 4–3 aggregate win over VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
in the semi finals. The opponent in the final was Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the first leg at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
, but Theo de Jong
Theo de Jong
Theodorus Jacob de Jong is a former Dutch footballer, and now coach.During his career he played for NEC Nijmegen and Feyenoord Rotterdam...
equalised after 85 minutes and the match ended in a 2–2 draw. Feyenoord then won their match in Rotterdam 2–0 thanks to goals by Wim Rijsbergen and Peter Ressel
Peter Ressel
Peter Helmut Ressel is a retired football winger from the Netherlands, who obtained three caps for the Dutch national team. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1974 by defeating Tottenham Hotspur, scoring the 2-0 in the 84th minute of the second leg, which secured Feyenoord's win...
, and became the first Dutch team to win the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. As a result, Spurs fans started to riot, introducing Dutch football to the spectre of hooliganism
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
in the process. The remainder of the decade saw Feyenoord win only one more honour: the Dutch Championship in 1974. In 1978 the club divided their professional and amateur sides to form two separate teams, Feyenoord for professionals and Sportclub Feyenoord for amateurs.
Feyenoord won their fifth Dutch Cup in 1980 by beating Ajax 3–1 in the final.
In 1984, Feyenoord had another bright season, winning the double for the third time in their history. Key players in the squad from this period included Johan Cruijff, Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
and Peter Houtman
Peter Houtman
Peter Houtman is a retired football striker from the Netherlands, who obtained eight caps for the Dutch national team in the 1980s, scoring seven goals....
(who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer). Cruijff reacted to Ajax's decision not to offer him a new contract at the start of the season and signed for arch rivals Feyenoord instead. Cruijffs move to Rotterdam was criticised and increased Ajax's motivation to beat Feyenoord. In the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam Feyenoord suffered one of their most heavy defeats ever: 8–2. However, Feyenoord later defeated Ajax in Rotterdam 4–1 and Ajax were subsequently beaten a second time in the Dutch Cup. Feyenoord proceeded to win a league and cup double by beating Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Trendwork Arena and features in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club was a merger of former clubs 'Fortuna 54' and 'Sittardia' to merge as the Fortuna Sittard Combinatie on July 1,...
in the cup final.
After the successful season Feyenoord experienced a lean period and were unable to finish the season in a higher position than third. In the 1989/1990 season, the club struggled to remain in the Eredivisie, but eventually managed to avoid relegation. The club had financial problems, the staff was not able to recover and their main sponsor HCS went bankrupt.
When Wim Jansen
Wim Jansen
Wilhelmus Marinus Anthonius Jansen is a Dutch former association football player and manager.- Playing career :He spent most of his playing career with his hometown team, Feyenoord, between 1965 and 1980...
was appointed as the interim manager to replace Günder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson is a former Swedish association football coach.Bengtsson started his career as assistant coach under Sven-Göran Eriksson at IFK Göteborg. In 1982, after Eriksson won the UEFA Cup 1981–82 and left the club for Benfica, Bengtsson became head coach for a few months...
and Pim Verbeek after a 6–0 defeat against PSV, the outlook began to improve for the club. PSV, the strongest Dutch club of the period, were knocked out of the KNVB Cup by a Henk Fräser
Henk Fräser
Hendrikus "Henk" Fräser is a former football defender from The Netherlands, who earned seven caps for the Netherlands national football team, in which he scored one goal. He was a member of the Dutch team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy under manager Leo Beenhakker...
goal in Eindhoven. Feyenoord progressed to the 1991 final where they beat BVV Den Bosch 1–0 to win the competition. As the cup holders, they faced champions PSV again, this time in the 1991 Dutch Supercup
Johan Cruijff-schaal
The Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
, the first Supercup held since 1949. PSV were beaten 1–0 by a Marian Damaschin
Marian Damaschin
Marian Damaschin is a retired Romanian footballer who was active as a striker. Damaschin made his professional debut at Rapid Bucureşti and also played for FC Politehnica Iaşi, Dinamo Bucureşti, Victoria Bucureşti, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Grenoble Isère.-Club:Dinamo Bucureşti*Romanian League:...
goal to add another honour to the club's achievements. They went on to win another Dutch Cup in 1992, beating Roda JC 3–0 in the final. The same year Feyenoord reached the semi finals in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991-92 beating Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter final before being knocked out by AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
on away goals after two draws.
In 1993, Feyenoord secured another Dutch Championship by beating FC Groningen 5–0 in the last league match of the season. The match was played at the Oosterpark Stadion
Oosterpark Stadion
Oosterpark Stadion was the stadium of football club FC Groningen until December 2005. The all-seater stadium in Groningen's Oosterpark neighbourhood was inaugurated on September 30, 1933, and renovated in 1960, 1984 and 1987/88...
in Groningen, so 40.000 Feyenoord fans watched the game on giant screens in De Kuip. The title was followed by another two Dutch Cups in 1994 (beating N.E.C. (2–1)) and 1995 (beating FC Volendam
FC Volendam
Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club Volendam...
(2–1)). During the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994-95
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994-95
The season 1994-95 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Real Zaragoza in the final against defending champions Arsenal, Zaragoza famously winning thanks to a spectacular last-minute goal from midfielder Nayim with an effort from 40 yards....
, Feyenoord reached the quarter finals after beating Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
in the second round. They eventually lost to Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
. In the quarter-final in the 1995 KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
Feyenoord visited Ajax, the team that would win the UEFA Champions League 1994-95
UEFA Champions League 1994-95
The 1994–95 UEFA Champions League was the 40th edition of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the third since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won by Ajax of the Netherlands with a late goal in the final against defending champions Milan of Italy...
later that season. Ajax was leading 1–0 when Ruud Heus
Ruud Heus
Ruud Heus is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a left defender.-Football career:On 23 April 1983, Heus made his Eredivisie debut, with AZ'67, in a 3–3 home draw against NAC Breda; after four seasons, he moved to Feyenoord Rotterdam, going on to play a somewhat important part in the...
equalised with a penalty just before time. In the extra time Feyenoord became the only team to beat Ajax the season they won the Eredivisie and the Champions League unbeaten. The goal scored by Mike Obiku was the decider as the new golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
rule became in use. During the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1995-96
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1995-96
The season 1995-96 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final against Austrian entrants SK Rapid Wien in Brussels on 8 May 1996.-Qualifying round:-First leg:...
Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
were beaten. A total of 14,000 Feyenoord fans travelled to Germany to support the team against Mönchengladbach. Feyenoord were knocked out in the semi-finals by a Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker
Carsten Jancker is a former German professional footballer and current manager.- Career :A striker, Jancker is physically very large for a footballer, standing at . His height and strength have proved to be an advantage when playing as a target man, as displayed during his most successful days at...
inspired SK Rapid Wien
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
.
Feyenoord made their UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
debut during the UEFA Champions League 1997-98
UEFA Champions League 1997-98
The 1997–98 UEFA Champions League was the 43rd edition of UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the sixth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won 1–0 by Real Madrid, winning for the first time in 32 years, beating Juventus who were playing in a third...
, finishing third in their group behind Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. However, Juventus were beaten 2–0 in Rotterdam, both goals scored by Julio Ricardo Cruz
Julio Ricardo Cruz
Julio Ricardo Cruz is a former Argentine footballer.-Early career:A tall, physical striker at , Cruz started his career with Banfield in 1993. He moved to River Plate in 1996.-Feyenoord:...
. In 1998, the FIOD-ECD
FIOD-ECD
The Fiscal Information and Investigation Service, in Dutch "Fiscale inlichtingen- en opsporingsdienst" is the Dutch Anti-Fraud agency.- History :The FIOD-ECD was formed when the FIOD and the ECD were merged in 1999.In 2010 the name changed into FIOD....
(Fiscal Information and Investigation Service/Economic Investigation Service) visited Feyenoord because of suspected fraud, mainly based on the signings of Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian football player and former captain of the Australian national team. He is currently not tied to any A-league club...
