Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht (), commonly known as MVV Maastricht (, ) or simply as MVV, is a Dutch professional
football club from the city of
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
. Founded on 2 April 1902, MVV Maastricht currently compete in the
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
, the second tier of
Dutch football
Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, at the age of 14, he founded Haarlemsche Football Club. Over the next 30 years, football gained ...
.
Because their crest is based on the city's coat of arms, an armed angel holding a red shield with a white star, they are nicknamed ''de Sterrendragers'' ("Wearers of Stars") and, in local dialect, ''Us MVV'ke'' ("our little MVV", ). The club's name was formerly Maastrichtse Voetbal Vereniging until 2011, when it was officially changed to include the city name after "MVV."
History
The early years (1902–1946)
In 1902, in an establishment on the famous
Vrijthof
Vrijthof is a large urban square in the centre of Maastricht, Netherlands. The square developed from an ancient Roman and Frankish cemetery into a semi-private space that belonged to the Collegiate Church of Saint Servatius. In the 19th centur ...
square, plans were made to found a
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
football team. It started with the name MVC (Maastricht Football Club), but they changed its name often during their first years. It was not until 1908 that their current name MVV (Maastrichtse Voetbal Vereniging) was adopted.
From the start in 1902 until 1976 MVV played continuously in the highest Dutch leagues. Periods of top rankings were varied with periods of anonymity. In the 1926–27 season they lost out the Dutch championship by losing a decisive match against
SC Enschede. In 1932 they ranked second again, behind champions
PSV. The 1935–36, 1938–39 and 1945–46 seasons were also successful, with two second-place finishes. In 1946–47 the team even won their league and was to participate in the champions group. This group was made up of the four champions of each region. Like in 1927, MVV had no success and finished last.
During that period some MVV players were selected for the
Dutch national team. A remarkable achievement, given the fact that the
KNVB
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and wome ...
(Dutch Football Association) mostly selected players from teams in the "
Randstad
The Randstad (; "Rim" or "Edge" City) is a roughly crescent-shaped conurbation in the central-western Netherlands, consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht); their suburbs, and many tow ...
",
Bèr Felix,
Sjo Soons and
Jeu van Bun
Johannes Wijbrandus Mathias "Jeu" van Bun (10 December 1918 – 21 December 2002) was a Dutch footballer who played as a right back for MVV Maastricht and the Netherlands national team. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer O ...
were selected for the national team.
Post-war MVV (1952–1969)
1952 was an important year for the team. MVV celebrated its 50th anniversary and the call to establish professional football in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
became louder. In the 1954–55 season the official KNVB and the professional football organisation (
NBVB
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and wom ...
), supported by the newly founded professional teams, put their differences aside and a semi-professional league was born. In the new competition (
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 nine teams of the NBVB and the KNVB leagues were to participate. MVV came in third and was allowed entry in the new league.
During the 1950s and 1960s MVV had some good seasons and
Fons van Wissen
Fons van Wissen (21 March 19337 July 2015) was a Dutch football player.
Club career
Van Wissen made his senior debut at 15 years of age at local amateur side RKVVM[Giel Haenen
Giel Haenen (born 2 June 1934) is a Dutch footballer. He played in one match for the Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represent ...]
and
Gerard Bergholtz
Gerard "Pummy" Bergholtz (born 29 August 1939 in Maastricht) is a retired association football player and manager from the Netherlands.
Playing career Club
He played for Rapid, Kimbria Maastricht, MVV and Feijenoord, before moving abroad to p ...
were selected for the national team. In 1957 the
Boschpoort
Boschpoort (; ) is a neighbourhood of Maastricht in the Dutch province of Limburg. The suburb is situated in the North Western area of the town, on the West bank of the river Meuse. The ''Dörp'' (; English: ''village'') as it is colloquially known ...
stadium was expanded to 18,000 seats due to increasing popularity.
