SBV Vitesse Arnhem (''Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem''), widely known as Vitesse () or internationally as well Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club located in the municipality of
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
. Established on 14 May 1892, Vitesse is one of the oldest professional football clubs 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 ...
. Since 1998, the club has played its home games at the
GelreDome
The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...
.
Vitesse had its most successful period in the 1990s. Their best result in the Eredivisie was third place in 1997–98. They won 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 ...
in
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 ...
and also reached the final in 1912, 1927, 1990 and 2021. Throughout the years, Vitesse established itself as a stepping stone for future top class players like
Raimond van der Gouw
Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus van der Gouw (, born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.
After a successful career with Vitesse in his native Netherlands, and well into his 30s, he moved to Manche ...
,
Phillip Cocu
Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, he is the manager of Vitesse.
Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Graa ...
,
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
,
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld (born 23 October 1974) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the goalkeeping coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town.
The highlight of his playing ...
,
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
,
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team.
Club career OFI Crete
Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...
,
Nemanja Matić
Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Serie A club Roma. Starting his career as an attacking midfielder, Matić shifted to a d ...
,
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
,
Bertrand Traoré
Bertrand Isidore Traoré (born 6 September 1995) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa and the Burkina Faso national team.
Afte ...
,
Robin Gosens
Robin Everardus Gosens (born 5 July 1994) is a German professional footballer who plays as a left midfielder or left-back for club Inter Milan and the Germany national team.
Club career Vitesse
Born in Emmerich am Rhein, Gosens appeared for lo ...
and
Mason Mount
Mason Tony Mount (born 10 January 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking or central midfielder for club Chelsea and the England national team.
Mount began his senior club career with Chelsea, and joined Vite ...
.
History
Vitesse, founded in 1892, is the 2nd oldest professional football club still in existence in the Netherlands, after
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 ...
who were formed in 1888. The roots of Vitesse actually pre-dated Sparta by a year as in 1887, a club with the name "Arnhemsche cricket- en voetbalvereeniging Vitesse" was formed by a group of high school students who played their sport on the Rijnkade, overlooking the River
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
in the city centre. Reluctant to choose a Latin or English name for the club as they felt those languages were too elitist, they picked the French word ''Vitesse'', meaning "speed".
In 1891 the club disbanded as they were no longer able to find anywhere suitable to play cricket after a Velodrome was built on their usual playing field in the Klarenbeek Park. The following year a group of wealthy students resurrected the sports club, this time with the name AVC (Arnhemse Voetbal en Cricketclub) Vitesse. In the summer they played cricket and in the winter football. In the end of 1892, Vitesse played its first real football match, and in 1894 Vitesse disbanded the cricket branch. In 1895 and 1896 Vitesse became champions of the Gelderland competition. From the foundation of the Netherlands national football championship in 1898 until 1954, the title was decided by play-offs by a handful of clubs who had previously won their regional league. Vitesse lost the final of the
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
six times ''(1898, 1899, 1903, 1913, 1914 and 1915)''.
In 1912, Vitesse reached the final of the Dutch Cup Tournament for the first time. Vitesse lost the final with 0–2 from
HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889 and dissolved in 2010. The club won the Eredivisie in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912. Haarlem reached the second round of the 1982 ...
. In this period Vitesse had top players, likes
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
and
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
. These players were also active in the Netherlands national team. In 1914 John William Sutcliffe became the first foreign trainer.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Vitesse did not play-official matches because playing football in the open air was forbidden. During the
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity fro ...
, the residents of the city were forcibly evicted from their homes, allowing the Germans to turn the north bank of the Rhine into a heavily defended line. Residents were not allowed to return home without a permit and most did not return until after the war. The football field and clubhouse was completely destroyed. The damage was repaired in the years after the liberation.
In 1984 it was decided to divide the professional and amateur sections of the club. The professional section was renamed SBV (Stichting Betaald Voetbal – "Professional Football Foundation") Vitesse whilst the amateur section became "Vitesse 1892", which lasted until they disbanded in 2009.
From 1984,
Karel Aalbers
Karel Aalbers (born June 28, 1949, Velp) is a Dutch businessman, who was the President of the football club Vitesse Arnhem from 1984 until February 2000.
Career
Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the second tier, where the ...
was the president of SBV Vitesse. Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the Second League (Eerste divisie, now
Jupiler League), the league in which the club originated, to the top 40 soccer clubs of Europe. He developed the basic idea for the '
Gelredome
The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...
', a stadium with a sliding pitch that can be moved out of the building. Later, the same system was applied in
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...
(
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
) and in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Events such as pop concerts can be held without damaging the grass. Gelredome opened in 1998. It has a roof that can be opened and closed. It is fully climate controlled as well. In the first season after the opening, Gelredome's attendance rose to 20,000, (from less than 8,000 in the old stadium).
Vitesse made their debut in European competition in 1990. The club won their first match in the first round 1–0 over
Derry City.
The club remained financially sound through making notable profits on the transfer market. Players such as
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
,
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld (born 23 October 1974) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the goalkeeping coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town.
The highlight of his playing ...
,
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
,
Glenn Helder
Glenn Helder (born 28 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam, Vitesse Arnhem and NAC Breda. He also played i ...
and
Philip Cocu
Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, he is the manager of Vitesse.
Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Graa ...
were sold for large sums of money. Others came to occupy empty player positions, such as
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team.
Club career OFI Crete
Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...
and
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk (; born 29 November 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker. He had spells with clubs across Europe where he was a prolific goal scorer. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch nation ...
. Vitesse finished in top 4 positions, made profits and showed a solid balance sheet in the final years of Aalbers' presidency. Also, the club became regular competitors in the UEFA Cup and in 1997–1998 finished third in the Eredivise, its record highest finish to date.
Herbert Neumann
Herbert Neumann (born 14 November 1953) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Neumann was born in Cologne. He played for 1. FC Köln, Udinese Calcio, Bologna, Olympiacos Piraeus, and FC Chiasso. ...
was Vitesse's manager over most of these years (1992–95 and 1998–99), while star players included: Nikos Machlas, the first ever Vitesse player to win the European Golden Boot in 1998 when he scored 34 goals in a season;
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
, who played 378 matches for Vitesse during this period scoring 110 goals from midfield; and
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
, who played 383 matches in defence for Vitesse from 1987 to 1998, as well as receiving 3 caps for the Netherlands national team. Additional stars included
Dejan Čurović
Dejan Čurović (, ; 10 August 1968 – 11 August 2019) was a Serbian Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker.
A powerful forward, Čurović played with four clubs during his career, namely ...
, who spent six years at Vitesse playing 109 matches as a striker, scoring 41 goals including the first goal in GelreDome. Meanwhile, Dutch forward Roy Makaay spent four years at Vitesse, scoring 42 goals in 109 matches between 1993 and 1997.
Aalbers resigned on 15 February 2000, after the main sponsor, Nuon, threatened to pull the plug if he did not. Nuon, as a public utility company owned by local authorities, had trouble explaining why it invested heavily in Aalbers' ambitious plans. His successor was Jan Koning (former chief of Sara Lee/DE who resigned after four months). In a short period of time, Vitesse began to show negative financial results due to poor deals on the transfer market. The club survived numerous financial crises, such as the last one in 2008, when debts were bought off, under the threat of bankruptcy.
The club was in serious financial trouble, and in August 2010 its majority shareholder agreed to sell the club to the Georgian businessman
Merab Jordania
Merab Jordania ( ka, მერაბ ჟორდანია; born 3 September 1965), is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the owner and chairman of Maltese football club Valletta FC.
Club career
Jor ...
. There were rumors that this purchase was engineered by
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
owner
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (, ; he, רומן ארקדיביץ' אברמוביץ'; born 24 October 1966) is a Russian Russian oligarchs, oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club ...
. The club underwent a successful transformation into a modern, commercial sports organization and established itself as one of the dominant teams of the Eredivisie.
On 1 July 2012,
Fred Rutten
Fredericus Jacobus Rutten (; born 5 December 1962) is a Dutch football coach and former player. As a player, he spent his entire career with Twente during the years 1979 to 1992. Following his playing career, Rutten also managed Twente, before m ...
signed a contract as the new manager of Vitesse, for the season
2012-13. Rutten left Vitesse after the season, finishing in 4th place.
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
ended the season as the
Eredivisie's top scorer with 31 goals in 30 matches and was awarded the
Golden Shoe for the best player in the Netherlands.
For the 2013–14 season, Vitesse appointed
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amate ...
as its new manager. In November 2013, Vitesse was top of the league in the Eredivisie for the first time since 2006. It was the first time since 2000 they'd been top of the league later than the first week. Halfway through the season, after 17 matches, Vitesse was the leader in the competition. Key players in the squad from this period included
Davy Pröpper
David Petrus Wenceslaus Henri Pröpper (born 2 September 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse.
