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Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional
football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, which plays in the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its neighbourhood in 1912 as SC Feijenoord, updated in 1974 to SC Feyenoord, and then to ''Feyenoord Rotterdam'' in 1978, when it split from the amateur club under its wing, SC Feyenoord. Since 1937, Feyenoord's home ground has been the Stadion Feijenoord, nicknamed De Kuip ('the tub'), the second largest stadium in The Netherlands. Feyenoord is one of the most successful clubs in Dutch football, winning 15 Dutch football championships, 13
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
s, and 4
Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
s. Internationally, it has won one
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, two UEFA Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. The club has played continuously in the top tier of the Dutch football system since gaining promotion to ''Eerste Klasse (''the Eredivisie's forerunner competition) in
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
, more times than any other club in the country, including the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. Feyenoord is known as a people's club with a huge national and international support. Its most successful period was the 1960s and 1970s, when Coen Moulijn and Ove Kindvall led the club to six league titles, two European trophies, and an Intercontinental Cup, thereby becoming the first Dutch club in history to win both the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. In the 21st century, Feyenoord ended an 18-year league title drought in
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and won the 2002 UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund in its home stadium, which makes them the first and still the last team from the Netherlands to win a European trophy this century. Feyenoord has a longstanding rivalry with their arch rival Ajax, a clash between two teams from the two biggest cities in the Netherlands, called '' De Klassieker'' ("The Classic"). The club's anthem is "Hand in Hand". The home shirt colours are red and white split down the middle with both the shorts and socks being black. As of 2017, Feyenoord is a multi-sports club, including Sportclub Feyenoord (amateur football team), Feyenoord Basketball, Feyenoord Futsal and Feyenoord Handball.


History


Foundation

The football club Wilhelmina was founded in the pub ''De Vereeniging'' on 19 July 1908Oprichting Wilhelmina
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and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908, 1910, 1911, and 1912, the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming Hillesluise Football Club in 1909,HFC en Celeritas
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and then RVV Celeritas. Upon earning promotion to the National football association in 1912, the club renamed to SC Feijenoord (after the city district in which the team was founded), and changed uniform once again, adopting the red and white shirts, black shorts and black socks that they still wear today.Tot Feijenoord en de eerste prijzen
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In 1918, Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football and moved to the ground ''Kromme Zandweg''.


First successes

After 18 years, 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 The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. ...
in 1930 by scoring the only goal in a derby final against Excelsior.Netherlands Cup Finals
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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 HVV Helmond. Feijenoord started to attract more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg, and in 1933, they 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 Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen, or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the second-tier First Division B after relegating from the top tier in the 2021–22 season. In 201 ...
.Feijenoord werkt aan prijzenkast
, frgoals.nl
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.Landstitel in Sparta Stadion
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During World War II, Feijenoord played their matches at
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently compete in the Eredivisie, the top flight ...
's
Kasteel Kasteel is the Dutch language word for a castle or château. It can also refer to: * Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel, a football stadium * Joop Kasteel (born 1964), a Dutch mixed martial artist * Piet Kasteel Petrus Albertus "Piet" Kasteel (4 November ...
, as the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
had occupied De Kuip. When Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtures, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg. Feijenoord 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.Dutch Championships
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During this period, Feijenoord's only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war, Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had 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.De nieuwe start
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The professional era commenced with the first
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
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 Henk Schouten (16 April 1932 – 18 April 2018) was a Dutch footballer who was active as a midfielder. Schouten made his debut at Excelsior Rotterdam and also played for Holland Sport and Feijenoord. Schouten died of pancreatic cancer on 18 Apri ...
. Feijenoord would grow an intense rivalry with Ajax. Matches between the two clubs quickly were dubbed as ''de Klassieker'' ("The Classic"). 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 archrivals.The rival
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Golden era

