Fortuna Sittard facts for kids
| Full name | Fortuna Sittard | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Fortuna, Fortunezen | ||
| Founded | 1 July 1968 | ||
| Ground | Fortuna Sittard Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 12,500 | ||
| Owner | Principion Holding 65% Özgür Işıtan Gün 20% Fortuna Sittard 10% STAK 5% |
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| Chairman | Özgür Işıtan Gün | ||
| Head coach | Danny Buijs | ||
| League | Eredivisie | ||
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie, 13th of 18 | ||
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Fortuna Sittard is a professional football club from Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The club plays its home games at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion, which can hold 12,500 fans. Currently, they play in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. Fortuna Sittard was created on 1 July 1968 when two older clubs, Fortuna 54 and Sittardia, joined together.
Contents
History
Fortuna Sittard has had many ups and downs over the years. In the 1990s, they were a regular team in the Eredivisie, the highest league. During this time, some amazing players came from their youth academy. These players included Kevin Hofland, Mark van Bommel, and Fernando Ricksen. They later played for big clubs like PSV Eindhoven and Rangers. Some even played for the Dutch national team! Other talented players like Wilfred Bouma and Patrick Paauwe also developed at Fortuna Sittard.
Before the clubs merged, Fortuna 54 had some great successes. They won the KNVB Cup (a major Dutch football cup) in the 1956–57 season. They also finished second in the Eredivisie that year, right behind champions Ajax. Fortuna 54 won the KNVB Cup again in 1964. Sittardia, the other club, often struggled in their league. In 1968, the two clubs decided to merge because they were having money problems.
After the 1999–2000 season, their manager, Bert van Marwijk, left for another club. In the 2001–02 season, Fortuna Sittard was moved down to the Eerste Divisie, which is the second-highest league.
Financial Challenges (2002–2016)
For several years, the club faced serious money problems. In 2003, some loyal fans won the Dutch lottery and gave all their winnings to the club. This helped Fortuna Sittard pay off most of its debts. They even sold their new stadium to help with the finances.
In 2009, the Dutch football association (KNVB) almost stopped the club from playing. But Fortuna Sittard fought this decision in court and was allowed to continue. Even with money troubles, the club slowly got better financially. This led to improved results on the field. In the 2011–12 season, they almost made it to the playoffs for promotion back to the Eredivisie. They missed out by just a few seconds in their last game! They did qualify for the playoffs in 2012–13 and 2013–14. However, they couldn't win their first-round matches to get promoted.
New Ownership and Return to Eredivisie (2016–Present)
In 2016, Fortuna Sittard faced money problems again. A Turkish investor named Işıtan Gün took over the club. He had worked for a big club called Galatasaray before. The 2016–17 season was tough at first. But after changing coaches and bringing in new players, including some from Galatasaray, the club avoided being moved down to a lower league.
In December 2016, Sunday Oliseh became the new coach. He helped the team achieve some club records, like winning eight home games in a row. They also had their biggest away win ever, beating Telstar 6–0. In January 2018, the team won a special "period title" after beating Jong Ajax. However, in February 2018, Oliseh left the club due to disagreements.
In 2018, after 16 years in the Eerste Divisie, Fortuna Sittard finally earned promotion back to the Eredivisie! They finished second in the league, just behind Jong Ajax, who couldn't be promoted.
In the 2019–20 season, Fortuna Sittard finished 16th. But because the season was stopped early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no teams were moved down. So, Fortuna stayed in the Eredivisie for the next season. After that, they finished 11th in 2020–21. The next year, they were 15th, just barely avoiding the relegation playoffs. Recently, the club has been doing better, finishing 13th in 2022–23 and 10th in 2023–24.
Honours
Fortuna Sittard has won some important trophies and titles:
- KNVB Cup
- Winners: 1956–57, 1963–64
- Runners-up: 1983–84, 1998–99
- Eerste Divisie
- Winners: 1958–59, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1994–95
- Promoted: 1981–82, 2017–18
International Games
Fortuna Sittard has also played in some European competitions, like the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Results
Players
Current Squad
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Out on Loan
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Former Players
Many players who have played for Fortuna Sittard have also been called up to play for their national teams. This means they represented their home countries in international football games.
Players in International Tournaments
Here are some Fortuna Sittard players who have played in big international tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations.
| Cup | Players |
|---|---|
 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
 Lisandro Semedo |
 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
Deroy Duarte |
Club Staff
These are the people who work behind the scenes to help the team succeed:
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Danny Buijs |
| Assistant Head Coach | Adrie Poldervaart Stijn Kuijpers Roy de Decker |
| Striker's Coach | Toon Oijstra |
| Physiotherapist | Jeroen Dieteren Martijn Smeets |
| Team Manager | Danny van der Weerden |
| Club doctor | Robert van Gool |
| Materialman | Ronald Ronken |
| Video Analyst | Tjerk van Eggelen |
Coaches
Many coaches have led Fortuna Sittard over the years. Here are some of the recent ones:
Sunday Oliseh (2017–18)
Claudio Braga (a.i.) (2018)- René Eijer (2018–19)
- Sjors Ultee (2019–20)
- Kevin Hofland (2020)
- Sjors Ultee (2020–2022)
Julio Velazquez (2022–2023)- Danny Buijs (2023–Present)
Women's Football
In January 2022, Fortuna Sittard announced they were starting a women's football team! The team began playing in the women's Eredivisie in the 2022–23 season. In their very first season, they finished an impressive third place out of 11 teams. In the 2023–24 season, they finished fourth. Their forward, Tessa Wullaert, was the top goal scorer and even named Player of the Year! However, before the 2024–25 season, the club decided to spend less on the women's team. This meant some key players, like Tessa Wullaert, left for other clubs.
See also
In Spanish: Fortuna Sittard para niños