In 1961 the club moved to the new
De Geusselt
Stadion de Geusselt () is a multi-use stadium in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of MVV Maastricht
Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht (), commonly known as MVV M ...
ground. The popularity of the club led to a total of 100,000 fans passing the stadium entry in the 1969 season. In 1963 the club was given 14 golden stars by a committee of supporters celebrating the period of 50 years in the highest divisions. Since then, the team wore occasionally imitation golden stars, instead of the white star from the city of Maastricht weapon. The sixties were a mixed period of glory and struggling against relegation with no numerous achievements.
The golden years (1970–1974)
Times changed when MVV bought a young player from neighbouring third division team
Chevremont.
Willy Brokamp
Willy Brokamp (born 25 February 1946 in Kerkrade) is a former football player for MVV Maastricht in the 1960s and 1970s who recruited him from ''RKVV Chèvremont'' (in the community of Kerkrade). His nickname was "The blond arrow".
He ranked hi ...
had an impressive stay there and his debut 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 ...
was at age 18. He led the team to some top rankings in the early 1970s and in 1973 he was even voted best player in the Eredivisie and became top scorer. During that period the team arguably played their best football in history. In 11 seasons with MVV Brokamp scored 141 goals. While playing for MVV, he played six times (for six goals) in the national team. Due to a conflict with MVV, who lacked his unprofessional and laid-back attitude, he moved on to
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
.
His former team-mate and current TV analyst,
Johan Derksen
Johannes Gerrit "Johan" Derksen (born 31 January 1949) is a Dutch sports journalist and former football player. He played professional football between 1966 and 1978 for six clubs: Go Ahead Eagles, Cambuur, Veendam, HFC Haarlem, SV Meppen and MVV ...
, said the following about him: "He never did a warming-up, because then he would be dead-tired before the match began. In a game against
Excelsior
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
he pulled his shirt over his head and did not participate in the game any more, because he was ashamed by the performance of the team. At that time, they travelled by
intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
train when playing an away-game. When he overslept, the station chief would hold up the train and waited for Brokamp to arrive."
The yo-yo years (1974–2010)
In 1976 MVV was relegated to the second division (
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
). A disastrous season without Brokamp, who had moved to AFC Ajax in 1974, led to the first relegation in their history. The first year in the second division ended with a third-place finish and the team just missed out on promotion. The second year they finished second and the team won promotion via the promotion/relegation play-offs.
In 1980 they beat Ajax in a historic match by 3–6. Still the biggest home-defeat in the old
De Meer Stadium
De Meer Stadion () is the former stadium of Dutch record football champions Ajax. It was opened in 1934 as a result of the club's former stadium being too small. Upon completion, it could hold 22,000 spectators, but accommodating up to 29,500 at ...
for the
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
squad. After some years of mid-table finishes the team was relegated again in 1982.
In 1984 they won the second division, only to be relegated in 1986 for the third time in a short period of time. After earning a promotion in 1988, they were back in the Eredivisie. MVV finally managed to avoid the drop and remained in the highest division until 1995.
During that period strikers
Cees Schapendonk and
Erik Meijer played their caps for the national team and defender
Erik Gerets
Eric Maria Gerets (, born 18 May 1954) is a Belgian football manager and former player who played as a right back.
He started his playing career as an amateur for his local team AA Rekem, before achieving success with Standard Liège and PSV. ...
was selected for the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
national team.
In the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons the team finished seventh for two years in a row, nearly achieving
European football
UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur asso ...
.
In 1992, MVV was voted Team of the Year" by the KNVB, mostly because of their attacking playing style, implemented by coach
Sef Vergoossen
Josephus Gerardus Dominicus "Sef" Vergoossen (, born 5 August 1947 in Echt) is a former Dutch football manager.
Biography
Vergoossen began his managerial career in 1978 with VVV-Venlo, managing the club for 12 years until 1989, after which he man ...
.
Surprisingly, the 1995 season ended with another relegation. Once again it took the team two years to taste first division football again. A young and talented squad, led by coach and former MVV goalkeeper
Frans Körver, won the second division again in 1997. Almost 50,000 fans celebrated this achievement on the market square.