, Christian Gyan
Christian Gyan
Christian Attah Gyan is a Ghanaian footballer who currently plays for RoPS in Finland.- Career :Gyan signed for Feyenoord in 1996. During the following season the club send him on loan to Excelsior. After only a couple of months Feyenoord recalled the defender, and he made his debut for Feyenoord...
and Patrick Allotey
Patrick Allotey
Patrick Allotey was a football defender from Ghana.- Career :Born in Accra, Allotey played five official matches for Feyenoord Rotterdam. He also served Excelsior Rotterdam....
. This became an ongoing scandal in the years to come with chairman Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik is a Dutch business man and was chairman of Feyenoord Rotterdam till 2006.Van den Herik helped Feyenoord to purchase some players in 1984 as chairman of the "Friends of Feyenoord Group". In a few years time he had invested 3 million Dutch guldens in the club. In 1989 be became...
as the main suspect. On 25 April 1999, Feyenoord secured their 14th Dutch Championship. 250,000 fans celebrated with the team in the center of Rotterdam. However, later in the evening heavy rioting started. Before the start of the new 1999/2000 season, Ajax were beaten in their own stadium when Feyenoord won their second Dutch Supercup after a free kick by Patrick Paauwe
Patrick Paauwe
Patrick Paauwe is a former professional football player from the Netherlands.-Career:He played for Feyenoord Rotterdam in a defensive midfield role, although he has been used mainly as defender in the past. Other teams he served are PSV Eindhoven, De Graafschap, Fortuna Sittard, Valenciennes FC...
, which secured a 3–2 win.
Recent history
During the UEFA Champions League 1999-00UEFA Champions League 1999-00
The 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League was the eighth edition of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier European club football tournament, since its rebranding from the European Cup, and the 45th edition overall. The competition was won by Real Madrid, who clinched an historic eighth title win by...
Feyenoord participated in the UEFA Champions League for the second time. This time the club managed to finish second in their group behind Rosenborg BK, but in front of Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
. Feyenoord reached the second group stage and secured wins versus Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
(at home) and Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
(away). Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
won both clashes and as a result Feyenoord had to win their last group match away to Marseille to reach the knock-out stages. The final result was 0–0 and Feyenoord were eliminated.
Feyenoord again participated in the Champions League in 2001–02
UEFA Champions League 2001-02
The 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the tenth season of UEFA's premier club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding from the European Cup in 1992. The tournament was won by Real Madrid, who beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final to claim their ninth European Cup title...
, finishing third in a group containing FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, AC Sparta Prague and FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
. This meant Feyenoord had to continue their European season in the UEFA Cup 2001-02 instead of the 2nd Champions League group stage. The disappointment of failing to reach the second group stage eventually resulted in optimism and celebration. By winning over SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, Feyenoord faced fellow Dutch team PSV in the quarter finals. Both matches ended in 1–1 draws, and the clash went into extra time and a penalty shoot-out. Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
who had a superb season by scoring many goals from free kicks secured Feyenoord's win by scoring in the 90th minute equalizer before finishing PSV off by scoring the last goal in the penalty shoot-out. A win in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(0–1) over Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and a 2–2 return match in Rotterdam earned Feyenoord their spot in the final, in which Borussia Dortmund was the opponent. The final was held in De Kuip and as a result most spectators inside the stadium were Feyenoord fans. Feyenoord took a 2–0 lead thanks to another free kick and a penalty by Pierre van Hooijdonk. Early in the second half Jan Koller
Jan Koller
Jan Koller is Czech footballer currently playing in AFK Smetanova Lhota.As an international player he played as a striker for the Czech Republic national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for either the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia, with 55 goals in 91 caps...
scored a goal to make it 2–1. Jon Dahl Tomasson
Jon Dahl Tomasson
Jon Dahl Tomasson is a retired Danish footballer and assistant manager at the Dutch football club SBV Excelsior....
then made it 3–1 and things looked good for Feyenoord. Dortmund only managed to score one more goal and the cup was won by Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
's Feyenoord.
A huge party erupted in and outside De Kuip not only because of the title, but also because the final was held several days after Rotterdam's political hero Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
was murdered. Lots of fans were still full of emotion before and after the match. As a result of Fortuyn's murder, the cup was not officially celebrated in the city center.
The 2002 UEFA Cup win was the start of a long dry spell for Feyenoord. In the 2002/03 season the club managed to finish 3rd in the national league, as well as reach the final of the Dutch Cup (which was lost 1–4 to FC Utrecht), but in the following years Feyenoord disappointed in both the national league and the Dutch Cup.
In between, Feyenoord and chairman Jorien van den Herik were found to be not guilty
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
in 2002. The Public Prosecutor however appealed, but in 2005, after three years of investigations the results stayed the same. Still, the prosecution has not given up the case
yet.
The 2005/06 season ended in disappointment for Feyenoord. The team challenged for the Dutch Championship for most of the season, but eventually lost out to PSV. The newly created Dutch play-offs then proved to be gloomy for Feyenoord. Ajax, which finished several points behind in the regular league, were Feyenoord's opponent in the play-offs. Ajax ouclassed them and Feyenoord lost out on a Champions League place.
Salomon Kalou
Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League.He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot...
) and Liverpool (Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
). At the same time it became clear that Feyenoord were in an appalling financial state despite earlier comments made by chairman Van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik is a Dutch business man and was chairman of Feyenoord Rotterdam till 2006.Van den Herik helped Feyenoord to purchase some players in 1984 as chairman of the "Friends of Feyenoord Group". In a few years time he had invested 3 million Dutch guldens in the club. In 1989 be became...
who claimed that the club was financially healthy. Supporters unrest grew into anger when Feyenoord bought Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
, a back-up striker of arch rivals Ajax with a poor track record, as a replacement for Kuyt. After continuous protests chairman Van den Herik resigned and the club started managerial reforms. The worst was not over though. Feyenoord were expelled from European competition following hooliganism prior to and during a match with ASNancy, despite an appeal by the club. The season ended in bitter disappointment with a 7th place finish, causing Feyenoord to miss European football for the first time in 16 years.
While desperate supporters started preparing for a dark age, the club surprised friend and foe in the 2007 summer transfer window. A brilliant performance of young left back Royston Drenthe
Royston Drenthe
Royston Rickie Drenthe is a Dutch footballer who plays for Everton on loan from Real Madrid.Mainly a midfielder, and regarded as one of football's fastest players, he can also operate as a defender or forward, but always on the left side of the pitch.-Youth:Born in Rotterdam, Drenthe joined local...
at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
had investors flocking to the new investment schemes Feyenoord had set up. The club appointed former coach Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
and was able to make a number of high profile signings amongst which Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst OON , known as Gio in Spain, is a retired Dutch footballer of Moluccan descent who served as the captain of the Dutch national team from August 2008 until his retirement....
and Roy Makaay
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus "Roy" Antonius Makaay is a retired Dutch footballer. While playing for Bayern Munich he picked up the nickname Das Phantom , for his ability to score out of nowhere.-Career:...
. Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the national league, finishing in a disappointing 6th place. The pain was relieved by claiming the first prize in 6 years: 100 years after the foundation of the club, Feyenoord managed to win the Dutch Cup, beating Roda JC by 2–0. As Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
accepted a job as coach of the national team, Feyenoord appointed Gertjan Verbeek
Gertjan Verbeek
Gertjan Verbeek is a former footballer and current manager of AZ.-Coaching career:After retiring from his playing career in 1994, Verbeek stayed with SC Heerenveen as an assistant-coach. He left for Heracles Almelo in 2001, and after a successful stint there was hired as the successor to Foppe de...
as their new coach for the 2008/09 season.
In the 2008–09 season, Feyenoord officially celebrated their 100th birthday and organised many events throughout the year. The old "golden logo" returned as Feyenoord's official logo, which was presented at the 2007 new years brunch. During the summer a historical tournament was held between Feyenoord and the three opponents they met in the European Cup
finals they played, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC (Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament
Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament
The Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament is a friendly tournament between August 1, 2008 to August 3, 2008 to celebrate the centenary of the Dutch football club Feyenoord. The tournament includes four teams, they are: Feyenoord, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund...
).
Mid-way through the season manager Verbeek was fired because of disappointing league results. His assistant, Leon Vlemmings, then took over the job as head coach. The results in this period improved slightly, resulting in securing a spot in the playoffs for the final Dutch Europa League slot.