Feijenoord claimed their first professional Eredivisie Championship and their sixth Dutch Championship in 1961.Landstitels en de dubbel(s)
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On the road to the title Ajax was beaten 9–5 in De Kuip, four of Feijenoord's goals were scored by Henk Schouten. The following season, they played their first
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
match facing IFK Göteborg. The Swedes were beaten 0–3 in Gothenburg and 8–2 in Rotterdam. Feijenoord were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur in the following round.Feyenoord in Europa
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In 1962, Feijenoord successfully defended their Dutch Championship title and reached the final of the
Intertoto Cup 1961–62 The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the Geographical distribution of German speakers, German-speaking world as UI Cu ...
. where Feijenoord faced arch-rival Ajax in the final and subsequently lost 4–2. On 12 December 1962, Feijenoord played a decisive match versus Vasas SC in the second round of the
1962–63 European Cup The 1962–63 European Cup was the eighth season of the European Cup, a football competition for European clubs. The competition was won by Milan, who beat two-time defending champions Benfica in the final at Wembley Stadium in London. Milan's v ...
. The first two legs, in Rotterdam and Budapest, both ended in a 1–0 home victory, forcing a replay on a neutral ground to take place.Passage to Lisbon
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The match was played in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, where 30,000 Feijenoord fans travelled by bus to see their team play. Also this time, the final score was 1–0; Rinus Bennaars scored the only goal and was immediately nicknamed "The Hero of Deurne", reflecting the neighbourhood in Antwerp where the match was played. The events in Antwerp resulted in an enduring friendly relationship between the fans of Feijenoord and Royal Antwerp. In 1963, hundreds of thousands of people stood ashore by the Nieuwe Maas and the Nieuwe Waterweg to wave two ships, de ''Groote Beer'' and the ''Waterman'' goodbye. The ships transported thousands of Feijenoord fans to
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
where the club faced Benfica on 8 May 1963 in the European Cup semi-finals. The first leg, held in Rotterdam a month earlier, finished 0–0. Despite Feijenoord eventually losing the match 3–1, 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
1965–66 European Cup The 1965–66 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Real Madrid, winners of the first five European Cups from 1956 to 1960, for the sixth time in a close final against Partizan. Real Madrid eliminated title-holders Interna ...
, where they faced multiple cup champion
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
on 8 September 1965. 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. During the match, fans' favourite Coen Moulijn was attacked by a Spanish defender. Moulijn then proceeded to chase the defender down the pitch, leading other players, and even fans who entered the pitch, to do the same. The referee could do nothing but to suspend the match at 2–1 in Feijenoord's favour. Two weeks later, Real Madrid comfortably beat Feijenoord 5–0 and eventually won the European Cup that season. As the 1969 Dutch champions, Feijenoord participated in the
1969–70 European Cup The 1969–70 season was the 15th in the history of the European Cup, a club football tournament organised by UEFA for the domestic league champions of its member associations. It was won by Feyenoord of the Netherlands, who beat Scottish club Ce ...
. After winning against Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur 16–2 on aggregate in the first round, the club faced Milan. Feijenoord lost the first leg 1–0 in Italy but overcame the loss in their own stadium with 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, Feijenoord beat Legia Warszawa 2–0 on aggregate, earning Feijenoord their first European final. 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 extra time, Ove Kindvall scored Feijenoord's winning goal, leading Feijenoord to be the first Dutch team to claim a major European trophy. As reigning European champions, Feijenoord faced
Estudiantes La Plata Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wher ...
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 them. "You are not allowed to play with glasses... at least not in South America" was his excuse.Party in Rotterdam
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As the cup holders, Feijenoord participated in the
1970–71 European Cup The 1970–71 season of the European Cup club football tournament was won by Ajax in the final against Panathinaikos. It was the first time the cup went to Ajax, beginning a three-year period of domination, and the second consecutive championshi ...
despite relinquishing the Dutch title, which was won by Ajax. Feijenoord were eliminated in the first round, following a surprise defeat by the Romanian team UTA Arad. In 1971, Feijenoord won their 10th Dutch Championship.Feyenoord gaat door
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In 1974, the club changed their name from ''Feijenoord'' to Feyenoord, as people from outside the Netherlands did not know how to pronounce Dutch ''ij''. Under their new name, they played in the
1973–74 UEFA Cup The 1973–74 UEFA Cup was the third season of the UEFA Cup since its inception in 1971. It was won by Dutch side Feyenoord who defeated English side Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham ( ...
, reaching the final, following a 4–3 aggregate win over VfB Stuttgart in the semi finals. The opponent in the final was Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the first leg at White Hart Lane, 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 Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...
, and also 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. The remainder of the decade saw Feyenoord win 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 Rotterdam for professionals and SC Feyenoord for amateurs.Splitsing en weer prijzen
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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 Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and
Peter Houtman Peter Houtman (born 4 June 1957 in Rotterdam) is a retired football striker from the Netherlands who obtained eight caps for the Netherlands national team in the 1980s, scoring seven goals. Houtman played for Feyenoord Rotterdam and FC Groning ...
(who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer).Playing for Feyenoord
, cruijff.com
Cruyff reacted to Ajax's decision not to offer him a new contract at the start of the season and signed for archrivals Feyenoord instead. Cruyff's move to Rotterdam was criticised and increased Ajax's motivation to beat Feyenoord. In the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam Feyenoord suffered one of their most heavy defeats ever: 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 the 1989–90 season, the club struggled to remain in the Eredivisie, but eventually managed to avoid relegation. The club had financial problems, and as a result, the staff was not able 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 Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,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 Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
, 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.Netherlands list of Super Cup finals
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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
1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup The 1991–92 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by Werder Bremen in the final against Monaco. Both were first-time finalists in the competition. Defending champions Manchester United were eliminated by Atlético Madrid in the second ...
, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals, before being eliminated by Monaco on away goals, after two draws. In 1993, Feyenoord secured another Dutch Championship by beating
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
5–0 in the last league match of the season.1993 Groningen-Feyenoord 0–5
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The match was played at the Oosterpark Stadion in
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, 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 NEC 2–1) and 1995 (beating Volendam 2–1). During the
1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The 1994–95 season of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Real Zaragoza in the final against defending champions Arsenal, the Spanish club winning thanks to a last-minute goal from midfielder Nayim with a shot from 40 yards. Moldova joined the ...
, Feyenoord reached the quarter finals after beating Werder Bremen in the second round. They eventually lost to Real Zaragoza. In the quarter-finals in the 1995 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord visited Ajax, which would win the
1994–95 UEFA Champions League The 1994–95 UEFA Champions League was the 40th edition of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the third since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won by Ajax of the Netherlands with a late goal in th ...
later that season. Ajax was leading 1–0 when Ruud Heus equalised with a penalty just before full-time. In extra time, Feyenoord became the only team to defeat Ajax the same season they won the Eredivisie and the Champions League unbeaten. The goal scored by
Mike Obiku Michael (“Mike”) Edirin Obiku (born 24 September 1968 in Warri) is a retired Nigerian football striker. He is currently coach at Feyenoord Rotterdam's Soccer Schools. Club career Obiku started his career with Flash Flamingoes in his native ...
was the decider as the new golden goal rule became in use. During the
1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The 1995–96 season of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the final against Austrian entrants Rapid Wien in Brussels on 8 May 1996. The 1995–96 season also saw the return of Yugoslav clubs on the international s ...
, Everton and
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
were beaten. A total of 14,000 Feyenoord fans travelled to Germany to support the team against Mönchengladbach. Feyenoord were eliminated in the semi-finals by a Carsten Jancker-inspired Rapid Wien. Feyenoord made their UEFA Champions League debut in 1997–98, finishing third in their group behind
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
and
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
. However, Juventus was beaten 2–0 in Rotterdam, with both Feyenoord goals scored by Julio Cruz. In 1998, the FIOD-ECD (Fiscal Information and Investigation Service/Economic Investigation Service) visited Feyenoord because of suspected fraud,Laatste woord Jorien van den Herik in Hoger Beroep "FIOD-Affaire"
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mainly based on the signings of Aurelio Vidmar, Christian Gyan and
Patrick Allotey Patrick Allotey (13 December 1978 – 27 June 2007) was a football defender from Ghana. Career Born in Accra, Allotey played five official matches for Feyenoord Rotterdam. He also served Excelsior Rotterdam. Even though Allotey only played ...
. This became an ongoing scandal in following years, with club chairman Jorien van den Herik 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. Prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season, Ajax were beaten in their own stadium when Feyenoord won their second Dutch Super Cup title after a free-kick goal by Patrick Paauwe secured a 3–2 win.