Yet the fifth relegation followed in 2000, forcing the renowned team to celebrate their 100th anniversary in the second division. Breaking with the tradition of promoting after two seasons, MVV even came in 18th in the 2004 season. Their poorest season in history. Currently, the club is still in the second division and occupying a 10th position on the all-time
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 ...
list.
In 2008, it was proposed to merge the Limburgish clubs MVV,
Roda JC Kerkrade
Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...
,
VVV-Venlo
VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, followin ...
and
Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard (; li, Fortuna Zitterd ) is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger ...
to create a new club called FC Limburg.
The merger was however cancelled after the province
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
denied its backing of the project.
A new beginning (2010–present)
After years of financial troubles, MVV was classified by the KNVB as 'financially healthy' (category 3) at the beginning of the
2011–12 season. This was unique, because never before had a club from category 1 ('insufficient') been promoted directly to category 3 of the financial health list.
In the KNVB assessment of 2018, MVV Maastricht had dropped to category 2 ('sufficient').
At the beginning of the
2010–11 season, the club changed its name from 'Maastrichtse Voetbal Vereniging' to 'Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht' ("Social Football Club Maastricht") and the club logo and the board also changed. The KNVB had imposed a penalty on the club because of the financial problems in 2010, which meant that the club had to start the competition with an eight-point deduction. Yet, they finished in 10th place; above expectations. MVV would once again reach the promotion play-offs in 2011, 2012 and
2012–13 season, but the club stranded in the first round three years in a row due to elimination by
FC Volendam,
SC Cambuur
SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2020–21 Ee ...
and again FC Volendam, respectively.
Led by head coach
René Trost
René Hubertus Johannes Trost (born 31 January 1965 in Kerkrade, Limburg) is a former Dutch football defender and football manager.
Career
As a player, he played fifteen seasons at Roda JC; in between he spent half a season on loan at VVV-Venlo ...
, who was working in his third and final season in
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
, the club competed for the championship in the 2012–13 season from the onset. MVV immediately became ''period champions'' of the 1st period, then became ''
Herbstmeister
Herbstmeister or Autumnmeister is a name for a person or team which stands at first place after the first half of the season. This is usually the leader of the highest league. A requirement however, is that the season continues until the summer of ...
'' and also retained championship ambitions for large parts of the second half of the season. Due to the bankruptcies of
AGOVV
AGOVV () is a Dutch association football club based in Apeldoorn. It was established on 25 February 1913. The club played in professional football from 1954 to 1971 and from 2003 to 2013. AGOVV's male first squad plays in 2022–23 in the Tweede ...
and
Veendam
Veendam () is a town and municipality with a population of 27,752 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Veendam was established in 1648 as a peat colony by Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck.
A Holland America Line cruise ship ...
, however, in accordance with the rules of the KNVB, the results played against those clubs were cancelled. At that point, MVV had played against those clubs three times and won three times, meaning MVV had to hand in nine points. Ultimately, MVV ended in fifth place, eleven points behind eventual winners SC Cambuur.
MVV managed to reach the promotion play-offs in
2015–16 and
2016–17. In the play-offs in 2015–16, MVV eliminated FC Volendam in the first round, but were eliminated in the second round by
De Graafschap. In the play-offs of 2016–17, MVV managed to reach the final. MVV, who had entered in the second round, defeated Cambuur on their way. In the finals, MVV lost on aggregate to local rivals
Roda JC Kerkrade
Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...
who therefore retained their position in the Eredivisie. The first match was marked by unrest and rioting supporters, and was therefore suspended for 30 minutes.
Support and rivalries
MVV has always been known in the Netherlands as a team with very passionate fans. In the eighties and early nineties, MVV had a notorious hardcore fan base called the ''Angel Side''. The name chosen because of Maastricht's city coat of arms, which features an angel, they were infamous for causing trouble and rioting on numerous occasions throughout the country. Today the group still exists but is weakened by anti-hooliganism legislation and the poor achievements of the team.