For the 2009/2010 season Feyenoord appointed ex-assistant coach and former Feyenoord player Mario Been to take over from Leon Vlemmings. Been, after achieving minor European successes with NEC Nijmegen, was considered the ideal man for the job. Former coach Leo Beenhakker, at the time coach of the Polish national squad, took over the role as Technical Director. Partly because of this position he was able to attract more investors to the club leading to
some unexpected signings such as Sekou Cissé, Dani Fernandez and Stefan Babovic.
In mid-January 2011 after multiple clashes between Beenhakker and the Feyenoord Directory Staff, Beenhakker resigned.. His replacement was old-Feyenoord player Martin van Geel, who at the time was working as Technical Director for another Dutch club: Roda JC.
In July 2011 the players took a vote about if they had faith in Mario Been, in total 13 of the 18 players voted that they had no more faith in him, resulting in his resignation which was world news for a day thanks to new online media, such as Twitter.
After Louis van Gaal turned down the offer of being headcoach, the club went after legendary defender Ronald Koeman, who has played for the club in the late nineties.
Through such appointment, Koeman has notably become the first man ever to serve as both player and head coach at all teams of the so-called "traditional big three" of Dutch football (AFC Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord itself) Moreover, he has completed this in the same order as player and as manager.
At the beginning of the 2011/2012 season, Feyenoord lost players Leroy Fer
Leroy Fer
Leroy Johan Fer is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Dutch Eredivisie club FC Twente and the Netherlands U21....
, Georginio Wijnaldum
Georginio Wijnaldum
Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum is a Dutch international footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Dutch Eredivisie club PSV....
and André Bahia
André Bahia
André Luiz Bahia dos Santos Viana is a Brazilian footballer. He is currently plays for Turkish club Samsunspor.-Early life:...
to FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
, PSV Eindhoven and Samsunspor
Samsunspor
Samsunspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Samsun. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs...
respectfully. In return the club bought players Jordy Clasie
Jordy Clasie
Jordy Clasie is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord.-Career:...
, Miquel Nelom
Miquel Nelom
Miquel Nelom is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a defender for Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord.-Career:...
, Guyon Fernandez
Guyon Fernandez
Guyon Fernandez is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Feyenoord.-Career:Born in The Hague, Fernandez began playing professional football with ADO Den Haag. He joined fellow Eerste Divisie club Excelsior Rotterdam a season later, and led the club to...
and Kaj Ramsteijn
Kaj Ramsteijn
Kaj Ramsteijn is a Dutch professional footballer, who currently plays for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie.-Club career:...
. Two other players were loaned: John Guidetti
John Guidetti
John Alberto Guidetti is a Swedish footballer, who currently plays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, on loan from Manchester City.-Brommapojkarna:...
of Manchester City and Otman Bakkal
Otman Bakkal
Otman Bakkal is a Dutch international footballer of Moroccan origin who plays professionally for PSV as an attacking midfielder. He is currently on loan to Feyenoord.-Club career:...
of PSV.
Feyenoord started the season well and played the first game of the Eredivisie, to kick off the season, against Excelsior. Feyenoord has been front runner twice to date and now resides on fifth place, one place behind arch-rival Ajax.
Location
Feijenoord district
Feijenoord is a district in Rotterdam and is located south of the Nieuwe Maas. As of 1 January 2004 there were 72,320 citizens. The area is 6.44 km²...
of southern Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and is named after the district in which the club was founded. More frequent appearances in international tournaments led the club to change its name in 1974, because foreign fans unfamiliar with the Dutch language did not know how to pronounce ij.
Beside Feyenoord, there are two other professional football clubs in Rotterdam: Sparta
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....
and Excelsior. Feyenoord and Excelsior are currently playing in the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, while Sparta was relegated to the second tier after the 2009–10
2009–10 Eredivisie
-Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
season.
Stadium
Feijenoord Stadion
The Feijenoord Stadion, better known by its nickname De Kuip , is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the area "Feijenoord" in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same name .Capacity at completion: 64,000. Maximum capacity: 69,000...
, located in the IJsselmonde district of Rotterdam, is nicknamed De Kuip, Dutch for The Tub. It was built in 1937 and is one of the major European stadiums. It has 51,117 seats and has hosted a record of 10 finals of UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
club competitions, including the 2002 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
Final which was won by Feyenoord. Former Feyenoord player Mike Obiku once said "Every time you enter the pitch, you're stepping into a lion's home." Feyenoord does not own the stadium, it is an organisation on its own.
In 1935 Feijenoord player Puck van Heel
Puck van Heel
Gerardus Henricus "Puck" van Heel was a Dutch footballer born in Rotterdam. He earned 64 caps for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups...
hit the first pole on their way into their new stadium. The stadium was opened on 27 March 1937 and Beerschot was beaten by 5 goals to 2, Leen Vente
Leen Vente
Leendert Roelof Jan "Leen" Vente was a Dutch footballer born in Rotterdam. He earned 21 caps and scored 19 goals for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups....
scored the first goal in De Kuip. Already in the very beginning the stadium was sold out on several occasions and other events held at de Kuip also gained lots of attendance. During the second World War the stadium was one of the few locations which was not bombed, however the Nazis occupied the stadium. After the war De Kuip became popular location once again. In 1949 the attendance record was broken during the match to decide the Dutch championship between SVV Schiedam
FC Dordrecht
FC Dordrecht is a football club from the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie.- History :Founded on 16 August 1883 as Dordrechtsche Football Club , it became a professional club in 1954 upon the introduction of professional football to the Netherlands...
and SC Heerenveen; 64,368 fans visited the match.
Besides football there were also boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
races in De Kuip, which were also gaining popularity. In 1953 people had to hide inside the stadium during the North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
. On 27 November 1957 Feyenoord played versus Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
during an evening match. It was the first time the floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
were taken in use. The players entered the pitch in the dark and the fans were asked to light their matchsticks when the floodlights were activated. Since that evening, that match at De Kuip has always been special among Feyenoord fans.
In 1963, De Kuip hosted their first European final (Cup winners' Cup) between Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and Atlético Madrid. Nine more European finals would follow in the years after with Feyenoord's win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup final being the 10th and latest. The attendance record of 1949 was broken in 1968 when 65,427 fans visited the Feyenoord-FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
match.
New stadium
In December 2006, Feyenoord director Chris WoertsChris Woerts
Chris Woerts is a Dutch business man and currently marketing manager as well as commercial director of Feyenoord Rotterdam....
announced that Feyenoord were developing plans to build a new stadium which would have a capacity of roughly 90,000 seats. The stadium would most likely be placed on the Meuse river, the river that runs through Rotterdam, and should be completed by 2016.
In May 2008 Woerts announced further details: the club is aiming for a stadium with a capacity of around 100.000 seats. If possible, a capacity of over 130.000 should be realized according to Woerts, which would earn the title of biggest stadium in Europe. The club emphasized its efforts to make it a true football stadium with seats close to the pitch. The stadium will get a retractable roof so that other events can be held as well. According to plans, the stadium should be ready in 2016.
Unofficial Feyenoord hymn
Feyenoord's unofficial hymn since 1961 is called "Hand in Hand". Its melody was written in the 19th century by GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Wilhelm Speidel. In 1961 Jaap Valkhoff
Jaap Valkhoff
Jacobus Valkhoff was a Dutch musician, composer and text writer.His most famous text he wrote in 1961 on demand of Johnny Hoes called "Hand in hand kameraden"...
wrote the lyrics which became popular among Feyenoord supporters who adopted the song as their unofficial hymn. Valkhoff wrote lyrics on the same melody for several other teams as well. Among them were Feyenoord's arch rivals Ajax. Nowadays the song is heard wherever Feyenoord play their matches, but also fans of MVV
MVV Maastricht
MVV Maastricht is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Maastricht, founded on April 2, 1902...
and Club Brugge have their own version that they sing.
Other songs
When a goal is scored by Feyenoord in their home matches the song I Will SurviveI Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
, covered by the Hermes House Band
Hermes House Band
The Hermes House Band is a Dutch pop band, established in 1984 by members of the Hermes fraternity/sorority in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They have released more than twenty five albums and singles.-History:...