Early and personal life
Pröpper was born in Arnhem and his brothers ...
,
Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – ) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back.
Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a seas ...
and
Bertrand Traoré
Bertrand Isidore Traoré (born 6 September 1995) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa and the Burkina Faso national team.
Afte ...
.
Vitesse announced on 13 June 2016 that
Henk Fraser
Hendrikus "Henk" Fraser (born 7 July 1966) is a Dutch football coach and former player who most recently managed Eredivisie side FC Utrecht.
He played as a defender for various Dutch teams. Born in Suriname, he earned seven caps for the Nether ...
would replace Bosz at the start of the
2016–17 season. In his first full season, won the club first major trophy in its 125-year existence. Fraser defeating
AZ by a score of 2−0 in 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 ...
, with two goals from
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
. On 5 August 2017 Vitesse were beaten 1–1 ''(4–2
pen.)'' at
De Kuip
Stadion Feijenoord (), more commonly known by its nickname De Kuip (, the Tub), is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the Feijenoord district in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same na ...
,
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 ...
in 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 ...
final by Feyenoord. In the
2017–18 UEFA Europa League
The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League was the 47th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 9th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The 2018 UEFA Europ ...
group stage, Vitesse's opponents were
Lazio Roma
Società Sportiva Lazio (; ; ''Lazio Sport Club''), commonly referred to as Lazio, is an Italian professional sports club based in Rome, most known for its football activity. The society, founded in 1900, plays in the Serie A and have spent ...
,
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. ...
and
Zulte Waregem
Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem (), commonly known as Zulte Waregem or by their nickname Essevee (), is a Belgian professional football club based in Waregem, West Flanders. Zulte Waregem plays in the Belgian First Division A. Their highest finish a ...
. Vitesse ultimately finished the group stage in fourth place. In October 2017,
Guram Kashia
Guram Kashia ( ka, გურამ კაშია, tr, ; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgia (country), Georgian professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Slovan Bratislava and captain (associ ...
wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
rights, leading to a backlash in his own country. In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his act.
In 2021, after beating
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 ...
in the semi-final, Vitesse reached the KNVB Cup Final for the fifth time in their history. Vitesse lost the final 2–1 to
AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
. Vitesse finished the 2020–21 Eredivise season in 4th place. In July and August 2021, Vitesse qualified for the
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their ...
. Vitesse knocked-out
Dundalk F.C.
Dundalk Football Club ( ; ga, Cumann Peile Dhún Dealgan) is a professional association football club that competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of football in the Republic of Ireland. The club is based in Dundalk ...
(2-2 and 2-1) and
R.S.C. Anderlecht
; french: Les Mauves et Blancs)
, short name = R.S.C.A.
, founded =
, ground = Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
, capacity = 22,500
, owntitle = Chairman
, owner = Wouter Vandenhaute
, manager = Brian Riemer
, ...
(3-3 and 2-1) in the qualifiers. On 27 August, Vitesse was drawn on Group G of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League alongside
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
,
Stade Rennais
Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...
and
NŠ Mura
Nogometna šola Mura ( en, Mura Football School), commonly referred to as NŠ Mura or simply Mura, is a Slovenian football team, playing in the town of Murska Sobota. Founded in 2012, the team currently plays in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top ...
. Vitesse eventually placed 2nd in the group, making it to the round of 32.
Stadium and training facilities
The club plays its home games at the
GelreDome
The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...
stadium, with a capacity of 21,000 seats. The GelreDome was built to serve as a multifunctional stadium suited for sports, concerts and other events. It was the first football stadium in the world to have a retractable pitch, and, after the Amsterdam ArenA, the second stadium in Europe to have a sliding roof. The pitch is surrounded on each side by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the
Edward Sturing Stand (North),
Charly Bosveld Stand (East),
Theo Bos Stand (South) and
Just Göbel Stand (West).
The idea of building a multifunctional stadium, which had more than double the capacity of Vitesse's old
Nieuw Monnikenhuize stadium, came from former Vitesse chairman Karel Aalbers. The ambitious chairman had been playing with the idea from as early as the late 1980s, but it took until 1996 and the prospect of the upcoming Euro 2000 championships for construction to finally begin. The GelreDome opened two years later, on 25 March 1998, with a league match between Vitesse and NAC Breda (4-1). Three international matches of the
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Du ...
were played in the stadium, the first one being on May 27, 1998: a friendly against
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
(0–1). The last one, played on April 26, 2000, was also a friendly: a 0–0 against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. In 2019, the
Netherlands women's national team, also played their an international (friendly) match at the stadium. Furthermore, the GelreDome was the location for three
UEFA Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe.
The finals tournament was ...
group stage matches, as well as 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 ...
tournament.
Vitesse's training facilities are conducted at
National Sports Centre Papendal
Olympic Training Centre Papendal is the national training centre of the Netherlands, located in the Veluwe woods from Arnhem. Papendal is the home base of NOC*NSF and football club SBV Vitesse. The soccer fields are also being used as training gr ...
, located in the outskirts of Arnhem in woodland surroundings. The training ground consists of several pitches, a number of which have an artificial turf pitch, and extensive training facilities, including a fitness centre. Papendal, a mere twelve kilometers north of the GelreDome, is not only the training facility for Vitesse's first team; the youth teams play their home matches here as well. Its main field has seating capacity for 500 people. The complex is situated in large wooded area, where the players can prepare in a peaceful and private environment, whilst not being too far from the hustle and bustle of Arnhem's city centre. Papendal is also the base for administration staff, scouting department and all club coaches.
Stadium history
Symbols
Hertog
Vitesse are well known for the
American bald Eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
'Hertog', which is released before the match and flies over the crowds.
Anthems
Vitesse fans are known to be creative and have various songs and chants during matches. Among the most important Vitesse songs are "Geel en Zwart zijn onze kleuren" by Emile Hartkamp, "Ernems Trots" by Joey Hartkamp, and "Bouw mee aan een steengoed Vites!" by Henk Bleker & Enka Harmonie. Vitesse opens its home matches with "Whatever You Want" by
Status Quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
, and after every home goal "
Bro Hymn
"Bro Hymn" is a song by American punk rock band Pennywise. It is the last track on both their 1991 self-titled debut album, and 1997's '' Full Circle'' as "Bro Hymn (Tribute)". Its lyrics are about the death of bassist Jason Thirsk's friends Ti ...
" by
Pennywise is played.
Mr Vitesse
Theo Bos
Theo Bos (born 22 August 1983) is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos.
On 29 November 2021, he announced hi ...
was raised in
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
and started playing football from an early age. He began his career at amateur club Sv Sempre Avanti and played from 1979 to 1983 in the academy of Vitesse. Manager
Leen Looijen
Leen Looijen (born 9 July 1947) is a Dutch association football, football manager, who has worked in N.E.C. (football club), N.E.C., NAC Breda, RKC Waalwijk, FC St. Gallen (Swiss), FC Emmen, Willem II (football club), Willem II, FC Groningen and V ...
gave him his professional debut on 13 August 1983 against
FC Wageningen
FC Wageningen (before 1978 ''Wageningen'' and ''WVV Wageningen'') was a Dutch football club which was founded on 27 August 1911., The club played its matches in the Wageningse Berg stadium.
Its first success came on 18 June 1939, when the team w ...
; the match ended in a 3–0 victory for Vitesse. Bos spent his entire playing career for Vitesse, making a total 369 appearances in 14 seasons with his club. After his playing career, Bos worked at Vitesse as youth coach, assistant coach and manager. He is therefore considered to be ''Mister Vitesse''. In 2012, the south stand of the
GelreDome
The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...
stadium was named the Theo Bos Stand. Bos died on 28 February 2013 of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
, aged forty-seven. Following his death, a special remembrance to honour Theo Bos took place at Gelredome with around 7,000 Vitesse supporters. As of the 2012–13 season, no player will wear the number 4 shirt at Vitesse after the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for Theo Bos, "the legendary number four". Dutch defender
Jan-Arie van der Heijden
Jan-Arie van der Heijden (born 3 March 1988) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back, most recently for Eredivisie club Willem II.
Club career Ajax
Born in Leiden, Van der Heijden made his debut for Ajax in a league match ...
was the last player to wear the number. In November 2013, his biography ''Het is zoals het is'' ('It is what it is') was published, written by journalist Marcel van Roosmalen. In 2015, a statue of Bos was erected outside of the training complex at
Papendal
Olympic Training Centre Papendal is the national training centre of the Netherlands, located in the Veluwe woods from Arnhem. Papendal is the home base of NOC*NSF and football club SBV Vitesse. The soccer fields are also being used as training gr ...
.