Millennium

During the 1999–2000 season, Feyenoord participated in the Champions League for the second time. This time, the club managed to finish second in their group, behind
Rosenborg BK Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg () or RBK, is a Norwegian professional football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien. The club has won a record 26 league titles, a shared record 12 Norwegian Football Cup ti ...
and ahead of Borussia Dortmund.Champions League 1999/2000 Standings and results
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Feyenoord reached the second group stage and secured wins against Marseille (home) and Lazio (away). Chelsea won both clashes and, as a result, Feyenoord had to win their last group match away to Marseille to reach the knockout 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
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
, Sparta Prague and Spartak Moscow. This meant Feyenoord continued their European season in the
2001–02 UEFA Cup The 2001–02 UEFA Cup was won by Feyenoord at their home ground in the final against Borussia Dortmund. It was the second time they won the competition. Liverpool could not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2001–02 U ...
instead of the second Champions League group stage.Van Hooijdonk fires Feyenoord up
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The disappointment of failing to reach the second group stage eventually resulted in optimism and celebration. By defeating SC Freiburg and
Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
, Feyenoord faced fellow Dutch club 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 free-kicks goals, secured Feyenoord's win by scoring a 90th-minute equalizer before finishing PSV off by scoring the last goal in the penalty shoot-out. A 1–0 win in Milan against Internazionale and a 2–2 return match in Rotterdam then earned Feyenoord a spot in the final, against Borussia Dortmund. Coincidentally, the final was held at 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 goal and a penalty by Van Hooijdonk. Early in the second half, Márcio Amoroso scored a goal to make it 2–1.
Jon Dahl Tomasson Jon Dahl Tomasson (; born 29 August 1976) is a Danish football manager and former player who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers. A forward, his most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, w ...
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 figure Pim Fortuyn was murdered. Many fans were still full of emotion, before and after the match. As a result of Fortuyn's murder, the cup was not officially celebrated in the city centre. The 2002 UEFA Cup win was the start of a long dry spell for Feyenoord. In the 2002–03 season, the club finish third in the Eredivisie, as well as reach the final of the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
, which was lost 1–4 to Utrecht. However, in the following years, Feyenoord disappointed in both the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup. In between, in 2002 Feyenoord and chairman Jorien van den Herik were both found not guilty. Following the
prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
's appeal, and despite three years of investigations, the trial verdict was upheld. Nonetheless, the prosecution stated it would not yet abandon its case. The 2005–06 season ended in disappointment for Feyenoord. The team pursued the Dutch championship for most of the season, but eventually lost out to champions 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 outclassed 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 Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
). At the same time, it became clear Feyenoord were in an appalling financial state despite earlier comments made by chairman Jorien van den Herik, who claimed that the club was financially healthy. Supporters' unrest grew into anger when Feyenoord bought Angelos Charisteas, a back-up striker of arch-rivals Ajax, with a poor track record, as a replacement for Dirk Kuyt. After continuous protests, Van den Herik resigned and the club began managerial reforms. However, the worst was not over. Feyenoord were banned from European competition following hooliganism prior to and during a match against Nancy, despite an appeal by the club. The season ended in bitter disappointment with a seventh-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 Dutch left back Royston Drenthe at the
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It was the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. Summary For the first time, a host nation was chosen ahead of the competition – the Nethe ...
had investors flocking to the new investment schemes Feyenoord had established. The club appointed former manager Bert van Marwijk and was able to make a number of high-profile signings, including Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Roy Makaay. Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the Eredivisie, finishing in a disappointing sixth place. The pain was relieved by claiming the first prize in six years: 100 years after the foundation of the club, Feyenoord managed to win the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
after defeating Roda JC 2–0. As Van Marwijk accepted a job as manager of the national team, Feyenoord appointed Gertjan Verbeek as their manager for the 2008–09 season.


Financial problems

In the 2008–09 season, Feyenoord celebrated their 100th birthday and organised many events throughout the year. The old "golden logo" returned as Feyenoord's official logo, which had earlier been presented at the 2007 New Year's brunch. During the summer, a historical tournament was held between Feyenoord and the three opponents they met in the European Cup finals – Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic – named the Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament.Borussia, Spurs en Celtic naar Kuip
ad.nl
Midway through the season, manager Verbeek was sacked due to disappointing league results. His assistant, Leon Vlemmings, took over as manager. The results in this period improved slightly, resulting in securing a spot in the playoffs for the final Dutch Europa League slot. For the 2009–10 season, Feyenoord appointed former assistant manager and Feyenoord footballer Mario Been to take over from Vlemmings. Been, after achieving minor European successes with NEC, was considered the ideal candidate for the job. Former manager Leo Beenhakker, at the time manager of the Poland national team, took over as technical director. Partly because of this position, Beenhakker was able to attract more investors to the club, leading to some unexpected signings, including Sekou Cissé, Dani Fernández and
Stefan Babović Stefan Babović (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Бабовић; born 7 January 1987) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a deep-lying playmaker. He is the current chief operations officer (COO) of Victoria Group. During h ...
. On 24 October 2010, Feyenoord lost heavily to PSV 10–0. In mid-January 2011, Beenhakker resigned after multiple clashes with the Feyenoord directors. His replacement was former Feyenoord player Martin van Geel, who at the time was working as technical director for fellow Eredivisie club Roda JC. In July 2011, a majority of players in the squad voted to oust Been as club manager; 13 of 18 players voted they had lost all confidence in Been's ability to successfully manage the club. Been's subsequent sacking became global news, if only because reports of Been's firing quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, leaving people around the world to wonder who exactly Been was. After Louis van Gaal turned down an offer to manage Feyenoord, the club approached former Barcelona defender Ronald Koeman, who had played for Feyenoord during the late 1990s. With his eventual hiring as manager, Koeman became the first to ever serve as both player and head coach at all teams of the so-called " traditional big three" of Dutch football: Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Moreover, he played and managed these teams in the same order. At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Feyenoord lost valuable players Leroy Fer, Georginio Wijnaldum and André Bahia to Twente, PSV and Samsunspor respectively. In return, the club restocked with players such as Jordy Clasie, Miquel Nelom, Guyon Fernandez and Kaj Ramsteijn, who came mostly from their own youth academy. Two other players were loaned, John Guidetti from
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
and
Otman Bakkal Otman Bakkal (born 27 February 1985) is a Dutch retired international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He began his career at PSV, and was loaned to Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Twente and Feyenoord. After making a permanent move ...
from PSV. Feyenoord started the season well and played the first match of the Eredivisie against the other Rotterdam club in the league, Excelsior. Feyenoord ended the season by placing second in the Eredivisie, resulting in the third qualifying round for Champions League football.