, but made famous by Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
in the 1970s is played.
Feyenoord supporters are known to be creative and have a lot of various songs and chants in their equipment during matches. Among the most important Feyenoord songs are "Mijn Feyenoord" by Lee Towers
Lee Towers
Lee Towers is a Dutch singer. He was discovered in 1975 as "The Singing Crane Mechanic" and labelled as a dockworker in Rotterdam...
, "Feyenoord, wat gaan we doen vandaag?" by Cock van der Palm and "De laatste trein naar Rotterdam" by Dorus
Dorus
-People:*Dorus de Vries, Dutch footballer*Dorus Rijkers, Dutch lifeboat captain*Stage name of Dutch comedian Tom Manders-Greek mythology:*Dorus, son of Hellen and founder of the Dorian nation*Dorus, son of Apollo and Phthia, and the father of Xanthippe...
. During the 2001/02 season when Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup a parody was launched of the song "Put your hands up" by Black and White Brothers called "Put your hands up for Pi-Air" as a tribute to Pierre (Pi-Air) van Hooijdonk. In the 1970s Coen Moulijn
Coen Moulijn
Coenraadt "Coen" Moulijn OON was a Dutch footballer who played for Feyenoord from 1955 to 1972 and was part of their European Cup victory in 1970.- Club career :...
also had a song dedicated to him named "Coentje Coentje Coentje".
Supporters
The supporters of Feyenoord are said to be one of the most loyal supporter groups in the world supporting the team during both good or bad times. They are nicknamed Het Legioen, DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for The Legion and can be found everywhere in The Netherlands and far across the Dutch borders. Squad number 12 is never given to a player, but is reserved for Het Legioen instead.
Feyenoord supporters are known to have a connection with fans of English Premier League club, Sunderland AFC. It is thought to have started in the 1970s when supporters of Sunderland moved to Rotterdam to work in the ports and docks, some of which remained in Rotterdam and settled there, thus taking an interest in the local team, Feyenoord. As the years passed, the interest from both sides grew and more people got involved. Supporters of Feyenoord often travel to the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
on matchdays to support Sunderland, and vice versa with some Sunderland fans travelling to watch Feyenoord at De Kuip. It is common to find Sunderland shirts in De Kuip on a matchday and at the Stadium of Light, a St George's England flag with Feyenoord Mackems written across the red cross is on show at every match. Images of this flag can be found by searching 'Feyenoord Mackems' into Google Images.
Popularity
Feyenoord is a popular club in The Netherlands with a large number of supporters. The team's first training session of a season alone attracts thousands of fans; 20,000 attended 2007–08Eredivisie 2007-08
The 2007–08 Eredivisie was the 52nd season of the Eredivisie, the top division of association football in the Netherlands. The season began in August 2007 and ended on 18 May 2008, with defending champions PSV retaining their title with 72 points....
's inaugural session.
In 1963 about 3000 fans boarded on two ships, among thousands of others by train or car and they travelled to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
where Feyenoord faced Benfica in the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. When Feyenoord plays abroad in European Cup about 8000 travel together to support their team. Almost 15,000 fans were cheering for their team in 1996 when Feyenoord played in Germany versus Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. About 40,000 fans visit a regular match at home while top classes versus Ajax, PSV and European Cup opponents are sold out most of the time. About 250,000 fans showed up when Feyenoord's latest Dutch championship was celebrated in 1999 at the Coolsingel
Coolsingel
Coolsingel is one of the best known streets in Rotterdam. The street leads from the Hofplein to the Churchillplein. The Rotterdam City Hall and the Beurs-World Trade Center are located on the Coolsingel.-External links: at Engelfriet.net...
in the center of the city. After Feyenoord beat Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in the 2002 UEFA Cup semi final, Inter midfielder Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Clyde Seedorf OON is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007...
said: "I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Kuip. As an ex-Ajax player I was really given the bird, but that’s all part of the emotions in football. It also illustrates the intense way in which the Feyenoord supporters experience their club’s matches."
Beyond the Netherlands, Feyenoord opened a fanshop in the center of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
when Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese player Shinji Ono
Shinji Ono
is a Japanese football player, who plays as a midfielder for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan.Known as Tensai, Japanese for "Genius", from his youth days, Ono is one of the biggest stars in Asian football, known for his vision, technique and superb passing...
was a key player at the club, and also in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
when Song Chong-Gug
Song Chong-Gug
Song Chong-Gug is a Korean football player who currently plays for Tianjin Teda F.C. in the Chinese Super League.- Career :...
played for Feyenoord.
Supporters organisations
In 1998 the Feyenoord Supporters Vereniging were wondering about whether or not it would be possible to create more atmosphere inside the stadium mainly during important matches. As a result, a few huge flags were produced and brought into the stadium prior to matches played by Feyenoord. The flags were a success, but people started asking for more activities and a meeting between fans and officials were arranged. In 2000 Harry Veth was given permission to establish a group of five Feyenoord fans called TIFO team Feyenoord Rotterdam. Besides creating more flags and small pieces of paper released from the second platform the team also started to organise bigger activities. The first big activity was held on 10 December 2000 when Feyenoord faced Ajax and 40 fog machine
Fog machine
A fog machine or smoke machine is a device which emits a dense vapour that appears similar to fog or smoke. This artificial fog is most commonly used in professional entertainment applications, but smaller, more affordable fog machines are becoming common for personal use. Fog machines can also be...
s were activated when the players entered the pitch. In the following years many different and various activities were held to improve the atmosphere inside the stadium. Feyenoord's TIFO team became famous abroad as well and the Italian TIFO foundation awarded Feyenoord the Best of TIFO Award 2000/01.
Jeugdproject
Feyenoord's Jeugdproject (Youth Project) concentrate on children between 6 and 12 years of age, playing football at schools and amateur teams. To show the kids the importance of sports and sportsmanship, Feyenoord invite the children to De Kuip to see what sport can do to people: happiness, disappointment, excitement, emotions, fear and cosines, it brings people together. In Feyenoord's Youth Project visiting a match is the central point, but there is also an educative and cultural character included. Feyenoord provide schools and amateur clubs with small teaching books and expect these to be filled in by the visiting youth when they enter the stadium on a match day. The groups that support Feyenoord in the most original way and those who can predict the score correctly are awarded with prizes.Opening day
A few weeks after the first training but still before the season really starts, the club open their doors for free for all Feyenoord fans to have fun together and to present the squad for the upcoming season. De Kuip already opens in the morning when there are many activities around the stadium mainly for kids and promotional activities for companies which have a partnership with Feyenoord. Fans can also take a stadium tour and walk on the pitch. The activities inside the stadium itself normally start around noon when there are several performances by various artists. Every year the new Feyenoord ambassador of the year is announced at opening day. A minute of silence will be held for all former Feyenoord players who have died and for known fans who have died in the previous year. Former Feyenoord players return to De Kuip every year to play versus a team of Dutch celebrities. The stadium activities end after the squad for the upcoming season is presented to the fans. This is always a special happening, mainly for the new signings of the team. They will be flown into the stadium with helicopters when a full stadium is cheering for them when they arrive. Once they are there the other players and club officials enter the pitch one by one. Last but not least, all players are available for autograph sessions afterwards. Feyenoord's open day attracts about 60,000 to 70,000 fans towards Rotterdam, coming from all over The Netherlands, while there's only 51,117 seats available inside the stadium. The opening day is known as a unique event in the Netherlands.Notable supporters
Notable supporters of Feyenoord include ((Hans Kuypers)) Craig BellamyCraig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...
,Gerard Cox
Gerard Cox
Gerard Cox is a Dutch singer, cabaret artist and actor.-Albums:*1966: Gerard Cox*1971: Wie Wijst Gerard Cox De Weg...?*1972: Vrijblijvend...*1973: De Beste Van Gerard Cox...
, Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
, Jan Marijnissen
Jan Marijnissen
Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen is a Dutch politician of the Socialist Party . He served as Parliamentary leader in House of Representatives May 5, 1994 until June 20, 2008...
, Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels.-Major League career:Robert Eenhoorn played four seasons in Major League Baseball as...
, Arjan Erkel
Arjan Erkel
Peter-Arjan Erkel is a Dutch medical aid worker and was head of the relief mission for Médecins Sans Frontières in Dagestan, a constituent republic of Russia....
, Dennis van der Geest
Dennis van der Geest
Dennis van der Geest is a Dutch judoka, who won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Haarlem, Noord-Holland....
, DJ Paul Elstak
DJ Paul Elstak
DJ Paul Elstak is a Dutch hardcore/gabber and happy hardcore DJ and record producer...
, Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter is a professional male tennis player from the Netherlands. His career-high Association of Tennis Professionals Entry ranking is Number 46...
,, Vincent Le Blanc, and Renate Verbaan.
Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter is a professional male tennis player from the Netherlands. His career-high Association of Tennis Professionals Entry ranking is Number 46...
, Lee Towers
Lee Towers
Lee Towers is a Dutch singer. He was discovered in 1975 as "The Singing Crane Mechanic" and labelled as a dockworker in Rotterdam...
, Dennis van der Geest
Dennis van der Geest
Dennis van der Geest is a Dutch judoka, who won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Haarlem, Noord-Holland....
, Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels.-Major League career:Robert Eenhoorn played four seasons in Major League Baseball as...
and Renate Verbaan have all officially been Feyenoord ambassadors. Gerard Meijer
Gerard Meijer
Gerard Meijer is a masseur and physiotherapist, currently employed to football team Feyenoord. As of July 2007 he is already contracted 48 years at Feyenoord, which makes him the longest serving employee in Dutch football history....
is the current ambassador, and was appointed 'ambassador for life' on 19 July 2008.
Rivalries
Ajax from AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
are Feyenoord's arch rivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the Klassieker
Klassieker
De Klassieker is the main football rivalry of the Netherlands. It is between Ajax, of Amsterdam and Feyenoord, of Rotterdam and is highly contested. The record attendance was on 9 January 1966, when 65,562 watched in Rotterdam....
(The Classic) The rivalry is not only between the two teams, but also a confrontation between the two largest cities of the country, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, two cities with extreme differences in attitude and culture. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be the biggest game of the season. In the past there have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk clash in 1997 is the most infamous, with Ajax fan Carlo Picornie being killed and several others injured. In 2004 Feyenoord player Jorge Acuña
Jorge Acuña
Jorge Acuña is a Chilean footballer. He is currently playing for Unión San Felipe on Chilean Primera División- Early career :In Chile, Acuña made his professional debut with Unión Española in 1999...
was taken to hospital with head, neck and rib injuries after Feyenoord players were attacked by Ajax hooligans during a match between the reserve teams of both clubs. Another Feyenoord player, Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
had to be rescued by Ajax coach John van 't Schip
John van 't Schip
Johannes Nicolaas "John" van 't Schip is a former Dutch international footballer. He is the manager for the A-League team Melbourne Heart.- Early life :Born in Fort St...
and player Daniël de Ridder
Daniël de Ridder
Daniël Robin Frederick de Ridder is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for Grasshopper Club Zürich. He has previously played for Ajax, Celta Vigo, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic as a forward, winger or attacking midfielder....
. Then in 2005 riots before and after the match happened in Rotterdam and were considered to belong to the worst in the history of Dutch football.
Rotterdam is the city with the most professional teams in the Netherlands. Besides Feyenoord there are 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....
and Excelsior and the city is often referred to as "Voetbalstad nummer 1" (Football city number 1). There is a rivalry between the teams, mostly between Feyenoord and Sparta as Excelsior can be seen as Feyenoord's feeder club, but it is not comparable to other local derbies
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
. The rivalry between Sparta and Feyenoord is mostly seen on the Sparta side. Some Sparta fans have refused to enter Feyenoord's De Kuip stadium, even when Sparta had reached the KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
final, which was played in De Kuip. In the 1950s there was much more of a rivalry. One of the key factors for these feelings was footballer Tinus Bosselaar
Tinus Bosselaar
Martinus "Tinus" Bosselaar is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a left winger.Bosselaar is known as one of the greatest players at Sparta off all time. He started at the club as a little boy and worked his way towards the first team...
, who moved from Sparta to Feyenoord in 1954 before Sparta re-signed him, despite Feyenoord trying to prevent the deal in court.
Feyenoord also have a fierce rivalry abroad in Tottenham Hotspur, who following several violent clashes with the club coupled with a link to Ajax are not popular with the Rotterdam club.
National
- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 14
-
- 1923–24, 1927–28, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1998–99
- KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 11
- KNVB Cup
- 1929–30, 1934–35, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1991–92KNVB Cup 1991–92The 74th edition of the KNVB Cup started on August 31, 1991. The final was played on May 10, 1992: Feyenoord beat Roda JC 3–0 and won the cup for the eighth time.-Teams:...
, 1993–94KNVB Cup 1993–94The 76th edition of the KNVB Cup started on August 28, 1993. The final was played on May 12, 1994: Feyenoord beat NEC 2–1 and won the cup for the ninth time...
, 1994–95KNVB Cup 1994–95The 77th edition of the KNVB Cup started on June 2, 1994. The final was played on May 25, 1995: Feyenoord beat FC Volendam 2–1 and won the cup for the tenth time...
, 2007–08KNVB Cup 2007-08The KNVB Cup 2007–08 started on 25 August 2007. It was the 90th edition of the tournament. The final was held on 27 April 2008 at the Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, with Feyenoord beating Roda JC 2–0 and taking home the cup for the eleventh time.-Teams:...
- Johan Cruijff-schaalJohan Cruijff-schaalThe Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
: 3
- Johan Cruijff-schaal
- 1987, 1991, 1999
- 1923–24, 1927–28, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1998–99
International
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
1970 Intercontinental CupThe 1970 Intercontinental Cup was a football tie held over two legs in August and September 1970 between the winners of the 1969–70 European Cup, Feyenoord, and winners of the 1970 Copa Libertadores, Estudiantes....
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
1970 European Cup Final
The 1970 European Cup Final was a football match held at the San Siro, Milan, on 6 May 1970, that saw Feyenoord of the Netherlands defeat Celtic of Scotland 2-1 after extra time. Ove Kindvall's goal in the 117th minute meant the trophy was going to a Dutch club for the first time. It remains...
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
1974 UEFA Cup Final
The 1974 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 1974 and 29 May 1974 between Tottenham Hotspur of England and Feyenoord of Netherlands. Feyenoord won 4–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg: -References:*...
, 2001–02
2002 UEFA Cup Final
The 2002 UEFA Cup Final was a football match played on 8 May 2002, between Feyenoord of the Netherlands and Borussia Dortmund of Germany. Feyenoord won the match 3–2. It was the 31st UEFA Cup Final and was held in the Feijenoord Stadion, which is the home ground of Feyenoord...
- Runners-up: 20022002 UEFA Super CupThe 2002 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 30, 2002 between Real Madrid of Spain and Feyenoord of the Netherlands. Real Madrid qualified by beating Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. Feyenoord had made it to the Super Cup after beating Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup...