Other club legends
Below is a list of players who have established themselves as club legends:
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
*
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
*
Martin Laamers
*
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen (born 27 July 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Netherlands, including Vitesse Arnhem, Twente and Ajax, as well as on loan for Belgian club Genk. He spent 10 years with Vitesse ...
*
Ben Hofs
*
Nicky Hofs
Nicky Hofs (born 17 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional career with Vitesse. After retiring, he began working as a youth and assistant coach within the Vitesse organis ...
*
Frans de Munck
Frans de Munck (20 August 1922 – 24 December 2010) was a Dutch footballer and football manager.
Nicknamed ''The Black Panther'' due to his black hair, jersey and cat-like reflexes, De Munck helped VV DOS from Utrecht win the Eredivisie title ...
*
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
*
Karel Aalbers
Karel Aalbers (born June 28, 1949, Velp) is a Dutch businessman, who was the President of the football club Vitesse Arnhem from 1984 until February 2000.
Career
Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the second tier, where the ...
*
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
*
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
*
Bert Jacobs
Bert Jacobs (March 5, 1941 – November 14, 1999) was a Dutch football manager, who played for HFC Haarlem. Jacobs was a football trainer at a young age, worked for Roda JC, FC Utrecht, Fortuna Sittard, Vitesse Arnhem, RKC Waalwijk and Sportin ...
*
Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps fo ...
*
Raimond van der Gouw
Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus van der Gouw (, born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.
After a successful career with Vitesse in his native Netherlands, and well into his 30s, he moved to Manche ...
*
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
*
Marc van Hintum
*
Herman Veenendaal
Herman Veenendaal (born September 23, 1947, Arnhem) is a Dutch entrepreneur, investor, and former association football, footballer who played as a centre-forward. Veenendaal spent his entire career for SBV Vitesse, Vitesse Arnhem, making a total o ...
*
Gerrit Horsten
*
Boško Bursać
*
Dejan Čurović
Dejan Čurović (, ; 10 August 1968 – 11 August 2019) was a Serbian Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker.
A powerful forward, Čurović played with four clubs during his career, namely ...
*
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
*
Guram Kashia
Guram Kashia ( ka, გურამ კაშია, tr, ; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgia (country), Georgian professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Slovan Bratislava and captain (associ ...
* Willie Veenstra
* Jan Streuer
* Cor Guijt
* Jan Snellenburg
* Martin Esveld
* Jan Dommering
* Dik Herberts
* Toon Huiberts
Airborne-match
Around September there is an annual 'Airborne memorial' football match. During this annual Airborne-match the veterans of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
will be honored. The Gelredome is decorated with Airborne flags, both outside and inside the stadium, and at halftime, 120 members of the Royal British Legion played the bagpipes with some other musical guests. Clubsymbol Hertog fly with the typical Airborne colours. The match is traditionally visited by veterans who were fighting in this battle, while a special shirt is worn by Vitesse. The club drop their normal striped black and yellow kit for this special match. Instead they wear claret and blue outfits, the same colours of the
1st Airborne Division, with a 1st Airborne 'winged horse' emblem also etched on the kit. Pictured on the collar sticker is the
John Frost Bridge
John Frost Bridge (''John Frostbrug'' in Dutch) is the road bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem, in the Netherlands.
The bridge is named after Major-General John Dutton Frost (1912–1993), who commanded the British forces that reached and d ...
. These shirts are after the match auctioned for charity. In addition, Vitesse wearing a special captain's armband as a sign of recognition and respect for those who have fought for our freedom. In the 2014–15 and 2019–20 seasons, Vitesse played their away games in the same colours of the 1st Airborne Division.
Colours and badge
Originally, Vitesse played in white shirts with a blue sash from inception until 1900, paying hommage to the city's colours. At the turn of the century, player Reinhard Jan Christiaan baron van Pallandt offered to sponsor the club's shirts in exchange for Vitesse switching to his family colours of black and yellow. The board were quick to accept, noting that Vitesse, being one of the strongest team in the province of Gelderland, would be vindicated in playing in what could also be considered the province's colours (the
flag of Gelderland
The flag of Gelderland is a horizontal tricolour of blue, yellow (''gold'') and black
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. ...
is a tricolour in blue, yellow, and black).
The first logo of Vitesse was a shield-shaped crest. In the middle there was a diagonal dividing line between the left yellow face and the right black box. In the left box, "AVC Vitesse" was diagonally written and in the right-hand side, "1892 ", the club's founding year. The old logo was replaced in 1984, the year in which the roads of the BVO branch and the amateur branch separated. The amateur branch retained the logo with limited modification, SBV Vitesse got a new logo.
The new logo of the BVO from 1984 is once again a shield-shaped figure, but it has straight lines at both the top and sides of the logo. At the top is with thick white uppercase Vitesse. Under the name is a double-headed eagle, with left and right half mirrored. Also the colors are mirrored, which is left yellow is black right and vice versa. This double-headed eagle can also be found in the coat of arms of Arnhem. In the middle of the logo is a football positioned.
In the autumn of 2011, a new version of the logo was put into use; A total of 13 changes have been made. For example, the symmetry of the eagle was improved, the black outer edge replaced by a white and in the writing has been made thinner. The football has been altered in terms of appearance as a shadow effect is added and (if the context allows it) the year of creation as text EST. 1892 under the logo can be found.
File:Vitesse Logo jaren 70 1.png, The first Vitesse crest
File:Vitesse Logo jaren 70 2.png, The second crest
File:Vitesse logo.svg, The third crest
File:SBV Vitesse logo.svg, 2011–present
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
Since 2019, Vitesse's kit has been manufactured by
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
. Previous manufacturers include
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 ...
(1982–89),
Hummel (1989–90),
Bukta
Bukta is an English sports clothing brand which was founded in 1879 in Stockport, Cheshire, England. It was also, for much of the 20th Century, a leading brand of tents and camping equipment.
History
E.R. Buck & Sons was founded in 1879, mainly ...
(1990–91),
Diadora
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and footwear manufacturing company based in Caerano di San Marco (Veneto), subsidiary of Geox, founded in 1948. Diadora produces football boots and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes ...
(1991–93),
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
(1993–97),
Lotto Sport Italia
Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports equipment manufacturer based in Trevignano, near Treviso. The company manufactures and commercialises sporting and casual clothing and footwear (including sneakers, and football boots). Its clothing li ...
(1997–99),
Uhlsport
Uhlsport GmbH is a German sporting goods manufacturer. Originally established in 1948 as "Haase & Uhl OHG" and later renamed "Karl Uhl GmbH", the company became "uhlsport GmbH" in 1994. It is an international company which has its permanent headq ...
(1999–05),
Quick
Quick, as an adjective, refers to something moving with high speed.
Quick may also refer to:
In business
* Quick (restaurant), a Belgian fast-food restaurant chain
* Quick (sportswear), a Dutch manufacturer of sportswear
* Quick (automobile) ...
(2005–06),
Legea
Legea (stylised as LEGEA) is an Italian sportswear company, founded in 1993 by brothers Giovanni, Emilia and Luigi Acanfora. It is one of the most popular brands among Italian amateur football teams, then expanding to professional clubs.
Legea is ...
(2006–09), Klupp (2009–12), Nike (2012–14), and
Macron (2014-19).
The club's shirts are currently sponsored by
eToro
eToro is an Israeli social trading and multi-asset Investment management, investment company that focuses on providing Financial trading, financial and copy trading services. Its headquarters are located in Central District (Israel), Central I ...
. Previous commercial sponsors have been
Akai
Akai ( ja, 赤井, ) is a Hong Kong manufacturer of consumer electronics. It was founded as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo, Japan, in 1946. Grande Holdings in Hong Kong purchased the Akai brand, and now distributes various electronic produc ...
(1982–83), Oad Reizen (1983–85), Spitman (1985–86), Schoenenreus (1987–89),
RTL 4
RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free-to-air, free-to-cable television channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. RTL 4 is a general entertainment chan ...
(1990–1991),
PTT Telecom
PTT may refer to:
Chemistry and medicine
* Partial thromboplastin time, a performance indicator in medicine for coagulation status
* Photothermal Therapy, a medical treatment
* 2β-propanoyl-3β-(4-tolyl)-tropane, a cocaine analogue
* Polytrimethy ...
(1991–92),
BFI
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
(1991–92), Spaarenergie (1992–93),
Nuon Energy
Vattenfall Nederland B.V. (former name: N.V. Nuon Energy) is a utility company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It provides electricity, natural gas, and heat. The company belongs to the group of Vattenfall.
History
Nuon NV was established in ...
(1993–01), ATAG Benelux (2000–01),
SITA
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
(2002–03),
Hubo
HUBO ( ko, 휴보; designated KHR-3) is a walking humanoid robot, head mounted on a life-size walking bipedal frame, developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and released on January 6, 2005. According to ...