The dramatic sportive and financial situation of the team led to some serious incidents. In 2003 when fans gathered around the town hall to listen to the debate over a municipal loan for MVV, eventually leading to riots. Mayor
Leers
Leers (, ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, and is about northeast of Lille.
Population
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list o ...
decided that the city of
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
should not support MVV financially anymore and bankruptcy was minutes away. Bricks and bottles were thrown at the
town hall and groups of people tried to force their way in the building.
Aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...
,
council members and
riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
were attacked, when they tried to leave the town hall. This also led to a massive pitch invasion at the last game of the season.
During the years the fans also protested heavily against a merger with arch-rivals
Roda JC Kerkrade
Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...
and
Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard (; li, Fortuna Zitterd ) is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger ...
. This led to another pitch invasion and death threats to club directors.
Aside from the rivalries with Roda JC and Fortuna Sittard, MVV also share rivalries with
Helmond Sport
Helmond Sport is a professional association football club based in the city of Helmond, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. The club was founded on 27 June 1967, as ...
,
VVV Venlo
VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following ...
and
NEC Nijmegen. Roda JC-MVV is considered the main rivalry in the Dutch Province of Limburg by both sets of supporters, despite a long period without the two sides playing in the beginning of the millennium, with the two sets of hardcore support regularly clashing and players making the switch between the two clubs receiving death threats. Roda JC are considered by Maastricht supporters as one having a Germanic and
Limburgish identity, with German flags present in the Kerkrade-based club's stand and the Limburgish anthem being played at every home game. Maastricht on the other hand is known for its distinct Latin, Burgundian identity compared to the rest of the Province.
Ownership and finances
For a time MVV had a reputation as a well-paying team, where older players and former stars could end their career for a substantial compensation. In 1946 MVV even tried to lure the legendary striker
Faas Wilkes to
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
. They offered two Bedford trucks to the Wilkes' family transport corporation for him and his brother Leen. They both accepted. But in a time where football was only played on
amateur basis in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, the KNVB discovered the transaction and threatened to ban Wilkes for a long time. So
Faas Wilkes and his brother stayed with their team
Xerxes 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 ''"Ne ...
. A few years later he moved to
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is t ...
to become one of the first professional football players from the Netherlands. The KNVB banned him for nearly five years.
In 1983, under the reign of
VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...
MP Max Tripels
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
, the club got into a financial abyss. The debt was 4.5 million guilders.
Tripels asked horse and construction billionaire
Léon Melchior
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
to reorganise the finances. In cooperation with others, Melchior started a project for a new stadium and in 1986 the municipal government gave the Geusselt ground to MVV. They even gave the team 3.7 million for the new stadium. But when Melchior started making ambitious plans and wanted to invest heavily in MVV, he was forced out by an old boys network, who had ruled MVV for a long time. The old stadium was renovated but a new one never came.
In 1993, the team was hit with another blow. The
FIOD
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a British professional organisation for company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is the UK's longest running organisation for professional leaders, having been founded in 1903 and incor ...
(Fiscal Police) raided the offices of MVV and arrested chairman
Karl Dittrich Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
, director
Ron Weijzen Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
*Big Ron (EastEnders), Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
*Ron (King of Fighters), Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the pr ...
and former chairman
Bert Lieben. The reason for the arrests were the claims made by former financial administrator
Marcel Koenen
Marcel may refer to:
People
* Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel
* Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder
* Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...
, who was arrested for stealing from the bank accounts of MVV. The directors were accused of
bribe
Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
,
tax fraud
Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
and
forgery. Dittrich admitted that talks were held over bribing
FC Utrecht after the match and the FIOD found a curious flow of funds but charges were dropped because the evidence was not sufficient. The claims of
forgery and
tax fraud
Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
stood and Dittrich settled the case.
In 2001, just before their 100th anniversary in 2002, disaster struck again. The financial situation was bad and bankruptcy was only minutes away. The question was again whether MVV would celebrate their 100th anniversary. Yet again, MVV management decided to go to the
municipal government. With arguments such as "the bankruptcy of the
Sport7
Sport7 was a Bulgarian sports television channel, owned by TV7 Group along with its sister channels TV7, News7 and Super7. The channel was first launched in 2008 as a jointventure of TV7 and the cable TV broadcaster Cabletel. It aired sports ev ...
channel caused the bad financial situation" and "MVV is very important to the people of
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
" etc. they were able to convince mayor
Houben and the
aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...
