FC Den Bosch facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Den Bosch | ||
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| Nickname(s) | De blauwwitte draken (The Blue White Dragons) | ||
| Founded | 18 August 1965 | ||
| Ground | de Vliert, 's-Hertogenbosch | ||
| Capacity | 6,936 | ||
| Owner | Eric Li Ying, Eddie Tao and two 'angel investors (Bridge Football Group), together (53%) BV Forza FC Den Bosch (47%) Stichting Behoud Betaald Voetbal ’s-Hertogenbosch (Golden Share) |
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| Chairman | vacant | ||
| Head coach | Ulrich Landvreugd | ||
| League | Eerste Divisie | ||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie, 19th of 20 | ||
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FC Den Bosch is a professional football club from 's-Hertogenbosch, a city in the Netherlands. They are known as De blauwwitte draken, which means The Blue White Dragons. The team currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, which is the second-highest football league in the Netherlands.
The club was started on August 18, 1965. It took over from two older clubs, BVV (founded in 1906) and Wilhelmina (founded in 1890). Their home stadium is called 'De Vliert', and it can hold about 6,500 fans. A famous football player, Ruud van Nistelrooy, began his professional career at FC Den Bosch. In 2005, the team finished last in the top league (Eredivisie) and moved down to the Eerste Divisie, where they play today.
Club History and Achievements
Early Years and First Promotions
FC Den Bosch was founded on August 18, 1965. It was created as the new club after BVV, which had been Dutch champions in 1948. In their first season, 1965–66, FC Den Bosch won the Tweede Divisie B.
On May 10, 1967, FC Den Bosch joined with Wilhelmina to form F.C. Den Bosch '67. A few years later, in the 1970–71 season, they won the 1970–71 Eerste Divisie title. This win meant they were promoted to the Eredivise, the top Dutch football league, for the first time ever.
Playing in the Top League
FC Den Bosch played two seasons in the Eredivisie. In their first season, 1971–72, they managed to stay up by finishing 16th. However, in the 1972–73 season, they finished last and were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie.
After returning to the Eerste Divisie, the club had some tough years. They didn't finish in the top half of the league until the 1977–78 season. By the early 1980s, FC Den Bosch started to play much better. They even competed in the promotion play-offs in 1980–81 but didn't get promoted.
Return to Success
In the 1982–83 season, FC Den Bosch won the promotion play-offs and returned to the Eredivisie. Their first season back, 1983–84, saw them finish 10th. The next two seasons were even better, with the club finishing 6th both times. In one of those seasons, they were only three points away from qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
However, this success didn't last. In the 1989–90 season, they were relegated to the Eerste Divisie again. Around this time, in 1988, the club's name was changed to B.V.V. Den Bosch.
Ups and Downs in Recent Decades
FC Den Bosch has been promoted to the Eredivisie several times since then. They went up in 1991–92, 1998–99, 2000–01, and 2003–04. They even won the Eerste Divisie title three times in those years (1998–99, 2000–01, 2003–04). But each time, they were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie. In 1992, the club changed its name back to FC Den Bosch.
In the ten years after their 2005 relegation, they tried to get promoted through the play-offs six times but were not successful.
Recent Events and Ownership Changes
In 2018, a businessman named Kakhi Jordania wanted to invest in the club. The club had a good season that year, finishing as winter champions in the Eerste Divisie. They made it to the promotion play-offs but lost. However, the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) did not approve the new ownership group.
In November 2019, there was an incident during a match where a player from another team, Ahmad Mendes Moreira, was treated unfairly by some fans. The match was stopped for a short time. The club later apologized for their initial response to the situation. This event led to a protest against unfair treatment in Dutch football, where players in the top two leagues did not play for the first minute of their games. FC Den Bosch banned some of the fans involved.
In September 2021, a group of investors, including Pacific Media Group and Chien Lee, bought 53% of FC Den Bosch. On April 10, 2024, Eric Li Ying, Eddie Tao, and two other investors took over this 53% share.