(2002–03),
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
(2002–03),
SBS 6
SBS6 is a Dutch free-to-cable commercial TV channel and is a part of Talpa TV, formerly known as SBS Broadcasting B.V. and now owned by Talpa Network. Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are Net5, Veronica, and SBS9.
History
SBS st ...
(2002–03), Sunweb Group (2003–04), AFAB (2004–2010), Zuka.nl (2010–2011), Simpel (2011–12), Youfone (2013–14),
Truphone
Truphone is a GSMA accredited global mobile network that operates its service internationally. The company is headquartered in London and has offices in ten other countries, being spread across four continents.
Truphone offers e SIM-based GSM m ...
(2014–17), SWOOP (2017–18), Droomparken (2018–19),
Royal Burgers' Zoo
Royal Burgers' Zoo ( nl, Koninklijke Burgers' Zoo) is a zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands, and is one of the biggest zoos in the country. Arnhem is a city that lies within the Veluwe, a nature park in the east of the Netherlands. The zoo is popular with ...
(2019–20),
The Netherlands Open Air Museum (2019–20) and Waterontharder.com (2020–21).
Support
The supporters of the club are known as ''Vitessenaren''. Vitesse has two independent fan bodies. The ''Supportersvereniging Vitesse'' was founded in 1992 and currently consists of 3,000 members. They own a fan base within the GelreDome. The second one, ''Arnhem Ultras'', serve a more specific purpose: to improve the atmosphere in the stadium. Besides the fan unions, there are several sets of fans who work together on tifo choreography, likes ''VIVO (Vitesse Is van Ons)'', ''De Aftrap'', ''VAK 113'', ''VAK 212'', ''RFFC'', ''Crew 81'' and ''BGN'' among others. Nowadays, Vitesse is supported by one fanatic side: The ''Theo Bos – South Stand''. This stand is responsible for a big part of the atmosphere in the stadium.
Vitesse have attracted around 18,000 people to Eredivisie matches on average in the last years. The record attendance stands at 26,600, achieved in a match against
NAC Breda
NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eerste Divi ...
at 25 March 1998. Research showed that about 10,000 season ticket holders from
Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
, with other significant groups coming from
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
South Holland
South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
and
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
.
The ''Vitesse Kids Club'' was founded by Vitesse in 1998 for children up to 16 years. Every year, the ''Vitesse Kids Club Day'' is organized, offering activities for members who are joined by the first team squad. During pre-season, Vitesse also holds an Open Day for people of all ages; the event gives the opportunity for sponsors and new player signings to be presented.
Vitesse fans have established a close friendship with the supporters of
FC Petrolul Ploiești
Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly known as Petrolul Ploiești () or simply as Petrolul, is a Romanian professional football club based in Ploiești, Prahova County, which competes in the Liga I.
Founded in 1924 in capital Bucharest ...
and
RFC de Liège
RFC may refer to:
Computing
* Request for Comments, a memorandum on Internet standards
* Request for change, change management
* Remote Function Call, in SAP computer systems
* Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, a modification for Sid Meier's Civ ...
. Back in the days they had a friendship with
Lierse SK
Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring (), often simply known as Lierse, was a Belgian professional football club from the city of Lier in the Antwerp province. Lierse have won four championship titles and two Belgian Cups. Lierse was one of the six ...
till there was a big riot between them at a friendly match in 2011.
Rivalries
Rivalry with NEC
NEC
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It prov ...
from
Nijmegen
Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
are Vitesse's archrivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the Gelderse Derby ''(Derby of Gelderland)''. The rivalry between these two clubs goes beyond the football rivalry, it transcends into the city rivalry between the two largest cities of
Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
: Nijmegen and
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
. This city rivalry began when these two cities first received their city rights. The two cities are just 20 kilometres apart, leading to an intense feeling of a cross-town rivalry, heightened by a feeling that local pride is at stake. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be one of the biggest matches of the season.
The inhabitants of these cities differ extremely in both attitudes and cultures which is clearly reflected on the football pitch. Vitesse's style of play has long been a source of pride for the supporters, and one of irritation for the NEC fans.
Since 1813, Arnhem has been the capital of Gelderland, historically based on finance and trade. Arnhem is perceived as an office city with modern buildings. Nijmegen, on the other hand, is predominantly a workers' city, with middle and high-income groups in the minority. People from Nijmegen see Arnhem as arrogant and lazy.
Rivalries with other clubs
De Graafschap
VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football.
It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium. ...
are also a rival of Vitesse, but in terms of tension and rivalry, these matches are not as loaded as the duels with NEC Nijmegen. The rivalry has existed for some time with De Graafschap and stems from various causes, such as the opposition between the large city (Arnhem) and the countryside (
Doetinchem
Doetinchem (; Low Saxon: ) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek. The municipality had a population of in ...
).
Further teams who share a rivalry with Vitesse include
FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese Bo ...
,
FC Utrecht
Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion Galgenwaard.
The club was formed in 1970 as a merge ...
and
AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
. Past rivalries include local derbies between Vitesse and clubs such as
FC Wageningen
FC Wageningen (before 1978 ''Wageningen'' and ''WVV Wageningen'') was a Dutch football club which was founded on 27 August 1911., The club played its matches in the Wageningse Berg stadium.
Its first success came on 18 June 1939, when the team w ...
,
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 ...
,
Quick 1888
Quick 1888 (also referred to as Quick Nijmegen) is an amateur sporting club from Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was founded in 1888 as a cricket club and currently plays football in the third amateur level.
As a football club, Quick reached its moment ...
, Arnhemse Boys and VV Rheden. However, the tension between the local sides lessened as the division of the clubs through playing in different leagues over time became greater. Years of not competing in the same league resulted in less frequent match-ups, until tensions finally settled between the local clubs.
Players
Current squad
''For recent transfers, see
2021–22 SBV Vitesse season.''
Players out on loan
Retired numbers
Reserve team (Under-21)
Youth teams
The club is famous, however, for its Youth Academy, which is rated with the maximum of 4 Stars by the KNVB. Many players in professional football in Europe have played at Vitesse in the past including
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
,
Robin Gosens
Robin Everardus Gosens (born 5 July 1994) is a German professional footballer who plays as a left midfielder or left-back for club Inter Milan and the Germany national team.
Club career Vitesse
Born in Emmerich am Rhein, Gosens appeared for lo ...
,
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
,
Davy Pröpper
David Petrus Wenceslaus Henri Pröpper (born 2 September 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse.
Early and personal life
Pröpper was born in Arnhem and his brothers ...
,
Alexander Büttner,
Stijn Schaars
Stephanus Johannes "Stijn" Schaars (born 11 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career Vitesse
Born in Gendt, Gelderland, Schaars was first discovered by Dutch coach Theo Bos, who went on to m ...
,
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amate ...
,
Marco van Ginkel
Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (; born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He can also play as a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Van Ginkel began his career in the y ...
,
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen (born 27 July 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Netherlands, including Vitesse Arnhem, Twente and Ajax, as well as on loan for Belgian club Genk. He spent 10 years with Vitesse ...
,
Erwin Mulder
Erwin Mulder (; born 3 March 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Go Ahead Eagles. He is a former Netherlands U20's international and also received a call up to the senior Netherlands side in 2012.
Early life ...
,
Eloy Room
Eloy Victor Room (born 6 February 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Curaçao national team.
Club career Vitesse
Room joined Vites ...
,
Piet Velthuizen
Piet Velthuizen ( born 3 November 1986) is a Dutch goalkeeper. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Club career Vitesse
Velthuizen made his first team debut on 31 December 2006, in the 2–2 away match against Willem II. His career deve ...
,
Martin Laamers,
Nicky Hofs
Nicky Hofs (born 17 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional career with Vitesse. After retiring, he began working as a youth and assistant coach within the Vitesse organis ...
and
Mitchell van Bergen
Mitchell van Bergen (born 27 August 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Reims.
Club career Vitesse
In July 2015, Van Bergen joined Vitesse on a three–year deal from Eredivisie side Willem II as a ...
. All youth teams will train and play their matches at Papendal.
The Vitesse Academy comprises age-group teams ranging from U8's up to the flagship U19's. The youngest players are scouted at amateur clubs in the direct surroundings of Arnhem. For the age of twelve and older the academy extends its scouting area, mainly to the remaining part of the Netherlands and Germany. In Vitesse's youth efficient and qualified training is done by full-time coaches and organized by further employees looking after the administration. Goal of the sporting education is to train the youths from basic to development to performance levels, for them to fulfil the sportive and non sportive demands of professional football.