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
- Winners: 1967, 1968, 1973
Domestic Results
Below is a table with Feyenoord's domestic results, since the introduction of the EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
in 1956.
| Domestic Results since 1956 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic league | League result | Qualification to | KNVB Cup KNVB Cup The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup... season |
Cup result |
| 2010–11 Eredivisie 2010–11 Eredivisie -Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:... |
10th | - | 2010-11 | third round |
| 2009–10 Eredivisie 2009–10 Eredivisie -Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:... |
4th | Europa League (Q4) | 2009-10 | final |
| 2008–09 Eredivisie | 7th | - (after losing EL play-offs) | 2008-09 | round of 16 |
| 2007–08 Eredivisie | 6th | UEFA Cup | 2007-08 | winners |
| 2006–07 Eredivisie | 7th | - (after losing UC UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... play-offs) |
2006-07 | third round |
| 2005–06 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup (after losing CL UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... play-offs) |
2005-06 | round of 16 |
| 2004–05 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 2004-05 | semi-final |
| 2003–04 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 2003-04 | quarter final |
| 2002–03 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 2002-03 | final |
| 2001–02 Eredivisie | 3rd | Champions League (Q3) | 2001-02 | quarter final |
| 2000–01 Eredivisie | 2nd | Champions League | 2000-01 | quarter final |
| 1999–2000 Eredivisie | 3rd | Champions League (Q3) | 1999-2000 | round of 16 |
| 1998–99 Eredivisie | 1st | Champions League | 1998-99 | semi-final |
| 1997–98 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 1997-98 | quarter final |
| 1996–97 Eredivisie | 2nd | Champions League (Q2) | 1996-97 | quarter final |
| 1995–96 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 1995-96 | semi-final |
| 1994–95 Eredivisie | 4th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1994-95 | winners |
| 1993–94 Eredivisie | 2nd | Cup Winners' Cup | 1993-94 | winners |
| 1992–93 Eredivisie | 1st | Champions League | 1992-93 | semi-final |
| 1991–92 Eredivisie | 3rd | Cup Winners' Cup | 1991-92 | winners |
| 1990–91 Eredivisie | 8th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1990-91 | winners |
| 1989–90 Eredivisie | 11th | - | 1989-90 | round of 16 |
| 1988–89 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 1988-89 | round of 16 |
| 1987–88 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1987-88 | quarter final |
| 1986–87 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 1986-87 | round of 16 |
| 1985–86 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 1985-86 | round of 16 |
| 1984–85 Eredivisie | 3rd | UEFA Cup | 1984-85 | second round |
| 1983–84 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1983-84 | winners |
| 1982–83 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1982-83 | round of 16 |
| 1981–82 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1981-82 | round of 16 |
| 1980–81 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 1980-81 | round of 16 |
| 1979–80 Eredivisie | 4th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1979-80 | winners |
| 1978–79 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1978-79 | second round |
| 1977–78 Eredivisie | 10th | - | 1977-78 | round of 16 |
| 1976–77 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1976-77 | round of 16 |
| 1975–76 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1975-76 | quarter final |
| 1974–75 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1974-75 | round of 16 |
| 1973–74 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1973-74 | quarter final |
| 1972–73 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1972-73 | quarter final |
| 1971–72 Eredivisie | 2nd | UEFA Cup | 1971-72 | round of 16 |
| 1970–71 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1970-71 | quarter final |
| 1969–70 Eredivisie | 2nd | European Cup | 1969-70 | second round |
| 1968–69 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1968-69 | winners |
| 1967–68 Eredivisie | 2nd | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1967-68 | group stage |
| 1966–67 Eredivisie | 2nd | - | 1966-67 | first round |
| 1965–66 Eredivisie | 2nd | - | 1965-66 | round of 16 |
| 1964–65 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1964-65 | winners |
| 1963–64 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1963-64 | quarter final |
| 1962–63 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1962-63 | round of 16 |
| 1961–62 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1961-62 | ? |
| 1960–61 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1960-61 | ? |
| 1959–60 Eredivisie | 2nd (losing championship match) | - | not held | not held |
| 1958–59 Eredivisie | 5th | - | 1958-59 | ? |
| 1957–58 Eredivisie | 11th | - | 1957-58 | ? |
| 1956–57 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1956-57 | ? |
Feyenoord managers
Feyenoord have had managers from all over Europe. In the early years the club mainly had English managers, as football was already professional there. Feyenoord's first Dutch manager was Engel Geneugelijk (ad interimAd interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
), while Richard Dombi is seen as the first successful coach. He led the team in three different periods. During the club's weakest period in history Feyenoord was managed by two managers at once, Dutchman Pim Verbeek and Swede Gunder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson is a former Swedish association football coach.Bengtsson started his career as assistant coach under Sven-Göran Eriksson at IFK Göteborg. In 1982, after Eriksson won the UEFA Cup 1981–82 and left the club for Benfica, Bengtsson became head coach for a few months...
. Bengtsson was the last foreign manager to lead Feyenoord. Feyenoord's international trophies were won by Ernst Happel, Wiel Coerver
Wiel Coerver
Wiel Coerver was a football manager from the Netherlands and the developer of the Coerver Method, a soccer coaching technique. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 1973-1974 season....
and Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
.
Bill Julian
Bill Julian
John William "Bill" Julian was an English football player and coach.Born in Boston, Lincolnshire, he first played for his local side Boston Town before moving to Royal Arsenal in 1889, following a match between the two on Good Friday of that year...
(1921–22) Harry Waites
Harry Waites
Harry Waites, sometimes also called Jim Waites, was an English football coach active in the Netherlands in the 1920s.-Career:Waites, who was a rugby player in his youth, spent World War One in an open Prisoner-of-War camp in the Netherlands, alongside footballer Arnold Birch. After the war ended in...
(1924–25) Engel Geneugelijk (1925–26) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Jack Hall (1926–29) Joseph Lamb
Joseph Lamb (footballer)
Joseph Lamb was an English football manager. He coached Dutch club side Feyenoord between 1929 and 1930....
(1929–30) Jaap Kruys (1930–31) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Eddy Donaghy
Eddy Donaghy
Edward "Eddy" Donaghy was an English association football player and coach.-Playing career:Born in Grangetown, Donaghy played initially for a local club before joining Middlesbrough in 1923. He failed to make an appearance for the club's first team, however, and moved on to Bradford City, where...
(1931–35) Richard Dombi (1935–39) Jack Hall (1939–40) Karel Kaufman
Karel Kaufman
Karel Joseph Kaufman was a Dutch football player and manager who managed Feyenoord in 1940, and the Dutch national team in three separate spells, in 1946, 1949, and from 1954 to 1955. As a player, Kaufman played for Achilles 1894 from 1916 to 1934.-References:...
(1940) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Theo Huizenaar (1940–41) Kees van Dijke (1941–42) Kees Pijl
Kees Pijl
Cornelis Alidanis Pijl was a Dutch footballer who was active as a striker. Pijl played his whole career at Feijenoord and won eight caps for the Netherlands, scoring seven times, of which four against Romania at the 1924 Summer Olympics...
(1942–46) Adriaan Koonings
Adriaan Koonings
Adriaan Koonings , was a Dutch footballer who was active as a striker.Koonings was born in Rotterdam and played his whole career at Feijenoord. He won one cap for the Netherlands...
(1946–50) Harry Topping
Harry Topping
Harry Topping was an English football player and coach.-Playing career:Topping was born in Kearsley, Lancashire and spent time with several Football League clubs, including Manchester City and Exeter City, where he made one league appearance, before a short spell at New Brighton.During World War...
(1950–51) Richard Dombi (1951–55)
Piet de Wolf (1955–56) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Jaap van der Leck (1956–58) Piet de Wolf (1958–59) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) George Sobotka (1959–61) Franz Fuchs (1961–63) Norberto Höfling (1963–64) Willy Kment (1964–67) Ben Peeters (1967–69) Ernst Happel (1969–73) Ad Zonderland (1973) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Wiel Coerver
Wiel Coerver
Wiel Coerver was a football manager from the Netherlands and the developer of the Coerver Method, a soccer coaching technique. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 1973-1974 season....
(1973–75) Antoni Brzezanczyk
Antoni Brzeżańczyk
Antoni Brzeżańczyk was a Polish footballer and football manager.He played for Podgórze Kraków, Dąb Poznań, Lechia Gdańsk, Odra Opole, AKS Chorzów, Lech Poznań and Stal Mielec where he began his coaching career....
(1975–76) Ad Zonderland (1976) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov is a retired Serbian football player and coach.Boškov was born in the village of Begeč near Novi Sad, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He played with FK Vojvodina for most of his career...
(1976–78) Vaclav Jezek
Václav Ježek
Václav Ježek was the coach of the Czechoslovakia national football team when they won the 1976 European Championships....
(1978–82) Clemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof is a Dutch football manager, who has worked in various football positions on the African continent since 1989.He is most noted for his success with the Nigerian national team...
(1982) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
)
Hans Kraay
Hans Kraay
Hans Kraay is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a defender and then in football management and television.Born in Utrecht, Kraay made his professional debut at DOS and also played for Feijenoord....
