Everything about Feyenoord Rotterdam totally explained
Dick van Well |
manager =
Gertjan Verbeek |
league =
Eredivisie |
season =
2007-08 |
position = Eredivisie, 6th |
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_redwhitestripes_centre|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=000000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000|
website = http://www.feyenoord.nl/
}}
Feyenoord are a professional
football team located in
Rotterdam. Alongside
Ajax and
PSV, Feyenoord are one of the "big three" clubs in the
Netherlands, but have faced a steady decline in results over recent years. These three clubs have won every Dutch League Championship since 1965 – with the exception of
AZ's 1981 title – and they are, the only clubs never relegated from Dutch first division football.. In domestic competition, Feyenoord have won 14
Dutch Championships, 11
Dutch Cups and 2
Dutch Supercups to go with the
European Cup, 2
UEFA Cups and the
Intercontinental Cup.
Location
Feyenoord are located in the
Feijenoord district of southern Rotterdam and were originally named
Feijenoord after the district in which the team was founded. More frequent appearances in international tournaments led the team to change its name in
1974 because foreign fans unfamiliar with the Dutch language didn't know how to pronounce
ij.
In addition to Feyenoord, there are two other professional football teams in Rotterdam:
Sparta and
Excelsior. All three sides currently play in the
Eredivisie, which is the country's top league.
Motto
The culture of the club is expressed in their motto
Geen woorden maar daden ("Not words, but deeds"). It is part of the refrain of the club's official hymn and refers to the men who founded the club in
1908, all hard-working labourers of the
Port of Rotterdam. "While Amsterdam dreams, Rotterdam works." Feyenoord fans don't expect the team to play beautifully, but want them to fight for every single metre on the pitch.
History
1908-1939
The football club
Wilhelmina were founded in the pub
De Vereeniging (The owner was Jac. de Keijzer) on
19 July 1908 and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908 and 1912 the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming
Hillesluise Football Club in 1909 and then
RVV Celeritas. Upon earning promotion to the
National football association in
1912, the club renamed to become SC Feijenoord, after the city district in which the team was founded and again changed uniform, adopting the red and white shirts, black shorts and black socks they still wear today. In
1917 Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football, 1e klasse (1st division) and moved to the ground
Kromme Zandweg.
Sixteen years after the formation of the club and a mere three years after they were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football Feijenoord earned their first honours by capturing the national league championship in
1924. The team enjoyed a string of successes in the latter half of the decade, taking divisional titles in
1926,
1927,
1928 and
1929, and winning their second national championship in
1928.
Feijenoord won their first
Dutch Cup in
1930 by scoring the only goal in a
derby final against
Excelsior. They continued to dominate their division with three consecutive titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a second time in
1935 by beating
Helmond Sport.
Feijenoord started to attract more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg, and in
1933 decided to build a new facility. The club moved to the
Feijenoord Stadion (nicknamed "De Kuip" or "the Tub") in 1937, playing the first match there on
27 March against
Beerschot. During this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from
1936 to
1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938.
1940-1969
During
World War II Feijenoord played their matches at
Sparta Rotterdam's
Kasteel, as the
Nazis had occupied De Kuip. When Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtues, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg.
Feijenoord's again won a division title with a national championship in
1940, their fifth Dutch title. During the German occupation of the Netherlands play continued in Dutch football leagues, though the
1945 championship was cancelled as the war came to its conclusion. During this period Feijenoord's only trophy was a divisional championship in
1943. After the war Feijenoord didn't perform as well as they'd in previous decades, not seriously challenging in their division and so missing the national playoff rounds.
on
30 June 1954 the chairmen of the three biggest Rotterdam teams organised a meeting in
Utrecht, which was attended by several chairmen of other clubs and a delegation of the
KNVB to discuss the start of professional football in the Netherlands. The professional era commenced with the first
Eredivisie season in 1954/1955. Feijenoord were one of the clubs participating in the inaugural Eredivisie and have never been relegated. One of the most memorable matches in these first years of professional football was the clash between Feijenoord and the
Volewijckers at
2 April 1956, which Feijenoord won 11-4 with nine goals by
Henk Schouten. The first memorable
Klassieker from a Feijenoord point of view took place at
11 November 1956 when
Daan den Bleijker scored four times to give Feijenoord a 7-3 win over their arch rivals.
Feijenoord claimed their first professional Eredivisie Championship and their sixth Dutch Championship in history in
1961. On the road to the title Ajax were beaten 9-5 in De Kuip, four of Feijenoord's goals were scored by Henk Schouten. Feijenoord were eliminated by
Tottenham Hotspur in the following round. In
1962 Feijenoord successfully defended their Dutch Championship title and reached the final of the
Intertoto Cup 1961-62. Feijenoord faced arch-rivals Ajax in the final, which was won by the Amsterdam team 4-2.