List of Vitesse coaches
*''No official coach'' (1887–1914)
* Edgar Chadwick (1914)
* John William Sutcliffe (1914–1915)
* James McPherson (football coach), James McPherson (1919–1920)
* Charlie Griffith (footballer), Charles Griffith (1920–1922)
* Jan van Dort & Bram Evers (1922–1923)
* Jan van Dort (1923–1924)
* Bob Jefferson (1924–1927
* Heinrich Schwarz (football manager), Heinrich Schwarz (1927–1936)
* Joop Damsté (1936)
* Gerrit van Wijhe (1936–1938)
*
Gerrit Horsten (1938–1946)
* George Roper (footballer), George Roper (1946–1947)
* Arie van der Wel (1948–1949)
*
Gerrit Horsten ''(interim)'' (1949)
* Jan Zonnenberg (1949–1954)
* Joseph Gruber (1954–1957)
* Louis Pastoors (1957–1960)
* Branko Vidović (football manager), Branko Vidović (1960–1962)
* Jan Zonnenberg (1962–1964)
* Joseph Gruber (1964–1966)
*
Frans de Munck
Frans de Munck (20 August 1922 – 24 December 2010) was a Dutch footballer and football manager.
Nicknamed ''The Black Panther'' due to his black hair, jersey and cat-like reflexes, De Munck helped VV DOS from Utrecht win the Eredivisie title ...
(1966–1969)
* Cor Brom (1969–1972)
*
Frans de Munck
Frans de Munck (20 August 1922 – 24 December 2010) was a Dutch footballer and football manager.
Nicknamed ''The Black Panther'' due to his black hair, jersey and cat-like reflexes, De Munck helped VV DOS from Utrecht win the Eredivisie title ...
(1972–1974)
* Nedeljko Bulatović (1974–1975)
* Jan de Bouter (1975–1976)
* Clemens Westerhof ''(interim)'' (1976)
* Henk Wullems (1976–1982)
*
Leen Looijen
Leen Looijen (born 9 July 1947) is a Dutch association football, football manager, who has worked in N.E.C. (football club), N.E.C., NAC Breda, RKC Waalwijk, FC St. Gallen (Swiss), FC Emmen, Willem II (football club), Willem II, FC Groningen and V ...
(1982–1984)
* Henk Hofstee ''(interim)'' (1984)
* Clemens Westerhof (1984–1985)
* Janusz Kowalik (1985–1986)
* Hans Dorjee (1986–1987)
* Niels Overweg (1987)
*
Bert Jacobs
Bert Jacobs (March 5, 1941 – November 14, 1999) was a Dutch football manager, who played for HFC Haarlem. Jacobs was a football trainer at a young age, worked for Roda JC, FC Utrecht, Fortuna Sittard, Vitesse Arnhem, RKC Waalwijk and Sportin ...
(1987–1992)
*
Herbert Neumann
Herbert Neumann (born 14 November 1953) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Neumann was born in Cologne. He played for 1. FC Köln, Udinese Calcio, Bologna, Olympiacos Piraeus, and FC Chiasso. ...
(1992–1995)
* Ronald Spelbos (1995)
*
Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps fo ...
& Jan Jongbloed ''(interim)'' (1995–1996)
* Leo Beenhakker (1996–1997)
* Henk ten Cate (1997–1998)
* Artur Jorge (footballer, born 1946), Artur Jorge (1998)
*
Herbert Neumann
Herbert Neumann (born 14 November 1953) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Neumann was born in Cologne. He played for 1. FC Köln, Udinese Calcio, Bologna, Olympiacos Piraeus, and FC Chiasso. ...
(1998–1999)
* Jan Jongbloed &
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
''(interim)'' (1999–2000)
* Ronald Koeman (2000–2001)
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
''(interim)'' (2001–2002)
* Mike Snoei (2002–2003)
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
(2003–2006)
* Aad de Mos (2006–2008)
* Hans Westerhof (2008)
*
Theo Bos
Theo Bos (born 22 August 1983) is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos.
On 29 November 2021, he announced hi ...
(2009–2010)
*
Raimond van der Gouw
Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus van der Gouw (, born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.
After a successful career with Vitesse in his native Netherlands, and well into his 30s, he moved to Manche ...
& Hans van Arum ''(interim)'' (2010)
* Albert Ferrer (2010–2011)
*
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(2011–2012)
*
Fred Rutten
Fredericus Jacobus Rutten (; born 5 December 1962) is a Dutch football coach and former player. As a player, he spent his entire career with Twente during the years 1979 to 1992. Following his playing career, Rutten also managed Twente, before m ...
(2012–2013)
*
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amate ...
(2013–2016)
* Rob Maas (2016)
*
Henk Fraser
Hendrikus "Henk" Fraser (born 7 July 1966) is a Dutch football coach and former player who most recently managed Eredivisie side FC Utrecht.
He played as a defender for various Dutch teams. Born in Suriname, he earned seven caps for the Nether ...
(2016–2018)
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
''(interim)'' (2018)
* Leonid Slutsky (football coach), Leonid Slutsky (2018–2019)
* Joseph Oosting ''(interim)'' (2019)
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
''(interim)'' (2020)
* Thomas Letsch (2020–2022)
*
Phillip Cocu
Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, he is the manager of Vitesse.
Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Graa ...
(2022–)
Board and staff
Corporate hierarchy
Management hierarchy
Owners
After
Karel Aalbers
Karel Aalbers (born June 28, 1949, Velp) is a Dutch businessman, who was the President of the football club Vitesse Arnhem from 1984 until February 2000.
Career
Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the second tier, where the ...
left, the financial situation for the club became dire. This downfall almost led Vitesse into bankruptcy in 2008, as they were not able to pay back loans given by their sponsor AFAB Geldservice B.V. Eventually the club arranged a deal that saw AFAB's owner, Maasbert Schouten, gain 100% of Vitesse's shares. Schouten immediately expressed his intent to sell the club, which opened the window for
Merab Jordania
Merab Jordania ( ka, მერაბ ჟორდანია; born 3 September 1965), is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the owner and chairman of Maltese football club Valletta FC.
Club career
Jor ...
to buy Vitesse. When Jordania, a former FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Dinamo Tbilisi player and owner, bought the team in 2010, Vitesse became the first Dutch club in history with a foreign owner. In 2013, Russian businessman Alexander Tsjigirinski bought the club from Jordania. In May 2018 a new acquisition took place at Vitesse. Valeriy Oyf became the new majority shareholder of Vitesse. The Russian oligarch, who was part of the Board of Directors of Vitesse from 2016, took over the shares of Tsjigirinski.
Chairmen
The first chairman was Frans Dezentjé. Willem Hesselink was chairman of the club from 1917 to 1922 and was appointed honorary chairman in 1962. Although Vitesse's coaches have come from all over Europe, the club's chairmen have been mostly Dutch, with Merab Jordania and Yevgeny Merkel as the only exceptions. The name of Karel Aalbers is inseparably linked to Vitesse. Although a club's success is never the work of a single man, nonetheless, the former chairman's part in the sportive and professional growth of Vitesse may be labelled as truly exceptional. Karel Aalbers handled the chairman's gavel from 1984 to 2000.
* Frans Dezentjé, 1982
* Dick Couvéé, 1892–1993
* Siegfried Leopold, 1893
* Fons Donkers, 1893–1895
* Chris Engelberts, 1895–1909
* Johan Caderius van Veen, 1902–1906
* Lodewijk Suringa, 1906–1908
* Jan F. Keppel Hesselink, 1908–1909
* Wim Hupkes, 1909–1916
* Daniel Brondgeest, 1916
*
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
, 1916–22
* Lex Staal, 1922–1924
* Jan Holtus, 1924–1929
* Wim Hupkes, 1929–1936
* Henk Herberts, 1936–1947
* Jan Bosloper, 1947–1949
* Herbert Mogendorff, 1949–1951
* Henk Hoolboom, 1951–1955
* Henk Lammers, 1955–1963
* Henk Herberts, 1963
* Coen Winters, 1963–1965
* Herbert Mogendorff, 1965
* Herman Ribbink, 1965–1967
* Gerard Veerkamp, 1967–1969
* Arnold van der Louw, 1969–1974
* Eef van Amerongen, 1974–1979
* Piet Bodewes, 1979–1982
* Bob Treffers, 1982–1984
*
Karel Aalbers
Karel Aalbers (born June 28, 1949, Velp) is a Dutch businessman, who was the President of the football club Vitesse Arnhem from 1984 until February 2000.
Career
Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the second tier, where the ...
, 1984–2000
* Jan Konings, 2000
* Jos Vaessen, 2000–2003
* Kees Bakker, 2003–2004
* Henk Ramautar, 2004–2008
* Kees Bakker, 2008–2009
* Maasbert Schouten, 2009–2010
*
Merab Jordania
Merab Jordania ( ka, მერაბ ჟორდანია; born 3 September 1965), is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the owner and chairman of Maltese football club Valletta FC.