Revival

On 16 December 2011, it was revealed that Feyenoord had been placed in the more favorable second category (Categorie 2), meaning Feyenoord were no longer in debt, according to the KNVB. They achieved the reclassification following the transfer of several significant players and a large capital injection made by the organisation VVF (Friends of Feyenoord, Vrienden Van Feyenoord). However, to remain in the second category, Feyenoord needed to obtain the same number of points earned, rounding up to at least 65 points. On 13 April 2012, Feyenoord was officially out of what has been described as the "financial dangerzone" and was officially placed in the second category. According to club chairman Eric Gudde, the placing in the more favourable category came earlier than anticipated; he also congratulated the fans and promised to maintain the same policy until Feyenoord was completely healthy again, saying the club will never fall back into the first category. Despite no longer having to request permission from the KNVB to invest in new players, Feyenoord kept continuing the policy for the 2012–13 season, only contracting players who were either out of contract or available for a low transfer fee. John Goossens, Ruud Vormer and
Daryl Janmaat Daryl Janmaat (born 22 July 1989) is a Dutch professional football official and a former player who played as a right back. He is the technical director of ADO Den Haag. He began his career at ADO Den Haag, and went on to play for the Eredivis ...
were out of contract and signed a deal with Feyenoord over their respective prior clubs. Mitchell te Vrede played for the affiliated football club Excelsior, as well as for the highest-ranked academy team Jong Feyenoord/Excelsior and was promoted to the main senior team. Harmeet Singh and Lex Immers were the only two players whom Feyenoord paid a transfer fee for. Singh, a Norwegian midfielder and one of two non-Eredivisie players joining Feyenoord, was purchased from Vålerenga, while Immers joined from
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...
. The other non-Eredivisie player joining Feyenoord was Omar Elabdellaoui, who was brought in on loan from Manchester City. On 2 July 2012, Karim El Ahmadi completed his transfer from Feyenoord to English Premier League club
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of €2.6 million. On 15 July, Aston Villa supports uploaded a picture on Twitter which showed Ron Vlaar, Feyenoord captain since 2010–11, visiting Villa Park – Aston Villa's home ground – in Birmingham. Shortly after, Martin van Geel confirmed Vlaar sought to leave Feyenoord. After the incident, Villa did not contact Vlaar, prompting Ronald Koeman to issue Villa a deadline of 23 July to negotiate Vlaar's transfer. On 23 July, Vlaar told the public that he would not leave Feyenoord, and said that he felt he was kept "dangling" by Villa. However, four days later, Vlaar told the public he would eventually be joining Villa, as he had agreed personal terms and would sign for Villa subject to him passing a medical. On 1 August, Vlaar officially joined Aston Villa, signing a three-year contract. Feyenoord supporters received the news generally mixed, with some congratulating and wishing the best of luck and others feeling betrayed by Vlaar for misleading them. Stefan de Vrij became the new Feyenoord captain, with Jordy Clasie, who because of his good play and tenacity soon became one of the most popular players among the supporters, becoming vice-captain. On 7 August, Feyenoord was eliminated by Dynamo Kyiv in the third qualifying round of the Champions League following losses in both legs. Feyenoord was therefore demoted to the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League. Koeman said that Feyenoord was the better side over the two legs but had missed a scoring striker, referring to John Guidetti, who had rejoined Manchester City following the end of his loan. On 10 August 2012, Dutch international and
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
defender Joris Mathijsen joined Feyenoord on a three-year contract. Málaga had made clear to Mathijsen that he needed to find a new club to generate income for the financially suffering Málaga after Sheikh Al Thani left. Stefan de Vrij remained captain, despite Mathijsen being more experienced at both international and club level. After drawing the first leg of the Europa League qualifier at home 2–2 against Sparta Prague, Feyenoord was eliminated following a 2–0 loss in the second leg, meaning Feyenoord would not be playing European football in 2012–13. Following these events, Feyenoord loaned Parma and former AZ striker Graziano Pellè and exchanged
Jerson Cabral Jerson Cabral (born 3 January 1991) is a Dutch-Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League Greece club Ionikos. Career Feyenoord Cabral was scouted by Feyenoord at the age of seven. He made his professiona ...
for Twente striker
Wesley Verhoek Wesley Verhoek () (born 25 September 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He was known as a striker who can also play as a winger on either side of the pitch. He spent most of his professional career at ADO Den Haag at different po ...
in a straight player swap. Feyenoord ended the season in third, behind champions Ajax and second-placed
PSV PSV may refer to: * Partial specific volume * PlayStation Vita, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment * Petit Saint Vincent, an island south of St. Vincent in the Grenadine islands * Platform supply vessel, a specific typ ...
. Pellè surprised many after scoring 27 goals in 29 matches, prompting Feyenoord to sign him permanently from Parma on a contract lasting until summer 2017. In the 2013–14 season, Feyenoord recorded the worst start in its history, losing its first three matches to PEC Zwolle, Twente and Ajax respectively. Feyenoord would recover, but its performances were unstable throughout the season. However, because the Eredivisie's other top teams also played inconsistently, Feyenoord remained in the title race, although it eventually finished second, four points behind Ajax. In the UEFA Europa League, Feyenoord was eliminated in the third qualifying round by Kuban Krasnodar, making it Feyenoord's fifth consecutive season without European football. On 1 February 2014, Ronald Koeman announced he would be resigning at the end of the season. On 3 March 2014, Fred Rutten was named the new manager for the 2014–15 season. During the summer of the 2014–15 season, Feyenoord lost four of its best players: Daryl Janmaat to
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, Stefan de Vrij to Lazio, Bruno Martins Indi to Porto and Graziano Pellè to Southampton, with Southampton having just appointed Koeman as its new manager. To replace them, as well as other departed players, Feyenoord signed
Warner Hahn Warner Hahn (born 15 June 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kyoto Sanga. He formerly played for FC Dordrecht, Feyenoord, PEC Zwolle, Excelsior, Anderlecht, Go Ahead Eagles and IFK Göteborg. Born in the Netherla ...
from Dordrecht, Luke Wilkshire from
Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
,
Khalid Boulahrouz Khalid Boulahrouz (born 28 December 1981) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. His nickname is "The Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" the opposition. He was noted for his tackling and versatility at the back. ...
from Brøndby,
Bilal Başaçıkoğlu Bilal Başaçıkoğlu (born 26 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Tuzlaspor. He formerly played for SC Heerenveen, Feyenoord and Kayserispor. Born in the Netherlands, he represented Turkey at under-21 ...
from Heerenveen,
Colin Kazim-Richards Colin Kazim-Richards (born 26 August 1986), also known as Colin Kâzım, Kâzım or Kâzım Kâzım, is a professional footballer as a forward for Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük S.K. Born and raised in England, he qualified for Turkish na ...
from Bursaspor, Jens Toornstra from Utrecht, Kenneth Vermeer from Ajax and Karim El Ahmadi from Aston Villa, returning to the club after two years in England. With new players as well as a new head coach, Feyenoord began the 2014–15 Eredivisie season with just five points after four matches. However, the club was successful in reaching the Europa League group stage for the first time in six years. After losing to Besiktas 5–2 aggregate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, they defeated Zorya Luhansk in the final qualifying round of the Europa League play-off, 5–4 aggregate. Feyenoord won with 2–1 against Standard Liège in their first home match in Group G of the Europa League. It was the first victory for Feyenoord in the Europa League group stage in eight years. Feyenoord also beat
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
(2–0) and defending champions Sevilla (2–0), results sufficient for Feyenoord's progress to the knockout round for the first time in ten years. In the knockout round, Feyenoord lost to Roma 3–2 on aggregate. After this loss, Feyenoord did not recover. Despite nearly securing a spot in next season's Europa League qualification rounds, they failed to win any of their last five matches, ending the year in the fourth spot, behind AZ. In the play-offs to earn a spot for Europa League, they were eliminated by Heerenveen. After manager Fred Rutten opted not to extend his contract, on 23 March 2015 Feyenoord announced former Dutch international and Feyenoord player Giovanni van Bronckhorst would become its new manager. That summer the club contracted several new key players, Eric Botteghin from
FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...
, Jan-Arie van der Heijden from Vitesse, and Eljero Elia from
SV Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
. It also welcomed back club legend
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
from Fenerbahçe on a one-year contract. After eight years without any prizes, Feyenoord won its 12th KNVB Cup on 24 April 2016. In the Eredivisie the team came third, a distance behind Ajax and the champions PSV. That next summer Feyenoord managed to do some good business in the transfer market. The contracts of starting players like Dirk Kuyt and Eljero Elia were extended. Furthermore, it acquired Nicolai Jørgensen from F.C. Copenhagen for €3,500,000 and Brad Jones was contracted on a free transfer from NEC as a replacement for injured first-choice goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer. The 2016–17 season started perfectly, as the first nine league matches were won, and Feyenoord beat Manchester United F.C. 1–0 in the Europe League. That was with a little help from the referee as Nicolai Jørgensen, who gave the assist, was clearly offside. This match, and all of Feyenoord's European home games were played in only a half-full stadium. These measurements were taken to avoid new penalties from the UEFA. In that same week reigning Dutch champions PSV were beaten, 0–1. The first loss of points was against Ajax on 23 October 2016. The final score was 1–1 after goals of Kasper Dolberg and Dirk Kuyt. A week later another draw followed against SC Heerenveen. On 6 November, a weakened team lost for the first time that season; relegation candidate
Go Ahead Eagles Go Ahead Eagles () are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in the 2020-21 season. The club's h ...
won 1–0. In the European campaign Feyenoord struggled, and after losses to Manchester United (4–0) and Fenerbahçe (0–1) the European adventure ended. In the Eredivisie the team booked big victories, such as a 6–1 defeat against Sparta and 0–4 against AZ. With a 5-point lead to second place Ajax, Feyenoord ended the year at the top of the league table. The second half of the season, Feyenoord started strong, winning the first seven league games of 2017. However, in Arnhem, Vitesse proved to be too strong in the KNVB Cup (2–0). Feyenoord beat PSV at home (2–1), due to an own goal from PSV-goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet, which was indicated by Goal-line technology. On 5 March, Sparta was the first team to beat Feyenoord in the new year, by a goal in the first minute of the game, scored by Mathias Pogba. Feyenoord recovered quickly and another big win followed when they beat AZ, 5–2, and a week later SC Heerenveen were beat, 2–1. When Feyenoord lost to Ajax, and drew against PEC Zwolle, their lead was decreased to one point. After two more victories from Feyenoord and a loss for number two Ajax against PSV, the gap was four points with two games to go. One week before the end of the competition, Feyenoord could become champions away at Excelsior, just 4 kilometers from their home stadium, De Kuip, and also in Rotterdam. However, the team had a complete off-day and lost, 3–0. One week later, in the final game of the season, the team still became champions by beating Heracles by 3–1. All three goals were made by the team captain, Dirk Kuyt, who would later announce his retirement, making it a 'fairytale' last match on his account. The championship was Feyenoord's 15th and the first in 18 years. Feyenoord was the second team in the history of the Dutch league to stay at the top of the table the entire season. Because of the championship, Feyenoord was to compete for the
Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
against cup winner Vitesse in the Kuip on 5 August 2017. After a 1–1 tie Feyenoord beat Vitesse by penalties. As the Dutch champions, Feyenoord qualified directly for the
2017–18 UEFA Champions League The 2017–18 UEFA Champions League was the 63rd season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 26th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. The final was pla ...
group stage. The team was drawn with
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, Shakhtar Donetsk and Napoli, and eventually lost its first 5 matches. However, their last home match – against Napoli – ended in victory, winning 2–1. That same season, Feyenoord was not able to win the Dutch championship again, but won the Dutch Cup after beating AZ 3–0 in the final. For the 2021–22 season, Feyenoord participated in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League; the team managed to reach the final but lost 1-0 to Italian club Roma.