. So eventually they managed to keep the club alive for 2002. MVV had a debt of 1.5 million euros and the last solution was to go to the municipal government again, for the second time within only a couple of years. But this time, in April 2003, they refused. According to newly appointed mayor
Leers
Leers (, ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, and is about northeast of Lille.
Population
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list o ...
, "the town could not grant MVV yet another loan because the citizens would not accept it." However, thousands of people gathered around the town hall to protest the intentions of the municipal government. Later, just in time, billionaire
Léon Melchior
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
saved the club again by paying off its debts. Currently, the club has reorganised their finances and is building on a solid financial basis.
Stadium
In the early days MVV changed grounds often, starting by playing promotional games on the
Vrijthof
Vrijthof is a large urban square in the centre of Maastricht, Netherlands. The square developed from an ancient Roman and Frankish cemetery into a semi-private space that belonged to the Collegiate Church of Saint Servatius. In the 19th centur ...
square. They moved to a cycling track on the edge of the city, before finally creating their own ground at the
Boschpoort
Boschpoort (; ) is a neighbourhood of Maastricht in the Dutch province of Limburg. The suburb is situated in the North Western area of the town, on the West bank of the river Meuse. The ''Dörp'' (; English: ''village'') as it is colloquially known ...
location. The stadium was given the same name. It is claimed that the first MVV players themselves raised the pasture to create a playable pitch. Later on stands were built, improved and enlarged during various periods in time.
In January 1962 they moved to their current ground at the Geusselt terrain. Again, the name of the location also became the name of the stadium. The Geusselt was restructured at different occasions. In a first major reconstruction the athletic track was removed, the pitch was turned 90 degrees and newly built seat-only stands reduced the capacity of the ground. In the new millennium the open corners of the stadium were closed and the last stand-only stand was replaced by a seat-only stand. Currently the stadium has a capacity of approximately 10,000.
Honours
*
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
** Winner: 1984, 1997
* Promoted to
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 ...
** Promotion: 1978, 1988
*
UEFA Intertoto Cup
** Winner: 1970
Results
ImageSize = width:800 height:60
PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/2019
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1990
Colors =
id:bl1 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3)
id:bl2 value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5)
id:rs value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6)
id:rn value:rgb(0.9,0.1,0.1)
PlotData=
bar:Position width:15 color:white align:center
from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1991 shift:(0,-4) text:15
from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1992 shift:(0,-4) text:7
from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/1993 shift:(0,-4) text:7
from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:10
from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:16
from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:11
from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:15
from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:14
from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:16
from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:13
from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:14
from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:16
from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:18
from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:14
from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:13
from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:13
from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:5
from:01/01/2008 till:01/01/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:6
from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:10
from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:10
from:01/01/2011 till:01/01/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:8
from:01/01/2012 till:01/01/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:5
from:01/01/2013 till:01/01/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:11
from:01/01/2014 till:01/01/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:11
from:01/01/2015 till:01/01/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:10
from:01/01/2016 till:01/01/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:7
from:01/01/2017 till:01/01/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:10
from:01/01/2018 till:01/01/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:12
from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1995 color:bl2 shift:(0,13) text: "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 ...
"
from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1997 color:bl1 shift:(0,13) text: "Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
"
from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2000 color:bl2 shift:(0,13) text: "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 ...
"
from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2019 color:bl1 shift:(0,13) text: "Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
"
Below is a table with MVV's domestic results since the introduction of professional football in 1956.
Players
Current squad
Club Officials
Managerial history
*
Bill Julian
John William Julian (10 July 1867 – 14 March 1957) was an English football player and coach.
Career
Born in Boston, Lincolnshire, he first played for his local side Boston Excelsior, then Boston. He impressed in a home match for Boston Town ...
