Almere City FC facts for kids
 |
|||
| Full name | Almere City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | De Zwarte Schapen (The Black Sheep) | ||
| Founded | 14 September 2001, as FC Omniworld | ||
| Ground | Yanmar Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 4,501 | ||
| Owner | Yanmar | ||
| Chairman | John Bes | ||
| Head coach | Jeroen Rijsdijk | ||
| League | Eredivisie | ||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie, 3rd of 20 (promoted via play-offs) | ||
|
|
|||
Almere City Football Club is a professional football team from Almere, Netherlands. The club started in 2001. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, which is the second-highest football league in the Netherlands. They were in the top league, the Eredivisie, but moved down after the 2024–25 season. Their home games are played at the Yanmar Stadion, which can hold 4,501 fans.
The club was created from older teams in Amsterdam. The city of Almere wanted to have a strong sports presence. So, a sports club called Omniworld was formed. It 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 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.
This new club quickly became successful in amateur football. They even reached the Hoofdklasse, a high amateur league. After some problems and a temporary ban from the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the club moved. They left Amsterdam and went to nearby Almere. There, they 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 team, a volleyball team, and the football club.
However, the city government later decided to stop supporting the project. This made it hard for the club to join the professional league in 2004. Luckily, private investors stepped in to help. The club then met all the rules to join the professional league. They built their own stadium, the 3,000-seat Yanmar Stadion.
FC Omniworld joined the Eerste Divisie in 2005. Their first professional game was on August 19, 2005. They lost 2–0 to FC Eindhoven. A few days later, Juan Viedma Schenkhuizen scored their first goal. Their first league point came on August 29, 2005, with a 2–2 draw against Go Ahead Eagles. On September 16, they won their first game, beating Fortuna Sittard 3–2. In their first season, they finished 19th. Striker Sjoerd Ars scored 17 goals.
In the 2006–07 season, the team improved. They finished 16th.
Almere City FC: New Name, New Goals
Early Years and Challenges (2010–2016)
In March 2010, the club changed its name to AFC Almere City. A few weeks later, it became Almere City FC. The "AFC" part was too similar to another club, AFC Ajax. In their second game of the 2010–11 season, they had a tough loss. They were defeated 12–1 by Sparta Rotterdam.
Almere City finished last in the Eerste Divisie that season. But they avoided moving down a league because another team went bankrupt. In the years that followed, the team struggled to play consistently well. They even faced the risk of relegation in the 2013–14 season.
Growth and Promotion (2016–Present)
Under coach Jack de Gier, the team started to get much better. 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-ever league finish, coming in 7th place. This was under head coach Ole Tobiasen.
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 dream was to reach the Eredivisie, the top Dutch league.
In August 2019, the club announced plans to build a new grandstand and office. The new grandstand was finished in early 2020. It increased the stadium's capacity from about 3,000 to 4,501 seats.
The 2020–21 season was a record-breaking one for Almere City. They earned 75 points and scored 75 goals. They finished 4th, which was a historic achievement. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to NEC, so they didn't get promoted. During this time, 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 not as good. They finished 14th.
In the 2022–23 season, coach Alex Pastoor led Almere City to 3rd place. This was their highest finish ever. In June 2023, they made history. They won their promotion play-off games against Emmen and reached the Eredivisie for the first time!
In their first season in the top league, 2023–24 Eredivisie, Almere City managed to stay in the Eredivisie. Before the 2024–25 season, Alex Pastoor left. Hedwiges Maduro became the new coach. However, on December 18, 2024, Maduro was let go. The team was at the bottom of the league. Jeroen Rijsdijk, a former interim manager, took over in January 2025. But the team could not recover. They finished last and were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie.
Club Performance Over Time
Club Names Over the Years
- FC Omniworld (2001–2010)
- AFC Almere City (2010)
- Almere City FC (2010–present)
Current Team Players
|
|
Club Officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  John Bes |
| Head coach | Jeroen Rijsdijk |
| 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