On
12 December 1962 Feyenoord played a decisive match versus
Vasas SC in the second round of the
European Cup 1962-63. The first two legs, in Rotterdam and
Budapest both ended in 1-0 home victories, and a replay on a neutral ground took place. The match was played in
Antwerp,
Belgium and 30,000 Feijenoord fans travelled by bus to see their team play. Feijenoord eventually lost the match against Benfica 3-1, but this turned out to be the start of the most successful period in the club's history. Feijenoord won the
double for the first time in their history in
1965 and managed to win another double a few years later in
1969. The 1965 title secured Feijenoord a spot in the
European Cup 1965-66 where they faced multiple cup champions
Real Madrid on
8 September 1965 in the preliminaries. During the match
Hans Kraay had to leave the pitch injured after 31 minutes, without being substituted. He returned at the start of the second half and scored the goal which resulted in a 2-1 win. Later during the match fans' favourite
Coen Moulijn was attacked roughly by a Spanish defender. Moulijn then chased the defender all over the pitch. Several other players did the same, as did some fans who entered the pitch. The referee could do nothing but suspend the match at 2-1 in Feijenoord's favour. Two weeks later Real comfortably beat Feyenoord 5-0, and eventually won the European Cup that season.
1970-1999
As the 1969 Dutch champions Feijenoord participated in the
European Cup 1969-70. After thrashing
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur 16-2 on aggregate in the first round the team faced
AC Milan. Feijenoord lost the first leg 1-0 in Italy, but overcame the deficit in their own stadium following a 2-0 win, securing a place in the quarter finals where they faced
ASK Vorwärts Berlin.
The tie followed the same pattern as the previous round, Feijenoord losing the first match 1-0 away, then winning 2-0 at home. In the semi-finals
Legia Warszawa were beaten 2-0 on aggregate, earning Feijenoord their first European final. Ajax had reached the same final in 1969 but were not able to win. Feijenoord faced
Celtic in the final, held in the
San Siro stadium in
Milan. Goals by
Tommy Gemmell and
Rinus Israël resulted in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. Three minutes before the end of the extra time
Ove Kindvall scored Feijenoord's winning goal to make them the first Dutch team to claim a major European trophy.
As the cup holders Feijenoord participated in the
European Cup 1970-71 despite relinquishing the Dutch title, which was won by Ajax. Feijenoord were eliminated in the first round following a surprise defeat by Romanian team
UT Arad. However, as reigning European champions Feijenoord faced
Estudiantes La Plata in the
Intercontinental Cup. The first match in
Buenos Aires'
La Bombonera finished in a 2-2 draw. Back in Rotterdam Feijenoord managed a 1-0 victory (winning goal by
Joop van Daele) to win the world club crown, the first Dutch team to do so. Estudiantes player
Oscar Malbernat got frustrated and grabbed Van Daele's glasses and trampled on it. "You are not allowed to play with glasses." was his excuse, "At least not in South America." In
1971 Feijenoord won their 10th Dutch Championship.
In 1973 the club decided to change their name to
Feyenoord, as people from outside the Netherlands found it difficult to pronounce the "ij" in Feijenoord. Under their new name they played in the
UEFA Cup 1973-74, reaching the final following a 4-3 aggregate win over
VfB Stuttgart in the semi finals. The opponent in the final was Tottenham Hotspur. In the first leg at
White Hart Lane Spurs took a 2-1 lead, but
Theo de Jong equalised after 85 minutes and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. Feyenoord then won their match in Rotterdam 2-0 thanks to goals by
Wim Rijsbergen and
Peter Ressel, and became the first Dutch team to win the
UEFA Cup. As a result, Spurs fans started to riot, introducing Dutch football to the spectre of
hooliganism in the process. In the remainder of the decade Feyenoord won only one more honour, the Dutch Championship in
1974. In 1978 the club divided their professional and amateur sides to form two separate teams, Feyenoord for professionals and
Sportclub Feyenoord for amateurs.
Feyenoord won their fifth Dutch Cup in
1980 by beating Ajax 3-1 in the final.
In
1984 Feyenoord had another bright season, winning the double for the third time in their history. Key players in the squad from this period included
Johan Cruijff,
Ruud Gullit and
Peter Houtman (who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer). Cruijff reacted to Ajax's decision not to offer him a new contract at the start of the season and signed for arch rivals Feyenoord instead. Cruijffs move to Rotterdam was criticised and increased Ajax's motivation to beat Feyenoord. In the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam Feyenoord suffered their heaviest ever defeat: 8-2. However, Feyenoord later defeated Ajax in Rotterdam 4-1 and Ajax were subsequently beaten a second time in the Dutch Cup. Feyenoord proceeded to win a league and cup double by beating
Fortuna Sittard in the cup final.
