Almere City FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Almere City Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | De Zwarte Schapen (The Black Sheep) | ||
| Founded | 14 September 2001, as FC Omniworld | ||
| Ground | Yanmar Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 4,501 | ||
| Owner | Lesley Bamberger | ||
| Chairman | John Bes | ||
| Head coach | Hedwiges Maduro | ||
| League | Eredivisie | ||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie, 3rd of 20 (promoted via play-offs) | ||
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Almere City Football Club is a professional football team. It is based in Almere, Netherlands. The club started in 2001. They play in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. Their home games are played at the Yanmar Stadion.
The club's history connects to older teams from Amsterdam. The city of Almere wanted to have a strong presence in top sports. So, they created a sports club called Omniworld. This club included teams for volleyball, basketball, and football. Before the 2010-11 season, the football club changed its name to Almere City FC.
Contents
History of Almere City FC
How the Club Started
Almere City's story goes back to 1976. That's when three Amsterdam clubs, DWS, Volewijckers, and Blauw-Wit, joined together to form FC Amsterdam. Some DWS fans were not happy. They started their own club called De Zwarte Schapen. This name means "Black Sheep," which was their nickname.
The club quickly became successful in Dutch amateur football. They reached the Hoofdklasse, a high amateur league. After some problems, the club moved from Amsterdam to nearby Almere. They then changed their name to Sporting Flevoland.
Becoming FC Omniworld
In 2001, the name changed again to FC Omniworld. This happened because a group, including the city of Almere, wanted to bring professional sports to the city. Their plan included a basketball club, a volleyball club, and the football club.
However, in 2002, the city council changed its mind. This made it hard for the club to join the professional league in 2004. Luckily, private investors stepped in. The club then met all the rules to join the professional league. They built their stadium, the Yanmar Stadion, which holds 3,000 fans.
FC Omniworld joined the Eerste Divisie (the second-highest league) in 2005. Their first official game was supposed to be on August 12, 2005. But it was postponed due to heavy rain. Their first professional game was a week later, a 2-0 loss against FC Eindhoven. The team scored its first goal a few days later. In their first season, Omniworld finished 19th.
Almere City FC: The Modern Era
Early Challenges (2010–2016)
In March 2010, the club was renamed AFC Almere City. A few weeks later, it changed again to Almere City FC. This was because "AFC" sounded too much like their partners, AFC Ajax. In their second game of the 2010-11 season, they lost 12-1 to Sparta Rotterdam. This was a very big defeat.
Almere City finished last in the Eerste Divisie in 2010-11. But they avoided being moved down to a lower league because another club went bankrupt. In the years that followed, the team struggled to play consistently well. They even faced the risk of being moved down in the 2013-14 season.
The Five-Year Plan and Promotion (2016–Present)
Under manager Jack de Gier, the team started to improve. They finished in the top 10 for three seasons in a row, from 2016 to 2019. In the 2018-19 season, they reached their highest league finish ever, 7th place. Around this time, the club's CEO, John Bes, started a "five-year plan." The goal was to make the club strong and professional. The ultimate aim was to reach the Eredivisie, the top league.
In 2019, the club announced plans to build a new grandstand and office. The grandstand was finished in 2020. It increased the stadium's capacity from about 3,000 to 4,501 seats.
The 2020-21 season was a great success for Almere City. They scored 75 points and 75 goals, finishing 4th. This was a historic achievement. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs, so they didn't get promoted. During this season, striker Thomas Verheydt set a new club record. He was the first player to score 20 goals in one season. The next season, 2021-22, was tougher, and they finished 14th.
In the 2022-23 season, under coach Alex Pastoor, Almere City finished 3rd in the Eerste Divisie. This was their highest league finish yet. In June 2023, after exciting play-off games, the club made history. They won against Emmen 4-1 over two games. This meant they were promoted to the Eredivisie for the very first time!
In their first season in the Eredivisie (2023-24), Almere City did well. They stayed out of the bottom three spots. This means they will continue to play in the Eredivisie for the 2024-25 season.
Club's League Results Over Time
Club Name Changes
- FC Omniworld (2001–2010)
- AFC Almere City (2010)
- Almere City FC (2010–present)
Current Team Players
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Club Officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  John Bes |
| Head coach | Hedwiges Maduro |
| Assistant head coach | Foeke Booy Anoush Dastgir |
| Goalkeeper coach |  Agil Etemadi |
| Performance coach | Lucas Posthuma |
| Video analyst | Max Buis |
| Scout |  Jack Austin |
| Head of physiotherapy | Geert van der Heiden |
| Physiotherapist | Jeroen Bijl |
| Material | Herman Koster Ronald van Bruggen |
| Team Manager | Jasper Meeder |
See also
In Spanish: Almere City FC para niños