(1982–83) Ab Fafié (1983) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Thijs Libregts
Thijs Libregts
Thijs Libregts is a Dutch football coach and former player, who played professionally in the 1950s. His daughter Patricia was one of Holland's leading water polo players in the 1980s and 1990s.-Club career:...
(1983–84) Ab Fafié (1984–86) Rinus Israël
Rinus Israël
Marinus David Israël is a former Dutch football player, manager and currently scout....
(1986–88) Rob Jacobs (1988–89) Pim Verbeek (1989–91) (dual) Gunder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson
Gunder Bengtsson is a former Swedish association football coach.Bengtsson started his career as assistant coach under Sven-Göran Eriksson at IFK Göteborg. In 1982, after Eriksson won the UEFA Cup 1981–82 and left the club for Benfica, Bengtsson became head coach for a few months...
(1989–91) (dual) Wim Jansen
Wim Jansen
Wilhelmus Marinus Anthonius Jansen is a Dutch former association football player and manager.- Playing career :He spent most of his playing career with his hometown team, Feyenoord, between 1965 and 1980...
(1991) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Hans Dorjee
Hans Dorjee
Hans Dorjee was a Dutch professional football player and manager....
(1991–92) Wim Jansen
Wim Jansen
Wilhelmus Marinus Anthonius Jansen is a Dutch former association football player and manager.- Playing career :He spent most of his playing career with his hometown team, Feyenoord, between 1965 and 1980...
(1992) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Willem van Hanegem
Willem van Hanegem
Willem "Wim" van Hanegem is a Dutch football player and coach born in Breskens, Zeeland. In a playing career spanning over 20 years he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as two UEFA trophies, all with Feyenoord. He was also a finalist in the FIFA World Cup 1974...
(1992–95) Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer is a Dutch football manager and former professional player who currently coaches amateur team VV Strijen.-Playing career:...
(1995) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Arie Haan (1995–97) Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer
Geert Meijer is a Dutch football manager and former professional player who currently coaches amateur team VV Strijen.-Playing career:...
(1997) (dual a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) John Metgod
John Metgod
Johannes Antonius Bernardus Metgod is a retired Dutch footballer, who is a first-team coach at Derby County.-Club career:...
(1997) (dual a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
)
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
(1997–00) Henk van Stee
Henk van Stee
Henk van Stee is a former football midfielder from the Netherlands, who played for Sparta Rotterdam and De Graafschap. He retired in 1990, and became a football manager, who worked for Sparta Rotterdam, VVV-Venlo, Feyenoord Rotterdam, AZ Alkmaar and Excelsior Rotterdam.-References:...
(2000) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
(2000–04) Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
(2004–05) Erwin Koeman
Erwin Koeman
Erwin Koeman is a former football player and Dutch football manager. Currently he is the manager of FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie. He is the son of Dutch international footballer Martin Koeman, and, alongside his younger brother Ronald, has also represented the Netherlands...
(2005–07) Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
(2007) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
(2007–08) Gertjan Verbeek
Gertjan Verbeek
Gertjan Verbeek is a former footballer and current manager of AZ.-Coaching career:After retiring from his playing career in 1994, Verbeek stayed with SC Heerenveen as an assistant-coach. He left for Heracles Almelo in 2001, and after a successful stint there was hired as the successor to Foppe de...
(2008–09) Leon Vlemmings
Leon Vlemmings
Leon Vlemmings is a Dutch football manager and former player. In June 2008, Feyenoord announced that it had reached an agreement with NAC Breda on the appointment of Vlemmings as assistant coach at De Kuip...
(2009) (a.i.
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
) Mario Been
Mario Been
Mario Been is a former football professional and football manager from the Netherlands, who is currently the head coach of Genk since 30 August 2011....
(2009–11) Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
(2011- )
Feyenoord chairmen
Where Feyenoord's managers came from all over Europe the chairmen were mainly Dutch, with Amandus Lundqvist from Sweden as the only exception. With 28 years Cor Kieboom was the longest reigning chairman in the club's history.G.D. van Leerdam (1908–11) Leen van Zandvliet (1911–18) Jan van Bennekom (1918–19) Johan Weber (1920–25) Leen van Zandvliet (1925–39)
Cor Kieboom (1939–67) Guus Couwenberg (1967–73) Leo van Zandvliet (1973–79) Guus Couwenberg (1979–82) Gerard Kerkum
Gerard Kerkum
Gerard Kerkum is a Dutch retired footballer and was twice chairman of Dutch football team Feyenoord Rotterdam.Kerkum, born in Rotterdam played a total of 349 matches in Feyenoord's first team from 1951 to 1965. He was the team's captain for many years and scored a total of 13 goals for the club...
(1982–89)
Carlo de Swart (1989–90) Amandus Lundqvist (1990–92) Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik is a Dutch business man and was chairman of Feyenoord Rotterdam till 2006.Van den Herik helped Feyenoord to purchase some players in 1984 as chairman of the "Friends of Feyenoord Group". In a few years time he had invested 3 million Dutch guldens in the club. In 1989 be became...
(1992–06) Gerard Kerkum
Gerard Kerkum
Gerard Kerkum is a Dutch retired footballer and was twice chairman of Dutch football team Feyenoord Rotterdam.Kerkum, born in Rotterdam played a total of 349 matches in Feyenoord's first team from 1951 to 1965. He was the team's captain for many years and scored a total of 13 goals for the club...
(2006–07) Dick van Well
Dick van Well
Dick van Well is a Dutch business man and currently chairman of Dutch football team Feyenoord Rotterdam.Van Well was chairman of the Dura Vermeer Group in Zoetermeer for many years...
(2007–)
Media
Since 2000 Feyenoord have had its own television programme, shown weekly on SBS6SBS6
SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :SBS stands for Scandinavian Broadcasting System...
. The show features interviews with players and other team members as well as documentaries about the team. As of the 2006–07 season Feyenoord launched its own Feyenoord TV project on their website with daily news and reports that tells everything about the club.
In 1993 Feyenoord introduced their own newspaper, the Feyenoord Krant, the first and only Dutch club to do so. The newspaper is published fortnightly, with a print run of 25,000. Extra editions are published to coincide with European matches. Inside the newspaper news, background information, interviews, reports and columns by Feyenoord related figures can be found.
Feyenoord were one of the latest Dutch teams to open their own official website on 21 May 2001.
The site is available in Dutch and English, plus other languages depending upon the nationalities of the club's high profile players. As of 2007, Japanese and Korean editions are available due to the popularity of Shinji Ono
Shinji Ono
is a Japanese football player, who plays as a midfielder for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan.Known as Tensai, Japanese for "Genius", from his youth days, Ono is one of the biggest stars in Asian football, known for his vision, technique and superb passing...
and Song Chong-Gug
Song Chong-Gug
Song Chong-Gug is a Korean football player who currently plays for Tianjin Teda F.C. in the Chinese Super League.- Career :...
in their home countries. Since 2004 Feyenoord have shared a website 2 teams 1 goal with UNICEF
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
as part of Feyenoord's children's welfare project in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. To mark Feyenoord's centenary another site was launched in January 2007 to publicise events related to the occasion. Feyenoord also opened official Live.com
Live.com
Windows Live Personalized Experience was a customizable portal launched by Microsoft in early November 2005. It was one of the first Windows Live services to launch.- Features :...
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
pages in 2006.
Feyenoord also offer the option to follow the club with news and statistics on cell phones or email. For each and every home match a daily program magazine is created and children who are members of the Kameraadjes also receive a magazine. At the beginning of the season Feyenoord produce a new presentation magazine, while at the end of the season a Feyenoord yearbook is created.
First team players
- As of May, 2011.
Out on loan
Retired numbers
- 12
Het LegioenHet LegioenHet Legioen is the name that is used to describe football fans who support Dutch side Feyenoord.The supporters of Feyenoord are said to be one of the most loyal supporter groups in the world supporting the team during both good or bad times. They are nicknamed Het Legioen, Dutch for The Legion and...