After the successful season Feyenoord experienced a lean period and were unable to finish the season in a higher position than third. In
1989/
1990 the club struggled to remain in the Eredivisie, but eventually managed to avoid relegation. The club had financial problems, the staff was unable to recover and their main sponsor
HCS went bankrupt.
When
Wim Jansen was appointed as the interim manager to replace
Günder Bengtsson and
Pim Verbeek after a 6-0 defeat against PSV, the outlook began to improve for the club. PSV, the strongest Dutch club of the period, were knocked out of the KNVB Cup by a
Henk Fräser goal in
Eindhoven. Feyenoord, progressed to the
1991 final, where they beat
BVV Den Bosch 1-0 to win the competition. As the cup holders they faced champions PSV again, this time in the 1991
Dutch Supercup, the first Supercup held since 1949. PSV were beaten 1-0 by a
Marian Damaschin goal to add another honour to the club's achievements. They went on to win another Dutch Cup in
1992, beating
Roda JC 3-0 in the final. The same year Feyenoord reached the semi finals in the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991-92 beating Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter final before being knocked out by
AS Monaco on away goals after two draws.
In
1993 Feyenoord secured another Dutch Championship by beating
FC Groningen 5-0 in the last league match of the season. The match was played at the
Oosterpark Stadion in
Groningen, so 40.000 Feyenoord fans watched the game on giant screens in De Kuip. The title was followed by another two Dutch Cups in
1994 (beating
N.E.C. (2-1)) and
1995 (beating
FC Volendam (2-1)). During the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994-95 Feyenoord reached the quarter finals after beating
Werder Bremen in the second round. They eventually lost to
Real Zaragoza. In the quarter final in the
1995 KNVB Cup Feyenoord visited Ajax, the team that would win the
UEFA Champions League 1994-95 later that season. Ajax was leading 1-0 when
Ruud Heus equalised with a penalty just before time. In the extra time Feyenoord became the only team to beat Ajax the season they won the Eredivisie and the Champions League unbeaten. The goal scored by
Mike Obiku was the decider as the new
golden goal rule became in use. During the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1995-96 Everton and
Borussia Mönchengladbach were beaten. A total of 14,000 Feyenoord fans travelled to Germany to support the team against Mönchengladbach. Feyenoord were knocked out in the semi finals by a
Carsten Jancker inspired
SK Rapid Wien.
Feyenoord made their
UEFA Champions League debut during the
UEFA Champions League 1997-98, finishing third in their group behind
Manchester United and
Juventus, however Juventus were beaten 2-0 in Rotterdam, both goals scored by
Julio Ricardo Cruz. In
1998 the
Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) visited Feyenoord because of suspected fraud. Mainly based on the signings of
Aurelio Vidmar,
Christian Gyan and
Patrick Allotey. This became an ongoing scandal in the years to come with chairman
Jorien van den Herik as the main suspect. On
25 April 1999 Feyenoord secured their 14th Dutch Championship. 250,000 fans celebrated with the team in the center of Rotterdam. However, later in the evening heavy rioting started. Before the start of the new 1999/2000 season Ajax were beaten in their own stadium when Feyenoord won their second Dutch Supercup after a free kick by
Patrick Paauwe who secured a 3-2 win.
Recent history
During the
UEFA Champions League 1999-00 Feyenoord participated in the UEFA Champions League for the second time. This time the club managed to finish second in their group behind
Rosenborg B.K., but in front of
Borussia Dortmund. Feyenoord reached the second group stage and secured wins versus
Olympique Marseille (at home) and
S.S. Lazio (away).
Chelsea won both clashes and as a result Feyenoord had to win their last group match away to Marseille to reach the knock-out stages. The final result was 0-0 and Feyenoord were eliminated.
Feyenoord again participated in the Champions League in
2001-02, finishing third in a group containing
FC Bayern Munich,
AC Sparta Praha and
FC Spartak Moscow. This meant Feyenoord had to continue their European season in the
UEFA Cup 2001-02 instead of the 2nd Champions League group stage. The disappointment of failing to reach the second group stage eventually resulted in optimism and celebration. By winning over
SC Freiburg and
Rangers, Feyenoord faced fellow Dutch team PSV in the quarter finals. Both matches ended in 1-1 draws, and the clash went into extra time and a penalty shoot-out.