Club career
Jor ...
, 2010–2013
* Bert Roetert, 2013–2016
* Kees Bakker, 2016–2017
* Yevgeny Merkel, 2017–2021
* Henk Parren, 2021–
Honours
Domestic
*Eredivisie, Dutch Championship/Eredivisie
: ''Runners-up'': 1897–98 Netherlands Football League Championship, 1897–98, 1902–03 Netherlands Football League Championship, 1902–03, 1912–13 Netherlands Football League Championship, 1912–13, 1913–14 Netherlands Football League Championship, 1913–14, 1914–15 Netherlands Football League Championship, 1914–15
: ''Third place'': 1997–98 Eredivisie, 1997–98
: ''European competition'': 2011–12 Eredivisie, 2011–12, 2014–15 Eredivisie, 2014–15, 2017–18 Eredivisie, 2017–18
*Eerste Divisie
: Winners: 1976–77 Eerste Divisie, 1976–77, 1988–89 Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
: ''Runners-up'': 1959–60 Eerste Divisie, 1959–60, 1973–74 Eerste Divisie, 1973–74
: ''Promoted'': 1970–71 Eerste Divisie, 1970–71
*Tweede Divisie
: Winners: Tweede Divisie 1965–66, 1965–66
*
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 ...
: Winners: 2016–17 KNVB Cup, 2016–17
: ''Runners-up'': 1911–12, 1926–27, 1989–90 KNVB Cup, 1989–90, 2020–21 KNVB Cup, 2020–21
*
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 ...
: ''Runners-up'': 2017 Johan Cruyff Shield, 2017
Regional
*Eerste klasse Oost
: Winners: 1896–97, 1897–98, 1902–03, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1952–53
: ''Promoted'': 1954–55
*Tweede klasse Oost
: Winners: 1922–23, 1940–41, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1949–50
*Gelderland Competition
: Winners: 1894–95, 1895–96
International
* UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League (14 participations)
: 1/8 final: 1990–91 UEFA Cup, 1990–91, 1992–93 UEFA Cup, 1992–93
: Group stage: 2017–18 UEFA Europa League#Group K, 2017–18
*
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their ...
(1 participation)
: Group stage: 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League#Group G, 2021–22
* UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup (I)
: Group stage: 1978 Intertoto Cup, 1978–79
Club Awards
*Association of Contract Players, VVCS: Dutch Team of the Year
: Winners: 1989–90
*Gelderland Sportsteam of the year
: Winners: 2017–18
Personnel honours
European Golden Boot
The following players have won the European Golden Shoe, European Golden Boot whilst playing for Vitesse:
*
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
(34 goals) – 1998
Dutch Footballer of the Year (Golden Boots)
The following players have won the Dutch Footballer of the Year whilst playing for Vitesse:
*
Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps fo ...
– 1989 ''(Eerste Divisie)''
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
– 1990 ''(Eredivisie)''
*
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
– 2013 ''(Eredivisie)''
Johan Cruyff Trophy
The following players have won the Johan Cruyff Trophy whilst playing for Vitesse:
*
Marco van Ginkel
Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (; born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He can also play as a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Van Ginkel began his career in the y ...
– 2013
Eredivisie Top Scorer
*
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
(34 goals) – 1998
*
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
(31 goals) – 2013
Eerste Divisie Top Scorer
*
Herman Veenendaal
Herman Veenendaal (born September 23, 1947, Arnhem) is a Dutch entrepreneur, investor, and former association football, footballer who played as a centre-forward. Veenendaal spent his entire career for SBV Vitesse, Vitesse Arnhem, making a total o ...
(23 goals) – 1974
* Remco Boere (27 goals) – 1983
Rinus Michels Award (Manager of the year)
*
Fred Rutten
Fredericus Jacobus Rutten (; born 5 December 1962) is a Dutch football coach and former player. As a player, he spent his entire career with Twente during the years 1979 to 1992. Following his playing career, Rutten also managed Twente, before m ...
(Runner-up) – 2012/13
*
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amate ...
(Runner-up) – 2013/14, 2014/15
*
Henk Fraser
Hendrikus "Henk" Fraser (born 7 July 1966) is a Dutch football coach and former player who most recently managed Eredivisie side FC Utrecht.
He played as a defender for various Dutch teams. Born in Suriname, he earned seven caps for the Nether ...
(Runner-up) – 2016/17
* Thomas Letsch (Runner-up) – 2020/21
UEFA's #EqualGame Award
*
Guram Kashia
Guram Kashia ( ka, გურამ კაშია, tr, ; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgia (country), Georgian professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Slovan Bratislava and captain (associ ...
– 2018
Vitesse in Europe
* Group = group game
* Q = qualifying round
* KPO = knockout round play-offs
* PO = play-off round
* 1R = first round
* 2R = second round
* 3R = third round
* 1/8 = 1/8 final
UEFA Current ranking
Dutch Cup finals
The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie 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 ...
.
Johan Cruyff Shield
Club records
*Highest transfer fee paid: Bob Peeters from Roda JC Kerkrade, Roda JC for €6.4 million, 2000
*Record League win: 0–17 v Victoria (football), Victoria, Gelderse Competitie Royal Dutch Football Association, NVB, 11 November 1894
*Record
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 ...
win: 7–0 v
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 ...
, 14 April 2018
*Record Eerste Divisie win: 7–0 v
FC Wageningen
FC Wageningen (before 1978 ''Wageningen'' and ''WVV Wageningen'') was a Dutch football club which was founded on 27 August 1911., The club played its matches in the Wageningse Berg stadium.
Its first success came on 18 June 1939, when the team w ...
, 30 August 1970
*Record European win: 0–4 v Dundee United F.C., Dundee United, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Cup Second Round, 7 November 1990
*Record home win: 14–0 v Victoria (football), Victoria, Gelderse Competitie Royal Dutch Football Association, NVB, 20 January 1895
*Record away win: 0–17 v Victoria (football), Victoria, Gelderse Competitie Royal Dutch Football Association, NVB, 11 November 1894
*Record home
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 ...
win: 7–0 v
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 ...
, 14 April 2018
*Record away
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 ...
win: 1–7 v Fortuna Sittard, 27 September 1997
*Record defeat: 12–1 v AFC Ajax, Ajax,
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 ...
, 19 May 1972
*Record tournament defeat: 0–7 v PSV Eindhoven, PSV, KNVB Beker, Fourth Round, 4 May 1969
*Highest ranking: 3rd in
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 ...
, 1997–98
*Longest unbeaten run (League): 22, from 8 January 1967 until 17 September 1967 in Eerste Divisie
*Most clean sheets in one season: 18, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
*Most League goals all-time by player : 155 – Jan Dommering
*Most League goals in a season by player: 34 –
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
,
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 ...
, 1997–98
*Most goals scored in a match: 9 – Nico Westdijk v De Treffers, Tweede Klasse C Oost, 19 October 1941
*Most League goals scored in a season: 85,
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 ...
, 1997–98
*Most League goals conceded in a season: 74,
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 ...
, 1971–72
*Most hat-tricks scored (League): 12 – Jan Dommering
*Fewest League goals scored in a season: 22,
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 ...
, 1971–72
*Fewest League goals conceded in a season: 20, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
*Fastest own goal: 19 seconds – Purrel Fränkel v FC Twente, Twente,
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 ...
, 3 October 2003
*Most top scorer of Vitesse:
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
, 5 times
*Most international caps for the
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Du ...
as a Vitesse player:
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
, 22
Domestic results
Below is a table with Vitesse's domestic results since the introduction of 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 ...
in 1956.
Statistics
Club topscorers by season
*Eerste Klasse C 1954-55, 1954/55 Eltjo Veentjer (10)
*Hoofdklasse A 1955-56, 1955/56 Eltjo Veentjer (10)
*1956–57 Eerste Divisie, 1956/57 Jan Schatorjé (16)
*1957–58 Eerste Divisie, 1957/58 Gerrit van der Pol (13)
*1958–59 Eerste Divisie, 1958/59 Loek Feijen (15)
*1959–60 Eerste Divisie, 1959/60 Loek Feijen (17)
*1960–61 Eerste Divisie, 1960/61 Loek Feijen (12)
*1961–62 Eerste Divisie, 1961/62 Jan Seelen (13)
*1962–63 Tweede Divisie, 1962/63 Jan Seelen (18)
*1963–64 Tweede Divisie, 1963/64 Jan Seelen (10)
*1964–65 Tweede Divisie, 1964/65 Jan Veenstra (12)
*1965–66 Tweede Divisie, 1965/66 Hans Verhagen (21)
*Eerste Divisie 1966-67, 1966/67 Jan Veenstra (22)
*Eerste Divisie 1967-68, 1967/68 Hans Verhagen (17)
*Eerste Divisie 1968-69, 1968/69
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
(15)
*Eerste Divisie 1969-70, 1969/70 Wim Kleinjan (11)
*Eerste Divisie 1970-71, 1970/71 Bart Stovers (10)
*Eredivisie 1971-72, 1971/72 Ben Gerritsen (5)
* Eredivisie 1971-72, 1971/72
Herman Veenendaal
Herman Veenendaal (born September 23, 1947, Arnhem) is a Dutch entrepreneur, investor, and former association football, footballer who played as a centre-forward. Veenendaal spent his entire career for SBV Vitesse, Vitesse Arnhem, making a total o ...