(reserved for the club supporters)
Current Technical Staff
Sportclub Feyenoord
Sportclub Feyenoord are Feyenoord's amateur and youth side, who have played at Varkenoord, directly behind De Kuip since 1949. Sportclub Feyenoord's annual youth trials attract a large number of hopefuls, with thousands of boys attempting to impress the coaches.The Feyenoord squad typically contains a number of players who joined the club after playing for Sportclub Feyenoord, and several players from Sportclub Feyenoord have progressed to have successful careers at international level, including Puck van Heel
Puck van Heel
Gerardus Henricus "Puck" van Heel was a Dutch footballer born in Rotterdam. He earned 64 caps for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups...
, Wim Jansen
Wim Jansen
Wilhelmus Marinus Anthonius Jansen is a Dutch former association football player and manager.- Playing career :He spent most of his playing career with his hometown team, Feyenoord, between 1965 and 1980...
and Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst OON , known as Gio in Spain, is a retired Dutch footballer of Moluccan descent who served as the captain of the Dutch national team from August 2008 until his retirement....
. A number of high profile managers also started their coaching careers at Varkenoord, including Clemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof is a Dutch football manager, who has worked in various football positions on the African continent since 1989.He is most noted for his success with the Nigerian national team...
and Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
.
Partnerships with other clubs
As of 2007, Feyenoord currently have three formal partnerships, a satellite club arrangement with nearby Excelsior, a partnership with Hungary's Újpest FCÚjpest FC
Újpest Football Club , earlier known as Újpesti TE and Újpesti Dózsa, is a Hungarian football club, based in Újpest, Budapest. The club's colours are purple and white...
and the Feyenoord Academy
Feyenoord Academy
Feyenoord Academy is a Ghanaian football club and the biggest football academy in Ghana based in Goma Fetteh, and was founded by Feyenoord from Rotterdam...
in Ghana. The most of strongest of these partnerships is that with Excelsior, who since 1996 have loaned young Feyenoord players on the verge of the first team. The purpose of this is to allow them to experience regular first-team football, aiding their development while simultaneously strengthening Excelsior's squad. The highest profile players to have played at Excelsior as part of this arrangement are Thomas Buffel
Thomas Buffel
Thomas Buffel is a Belgian footballer who plays for Jupiler League side RC Genk. He is an attacking midfielder and can play as a striker...
and Salomon Kalou
Salomon Kalou
Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League.He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot...
, who were both subsequently involved in transfer deals worth several million Euros. The partnership between Feyenoord and Excelsior was scaled back in 2006, though the clubs still work together.
Feyenoord's co-operation with Újpest FC started when Hungarian ex-footballer and former Feyenoord player Jószef Kiprich joined the Hungarian team as a under 19 coach and started as a scout for Feyenoord.
The academy in Ghana arose form a visit by Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik
Jorien van den Herik is a Dutch business man and was chairman of Feyenoord Rotterdam till 2006.Van den Herik helped Feyenoord to purchase some players in 1984 as chairman of the "Friends of Feyenoord Group". In a few years time he had invested 3 million Dutch guldens in the club. In 1989 be became...
to Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
to sign the then unknown Bonaventure Kalou, when Van den Herik contacted with the education institute at Kalou’s club. The academy was built in Fetteh, just outside Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
. after go-ahead for and was given by the Chief of Fetteh in 1998. At the academy, young talented African footballers can work on their football skills. In addition to helping their football potential the students are provided with formal education which is funded by Feyenoord. The Feyenoord Academy currently play their matches in the OneTouch Premier League.
The club have also entered into several other partnerships which are now discontinued, most extensively in Brazil with América Futebol Clube
América Futebol Clube (MG)
América Futebol Clube is a traditional Brazilian football team from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, founded on April 30, 1912....
and J.J.'s football school in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Other clubs who have previously entered partnerships with Feyenoord include Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power were a football team which was based in western Sydney. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999/2000 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were runners up to Perth Glory in the 2003/04 season of the NSL after Perth made the Grand Final look easy in...
, Nagoya Grampus Eight
Nagoya Grampus Eight
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
, Boldklubben 1893
Boldklubben 1893
Boldklubben af 1893 is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division East. They play at the 7,000 seat Østerbro Stadion in Østerbro, Copenhagen.-Achievements:* Danish championship titles :...
, Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
, Supersport United, KVC Westerlo
K.V.C. Westerlo
Koninklijke Voetbal Club Westerlo is a Belgian professional football club located in the city of Westerlo in the province of Antwerp. Westerlo has been playing in the Belgian Pro League since 1997–98. Their highest finish is a 6th place in 1999–2000, 2003–04 and 2008–09. They have won 1 Belgian...
, KV Mechelen, Breiðablik UBK
Breiðablik UBK
Breiðablik was founded in 1950 and is the biggest sports club in Kópavogur in Iceland. Breidablik has several divisions, both men's and women's: football, athletics, basketball, karate, dance, skiing, swimming and team handball.- Name :The name Breiðablik comes from Norse mythology, where it was...
, FC Lyn Oslo
F. C. Lyn Oslo
Fotballklubben Lyn is a Norwegian professional association football club and a department of the sports club Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn, whose members also participate in Nordic skiing and orienteering...
, UKS SMS Lodz
UKS SMS Lódz
UKS SMS Łódź is a Polish football club based in Łódź played currently in III liga Group 1. The club is well-known for working with youngsters. UKS SMS Łódź has a partnership with Feyenoord Rotterdam.- Notable players :* Dawid Nowak - GKS Bełchatów player...
, Omiya Ardija
Omiya Ardija
is a professional football club which play in the J. League Division 1, and are based in Ōmiya-ku in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds...
and Jiangsu Shuntian.
Sponsorships
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and the first main sponsor became the Dutch Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
called Gouden Gids. In the second half of the 1982–83 season Adidas were replaced by Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
as the shirt supplier. As a result the Gouden Gids name was enlarged and was more visible on the shirts. Gouden Gids sponsored the team until 1984, when Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
became the new sponsor. The deal between Feyenoord and Opel lasted until 1989, but in 1987 Puma no longer produced the shirts, but Hummel International
Hummel International
hummel International is a Denmark-based sportswear company. The firm was started in 1923 by the Messmer family in the town of Hamburg, Germany. It currently manufactures apparel for football, handball, basketball, rugby league, Australian football, shinty and volleyball...
. In 1989 Hummel produced the shirts sponsored by HCS. Adidas came back to the club in 1990, at the time that HCS got into big financial troubles and got bankrupt and was unable to sponsor Feyenoord any longer. Where HCS left Adidas stayed and the new main sponsor became Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen
Fortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
. This turned out to be a longterm deal as they were Feyenoord's main sponsor until 2004, when it was overtaken by Fortis
Fortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
. Since that time Fortis is the club's sponsor and the current contract was extended to 2009 with an option of three more seasons on 18 January 2007, the day before Feyenoord was excluded from the UEFA Cup 2006-07
UEFA Cup 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time...
. Feyenoord's kits are currently produced by Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...
, which replaced Adidas in 2000.
Feyenoord's contract with Kappa ended after the 2008/09 season. After that season, Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
produces Feyenoord's kits.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Years | Main sponsor | Years | Shirt producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–84 | Gouden Gids Yellow Pages Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings... |
1981–82 | Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
| 1984–89 | Opel Opel Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929... |
1982–87 | Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two... |
| 1989–91 | HCS | 1987–90 | Hummel International Hummel International hummel International is a Denmark-based sportswear company. The firm was started in 1923 by the Messmer family in the town of Hamburg, Germany. It currently manufactures apparel for football, handball, basketball, rugby league, Australian football, shinty and volleyball... |
| 1991–04 | Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen was the name of a Dutch insurance company, founded in 1720. Until the merger with Fortis it was the oldest European mainland insurance company, at that time only Lloyd's of London was older. The full name of the original company was "Maatschappij ter discontering ende... |
1990–00 | Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
| 2004–09 | Fortis Fortis (finance) Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities... |
2000–09 | Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:... |
| 2009– | ASR Nederland ASR Nederland ASR Nederland is a major Dutch insurance group based in Utrecht. The company was created in its current form in 2008 when the insurance business was split out of Fortis, after it was acquired by the Dutch government during the Financial crisis of 2007-2010... |
2009–2011 | Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two... |
External links
Official sitesOther sites