(1932–34)
*
Viktor Havlicek
Viktor Havlicek (16 July 1914 - 22 October 1971) was an Austrian footballer and football manager. He played for First Vienna FC, Phönix Karlsruhe and, as a wartime guest player, Kickers Offenbach and gained 3 caps for Austria national football te ...
(1948–56)
*
Friedrich Donnenfeld
Friedrich Donenfeld (17 January 1912 – 20 March 1976) was an Austrian professional football player and manager.
He played for Thalia Wien, Hakoah Vienna, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympique de Marseille and Red Star F.C.
He coached the Colombia n ...
(1966–68)
*
George Knobel
George Knobel (10 December 1922 – 5 May 2012) was a Dutch football manager.
Knobel was born and died in Roosendaal. He was the coach of the Netherlands national football team for 15 matches (9 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses) from 1974 to 1976. Durin ...
(1969–73)
* Maarten Vink (1973)
*
Leo Canjels
Leonard "Leo" Canjels (1 April 1933 – 26 May 2010) was a Dutch international footballer who played for NAC Breda.
Playing career Club
Canjels started playing football at Breda side VV Baronie. He made his debut for NAC in the 1956/1957 seaso ...
(1973–75)
* André Maas (1975–76)
*
George Knobel
George Knobel (10 December 1922 – 5 May 2012) was a Dutch football manager.
Knobel was born and died in Roosendaal. He was the coach of the Netherlands national football team for 15 matches (9 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses) from 1974 to 1976. Durin ...
(1976–78)
* Leo Steegman (1978–81)
*
Cor van der Hart
Cor van der Hart (25 January 1928 – 12 December 2006) was a Dutch footballer. He is known as one of the best defenders of the Netherlands national team in history, who was physically strong, who read the game very well and who had a qualit ...
(1980–81)
*
Friedel Rausch (1982–83)
*
Jo Bonfrere (1983)
*
Clemens Westerhof
Clemens Westerhof (born 3 May 1940) is a Dutch football manager, who has worked in various football positions on the African continent since 1989.
He is most noted for his success with the Nigerian national team. Under Westerhof, the Super ...
(1983–84)
*
Barry Hughes
Barry Hughes (31 December 1937 – 2 June 2019) was a Welsh professional football player and manager, active primarily in the Netherlands. He played as a defender.
Early and personal life
Hughes was born in Caernarfon. He attended Glyndwr Se ...
(1984–85)
*
Jo Bonfrere (1985)
*
Cor Brom
Cor Brom (27 August 1932 – 29 October 2008) was a Dutch football player and manager.
Playing career
During his playing career, Brom played with Zwarte Schapen, VSV, Limburgia and Telstar.
Managerial career
After retiring as a player, Brom ma ...
(1985)
*
Pim van de Meent (1985–86)
*
Frans Körver (1986–89)
*
Sef Vergoossen
Josephus Gerardus Dominicus "Sef" Vergoossen (, born 5 August 1947 in Echt) is a former Dutch football manager.
Biography
Vergoossen began his managerial career in 1978 with VVV-Venlo, managing the club for 12 years until 1989, after which he man ...
(1989–95)
*
Jan Reker
Jan Reker (, born 3 June 1948) is a Dutch football manager and director.
Reker started his coaching career in the Willem II and PSV Eindhoven youth ranks, which was followed up by the assistant manager role at VVV-Venlo and PSV. After half a se ...
(1995–95)
*
Frans Körver (1995–98)
*
Wim Koevermans
Wilhelmus ("Wim") Jacobus Koevermans (born 28 June 1960 in Vlaardingen, South Holland), a former football central defender from The Netherlands, who earned one cap for the Netherlands national football team. He was a member of the Dutch team that ...
(1998–2000)
*
Roger Reijners
Roger Reijners (born 10 February 1964) is a Dutch football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of MVV Maastricht.
Playing career
Reijners turned professional with Fortuna Sittard and played in the 1–0 KNVB Cup Final defea ...
