Sparta Rotterdam

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Sparta Rotterdam

Full name

Sparta Rotterdam

Nickname(s)

Kasteelheren
(Lords of the Castle)

Founded

April 1, 1888

Ground

Het Kasteel (The Castle)
Rotterdam
(Capacity 11,026)

Chairman

Hans van Heelsbergen

Manager

Foeke Booy

League

Eredivisie

2007/2008

Eredivisie, 13th





Home colours





Away colours

Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Until the 2002/2003 season Sparta Rotterdam had always played at the highest level, but they were relegated from the top-level Eredivisie in 2002. Sparta returned to the Eredivisie for the 2005-06 season. The average attendance in 2005/06 was 9,950.

Sparta has won six national titles (1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1959) and three national cups (1958, 1962 and 1966). Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior (est. 1902) and Feyenoord (est. 1908), all playing in the Eredivisie.

1 History
2 Sparta in Europe
3 Current squad
4 Notable players
5 Former managers
6 External links

[edit] History

Sparta was first founded in 1887. This club was disbanded shortly afterwards. On April 1, 1888, several ex-members of the old Sparta founded a cricket club called Sparta. In July 1888, a football branch of the club was established. In 1890 Sparta played its first real football match, and in 1892 Sparta disbanded the cricket branch. Sparta was promoted to the highest league of Dutch football on April 23, 1893. In 1897, Sparta withdrew from the competition after continuous dubious arbitration of Sparta matches. However, the club continued to exist, and in 1899, the board of Sparta visited a match of Sunderland A.F.C. Impressed with the red-white jersey of the English club, the board decided that Sunderland's colours (red-white striped jersey, black shorts) would henceforth be the colours of Sparta.

In 1905, Sparta initiated and organised the first home match of the Dutch national team, against Belgium. The match, won 4-0 by the Netherlands, was a rematch of a game two weeks prior, when the Netherlands beat Belgium 4-1 in Antwerp.

The first match at Sparta's new stadium, Het Kasteel (The Castle), in the Spangen area of west Rotterdam, was played on October 14, 1916. The stadium was renovated in 1999 and is still Sparta's stadium.

[edit] Sparta in Europe

Q = Qualifying Round
1R = First Round
2R = Second Round
3R = Third Round
1/4 = Quarter Final

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Score
1959-60	European Cup	1R	IFK Göteborg	3-1, 1-3, 3-1
		1/4	Rangers FC	2-3, 1-0, 2-3
1962-63	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	Q	Lausanne Sports	0-3, 4-2
1966-67	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Floriana FC	1-1, 6-0
		2R	Servette Genève	0-2, 1-0
1970-71	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1R	ÍA Akranes	6-0, 9-0
		2R	Coleraine FC	2-0, 2-1
		3R	Bayern München	1-2, 1-3
1971-72	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Levski-Spartak	1-1, 2-0
		2R	Red Star Belgrade	1-1, 1-2
1983-84	UEFA Cup	1R	Coleraine FC	4-0, 1-1
		2R	Carl Zeiss Jena	3-2, 1-1
		3R	Spartak Moskva	1-1, 0-2
1985-86	UEFA Cup	1R	Hamburger SV	2-0, 0-2 (4-3 n.p.)
		2R	Borussia Mönchengladbach	1-1, 1-5

[edit] Current squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Harald Wapenaar (vice-captain)
3	DF	Dele Adelaye
4	DF	Danny Schenkel
5	DF	Sjaak Polak
6	MF	Edwin van Bueren
7	FW	Yuri Rose
8	MF	Nourdin Boukhari
10	MF	Arne Slot
11	MF	Olaf Lindenbergh
15	DF	Kim Jaggy
16	MF	Sani Kaita
17	FW	Edouard Duplan
18	FW	Marvin Emnes

No.	Position	Player
20	FW	Charles Dissels
21	GK	Cor Varkevisser
22	DF	Jerold Promes
23	MF	Iderlindo Moreno Freire
24	FW	Joshua John
25	GK	Sander Westerveld (captain)
26	DF	Dwight Tiendalli (on loan from Feyenoord)
28	MF	Nathan Rutjes
30	FW	Melvin Zaalman
31	GK	Dolf Kerklaan
33	MF	Erik Falkenburg
35	DF	Cees Toet
44	MF	Kevin Strootman