Pierre van Hooijdonk who had a superb season by scoring many goals from free kicks secured Feyenoord's win by scoring in the 90th minute equalizer before finishing PSV off by scoring the last goal in the penalty shoot-out. A win in
Milan (0-1) over
Inter and a 2-2 return match in Rotterdam earned Feyenoord their spot in the final, in which Borussia Dortmund was the opponent. The final was held in De Kuip and as a result most spectators inside the stadium were Feyenoord fans. Feyenoord took a 2-0 lead thanks to another free kick and a penalty by Pierre van Hooijdonk. Early in the second half
Jan Koller scored a goal to make it 2-1.
Jon Dahl Tomasson then made it 3-1 and things looked good for Feyenoord. Dortmund only managed to score one more goal and the cup was won by
Bert van Marwijk's Feyenoord.
A huge party erupted in and outside De Kuip not only because of the title, but also because the final was held several days after Rotterdam's political
hero Pim Fortuyn was murdered. Lots of fans were still full of emotion before and after the match. As a result of Fortuyn's murder, the cup wasn't officially celebrated in the city center.
The
2002 UEFA Cup win was the start of a long dry spell for Feyenoord. In the 2002/2003 season the club managed to finish 3rd in the national league, as well as reach the final of the Dutch Cup (which was lost 1-4 to
FC Utrecht), but in the following years Feyenoord disappointed in both the national leage and the Dutch Cup.
In between, Feyenoord and chairman Jorien van den Herik were found to be
not guilty in 2002. The
Attorney General however appealed, but in
2005, after three years of investigations the results stayed the same. Still, the Attorney General hasn't given up the case yet.
The 2005/06 season ended in disappointment for Feyenoord. The team challenged for the Dutch Championship for most of the season, but eventually lost out to PSV. The newly created Dutch play-offs then proved to be gloomy for Feyenoord. Ajax, which finished several points behind in the regular league, were Feyenoord's opponent in the play-offs. Ajax ouclassed them and Feyenoord lost out on a Champions League place.
In the 2006-07 season the nightmare grew even bigger. The supporters saw their two star players leave to Chelsea (
Salomon Kalou) and Liverpool (
Dirk Kuyt). At the same time it became clear that Feyenoord were in an appaling financial state despite earlier comments made by chairman
Van den Herik who claimed that the club was financially healthy. Supporters unrest grew into anger when Feyenoord bought
Charisteas, a back-up striker of arch rivals Ajax with a poor track record, as a replacement for Kuyt. After continuous protests chairman Van den Herik resigned and the club started managerial reforms. The worst wasn't over though. Feyenoord were expelled from European competition following hooliganism prior to and during a match with
AS Nancy, despite an appeal by the club. The season ended in bitter disappointment with a 9th place finish, causing Feyenoord to miss European football for the first time in 16 years.
While desperate supporters started preparing for a dark age, the club surprised friend and foe in the 2007 summer transfer window. A brilliant performance of young left back
Royston Drenthe at the
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship had investors flocking to the new investment schemes Feyenoord had set up. The club appointed former coach
Bert van Marwijk and was able to make a number of high profile signings amongst which
Giovanni van Bronckhorst and
Roy Makaay. Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the national league, finishing in a disappointing 6th place. The pain was relieved by claiming the first prize in 6 years: 100 years after the foundation of the club, Feyenoord managed to win the Dutch Cup, beating
Roda JC by 2-0. As Feyenoord coach
Bert van Marwijk accepted a job as coach of the national team, Feyenoord appointed
Gertjan Verbeek as their new coach for the 2008/2009 season.
In the 2008-2009 season, Feyenoord will officially celebrate their 100th birthday and will organise many events throughout the year. The old "golden logo" will return as Feyenoord's official logo, which was presented at the 2007 new years brunch. During the summer a historical tournament will be held between Feyenoord and the three opponents they met in the European Cup finals they played, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC.
Stadium
The club's
Feijenoord Stadion, located in the Feijenoord district of Rotterdam, is nicknamed
De Kuip, Dutch for
The Tub. It was built in 1937 and is one of the major European stadiums. It has 51,117 seats and has hosted a record of 10 finals of
UEFA club competitions, including the 2002
UEFA Cup Final which was won by Feyenoord.
When driving over the
Van Brienenoordbrug every Feyenoord supporter always looks aside to have a look at the stadium. Feyenoord supporters are known to love their stadium as much as their club and are very proud of it. Also for (former) Feyenoord players De Kuip is something special.
Mike Obiku once said "Every time you enter the pitch, you're stepping into a lion's home." Feyenoord doesn't own the stadium, it's an organisation on its own.