(2000–02)
*
Ron Elsen Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
(2002–03) (caretaker)
*
Jan van Deinsen
Jan van Deinsen (born 19 June 1953 in Tiel, Gelderland) is a retired association football, football midfielder and Striker (association football), forward from the Netherlands.
Playing career Club
The left-sided midfielder from Wamel made his pr ...
(2003–04)
*
Rob Delahaye
Rob Delahaye (born 24 June 1959) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played for MVV between 1980 and 1994, making over 300 appearances.
Club career
Delahaye played his entire Dutch professional career for MVV which earned him the nic ...
(2004) (caretaker)
*
Andries Jonker
Andries Jonker (; 22 September 1962) is the Netherlands women's national football team manager and former player.
Jonker was at the helm of Dutch outfits Willem II, MVV and Volendam and was the assistant manager of VfL Wolfsburg, FC Barcelona ...
(2004–06)
*
Jurrie Koolhof
Jurjen Jacob (Jurrie) Koolhof (10 January 1960 – 28 January 2019) was a Dutch international football striker and manager.
As a player, Koolhof had a long and productive career, with 190 league goals. He played for a number of clubs in the Ne ...
(2006–07)
* Ron Elsen (2007) (caretaker)
*
Rob Delahaye
Rob Delahaye (born 24 June 1959) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played for MVV between 1980 and 1994, making over 300 appearances.
Club career
Delahaye played his entire Dutch professional career for MVV which earned him the nic ...
(2007) (caretaker)
*
Robert Maaskant
Robert Patrick Maaskant (; born 10 January 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer and current manager, who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Maaskant played for Go Ahead Eagles, Emmen, Motherwell, Zwolle and Excelsior.
Managerial ...
(2007–08)
*
Fuat Çapa
Fuat Çapa (born 15 August 1968) is a Turkish football manager.
Career
Çapa coached in Belgium before moving on to Turkey. His career in Belgium spanned four years as he held positions with K.V. Turnhout, K. Patro Maasmechelen, K. Beringen-Heu ...
(2008–10)
* Paul Meulenberg (2010) (caretaker)
* Ron Elsen (2010) (caretaker)
*
René Trost
René Hubertus Johannes Trost (born 31 January 1965 in Kerkrade, Limburg) is a former Dutch football defender and football manager.
Career
As a player, he played fifteen seasons at Roda JC; in between he spent half a season on loan at VVV-Venlo ...
(2010–13)
René Trost nieuwe trainer MVV
– NOS
* Tiny Ruys
Martinus Johannes Maria "Tiny" Ruys (born 8 May 1957) is a Dutch football coach who has managed SV Meerssen since 2015.
Career
Ruys was in charge of the United Arab Emirates in 2001, and has also managed Dutch club teams Fortuna Sittard and MV ...
(2013)
* Edwin Hermans
Edwin Hermans (born 23 May 1974) is a Dutch former footballer, who played as a left-back. After his playing career, he moved to coaching.
Early life
Hermans was born in Goirle. He started playing football with amateur club RKTVV from Tilbur ...
/ Ron Elsen (2013–14)
* Ron Elsen (2014–19)
* Fuat Usta
Fuat Usta (born 3 July 1972) is a Turkish football coach and former professional player.
Playing career
Usta played as a midfielder in the Netherlands, Turkey, Finland, and Japan with Rapid, MVV'02, Fortuna Sittard, Beşiktaş, Cambuur, Sparta, ...
(2019–20)
* Darije Kalezić (2020–21)
* Klaas Wels
Klaas Wels (born 2 September 1973) is a Dutch professional football manager.
Playing career
Wels was a defender. During his active playing career, he represented hometown club RKSV Schijndel since his childhood. He also played two seasons for ...
(2021–2022)
* Maurice Verberne (2022–''present'')
References
External links
Official site
MVV-Schotland fansite
{{Maastricht
Football clubs in the Netherlands
Football clubs in Maastricht
Association football clubs established in 1902
1902 establishments in the Netherlands
South Limburg (Netherlands)