Willem II Tilburg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Willem II

Full name	Willem II Tilburg
Nickname(s)	Tricolores Superkruiken (Super Pitchers)
Short name	Willem II
Founded	12 August 1896; 128 years ago (1896-08-12) (as Tilburgia)
Ground	Koning Willem II Stadion
Ground Capacity	14,800
Chairman	Meindert van Duijvenbode
Head coach	Peter Maes
League	Eerste Divisie
2022–23	Eerste Divisie, 4th of 20
Home colours Away colours

Willem II Tilburg, often called simply Willem II, is a Dutch football club. It is based in Tilburg, Netherlands. The team plays in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. They were promoted to this league in the 2023–24 season.

The club started on August 12, 1896, and was first named Tilburgia. On January 12, 1898, the club changed its name to Willem II. This name honors Dutch King William II (1792–1849). He was a prince and commander of the Dutch army. He had his military base in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising in 1830. He also spent a lot of time in the city after becoming king and died there.

Many famous players have played for Willem II. These include Dutch international players like Joris Mathijsen, Jaap Stam, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Overmars, and Virgil Van Dijk. Sami Hyypiä from Finland also played for the club. The team's uniform has red, white, and blue vertical stripes. These colors are inspired by the flag of the Netherlands. Willem II plays its home games at the Koning Willem II Stadion. This stadium is also named after King William II. It opened on May 31, 1995, and can hold 14,700 fans.

Willem II has won the Eredivisie three times. They have also won the Eerste Divisie four times.

Club History: A Journey Through Time

The club was founded on August 12, 1896, in Tilburg. It was first called Tilburgia. The team first played at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark Tilburg. In 1995, they moved to their current home, the Koning Willem II Stadion.

Willem II became champions of the Eredivisie in 1916, 1952, and 1955. They also won the KNVB Cup twice, in 1944 and 1963. The team also won the Eerste Divisie in 1958, 1965, 2014, and 2024.

Playing in Europe

Willem II first played in a European competition in 1963. This was the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They played against Manchester United and lost. In 1998–99, Willem II played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup again. They beat Dinamo Tbilisi but then lost to Real Betis from Spain.

Willem II playing against Manchester United on September 25, 1963. The score was 1–1.

Finishing second in the Eredivisie in 1999 meant Willem II got to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. This is a very big tournament! They earned two points in their group stage matches but were then out of the competition. After reaching the KNVB Cup final in 2005, where they lost to PSV Eindhoven, Willem II played in the UEFA Cup again. They lost to AS Monaco from France.

This chart shows how Willem II has performed in the league over the years.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Willem II moved down from the Eredivisie. This was the first time in 24 years. In the 2011–12 season, with a new coach named Jurgen Streppel, Willem II was promoted back to the Eredivisie. However, they went back down the next season. The club then became champions of the Eerste Divisie in the season after that. This meant they were promoted back to the Eredivisie again.

In 2015, some journalists reported that there were concerns about past matches. The Royal Dutch Football Association looked into the matter. They called it "the most concrete case of match fixing in the Netherlands" and took action. They also asked UEFA and FIFA to review previous games.

In 2019, Willem II reached the KNVB Cup final for the fourth time. They won against AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals. However, they lost to Ajax in the final match.

Friendship with Bristol City

Willem II fans have a special connection with fans of the English club Bristol City. Supporters from Willem II have traveled to Bristol, and Bristol City fans have visited Tilburg. On August 3, 2024, the two teams played each other for the first time in a friendly game in Bristol.

Club Rivalries

Willem II has a long and strong rivalry with its neighbor, NAC Breda. This rivalry started in the 1920s. Games between these two teams are called the Brabant derby. The cities of Breda and Tilburg are only 20 kilometers apart. This closeness makes the rivalry feel very intense, like a city-versus-city challenge where local pride is at stake.

Team Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Thomas Didillon-Hödl 4 DF Erik Schouten (2nd captain) 5 DF Rúnar Þór Sigurgeirsson 6 MF Boris Lambert 7 FW Nick Doodeman 8 MF Jesse Bosch 9 FW Kyan Vaesen (on loan from Westerlo) 11 FW Emilio Kehrer 14 MF Cisse Sandra (on loan from Club Brugge) 15 DF Miodrag Pivaš (on loan from Newcastle United) 16 MF Ringo Meerveld 17 FW Patrick Joosten 18 FW Jeremy Bokila 20 DF Valentino Vermeulen

No. Position Player 21 FW Amar Fatah (on loan from Troyes) 22 DF Rob Nizet 24 GK Connor van den Berg 25 DF Mickaël Tırpan 27 MF Dani Mathieu 30 DF Raffael Behounek 33 DF Tommy St. Jago 34 DF Amine Lachkar 35 FW Khaled Razak 41 GK Maarten Schut 44 DF Niels van Berkel 48 DF Jens Mathijsen 50 MF Per van Loon

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Max de Waal (at VVV-Venlo until 30 June 2025)

Players Who Played for Their Countries

Many players from Willem II have also played for their national teams. This means they were chosen to represent their country in international football games. Here are some of them:

• Players in bold currently play for Willem II and for their national teams. The years in brackets show how long they played for Willem II.

