Sparta Rotterdam facts for kids
 |
|||
| Full name | Sparta Rotterdam | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | De Kasteelheren (The Castle Lords) De Rood-Witte Gladiatoren (The Red-White Gladiators) |
||
| Founded | 1 April 1888 | ||
| Ground | Sparta Stadion | ||
| Capacity | 11,026 | ||
| Chairman | Leo Ruijs | ||
| Head coach | Maurice Steijn | ||
| League | Eredivisie | ||
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie, 6th of 18 | ||
|
|
|||
Sparta Rotterdam is a professional football club from Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was started on April 1, 1888. This makes Sparta Rotterdam the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands.
The club is known by its nicknames De Kasteelheren (The Castle Lords) and De Rood-Witte Gladiatoren (The Red-White Gladiators). Sparta plays in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. They have won this league six times. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs in Rotterdam. The other two are Excelsior and Feyenoord.
Contents
Club History
How Sparta Started
On April 1, 1888, eight students in Rotterdam created a cricket club. They called it the Rotterdamsche Cricket & Football Club Sparta. These students were between 13 and 16 years old. They came from wealthy families. At that time, only richer people had the time and money for sports like cricket.
Soon, the boys got a proper football. They started playing football, which was a new sport from the United Kingdom. In July 1888, a football part of the club was officially formed. Sparta was the first club in the Netherlands to use goals with a crossbar and nets. Before that, only a rope was used between the posts.
First Games and Growth
In their first year, Sparta members mostly played against each other. These games happened in front of the Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk church. There was no official football league yet. Clubs had to challenge each other to play.
Sparta joined the Dutch Football and Athletics Association (NVAB) in March 1890. This group later became the KNVB. In 1892, Sparta stopped playing cricket to focus only on football. On December 18, 1892, Sparta won a league match 17–0. This is still a record for a Dutch league game. Freek Kampschreur scored 9 of those goals.
In 1893, Sparta became the first Dutch club to play against a foreign team. They played Harwich & Parkeston F.C. from England. The English team was much better and won 8–0. Later, Sparta helped create the Rotterdam Football Association in 1894.
New Ideas and Colors
Sparta was always trying new things in football. They were the first in the Netherlands to introduce the header (hitting the ball with your head). They also brought in goals with crossbars and nets.
In 1899, Sparta's board visited Sunderland in England. They loved Sunderland's red and white striped jerseys. They decided to make those colors their own. Today, Sparta still wears red and white striped shirts, black shorts, and red and white striped socks.
Sparta's Golden Age
From 1900, Sparta played a big role in Dutch football. Many of their board members were also on the Dutch Football Association board. In 1905, Sparta helped organize the first home match for the Dutch national team against Belgium. The Netherlands won 4–0.
Sparta became very successful starting in 1909. They won the national championship in 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, and 1915. They also won other cups. During this time, they hired their first coach, Edgar Chadwick from England. Famous players like Bok de Korver, Huug de Groot, and Cas Ruffelse helped the team win many titles.
On October 15, 1916, Sparta moved to its new stadium, Het Kasteel (The Castle). It was named "The Castle" because of its two tower-like structures. The stadium was updated in 1999 and is still Sparta's home.
Recent Times
Sparta Rotterdam played in the top league for a long time. But in the 2002–03 season, they were moved down to a lower league. They returned to the top league in the 2005–06 season. They were moved down again in 2010.
On August 20, 2010, Sparta had a huge win. They beat Almere City 12–1. Johan Voskamp scored 8 goals in that game, which was a record. After six years, Sparta won promotion back to the Eredivisie in April 2016. However, they were moved down again in May 2018. They quickly returned to the Eredivisie in 2019.
Sparta has won six national titles and three national cups.
Youth Program
Sparta has a highly-rated youth academy called the Sparta Jeugdopleiding. It has a four-star rating and is one of the best in the country. It has won awards for being the national academy of the year many times.
Many famous international footballers have come from Sparta's youth academy. Some of these players include Danny Blind, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Kevin Strootman.
Club Achievements
National Titles
- Netherlands Football League Championship / Eredivisie (Top League): 6 times
- 1908–09, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1958–59
- Eerste Divisie (Second League): 1 time
- 2015–16
- KNVB Cup (National Cup): 3 times
- 1957–58, 1961–62, 1965–66
Domestic Results (Since 1956)
This table shows Sparta Rotterdam's results in the Dutch league since 1956.