In 1935 Feijenoord player
Puck van Heel hit the first pole on their way into their new stadium. The stadium was opened on
27 March 1937 and
Beerschot was beaten by 5 goals to 2,
Leen Vente scored the first goal in De Kuip. Already in the very beginning the stadium was sold out on several occasions and other events held at de Kuip also gained lots of attendance. During the second World War the stadium was one of the few locations which wasn't bombed, however the Nazis occupied the stadium. After the war De Kuip became popular location once again. In
1949 the attendance record was broken during the match to decide the Dutch championship between
SVV Schiedam and
SC Heerenveen; 64,368 fans visited the match.
Besides football there were also
boxing and
motorcycle speedway races in De Kuip, which were also gaining popularity. In
1953 people had to hide inside the stadium because of the massive floods in Holland. On
27 November 1957 Feyenoord played versus
Bolton Wanderers during an evening match. It was the first time the
floodlights were taken in use. The players entered the pitch in the dark and the fans were asked to light their matchsticks when the floodlights were activated. Since that evening, that match at De Kuip has always been special among Feyenoord fans.
In 1963, De Kuip hosted their first European final (Cup winners' Cup) between
Tottenham Hotspur and
Atlético Madrid. Nine more European finals would follow in the years after with Feyenoord's win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup final being the 10th and latest. The attendance record of 1949 was broken in
1968 when 65,427 fans visited the Feyenoord-
FC Twente match.
New Stadium
In December 2006, Feyenoord director
Chris Woerts announced that Feyenoord were developing plans to build a new stadium which would have a capacity of roughly 70,000 seats. The stadium would most likely be placed at Varkenoord (Feyenoord's youth center) and should be completed by 2016.
In may 2008 Woerts announced further details, which both excited and amazed soccer fans in the Nederlands: the club is aiming for a stadium with a capacity of around 100.000 seats . If possible, a capacity of over 106.000 should be realized according to Woerts, which would earn the title of biggest stadium in Europe. The club emphasized its efforts to make it a true soccer stadium with seats close to the pitch. The stadium will get a retractable roof so that other events can be held as well. According to plans, the stadium should be ready in 2016.
Stadium songs
Unofficial Feyenoord hymn
Feyenoord's unofficial hymn since 1961 is called "Hand in Hand". Its melody was written in the 19th century by
German Wilhelm Speidel. In 1961
Jaap Valkhoff wrote the lyrics which became popular among Feyenoord supporters who adopted the song as their unofficial hymn. Valkhoff wrote lyrics on the same melody for several other teams as well. Among them were Feyenoord's arch rivals Ajax. Nowadays the song is heard wherever Feyenoord play their matches, but also fans of
MVV and
Club Brugge have their own version that they sing.
Other songs
When a goal is scored by Feyenoord in their home matches the song
I Will Survive, covered by the
Hermes House Band, but made famous by
Gloria Gaynor in the 1970s is played.
Feyenoord supporters are known to be creative and have a lot of various songs and chants in their equipment during matches. Among the most important Feyenoord songs are
"Mijn Feyenoord" by Lee Towers, "Feyenoord, wat gaan we doen vandaag?"' by
Cock van der Palm and
"De laatste trein naar Rotterdam" by
Dorus. During the 2001/2002 season when Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup a parody was launched of the song
"Put your hands up" by
Black and White Brothers called
"Put your hands up for Pi-Air" as a tribute to Pierre (Pi-Air) van Hooijdonk. In the 1970s
Coen Moulijn also had a song dedicated to him named
"Coentje Coentje Coentje".
Supporters
The supporters of Feyenoord are said to be one of the most loyal supporter groups in the world supporting the team during both good or bad times. They are nicknamed
Het Legioen,
Dutch for
The Legion and can be found everywhere in The Netherlands and far across the Dutch borders. Squad number
12 is never given to a player, but is reserved for Het Legioen instead.
Popularity
Feyenoord can be called a popular club because they always attract huge amounts of fans. The club's fans excel in European Cup matches played abroad where thousands of fan travel to support their team. Exact numbers on which clubs attract the most fans abroad are not available, but it's known this is a high rate compared to most other European clubs.
In
1963 about 3000 fans boarded on two ships, among thousands of others by train or car and they travelled to
Lisbon where Feyenoord faced
Benfica in the
European Cup. When Feyenoord plays abroad in European Cup about 8000 travel together to support their team. Almost 15,000 fans were cheering for their team in 1996 when Feyenoord played in Germany versus
Borussia Mönchengladbach. About 40,000 fans visit a regular match at home while top classes versus Ajax, PSV and European Cup opponents are sold out most of the time. After Feyenoord beat
Internazionale in the 2002 UEFA Cup semi final, Inter midfielder
Clarence Seedorf said: "I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Kuip. As an ex-Ajax player I was really given the bird, but that’s all part of the emotions in football. It also illustrates the intense way in which the Feyenoord supporters experience their club’s matches."