Location

Feyenoord are located in the Feijenoord district of southern
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
and is named after the district in which the club was founded. More frequent appearances in international tournaments led the club to change its name in 1974, because foreign fans unfamiliar with the Dutch language did not know how to pronounce ij. Beside Feyenoord, there are two other professional football clubs in Rotterdam: Sparta and Excelsior. Feyenoord, Sparta (promoted after the 2018–19 season and Excelsior (promoted after the 2021–22 season) are currently playing in the Eredivisie.


Stadia


De Kuip

The club's Feijenoord Stadion, located in the IJsselmonde district of Rotterdam, is nicknamed ''De Kuip'', Dutch for ''The Tub''. It was built in 1937 and is one of the major European stadiums.Stadion Feijenoord – historie
, vasf.nl
It has 51,117 seats and has hosted a record of ten finals of UEFA club competitions, including the
2002 UEFA Cup Final The 2002 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match played on 8 May 2002, between Feyenoord of the Netherlands and Borussia Dortmund of Germany at the Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Feyenoord's home ground. It was the 31st UEFA Cup final ...
fittingly won by Feyenoord. Former Feyenoord player
Mike Obiku Michael (“Mike”) Edirin Obiku (born 24 September 1968 in Warri) is a retired Nigerian football striker. He is currently coach at Feyenoord Rotterdam's Soccer Schools. Club career Obiku started his career with Flash Flamingoes in his native ...
once said, "Every time you enter the pitch, you're stepping into a lion's den." Feyenoord, however, does not own the stadium; it is 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 Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen, or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the second-tier First Division B after relegating from the top tier in the 2021–22 season. In 201 ...
was beaten by 5–2,
Leen Vente Leendert Roelof Jan "Leen" Vente (14 May 19119 November 1989) was a Dutch footballer who played as a striker. He earned 21 caps and scored 19 goals for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. Playing c ...
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 high attendance. During World War II, the stadium was one of the few locations which was not bombed, however the Nazis occupied the stadium. After the war, De Kuip became a popular location once again. In 1949, the attendance record was broken during the match to decide the Dutch championship between SVV Schiedam and Heerenveen; 64,368 fans attended the match. Besides football, there were also boxing and
motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
races in De Kuip, which were also gaining popularity. In 1953, people had to hide inside the stadium during the
North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...
. On 27 November 1957, Feyenoord played versus
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
during an evening match. It was the first time the floodlights were used. 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 Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
. 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 tenth and latest. The attendance record of 1949 was broken in 1968 when 65,427 fans attended the Feyenoord– Twente match.