| Domestic Results since 1956 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic league | League result | Qualification to | KNVB Cup season | Cup result |
| 2022–23 Eredivisie | 6th | European competition play-offs: no European competition | 2022–23 | second round |
| 2021–22 Eredivisie | 14th | 2021–22 | second round | |
| 2020–21 Eredivisie | 8th | European competition play-offs: no European competition | 2020–21 | first round |
| 2019–20 Eredivisie | 11th | 2019–20 | second round | |
| 2018–19 Eerste Divisie | second | Eredivisie (winning promotion/releg. play-offs) | 2018–19 | first round |
| 2017–18 Eredivisie | 17th | Eerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-offs) | 2017–18 | first round |
| 2016–17 Eredivisie | 15th | 2016–17 | semi-final | |
| 2015–16 Eerste Divisie | 1st | Eredivisie | 2015–16 | third round |
| 2014–15 Eerste Divisie | 8th | - | 2014–15 | third round |
| 2013–14 Eerste Divisie | 16th | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 2013–14 | second round |
| 2012–13 Eerste Divisie | 3rd | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 2012–13 | third round |
| 2011–12 Eerste Divisie | 2nd | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 2011–12 | round of 16 |
| 2010–11 Eerste Divisie | 9th | - | 2010–11 | third round |
| 2009–10 Eredivisie | 16th | Eerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-offs) | 2009–10 | quarter-final |
| 2008–09 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 2008–09 | round of 16 |
| 2007–08 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 2007–08 | third round |
| 2006–07 Eredivisie | 13th | - (after losing IC-play-offs) | 2006–07 | round of 16 |
| 2005–06 Eredivisie | 14th | - | 2005–06 | second round |
| 2004–05 Eerste Divisie | 2nd | Eredivisie (winning promotion/releg. play-offs) | 2004–05 | second round |
| 2003–04 Eerste Divisie | 3rd | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 2003–04 | semi-final |
| 2002–03 Eerste Divisie | 8th | - | 2002–03 | third round |
| 2001–02 Eredivisie | 17th | Eerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-offs) | 2001–02 | second round |
| 2000–01 Eredivisie | 17th | - (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs) | 2000–01 | third round |
| 1999–2000 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1999-2000 | second round |
| 1998–99 Eredivisie | 17th | - (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs) | 1998-99 | second round |
| 1997–98 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1997-98 | second round |
| 1996–97 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1996-97 | second round |
| 1995–96 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1995-96 | final |
| 1994–95 Eredivisie | 14th | - | 1994-95 | round of 16 |
| 1993–94 Eredivisie | 9th | - | 1993-94 | third round |
| 1992–93 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1992-93 | round of 16 |
| 1991–92 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1991-92 | semi-final |
| 1990–91 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1990-91 | round of 16 |
| 1989–90 Eredivisie | 12th | - | 1989-90 | first round |
| 1988–89 Eredivisie | 12th | - | 1988-89 | round of 16 |
| 1987–88 Eredivisie | 12th | - | 1987-88 | first round |
| 1986–87 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1986-87 | round of 16 |
| 1985–86 Eredivisie | 7th | - | 1985-86 | first round |
| 1984–85 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 1984-85 | quarter-final |
| 1983–84 Eredivisie | 5th | - | 1983-84 | round of 16 |
| 1982–83 Eredivisie | 4th | UEFA Cup | 1982-83 | second round |
| 1981–82 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1981-82 | semi-final |
| 1980–81 Eredivisie | 7th | - | 1980-81 | second round |
| 1979–80 Eredivisie | 13th | - | 1979-80 | semi-final |
| 1978–79 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1978-79 | quarter-final |
| 1977–78 Eredivisie | 5th | - | 1977-78 | semi-final |
| 1976–77 Eredivisie | 7th | - | 1976-77 | second round |
| 1975–76 Eredivisie | 10th | - | 1975-76 | second round |
| 1974–75 Eredivisie | 6th | - | 1974-75 | quarter-final |
| 1973–74 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1973-74 | round of 16 |
| 1972–73 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1972-73 | semi-final |
| 1971–72 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1971-72 | quarter-final |
| 1970–71 Eredivisie | 6th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1970-71 | final |
| 1969–70 Eredivisie | 5th | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1969-70 | second round |
| 1968–69 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1968-69 | semi-final |
| 1967–68 Eredivisie | 5th | - | 1967-68 | quarter-final |
| 1966–67 Eredivisie | 3rd | - | 1966-67 | round of 16 |
| 1965–66 Eredivisie | 7th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1965-66 | winners |
| 1964–65 Eredivisie | 5th | - | 1964-65 | first round |
| 1963–64 Eredivisie | 14th | - | 1963-64 | round of 16 |
| 1962–63 Eredivisie | 3rd | - | 1962-63 | third round |
| 1961–62 Eredivisie | 9th | Cup Winners' Cup | 1961-62 | winners |
| 1960–61 Eredivisie | 4th | - | 1960-61 | ? |
| 1959–60 Eredivisie | 7th | - | not held | not held |
| 1958–59 Eredivisie | 1st | European Cup | 1958-59 | ? |
| 1957–58 Eredivisie | 9th | - | 1957-58 | winners |
| 1956–57 Eredivisie | 8th | - | 1956-57 | ? |
Sparta in European Competitions
Sparta Rotterdam has also played in European football tournaments. Here are some of their results:
| Season | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959–60 European Cup | 1st round |  IFK Göteborg |
4–0 | 1–3 | 4–4 (3–1 (aet)) |
| Quarter finals |  Rangers F.C. |
2–3 | 1–0 | 3–3 (3–2 (aet)) |
|
| 1962–63 Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round |  FC Lausanne-Sport |
4–2 | 0–3 | 4–5 |
| 1966–67 Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round |  Floriana F.C. |
6–0 | 1–1 | 7–1 |
| 2nd round | Servette FC |
1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | |
| 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1st round |  Íþróttabandalag Akraness |
6–0 | 9–0 | 15–0 |
| 2nd round |  Coleraine F.C. |
2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| Quarter final |  FC Bayern Munich |
1–3 | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| 1971–72 Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round |  PFC Levski Sofia |
2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| 2nd round |  Red Star Belgrade |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | |
| 1983–84 UEFA Cup | 1st round | Coleraine F.C. |
4–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 |
| 2nd round |  FC Carl Zeiss Jena |
3–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | |
| 3rd round |  FC Spartak Moscow |
1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | |
| 1985–86 UEFA Cup | 1st round | Hamburger SV |
2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 (4–3 p) |
| 2nd round | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
1–1 | 1–5 | 2–6 |
Current Team Squad
|
|
Players on Loan
|
|
Jong Sparta Rotterdam (Youth Team)
Jong Sparta Rotterdam is the club's second team. It is mostly made up of young players who are not yet ready for the main team. Since 2016, this team has played in the Tweede Divisie, which is the third-highest league.
