Fortuna Sittard facts for kids
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| Full name | Fortuna Sittard | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Fortuna Fortunezen FSC Fortuna Zitterd |
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| Founded | 1 July 1968 | ||
| Ground | Fortuna Sittard Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 12,500 | ||
| Owner | Principion Holding 20% Özgür Işıtan Gün 65% 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 compete in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. The club was formed on 1 July 1968, when two older clubs, Fortuna 54 and Sittardia, joined together.
Contents
Club History
Fortuna Sittard has had many ups and downs throughout its history. In the 1990s, the club was a regular team in the Eredivisie. During this time, talented players like Kevin Hofland, Mark van Bommel, and Fernando Ricksen came from its youth academy. These players later moved to bigger clubs like PSV Eindhoven and Rangers, and even played for the Dutch national team. Other players, such as Wilfred Bouma and Patrick Paauwe, also developed at Fortuna Sittard under manager Bert van Marwijk before joining the national team and other big clubs.
Before the merger, Fortuna 54 had some great moments. They won the KNVB Cup in the 1956–57 season and finished second in the Eredivisie behind Ajax. Fortuna 54 won the KNVB Cup again in 1964. Sittardia, the other club, was not as successful and often struggled to stay in their league. In 1968, the two clubs merged to form Fortuna Sittard because of money problems.
After the 1999–2000 season, manager Bert van Marwijk left to join Feyenoord. Fortuna Sittard was then relegated to the Eerste Divisie (the second-highest league) in the 2001–02 season.
Tough Times and Comeback
From 2002 to 2016, the club faced serious money problems and was almost bankrupt several times. In 2003, two loyal fans won the Dutch lottery and gave all their prize money to the club, which helped a lot. The club also sold its new stadium to pay off most of its debts.
In 2009, the KNVB (the Dutch football association) even said they would take away the club's license to play. However, after a court case, this decision was changed. Even with these difficulties, the club slowly started to get back on its feet financially. This led to better results on the field.
In the 2011–12 season, Fortuna Sittard almost made it to the playoffs for promotion back to the Eredivisie. They missed out in the very last seconds of the season. They did qualify for the playoffs in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, but they couldn't win their first-round matches to get promoted.
New Ownership and Return to Eredivisie
In 2016, the club faced financial trouble again. A Turkish investor named Işıtan Gün, who used to work for Galatasaray, took over the club. The 2016–17 season was difficult at first, but the club avoided relegation by changing coaches and bringing in new players, including some from Galatasaray.
In December 2016, Sunday Oliseh became the new coach. During his time, he set two new club records: eight home wins in a row and the biggest away win in the club's history (6–0 against Telstar). In January 2018, the team won a "period title" (a prize for being the best team over a certain number of games) after beating Jong Ajax 2–1. However, in February 2018, Oliseh was suspended due to disagreements with the club.
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 could not be promoted.
Fortuna Sittard finished 16th in the 2019–20 season. However, because the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no teams were relegated, and Fortuna stayed in the Eredivisie for the 2020–21 season. After that, they finished 11th. In the next year, they finished 15th, just barely avoiding the relegation playoffs. Since then, the club has been more comfortable in the middle of the league table, finishing 13th in the 2022–23 season and 10th in the 2023–24 season.
Club Achievements
- 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 Matches
Fortuna Sittard players have also taken part in international tournaments.
| Cup | Players |
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 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
 Lisandro Semedo |
 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
Deroy Duarte |
Results Timeline
Current Players
Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Famous Former Players
Many players who played for Fortuna Sittard have also represented their national teams in international football. Here are some of them:
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- Players in bold currently play for Fortuna Sittard and their national teams. The years in brackets show when they played for Fortuna Sittard.
Club Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Head Coach |  Danny Buijs |
| Assistant Head Coach | Adrie Poldervaart Wil Boessen Patrick Creemers |
| 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 Through the Years
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Women's Football Team
- Further information: Fortuna Sittard (women)
In January 2022, Fortuna Sittard announced they were starting a women's football team. This team began playing in the women's Eredivisie in the 2022–23 season. In their first season, they finished an impressive third out of 11 teams. In the 2023–24 season, the women's team finished fourth out of 12 teams. Their forward, Tessa Wullaert, was the top goal scorer and named Player of the Year. However, before the 2024–25 season, the club announced they had not made enough money from the women's team. They decided to spend less on players, and some key players like Wullaert and Alieke Tuin left for other clubs.
More About Football
See also
In Spanish: Fortuna Sittard para niños