National Team Players by Region

This table shows how many Willem II players have played for national teams from different parts of the world.

Total national team players by confederation

Region (Confederation)	Total Players	Countries Represented
Asia (AFC)	0
Africa (CAF)	10	Morocco (3), Guinea (2), Burkina Faso (1), Cape Verde (1), Gambia (1), Ghana (1), Sierra Leone (1)
North, Central America, and Caribbean (CONCACAF)	7	Curaçao (5), Suriname (1), United States (1)
South America (CONMEBOL)	3	Ecuador (2), Peru (1)
Oceania (OFC)	2	New Zealand (2)
Europe (UEFA)	40	Netherlands (18), Finland (5), Belgium (3), Armenia (2), Greece (2), Hungary (2), Sweden (2), Czech Republic (1), Israel (1), Kosovo (1), Luxembourg (1), Northern Ireland (1), Slovakia (1)

Players in Big Tournaments

Here is a list of Willem II players who have played in major international tournaments. These include the FIFA World Cup and other important championships. No Willem II players have played in the AFC Asian Cup or OFC Nations Cup while with the club.

Tournament	Players
1994 Africa Cup of Nations	Sékou Soumah Mohamed Sylla
1994 FIFA World Cup	Earnie Stewart
1995 Copa América	Earnie Stewart
1995 Amílcar Cabral Cup	Jatto Ceesay
1998 Africa Cup of Nations	Ousmane Sanou
2000 Africa Cup of Nations	Adil Ramzi Ousmane Sanou
UEFA Euro 2000	Geert De Vlieger
2002 FIFA World Cup	Geert De Vlieger
2014 Caribbean Cup	Charlton Vicento Jason Wall
UEFA Euro 2016	Adam Němec
2017 Caribbean Cup	Darryl Lachman
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Darryl Lachman
2019 Copa América	Renato Tapia

Team Results in the Netherlands

This chart shows Willem II's league performance over the years. The green bars are for the Eredivisie (top league), and the orange bars are for the Eerste Divisie (second league). The arrows show when the team was promoted (↑) or relegated (↓).

Here is a table showing Willem II's results in Dutch leagues since the Eredivisie started in 1956.

Club Staff

These are the people who work behind the scenes to help Willem II succeed.

Position	Staff
Head coach	Peter Maes
Assistant coach	Peter van den Berg
Goalkeeper coach	Peter den Otter
Data and Video analyst	Rick Mennes
Chief scout	Steven Aptroot
Club doctor	Jan de Waal Malefijt Pieter Vioen
Physiotherapist	Gijs van der Bom
Manual therapist	Jasper de Langen
Team official	Henry van Amelsfort
Manager	Jos de Kruif
Team Manager	Jos van Nieuwstadt
Kit Manager	Paul Coehorst Guus Bierings
Performance manager	Nils Thörner
Technical director	Martin van Geel (interim)
General director	Martin van Geel

Team Coaches

Here is a list of the coaches who have led Willem II over the years.

Year Coach 1949–1956 František Fadrhonc 1956–1962 Heinrich "Wudi" Müller 1963–1966, 1967–1971 Jaap van der Leck 1971–1972 Henk Wullems July 1980–June 1982 Bert Jacobs 1982 George Knobel 1982–1984 Jan Brouwer 1984–1985 Jan Notermans July 1985–June 1990 Piet de Visser 1990–91 Adrie Koster July 1991–Oct 1991 Piet de Visser Oct 1991–March 1995 Jan Reker March 1995–June 1996 Theo de Jong July 1996–June 1997 Jimmy Calderwood July 1997–May 2000 Co Adriaanse May 2000–June 2000 Hans Verèl (interim) July 2000–June 2002 Hans Westerhof July 2002–Jan 2004 Mark Wotte Feb 2004–June 2004 André Wetzel

Year Coach July 2004–Nov 2005 Robert Maaskant Nov 2005–June 2006 Kees Zwamborn July 2006–Nov 2007 Dennis van Wijk Nov 2007–Feb 2009 Andries Jonker Feb 2009–Feb 2010 Alfons Groenendijk Feb 2010 Mark Schenning (interim) Feb 2010–April 2010 Arno Pijpers April 2010–May 2010 Theo de Jong (interim) July 2010–April 2011 Gert Heerkes April 2011–June 2011 John Feskens (interim) July 2011–May 2016 Jurgen Streppel July 2016–March 2018 Erwin van de Looi March 2018–May 2018 Reinier Robbemond (interim) July 2018–January 2021 Adrie Koster January 2021–June 2021 Željko Petrović July 2021–March 2022 Fred Grim March 2022–December 2022 Kevin Hofland December 2022-September 2023 Reinier Robbemond September 2023–present Peter Maes

Club Trophies and Wins

Willem II has won several important titles throughout its history:

• National Football League Championship/Eredivisie
  • Winners (3): 1915–16, 1951–52, 1954–55
  • Runners-up (1): 1998–99
• Eerste Divisie
  • Winners (4): 1956–57, 1964–65, 2013–14, 2023–24
  • Runners-up (1): 1986–87
• KNVB Cup
  • Winners (2): 1943–44, 1962–63
  • Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2018–19

See also

In Spanish: Willem II Tilburg para niños

• Dutch football league teams