Beyond the Netherlands, Feyenoord opened a fanshop in the center of
Tokyo,
Japan when
Japanese player
Shinji Ono was a key player at the club, and also in
South Korea when
Song Chong-Gug played for Feyenoord.
Supportersvereniging
Feyenoord have one official fan supporters club, the Feyenoord Supportersvereniging. The FSV are completely independent and as of 2006 have a membership of about 23,000. Within the FSP about 60 supporters are continuously in contact with the staff of the club to discuss club matters. The flags were a success, but people started asking for more activities and a meeting between fans and officials were arranged. In 2000
Harry Veth was given permission to establish a group of five Feyenoord fans called TIFO team Feyenoord Rotterdam. Besides creating more flags and small pieces of paper released from the second platform the team also started to organise bigger activities. The first big activity was held on
10 December 2000 when Feyenoord faced Ajax and 40
fog machines were activated when the players entered the pitch. In the following years many different and various activities were held to improve the atmosphere inside the stadium. Feyenoord's TIFO team became famous abroad as well and the Italian TIFO foundation awarded Feyenoord the
Best of TIFO Award 2000/2001.
Kameraadjes
Kids supporting Feyenoord between 0 and 12 years old can join the "Kameraadjes" group. De kameraadjes (The little comrades) get a versatility of little gadgets and advantages according to Feyenoord. Members of the Kameraadjes receive the Kameraadjes magazine, a free stadium tour and a welcoming present. To show the kids the importance of sports and sportsmanship, Feyenoord invite the children to De Kuip to see what sport can do to people: happiness, disappointment, excitement, emotions, fear and cosines, it brings people together. Players signed during the summer will be seen by the fans in public for the first time and the players take some time to sign autographs after the training. Around the training pitch there are several other activities held before the first and in between the first and second training of the day. Despite finishing 9th in the Eredivisie in the 2006-07 season for instance the first training of the 2007-08 season broke all records when 20,000 fans showed up to support the team and to erase the previous season out of their minds.
Image:FirstTraining2006Feyenoord01.JPG|players applause
Image:FirstTraining2006Feyenoord02.JPG|big audience
Image:FirstTraining2006Feyenoord03.JPG|temporary stands
Image:Feyenoord Training 016.jpg|warming up
Opening day
A few weeks after the first training but still before the season really starts, the club open their doors for free for all Feyenoord fans to have fun together and to present the squad for the upcoming season. De Kuip already opens in the morning when there are many activities around the stadium mainly for kids and promotional activities for companies which have a partnership with Feyenoord. A minute of silence will be held for all former Feyenoord players who have passed away and for known fans who have passed away in the previous year. Former Feyenoord players return to De Kuip every year to play versus a team of Dutch celebrities. The stadium activities end after the squad for the upcoming season is presented to the fans. This is always a special happening, mainly for the new signings of the team. They will be flown into the stadium with helicopters when a full stadium is cheering for them when they arrive. The opening day is known as a unique event in the Netherlands. Other clubs also organise opening days, but never attract as many fans as Feyenoord do.
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 01.jpg|Helicopter above the Kuip
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 02.jpg|Coming closer
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 03.jpg|Front:Tim de Cler
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 04.jpg|Back:Van Bronckhorst
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 05.jpg|Almost at the pitch
Image:Feyenoord Helicopter 06.jpg|Roy Makaay steps out
Famous Feyenoord fans
Besides a lot of former players who still are fans of the club, there are also many celebrities who openly announce to be a Feyenoord fan. Singer
Lee Towers and actor
Gerard Cox are known as the most fanatic Feyenoord fans around, talking about the team wherever they show up on TV, radio or magazines. Among other famous Feyenoord fans are politicians
Wouter Bos and
Jan Marijnissen, baseball manager
Robert Eenhoorn, kidnapped
Arjan Erkel, judo world champion
Dennis van der Geest,
DJ Paul Elstak, tennis player
Raemon Sluiter and TV star
Renate Verbaan. Sluiter, Towers, Van der Geest and Eenhoorn have all officially been Feyenoord ambassadors. Verbaan is the current and first ever female ambassador.