New stadium

In December 2006, Feyenoord director
Chris Woerts Chris Woerts (born 2 January 1959,
announced that Feyenoord were developing plans to build a new stadium which would have a capacity of roughly 90,000 seats. The stadium would most likely be placed on the Nieuwe Maas, the river that runs through Rotterdam, and should be completed by 2016. In May 2008, Woerts announced further details: the club is aiming for a stadium with a capacity of around 100,000 seats. If possible, a capacity of over 130,000 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 football 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 in those days, the stadium should be ready in 2016. Due to financial difficulties for all parties involved and the fact that the Netherlands were not chosen to host the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
, the plans for a new stadium have been put on hold. A new stadium will most likely be built in the future, though it will likely not have a spectator capacity greater than 70,000. In September 2012, Feyenoord confirmed that they would try to build a new stadium by 2018. The stadium was designed by VolkerWessels, it would have cost around €300 million (~£242 million). Another option was a plan made by a consortium of BAM,
Eneco Energie Eneco, the trading name of Eneco Groep N.V., is a producer and suppliers of natural gas, electricity and heat in the Netherlands, serving more than 2 million business and residential customers. Eneco headquarters are located in Rotterdam. It ...
and
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
. But the plan was rejected by the Feyenoord and Stadion Feijenoord direction. The new stadium should be a 63,000 all-seater. Due to the illustrious history of De Kuip, many fans were against the demolition of De Kuip and instead preferred a renovation of the current stadium. One of those initiatives was ''Red de Kuip'', which is Dutch for Save de Kuip. They made plans of building a third tier on top of the current stadium, increasing the capacity to 68,000. This plan would cost only €117 million (~£94 million). In 2016, Feyenoord announced their plans for a new stadium called Feyenoord City. The planned capacity was set to be around 65,000 seats, which would've made it the Netherlands' largest stadium. Despite the council approving the plans for the new stadium, it once again proved unpopular with many Feyenoord supporters. In May 2022, the director of Stadion Feyenoord, Jan van Merwijk announced that Feyenoord City would not be feasible due to financial difficulties, and that a major renovation of Stadion Feyenoord would also be out of question for the time being.


Stadium songs


Official Feyenoord hymn

Feyenoord's official 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 archrivals Ajax. Nowadays, the song is heard wherever Feyenoord play their matches, but also fans of MVV and
Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.
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 The Hermes House Band is a Dutch pop band, established in 1982 by members of the Rotterdamsch Studenten Corps, a fraternity/sorority in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They have released more than 25 albums and singles. History The band rose to fame i ...
(but made famous by
Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor ( née Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), " Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), " I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" ( ...
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 ''Wie heeft er weer een goal gescoord, Feijenoord, Feijenoord'' by Tom Manders, ''"Mijn Feyenoord"'' by
Lee Towers Leendert "Leen" Huijzer (; born 23 March 1946), better known by his stage name Lee Towers, is a Dutch singer with international success. He remains as one of the best-selling artists and holds the record for the most concerts performed by a singl ...
, ''"Feyenoord, wat gaan we doen vandaag?"'' by , and ''"De laatste trein naar Rotterdam"'' by Tom Manders. During the 2001/02 season, when Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup, a parody of the song "Put your hands up" by
Black and White Brothers Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
was launched, called "Put your hands up for Pi-Air", a tribute to Pierre ("Pi-Air") van Hooijdonk, one of the club's key players at the time. In the 1970s, Coen Moulijn also had a song dedicated to him, "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 is a popular club in the Netherlands with a large number of supporters. The team's first training session of a season alone attracts thousands of fans;Eerste training
, feyenoord.nl
20,000 attended 2007–08's inaugural session. In 1963, about 3,000 fans boarded on two ships, among thousands of others by train or car and they travelled to
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
where Feyenoord faced Benfica in the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
. When Feyenoord play abroad in European competitions, about 8,000 travel together to support their team.Toeschouwers gemiddelden
, feyenoord.netwerk.to
Almost 15,000 fans were cheering for their team in 1996 when Feyenoord played in Germany against
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
. About 40,000 fans visit a regular match at home while top classes against Ajax, PSV and European cup opponents are sold out most of the time. About 250,000 fans showed up when Feyenoord's Dutch championship was celebrated in 1999 at the Coolsingel in the centre of the city. 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." A number of the club's followers acknowledge a very close link with English side Sunderland A.F.C.. Over 100 Feyenoord supporters attended a function in Sunderland on the evening before their fixture with Newcastle in April 2015 and a similar number of Sunderland fans made the journey to watch the Dutch side in their ultimately delayed fixture against Vitesse. Beyond the Netherlands, Feyenoord opened a fanshop in the centre of Tokyo, when Japanese player Shinji Ono was a key player at the club, and also in South Korea when Song Chong-Gug played for Feyenoord.


Supporters organisations

Feyenoord have one official fan supporters club, the Feyenoord Supportersvereniging.De Feyenoord Supportersvereniging
, feyenoord.nl
Independent of the club, FSV has a membership of about 23,000, as of 2006. The FSV act as a liaison between club and fans, produce match programmes, arrange travel to away games and organise supporters' evenings, as well as being involved in the other supporters organisations. Children between 0 and 12 years old can join the ''Kameraadjes'' group ( en, little comrades).Kameraadjes
, feyenoord.nl
In 1998, the Feyenoord Supporters Vereniging were wondering about whether or not it would be possible to create more atmosphere inside the stadium mainly during important matches. As a result, a few huge flags were produced and brought into the stadium prior to matches played by Feyenoord.
, tifonet.nl
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 2000/01.


Jeugdproject

Feyenoord's Jeugdproject (Youth Project) concentrate on children between 6 and 12 years of age, playing football at schools and amateur teams.Jeugdproject
, feyenoord.nl
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. In Feyenoord's Youth Project visiting a match is the central point, but there is also an educative and cultural character included. Feyenoord provide schools and amateur clubs with small teaching books and expect these to be filled in by the visiting youth when they enter the stadium on a match day. The groups that support Feyenoord in the most original way and those who can predict the score correctly are awarded with prizes.


Opening day

A few weeks after the start of the pre-season, yet prior to the start of the competitive season, the club opens its doors for free for all Feyenoord fans to have fun together and to present the squad for the upcoming season.
, ego2.nl
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. Fans can also take a stadium tour and walk on the pitch. The activities inside the stadium itself normally start around noon, when there are several performances by various artists. Every year, the new Feyenoord ambassador of the year is announced at opening day.Open Dag Feyenoord
ad.nl
A minute of silence is held for all former Feyenoord players who have died and for known fans who have died 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. Once they are there, the other players and club officials enter the pitch one by one. Last but not least, all players are available for autograph sessions afterwards. Feyenoord's open day attracts approximately 60,000 to 70,000 fans towards Rotterdam, coming from all over the Netherlands, while there are only 51,117 seats available within the stadium. The opening day is known as a unique event in the Netherlands.