|
|
Famous National Team Players
Many players from Sparta Rotterdam have also played for their national teams. Here are some of them:
|
|
|
- Players in bold are currently playing for Sparta Rotterdam and their national teams. Years in brackets show when they played for Sparta.
Players in International Tournaments
Here are some Sparta players who have played in big international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship.
| Cup | Players |
|---|---|
| UEFA Euro 1976 |
 Wim Meutstege |
 1978 FIFA World Cup |
Pim Doesburg |
 UEFA Euro 1980 |
Pim Doesburg |
 UEFA Euro 1996 |
John Veldman |
 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Gregg Berhalter |
 2002 Africa Cup of Nations |
 Nourdin Boukhari |
 2006 Africa Cup of Nations |
 Sani Kaita |
| 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
 Darryl Roberts |
 2010 FIFA World Cup |
Dele Adeleye Aleksander Šeliga |
| 2013 Africa Cup of Nations |
 Toni Varela |
| 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
Lars Veldwijk |
 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
Maduka Okoye |
Club Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Maurice Steijn |
| Assistant coach | Nourdin Boukhari |
| Goalkeeping coach | Frank Kooiman |
| Video analyst | Wesly Lisboa |
| Chief scout | Jesper Gudde |
| Scout | Bart Latuheru |
| Club doctor | Simon Knops |
| Physiotherapist | Rogier Hoek Kohei Sagara |
| Team Official | Ronald Hanstede |
| Kit Manager | Ben Wessels |
| Academy manager | Jason Oost |
| Technical director | Gerard Nijkamp |
Former Coaches
- Edgar Chadwick (1915)
- Peter Donaghy (1929–30)
- Doug Livingstone (1949)
- Walter Crook (1950)
- Denis Neville (1955–63)
- Bill Thompson (1963–66)
- Wiel Coerver (1966–69)
- Georg Keßler (1970–71)
- Elek Schwartz (1971–72)
- Jimmy Adamson (1976)
- Cor Brom (1976–78)
- Mircea Petescu (1978–80)
- Joop Brand (1980)
- Barry Hughes (1980–83)
- Bert Jacobs (1983–84)
- Theo Vonk (1984–86)
- Barry Hughes (1986–88)
- Rob Baan (1988–90)
- Rob Jacobs (1991–93)
- Han Berger (1993–95)
- Henk van Stee (1995)
- Henk ten Cate (1995–97)
- Hans van der Zee (1997–98)
- Jan Everse (1998–99)
- Dolf Roks (1999–01)
- Willem van Hanegem (2001)
- Frank Rijkaard (2001–02)
- Fritz Korbach (2003)
- Chris Dekker (2003)
- Mike Snoei (2003–05)
- Adri van Tiggelen (interim) (2005)
- Wiljan Vloet (2005–07)
- Gert Aandewiel (2007)
- Adri van Tiggelen (interim) (2007)
- Foeke Booy (2007–09)
- Frans Adelaar (2009–10)
- Aad de Mos (2010)
- Jan Everse (2010–11)
- Jos van Eck (2011)
- Michel Vonk (2011–13)
- Henk ten Cate (interim) (2013)
- Gert Kruys (2014)
- Alex Pastoor (2015–2017)
- Dolf Roks (interim) (2017)
- Dick Advocaat (2018)
- Henk Fraser (2018–2022)
- Maurice Steijn (2022–2023)
- Jeroen Rijsdijk (2023–2024)
- Maurice Steijn (2024–present)
See also
In Spanish: Sparta de Róterdam para niños