Hooliganism
Aside from the loyalty of the supporters, which earned
Het Legioen the title "Best fans of the country", there's also a hooligan side, which often give the club a bad name. During the UEFA Cup final versus
Tottenham Hotspur in 1974 Feyenoord fans were confronted with
hooliganism for the first time. Prior to the match Tottenham hooligans had been causing damage in the center of Rotterdam already and during the match they climbed over the cages that separated the home and away stands. They were throwing seats, set the stadium on fire and were fighting man to man. In Europe they were also known as the "Don't run away" firm and besides fights with other Dutch firms there were some big fights in the 1990s in Germany. 15,000 Feyenoord fans were having control over the German police in
Mönchengladbach, while also in
Stuttgart and
Leverkusen they caused a lot of trouble. After this incident several members of the original SCF stepped back and a second generation of hooligans joined those who stayed. The additional firm was known as the RJK (Rotterdamse Jongeren Kern/Rotterdam Youth Squad). F-side members were at that time held by the police just outside the stadium and when the announcement was made in the stadium several groups of SCF/FIIIR members left the stadium to find the F-side. Much more than that amount travelled to
Nancy and tried to get tickets at the
Stade Marcel Picot. Members of SCF and FIIIR identify themselves with their tattoos Due to this violence, Feyenoord were knocked out of the UEFA Cup for the remaining of the season. In total there are about 200 members, but when in Rotterdam they're joined by more.
Rivalries
AFC Ajax
Ajax from
Amsterdam are Feyenoord's arch rivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the
Klassieker (The Classic) The rivalry isn't only between the two teams, but also a confrontation between the two largest cities of the country, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, two cities with extreme differences in for instance attitude and culture. Another Feyenoord player,
Robin van Persie had to be rescued by Ajax coach
John van 't Schip and player
Daniël de Ridder. There is a rivalry between the teams, mostly between Feyenoord and Sparta as Excelsior can be seen as Feyenoords feeder club, but it isn't comparable to other city clashes like in
Glasgow,
London,
Liverpool,
Madrid,
Rome or
Milan for instance. Feyenoord fans often see rather Excelsior or Sparta win a match than any other team. The rivalry between Sparta and Feyenoord is mostly seen on the Sparta side. Some Sparta fans reject to ever enter Feyenoord stadium De Kuip, not even when Sparta reached the KNVB Cup final which was played in De Kuip. Bosselaar was a player who played for the Dutch national team who moved from Sparta to Feyenoord in 1954.
(1921-1922) Bill Julian
(1924-1925) Harry Waits
(1925-1926) Engel Geneugelijk (a.i.)
(1926-1929) Jack Hall
(1929-1930) Joseph Lamb
(1930-1931) Jaap Kruys (a.i.)
(1931-1935) Eddy Donaghy
(1935-1939) Richard Dombi
(1939-1940) Jack Hall
(1940-1940) Karel Kaufman (a.i.)
(1940-1941) Theo Huizenaar
(1941-1942) Kees van Dijke
(1942-1946) Kees Pijl
(1946-1950) Adriaan Koonings
(1950-1951) Harry Topping
(1951-1955) Richard Dombi
(1955-1956) Piet de Wolf (a.i.)
(1956-1958) Jaap van der Leck
(1958-1959) Piet de Wolf (a.i.)
(1959-1961) George Sobotka
(1961-1963) Franz Fuchs
(1963-1964) Norberto Höfling
(1964-1967) Willy Kment
(1967-1969) Ben Peeters
(1969-1973) Ernst Happel
(1973-1973) Ad Zonderland (a.i.)
(1973-1975) Wiel Coerver
(1975-1976) Antoni Brzezanczyk
(1976-1976) Ad Zonderland (a.i.)
(1976-1978) Vujadin Boškov
(1978-1982) Vaclav Jezek
(1982-1982) Clemens Westerhof (a.i.)
(1982-1983) Hans Kraay
(1983-1983) Ab Fafié (a.i.)
(1983-1984) Thijs Libregts
(1984-1986) Ab Fafié
(1986-1988) Rinus Israël
(1988-1989) Rob Jacobs
(1989-1991) Pim Verbeek (dual)
(1989-1991) Gunder Bengtsson (dual)
(1991-1991) Wim Jansen (a.i.)
(1991-1992) Hans Dorjee
(1992-1992) Wim Jansen (a.i.)
(1992-1995) Willem van Hanegem
(1995-1995) Geert Meijer (a.i.)
(1995-1997) Arie Haan
(1997-1997) Geert Meijer (dual a.i.)
(1997-1997) John Metgod (dual a.i.)
(1997-2000) Leo Beenhakker
(2000-2000) Henk van Stee (a.i.)
(2000-2004) Bert van Marwijk
(2004-2005) Ruud Gullit
(2005-2007) Erwin Koeman
(2007-2007) Leo Beenhakker (a.i.)
(2007-2008) Bert van Marwijk
(2008-) Gertjan Verbeek
Feyenoord chairmen
Where Feyenoord's managers came from all over Europe the chairmen were mainly Dutch, with Amandus Lundqvist from Sweden as the only exception. With 28 years Cor Kieboom was the longest reigning chairman in the club's history.