Notable supporters

Notable supporters of Feyenoord include Craig Bellamy, Wouter Bos,
Gerard Cox Gerardus Antonius "Gerard" Cox (born 6 March 1940, Rotterdam) is a Dutch singer, cabaret artist, actor, and director. For fifteen years, he played the lead character of the Dutch sitcom ''Toen Was Geluk Heel Gewoon''. Life In 2018, Cox had a le ...
,
Robert Eenhoorn Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn (born February 9, 1968) is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels. On Sep ...
, DJ Paul Elstak, Arjan Erkel,
Dennis van der Geest Dennis van der Geest (; born 27 June 1975) is a Dutch judoka, who won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight (+ 100 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Haarlem, North Holland. In 2005, he became the world judo cha ...
, Ernesto Hoost, Jan Marijnissen, Mark Rutte and Raemon Sluiter. Raemon Sluiter,
Lee Towers Leendert "Leen" Huijzer (; born 23 March 1946), better known by his stage name Lee Towers, is a Dutch singer with international success. He remains as one of the best-selling artists and holds the record for the most concerts performed by a singl ...
,
Dennis van der Geest Dennis van der Geest (; born 27 June 1975) is a Dutch judoka, who won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight (+ 100 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Haarlem, North Holland. In 2005, he became the world judo cha ...
,
Robert Eenhoorn Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn (born February 9, 1968) is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels. On Sep ...
and Renate Verbaan have all officially been Feyenoord ambassadors. Gerard Meijer is the current ambassador, also being appointed "ambassador for life" on 19 July 2008.


Rivalries


De Klassieker

Ajax from Amsterdam are Feyenoord's archrivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the '' Klassieker'' ("The Classic")."No words, but deeds!" – Introduction to an eternal rivalry
, ajax-usa.com
The rivalry is not 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 attitude and culture. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be the biggest match of the season. In the past, there have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk clash in 1997 is the most infamous, with Ajax fan Carlo Picornie being killed and several others injured. In 2004, Feyenoord player
Jorge Acuña Jorge Cristian Acuña Concha (born 31 July 1978 in Ovalle), also known by his nickname Kike Acuña, is a Chilean football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Born in Ovalle, IV Region of Coquimbo, Acuña joi ...
was taken to hospital with head, neck and rib injuries after Feyenoord players were attacked by Ajax hooligans during a match between the reserve teams of both clubs.Feyenoord's Acuña hurt after attack by Ajax hooligans
chinadailly.com
Another Feyenoord player, Robin van Persie, had to be rescued by Ajax coach John van 't Schip and player Daniël de Ridder. In 2005, riots before and after the match occurred in Rotterdam and were considered to belong to the worst in the history of Dutch football.


Rotterdam derby

Rotterdam is the city with the most professional teams in the Netherlands. Besides Feyenoord there are
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently compete in the Eredivisie, the top flight ...
and Excelsior. There is a rivalry between the teams, mostly between Feyenoord and Sparta as Excelsior used to be Feyenoord's feeder club, but it is not comparable to other local derbies. The rivalry between Sparta and Feyenoord is mostly seen on the Sparta side.Gratis naar binnen op Zuid
, itwm.nl
The rivalry started in the 1910s and 20s, when Sparta was regarded as a club for the elite, while Feyenoord was regarded the club for the people, mostly workers. Some Sparta fans have refused to enter Feyenoord's De Kuip stadium, even when Sparta had reached the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
final, which was played in De Kuip. In the 1950s there was much more of a rivalry. One of the key factors for these feelings was footballer
Tinus Bosselaar Martinus Bosselaar (January 16, 1936 – June 6, 2018) was a Dutch footballer who played as a left winger. Club career He became the head subject in the "Bosselaar-affair" in 1956. Bosselaar and Sparta both agreed on a return to the club as hi ...
, who moved from Sparta to Feyenoord in 1954 before Sparta re-signed him, despite Feyenoord trying to prevent the deal in court.Feitjes en weetjes over Feyenoord
, sportgeschiedenis.nl
Feyenoord also have a rivalry abroad against Tottenham Hotspur following several violent clashes between the club's supporters and Tottenham's "link" to Ajax.


Honours


Domestic

*
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
: 15 ** Winners: 1923–24, 1927–28, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1983–84,
1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...
, 1998–99, 2016–17 *
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
: 13 ** Winners: 1929–30, 1934–35, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2007–08, 2015–16, 2017–18 *
Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
: 4 ** Winners:
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
,
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...


Continental

*
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
: 1 ** Winners: 1969–70 * UEFA Cup: 2 ** Winners: 1973–74, 2001–02


Worldwide

* Intercontinental Cup: 1 ** Winners:
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...


European record


UEFA ranking


Feyenoord coaches

Feyenoord have had coaches from all over Europe. In the early years, the club mainly had English managers, as football was already professional there. Feyenoord's first Dutch coach was Engel Geneugelijk (ad interim), while
Richard Dombi Richard Kohn (27 February 1888 – 16 June 1963) was an Austrian football player and later coach of FC Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and Feyenoord Rotterdam. He was Jewish, born in Vienna. His nickname was ''Dombi'' or ''Little Dombi'', meaning ...
is seen as the first successful coach. He led the team in three different periods. During the club's weakest period, Feyenoord was coached by two coaches at once, the Dutchman Pim Verbeek and the Swede Gunder Bengtsson. Bengtsson was the last foreign coach to lead Feyenoord. Feyenoord's international trophies were won by Ernst Happel,
Wiel Coerver Wiel Coerver (; 3 December 1924 – 22 April 2011) was a Dutch football manager and the developer of the "Coerver Method", a football coaching technique. Playing career Coerver played five years for local side Rapid JC, with whom he won t ...
and Bert van Marwijk.


Feyenoord chairmen

Although Feyenoord's coaches have come from all over Europe, the club's chairmen have been mostly Dutch, with Amandus Lundqvist from Sweden as the only exception. With 28 years, Cor Kieboom was the longest-reigning chairman in club history.