(5)
*Eerste Divisie 1972-73, 1972/73 Bram van Kerkhof (20)
*Eerste Divisie 1973-74, 1973/74
Herman Veenendaal
Herman Veenendaal (born September 23, 1947, Arnhem) is a Dutch entrepreneur, investor, and former association football, footballer who played as a centre-forward. Veenendaal spent his entire career for SBV Vitesse, Vitesse Arnhem, making a total o ...
(23)
*Eerste Divisie 1974-75, 1974/75
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
(16)
*Eerste Divisie 1975-76, 1975/76
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
(10)
* Eerste Divisie 1975-76, 1975/76
Boško Bursać (10)
*Eerste Divisie 1976-77, 1976/77
Boško Bursać (20)
*Eredivisie 1977-78, 1977/78
Boško Bursać (13)
*Eredivisie 1978-79, 1978/79
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
(7)
* Eredivisie 1978-79, 1978/79 Herman Gerdsen (7)
*Eredivisie 1979-80, 1979/80 Hans Bleijenberg (11)
*Eerste Divisie 1980-81, 1980/81 Ron van Oosterom (14)
*Eerste Divisie 1981-82, 1981/82 Jurrie Koolhof (19)
*Eerste Divisie 1982-83, 1982/83 Chris van de Akker (10)
*Eerste Divisie 1983-84, 1983/84 Remco Boere (27)
*Eerste Divisie 1984-85, 1984/85 Henk Thijssen (8)
*Eerste Divisie 1985-86, 1985/86 Roger Schouwenaar (11)
* Eerste Divisie 1985-86, 1985/86 Rick Talan (11)
*Eerste Divisie 1986-87, 1986/87
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(17)
*Eerste Divisie 1987-88, 1987/88 Rick Talan (16)
*Eerste Divisie 1988-89, 1988/89 Jurrie Koolhof (13)
*Eredivisie 1989-90, 1989/90
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(14)
*Eredivisie 1990-91, 1990/91
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(8)
*Eredivisie 1991-92, 1991/92
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(10)
*Eredivisie 1992-93, 1992/93
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
(15)
*Eredivisie 1993-94, 1993/94 Hans Gillhaus (22)
*Eredivisie 1994-95, 1994/95
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
(11)
*Eredivisie 1995-96, 1995/96
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
(11)
*Eredivisie 1996-97, 1996/97
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
(19)
*Eredivisie 1997-98, 1997/98
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
(34)
*Eredivisie 1998-99, 1998/99
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
(18)
*Eredivisie 1999-00, 1999/00
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk (; born 29 November 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker. He had spells with clubs across Europe where he was a prolific goal scorer. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch nation ...
(25)
*Eredivisie 2000-01, 2000/01 Matthew Amoah (11)
*Eredivisie 2001–02, 2001/02 Matthew Amoah (6)
*Eredivisie 2002–03, 2002/03 Matthew Amoah (15)
*Eredivisie 2003–04, 2003/04 Emile Mbamba (6)
*2004–05 Eredivisie, 2004/05 Matthew Amoah (13)
*Eredivisie 2005–06, 2005/06 Youssouf Hersi (10)
*Eredivisie 2006–07, 2006/07 Danko Lazović (19)
*Eredivisie 2007-08, 2007/08 Santi Kolk (12)
*Eredivisie 2008–09, 2008/09
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
(8)
*Eredivisie 2009-10, 2009/10 Santi Kolk (7)
* Eredivisie 2009-10, 2009/10 Lasse Nilsson (7)
*Eredivisie 2010-11, 2010/11
Marco van Ginkel
Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (; born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He can also play as a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Van Ginkel began his career in the y ...
(5)
* Eredivisie 2010-11, 2010/11 Marcus Pedersen (5)
*2011–12 Eredivisie, 2011/12
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
(12)
*2012–13 Eredivisie, 2012/13
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
(31)
*2013–14 Eredivisie, 2013/14 Lucas Piazon (11)
*2014–15 Eredivisie, 2014/15
Bertrand Traoré
Bertrand Isidore Traoré (born 6 September 1995) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa and the Burkina Faso national team.
Afte ...
(14)
*2015–16 Eredivisie, 2015/16 Valeri Qazaishvili (10)
*2016–17 Eredivisie, 2016/17
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
(20)
*2017–18 Eredivisie, 2017/18 Bryan Linssen (15)
*2018–19 Eredivisie, 2018/19 Bryan Linssen (12)
*2019–20 Eredivisie, 2019/20 Bryan Linssen (14)
*2020–21 Eredivisie, 2020/21 Armando Broja (10)
*2021–22 Eredivisie, 2021/22 Loïs Openda (18)
Player of the Season
Vitesse's Player of the Season award is voted for by the club's supporters. It was first introduced in the 1989–90 season.
Most appearances
All competitions
Eredivisie
Europa
Top goalscorers
All competitions
Eredivisie
Europa
Vitesse All Stars
Other teams
Vitesse II
Vitesse's reserve team (Under-21) currently plays in the Beloften Eredivisie. It plays its home matches at Papendal and it is coached by Joseph Oosting.
The team is composed mostly of professional footballers, who are often recent graduates from the highest youth level (Vitesse U19) serving their first professional contract as a reserve, or players who are otherwise unable to play in the first team.
Honours
The team's honours:
* Derde Divisie
** Champions: 2018
* Beloften Eredivisie
** Champions: 1993, 2015
* KNVB Reserve Cup
** Winners: 1998, 2002, 2011
* Royal Dutch Football Association, KNVB District (South)
** Champions: 1992, 1993
* KNVB District Cup (East)
** Winners: 1990
Amateur team
In 1984 it was decided to divide the professional and amateur sections of the club. The professional section was renamed SBV (Stichting Betaald Voetbal – "Professional Football Foundation") Vitesse whilst the amateur section became "(AVC) Vitesse 1892", who played their home matches at the Sportcomplex Valkenhuizen. In total, the club has won 5 trophies; one Derde Klasse title, one Vierde Klasse title, one Zesde Klasse title and two Arnhem Cups. On 2009, Vitesse 1892 was declared bankrupt. The amateur section has produced a number of professional players including Andy van der Meijde,
Nicky Hofs
Nicky Hofs (born 17 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional career with Vitesse. After retiring, he began working as a youth and assistant coach within the Vitesse organis ...
, Léon Hese, Erwin van de Looi en
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen (born 27 July 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Netherlands, including Vitesse Arnhem, Twente and Ajax, as well as on loan for Belgian club Genk. He spent 10 years with Vitesse ...
.
Vitesse Legends
Vitesse Legends are a beneficiary team that was initiated by Ben Snelders, Leo de Kleermaeker and Dik Herberts in the 1990s, competing in at least one match a year, usually in the name of charity and/or to bid farewell to retiring former Vitesse players. The team is made up of various members of the Club van 100 of Vitesse who will come out of retirement for this match to face the current Vitesse squad. Past participants have included
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen (born 27 July 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Netherlands, including Vitesse Arnhem, Twente and Ajax, as well as on loan for Belgian club Genk. He spent 10 years with Vitesse ...
,
Marc van Hintum,
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
, Ruud Knol, Remco van der Schaaf,
Nicky Hofs
Nicky Hofs (born 17 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional career with Vitesse. After retiring, he began working as a youth and assistant coach within the Vitesse organis ...
, Erwin van de Looi,
Glenn Helder
Glenn Helder (born 28 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam, Vitesse Arnhem and NAC Breda. He also played i ...
, Philip Cocu,
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
,
Theo Bos
Theo Bos (born 22 August 1983) is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos.
On 29 November 2021, he announced hi ...
,
Martin Laamers, Michael Dingsdag, Roberto Straal,
Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps fo ...
,
Dejan Čurović
Dejan Čurović (, ; 10 August 1968 – 11 August 2019) was a Serbian Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker.
A powerful forward, Čurović played with four clubs during his career, namely ...
, Jhon van Beukering and Huub Loeffen.