(1908-1911) G.D. van Leerdam
(1911-1918) Leen van Zandvliet
(1918-1919) Jan van Bennekom
(1920-1925) Johan Weber
(1925-1939) Leen van Zandvliet
(1939-1967) Cor Kieboom
(1967-1973) Guus Couwenberg
(1973-1979) Leo van Zandvliet
(1979-1982) Guus Couwenberg
(1982-1989) Gerard Kerkum
(1989-1990) Carlo de Swart
(1990-1992) Amandus Lundqvist
(1992-2006) Jorien van den Herik
(2007-2007) Gerard Kerkum
(2007-present) Dick van Well
Media
Since 2000 Feyenoord have had its own television programme, shown weekly on SBS6. The show features interviews with players and other team members as well as documentaries about the team.
In 1993 Feyenoord introduced their own newspaper, the Feyenoord Krant, the first and only Dutch club to do so. The newspaper is published fortnightly, with a print run of 25,000. Extra editions are published to coincide with European matches.
The site is available in Dutch and English, plus other languages depending upon the nationalities of the club's high profile players. As of 2007, Japanese and Korean editions are available due to the popularity of Shinji Ono and Song Chong-Gug in their home countries. Since 2004 Feyenoord have shared a website 2 teams 1 goal with UNICEF as part Feyenoord's children's welfare project in Ghana. To mark Feyenoord's centenary another site was launched in January 2007 to publicise events related to the occasion. Feyenoord also opened official Live.com and YouTube pages in 2006. Sportclub Feyenoord's annual youth trials attract a large number of hopefuls, with thousands of boys attempting to impress the coaches.
The Feyenoord squad typically contains a number of players who joined the club after playing for Sportclub Feyenoord, and several players from Sportclub Feyenoord have progressed to have successful careers at international level, including Puck van Heel, Wim Jansen and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. A number of high profile managers also started their coaching careers at Varkenoord, including Clemens Westerhof and Leo Beenhakker.
Partnerships with other clubs
As of 2007, Feyenoord currently have three formal partnerships, a satellite club arrangement with nearby Excelsior, a partnership with Hungary's Újpest FC and the Feyenoord Academy in Ghana. The most of strongest of these partnerships is that with Excelsior, who since 1996 have loaned young Feyenoord players on the verge of the first team. The purpose of this is to allow them to experience regular first-team football, aiding their development while simultaneously strengthening Excelsior's squad. The highest profile players to have played at Excelsior as part of this arrangement are Thomas Buffel and Salomon Kalou, who were both subsequently involved in transfer deals worth several million Euros.. The partnership between Feyenoord and Excelsior was scaled back in 2006, though the clubs still work together.
Feyenoord's co-operation with Újpest FC started when Hungarian ex-footballer and former Feyenoord player Jószef Kiprich joined the Hungarian team as a under 19 coach and started as a scout for Feyenoord.
The academy in Ghana arose form a visit by Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik to Abidjan to sign the then unknown Bonaventure Kalou, when ven den Herik contacted with the education institute at Kalou’s club. The academy was built in Fetteh, just outside Accra. after go-ahead for and was given by the Chief of Fetteh in 1998. At the academy, young talented African footballers can work on their football skills. In addition to helping their football potential the students are provided with formal education which is funded by Feyenoord. The Feyenoord Academy currently play their matches in the OneTouch Premier League.
The club have also entered into several other partnerships which are now discontinued, most extensively in Brazil with América Futebol Clube and J.J.'s football school in Rio de Janeiro. Other clubs who have previously entered partnerships with Feyenoord include Parramatta Power, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Boldklubben 1893, Helsingborgs IF, Supersport United, KVC Westerlo, KV Mechelen, Breiðablik UBK, FC Lyn Oslo, UKS SMS Lodz, Omiya Ardija and Jiangsu Shuntian.
Sponsorships
As of the 1981-82 Eredivisie season the KNVB allowed the teams participating in the league to use sponsor names on their shirts in exchange for money. At the time Feyenoord's shirts were produced by Adidas and the first main sponsor became the Dutch Yellow Pages called Gouden Gids. Feyenoord's kits are currently produced by Kappa, which replaced Adidas in 2000.Honours
Dutch Trophies
Dutch Championships (14): 1924, 1928, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1984, 1993, 1999
Dutch Cup (11): 1930, 1935, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2008
Supercup: 1991, 1999
International Trophies
Intercontinental Cup: 1970
European Cup: 1970
UEFA Cup: 1974, 2002Further Information
Get more info on 'Feyenoord Rotterdam'.
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