Club Names Over Time
- FC Den Bosch/BVV (1965–1967)
- FC Den Bosch '67 (1967–1988)
- BVV Den Bosch (1988–1992)
- FC Den Bosch (1992–present)
Players
Current Squad
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Former Players
National Team Players
Here are some players who played for their national teams while they were with FC Den Bosch:
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The years in brackets show when they played for their national team while at FC Den Bosch.
National Team Players by Region
This table shows how many FC Den Bosch players have represented their countries in international football, grouped by their football confederation (region).
| Confederation | Total | (Nation) Association |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | 2 |  Afghanistan (1),  Iraq (1) |
| CAF | 3 |  Liberia (1),  Somalia (1),  Sudan (1) |
| CONCACAF | 6 |  Curaçao (3),  Barbados (1), {{flagicon|Canada]] Canada (1),  Sint Maarten (1) |
| CONMEBOL | 0 | |
| OFC | 0 | |
| UEFA | 5 |  Finland (2),  Estonia (2),  Lithuania (1),  Netherlands (1) |
Players in International Tournaments
Here is a list of FC Den Bosch players who have played in big international tournaments like the UEFA European Championship and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. No Den Bosch players have played in the FIFA World Cup or other major continental cups while playing for the club.
| Cup | Players |
|---|---|
 UEFA Euro 1988 |
Hendrie Krüzen |
 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
 Frank Sturing |
Club Honours
FC Den Bosch has won several titles and achieved promotions throughout its history:
- Eredivisie (Top Dutch League)
- Winners: 1947–48 (as BVV, an earlier club)
- Eerste Divisie (Second Dutch League)
- Winners: 1970–71, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2003–04
- Promoted: 1982–83, 1991–92
- Tweede Divisie (Third Dutch League)
- Winners: 1965–66
- Promoted: 1962–63
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup)
- Runners-up: 1990–91 (finished second)
Club Staff
This table shows the main staff members who help run FC Den Bosch:
| Position | Name |
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| Head coach | Ulrich Landvreugd |
| Assistant coach | William van Overbeek Fouzi Mesaoudi |
| Goalkeeping coach | Wichert de Wit |
| Teammanager | Pieter Tuns Patrick Liebers |
| Video analyst | Jop Zweekhorst |
| Technical manager | Jesper Gudde |
Managerial History
Here is a list of the managers who have led FC Den Bosch over the years:
- Ben Tap (1965–70)
- Jan Remmers (1970–74)
- Nol de Ruiter (1974–76)
- Ad Zonderland (1976–78)
- Rinus Gosens (1979–80)
- Ad Zonderland (1980)
- Hans Verèl (1981–84)
- Rinus Israel (1984–86)
- Theo de Jong (1986–89)
- Rinus Israel (1989–90)
- Hans van der Pluijm (1990–95)
- Chris Dekker (1995–96)
- Kees Zwamborn (1996–98)
- Martin Koopman (1998–00)
- Mark Wotte (2000)
- André Wetzel and Jan van Grinsven (2000) (a.i.)
- Jan Poortvliet (2000–01)
- Wiljan Vloet (2001–02)
- Gert Kruys (2002–04)
- Henk Wisman (2004–05)
- J. van Grinsven, F. van der Hoorn and W. van der Horst (2005) (a.i.)
- Theo Bos (2005–09)
- J. van Grinsven, F. van der Hoorn and W. van der Horst (2009) (a.i.)
Marc Brys (2009–10)- Alfons Groenendijk (2010–12)
- Jan Poortvliet (2012–13)
- Ruud Kaiser (2013–15)
- René van Eck (2015–16)
- Wiljan Vloet (2016–17)
- Wil Boessen (2017–19)
- Erik van der Ven (2019–21)
- William van Overbeek and Paul Verhaegh (2021) (a.i.)
- Jack de Gier (2021–23)
Tomasz Kaczmarek (2023–2024)- William van Overbeek (2024) (a.i.)
David Nascimento (2024)- Ulrich Landvreugd (2024) (a.i.)
- Ulrich Landvreugd (2024–)
See also
In Spanish: FC Den Bosch para niños