Media

Since 2000 Feyenoord has had its own television programme, shown weekly on SBS6.Feyenoord media
, feyenoord.nl
The show features interviews with players and other team members as well as documentaries about the team. As of the 2006–07 season Feyenoord launched its own Feyenoord TV project on their website with daily news and reports that tells everything about the club. In 1993 Feyenoord introduced their own newspaper, the ''Feyenoord Krant'', the only Dutch club to do so.
, feyenoord.nl
The newspaper is published fortnightly, with a print run of 25,000. Extra editions are published to coincide with European matches. Inside the newspaper news, background information, interviews, reports and columns by Feyenoord related figures can be found. Feyenoord were one of the latest Dutch teams to open their own official website on 21 May 2001.Feyenoord website in bedrijf
, feyenoord.nl
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 of 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. Feyenoord also offer the option to follow the club with news and statistics on cell phones or email. For each and every home match a daily program magazine is created and children who are members of the Kameraadjes also receive a magazine. At the beginning of the season Feyenoord produce a new presentation magazine, while at the end of the season a Feyenoord yearbook is created.


Current squad


Out on loan


Reserve squad


Retired numbers

*12
Het Legioen Het Legioen (, ''The Legion'' in English) is the name of the supporters and fans of Dutch football club Feyenoord Rotterdam. Squad number 12 is never given to a player, but is reserved for Het Legioen instead. Supportersvereniging Feyenoord have ...
''(reserved)


Personnel


Backroom staff


Partnerships


SC Feyenoord

SC Feyenoord are Feyenoord's amateur and youth side, who have played at Varkenoord, directly behind De Kuip since 1949.About Mario, Giovanni and dreaming in the shadow of the Kuip
, feyenoord.nl
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 strongest of these partnerships is that with Excelsior, who since 1996 have loaned young Feyenoord players on the verge of the first team.Feyenoord Worldwide
, feyenoord.nl
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 started when Hungarian ex-footballer and former Feyenoord player
József Kiprich József Kiprich (born 6 September 1963) is a retired Hungarian football forward and currently a football manager and scout. He made his debut for the Hungarian national team in 1984, and got 70 caps and 28 goals until 1995. He was a participa ...
joined the Hungarian team as an under-19 coach and started as a scout for Feyenoord. The Feyenoord Ghana academy in arose form a visit by Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik to Abidjan to sign the then unknown
Bonaventure Kalou Bonaventure Kalou (born 12 January 1978) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He serves as elected mayor of Vavoua. Club career Born in Oumé, Kalou started playing for ASEC Mimosas in his home cou ...
, when Van den Herik contacted with the education institute at Kalou's club. The academy was built in Fetteh, just outside
Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, 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 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 (formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp. in 1939, the c ...
,
B.93 Boldklubben af 1893 is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division. They play at the 7,000 seat Østerbro Stadion in Østerbro, Copenhagen. Achievements * Danish championship titles (9): ** 1916, 1927, 1929, 1930, ...
, Helsingborgs IF,
Supersport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the Dstv Premiership. United is known as ''Matsats ...
, Westerlo, KV Mechelen, Breiðablik UBK,
Lyn Ubisoft Montpellier is a French video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Castelnau-le-Lez. Founded in 1994 as Ubi Pictures, it is best known for developing the ''Rayman'' and ''Beyond Good & Evil'' series. At 350 employees as of Se ...
,
UKS SMS Łódź Uczniowski Klub Sportowy Szkoła Mistrzostwa Sportowego Łódź (), commonly known as UKS SMS Łódź, is a Polish football club based in Łódź, Łódź Voivodeship, currently playing in the regional league. The club is well known for work ...
, Omiya Ardija and Jiangsu Shuntian.19 July 2006: Feyenoord klaar met satellietclubs
feyenoord-internet.nl
The club also set ties with Indian Super League franchise Delhi Dynamos FC. On 15 January 2019, Feyenoord announced a partnership with Eerste Divisie club
FC Dordrecht Football Club Dordrecht, or simply FC Dordrecht () is a professional Dutch association football club based in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. They currently compete in the Eerste Divisie, ...
which would see players which are not yet ready for the first team loaned out to FC Dordrecht.


Women's team

On 31 March 2021, Feyenoord announced that the club would be joining the women's Eredivisie from the start of the 2021–22 season.


Backroom staff


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.Shirtsponsors vanaf 1982
, fr4ever.nl
At the time, Feyenoord's shirts were produced by
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
and the first main sponsor was the Dutch Yellow Pages, Gouden Gids. In the second half of the 1982–83 season Adidas were replaced by
Puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
as the shirt supplier. As a result, the Gouden Gids name was enlarged and was more visible on the shirts. Gouden Gids sponsored the team until 1984, when
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
became the new sponsor. The deal between Feyenoord and Opel lasted until 1989, but in 1987 Hummel International replaced Puma as the shirt manufacturer. In 1989, Hummel produced the shirts sponsored by . In 1990, Adidas began producing Feyenoord's kits, however HCS declared
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
shortly thereafter and could no longer sponsor the club.
Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen () was the name of a Dutch insurance company, later known as ASR Nederland. History Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen (''City of Rotterdam Insurance'' in English) was founded in 1720. Until the merger with Fortis it wa ...
then began sponsoring Feyenoord in what would turn out to be a long-term partnership: it remained Feyenoord's main sponsor until 2004, when it was taken-over by
Fortis Fortis may refer to: Business * Fortis AG, a Swiss watch company * Fortis Films, an American film and television production company founded by actress and producer Sandra Bullock * Fortis Healthcare, a chain of hospitals in India * Fortis Inc ...
. In January 2007, the parties' sponsorship contract was extended until 2009, with the option of Fortis continuing its obligations for an additional three seasons. In 2000,
Kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...
began producing the club's kits (replacing Adidas) until after the 2008–09, when it was replaced by
Puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
. When Fortis faced near bankruptcy, its assets were divided among several companies. The same insurance branch which previously sponsored Feyenoord became ASR. To help with their brand recognition, it decided to continue Fortis' sponsor obligations, but in 2011, it announced it would stop its sponsorship deal in the 2012–13 season. However, due to an economic recession, Feyenoord had trouble finding a new shirt sponsor. Feyenoord and ASR therefore reached a compromise: ASR would remain sponsor for one more season, giving Feyenoord the time it needed to find another sponsor. After negotiations with several corporations, Opel became the club's new sponsor, signing a contract until 2018.


Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors


See also

* Dutch football league teams


References


External links

;Official sites
Official Feyenoord websiteOfficial Feyenoord Academy website
;Other sites
Feyenoord Poland website
{{coord, 52, 53, 37.7, N, 4, 31, 23.2, E, display=title, region:NL_source:nlwiki Feyenoord Association football clubs established in 1908 1908 establishments in the Netherlands Unrelegated association football clubs UEFA Cup winning clubs UEFA Champions League winning clubs Intercontinental Cup winning clubs Multi-sport clubs in the Netherlands Football clubs in the Netherlands Football clubs in Rotterdam