National team players
A number of Vitesse players have represented the Netherlands national football team, Neherland national team, the first official international being
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
. He was one of the founders of Vitesse in 1892 at age 14. In 1905 he started in the first ever home match of the Netherlands national football team, a 4–0 victory against Belgium. Some historians attribute one of the goals scored to him.
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
played 22 matches for the Dutch team, being best remembered for his numerous saves during the 2–1 win over England's amateurs and his bronze medal in the football tournament of the 1912 Summer Olympics. The record number of Vitesse players for the Netherlands was three, which occurred on two occasions in 1989. The following players were called up to represent the Netherlands national team in international football and received caps during their tenure with Vitesse:
*
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
*
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
* Jan de Natris
* Gerrit Horsten
* Sjaak Alberts
* Wim Hendriks
* Hans Gillhaus
*
Martin Laamers
* Bart Latuheru
*
Edward Sturing
Edward Jeroen Sturing (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Sturing played as a defender and earned three caps for the Netherlands national team.
Career
Sturing played for De Graafschap and Vitesse, wi ...
*
John van den Brom
Joseph Anthonius ''John ''van den Brom (born 4 October 1966) is a Dutch former professional footballer and the current manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. As a player, he played for Vitesse, Ajax, De Graafschap and Istanbulspor. After h ...
*
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk (; born 29 November 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker. He had spells with clubs across Europe where he was a prolific goal scorer. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch nation ...
*
Glenn Helder
Glenn Helder (born 28 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam, Vitesse Arnhem and NAC Breda. He also played i ...
*
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
* Patrick van Aanholt
* Ferdi Vierklau
* Martijn Reuser
*
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld (born 23 October 1974) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the goalkeeping coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town.
The highlight of his playing ...
* Victor Sikora
*
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen (born 27 July 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Netherlands, including Vitesse Arnhem, Twente and Ajax, as well as on loan for Belgian club Genk. He spent 10 years with Vitesse ...
*
Piet Velthuizen
Piet Velthuizen ( born 3 November 1986) is a Dutch goalkeeper. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Club career Vitesse
Velthuizen made his first team debut on 31 December 2006, in the 2–2 away match against Willem II. His career deve ...
*
Marco van Ginkel
Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (; born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He can also play as a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Van Ginkel began his career in the y ...
*
Davy Pröpper
David Petrus Wenceslaus Henri Pröpper (born 2 September 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse.
Early and personal life
Pröpper was born in Arnhem and his brothers ...
Notable former players
*
Phillip Cocu
Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, he is the manager of Vitesse.
Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Graa ...
(1990–1995)
*
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk (; born 29 November 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker. He had spells with clubs across Europe where he was a prolific goal scorer. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch nation ...
(1999–2000)
*
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus Antonius "Roy" Makaay (born 9 March 1975) is a Dutch former footballer and a coach who is currently first team coach at Rangers. As a striker, he was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his "aerial prowess and quick driv ...
(1993–1997)
*
Raimond van der Gouw
Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus van der Gouw (, born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.
After a successful career with Vitesse in his native Netherlands, and well into his 30s, he moved to Manche ...
(1988–1996)
*
Glenn Helder
Glenn Helder (born 28 October 1968) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam, Vitesse Arnhem and NAC Breda. He also played i ...
(1993–1995)
* Orlando Trustfull
(1997–2001)
*
Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps fo ...
(1988–1991)
*
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amate ...
(1981–1984)
* Henk ten Cate
(1975–1976)
*
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld (born 23 October 1974) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the goalkeeping coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town.
The highlight of his playing ...
(1996–1999)
* Edwin Zoetebier
(2000–2001)
*
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...
(2008–2017)
*
Marco van Ginkel
Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (; born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He can also play as a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Van Ginkel began his career in the y ...
(2010–2013)
*
Davy Pröpper
David Petrus Wenceslaus Henri Pröpper (born 2 September 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Vitesse.
Early and personal life
Pröpper was born in Arnhem and his brothers ...
(2010–2015)
* Patrick van Aanholt
(2012–2014)
*
Stijn Schaars
Stephanus Johannes "Stijn" Schaars (born 11 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career Vitesse
Born in Gendt, Gelderland, Schaars was first discovered by Dutch coach Theo Bos, who went on to m ...
(2003–2005)
* Riechedly Bazoer
(2019–2022)
* Paul Verhaegh
(2006–2010)
*
Eloy Room
Eloy Victor Room (born 6 February 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Curaçao national team.
Club career Vitesse
Room joined Vites ...
(2008-2017)
* Hans Gillhaus
(1993–1994)
*
Willem Hesselink
Willem Frederik Hesselink (8 February 1878 – 1 December 1973) was a Dutch football player and one of the founders of local club Vitesse Arnhem in 1892. He was known for his blue woolen cap, which he seemed to wear day and night, and was nickna ...
(1894–1919)
*
Henk Bosveld
Hendrikus ("Henk") Johannes Bosveld (July 10, 1941 – August 6, 1998) was a Dutch football midfielder, who was nicknamed ''Charly'' after Charles Chaplin due to a similar style of walking.
Club career
Born in Velp, he started playing football ...
(1968–1979)
*
Frans de Munck
Frans de Munck (20 August 1922 – 24 December 2010) was a Dutch footballer and football manager.
Nicknamed ''The Black Panther'' due to his black hair, jersey and cat-like reflexes, De Munck helped VV DOS from Utrecht win the Eredivisie title ...
(1965–1967)
* Dick Schoenaker
(1986–1988)
*
Just Göbel
Dr. Marius Jan "Just" Göbel (November 21, 1891 in Surabaya – March 5, 1984 in Ede) was a Dutch amateur football (soccer) player.
Career
Göbel who played for Vitesse Arnhem, succeeded Reinier Beeuwkes as the Dutch national goalkeeper in 19 ...
(1909–1924)
*
Alexander Büttner (2007–2019)
* Remko Pasveer
(2017–2021)
* Gert Claessens
(2001–2003)
* Bob Peeters
(2000–2003)
* Onur Kaya
(2005–2010)
* Loïs Openda
(2020–2021)
* Paulo Rink
(2004)
* Dieter Burdenski
(1990)
* Simon Cziommer
(2012–2013)
* Lewis Baker (footballer), Lewis Baker
(2015–2017)
*
Mason Mount
Mason Tony Mount (born 10 January 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking or central midfielder for club Chelsea and the England national team.
Mount began his senior club career with Chelsea, and joined Vite ...
(2017–2018)
* Didier Martel
(2000–2003)
* Gaël Kakuta
(2012–2013)
* Marco De Marchi
(1997–2000)
* Luca Caldirola
(2010–2011)
* Jordi López (footballer), Jordi López
(2011)
* Eduardo Carvalho
(2018–2019)
* Scott Booth
(1998–1999)
* Nick Deacy
(1979–1980)
*
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
(1996–1999)
* Eli Dasa
(2019–2022)
* Lasse Nilsson
(2008–2011)
* Martin Ødegaard
(2018–2019)
* Jacob Rasmussen
(2020–2021)
* Milot Rashica
(2015–2018)
* Tomáš Kalas
(2011–2013)
* Tim Matavž
(2017–2020)
*
Guram Kashia
Guram Kashia ( ka, გურამ კაშია, tr, ; born 4 July 1987) is a Georgia (country), Georgian professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Slovan Bratislava and captain (associ ...
(2010–2018)
* Valeri Qazaishvili
(2011–2017)
* Slobodan Rajković
(2010–2011)
*
Nemanja Matić
Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Serie A club Roma. Starting his career as an attacking midfielder, Matić shifted to a d ...
(2010–2011)
* Danko Lazović
(2006–2007)
* Dejan Stefanović
(1999–2003)
* Vladimir Stojković
(2007)
* Ștefan Nanu
(1999–2003)
* Matt Miazga
(2016–2018)
* Claudemir de Souza
(2008–2010)
* Lucas Piazon
(2013–2014)
* Jonathan Reis
(2012–2013)
* Lloyd Doesburg
(1981–1986)
* Zakaria Labyad
(2014–2015)
* Ismaïl Aissati
(2010–2011)
* Oussama Tannane
(2019–)
* Anthony Annan
(2011–2012)
*
Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – ) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back.
Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a seas ...
(2013–2014)
* Riga Mustapha
(1998–2003)
*
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...
(2011–2013)
*
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team.
Club career OFI Crete
Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...
(1999–2002)
* Ben Iroha
(1992–1996)
* Tijani Babangida
(2001–2002)
* Marvelous Nakamba
(2014–2017)
*
Bertrand Traoré
Bertrand Isidore Traoré (born 6 September 1995) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa and the Burkina Faso national team.
Afte ...
(2014–2015)
* Thulani Serero
(2017–2019)
* Giovanny Espinoza
(2007–2008)
* Keisuke Honda
(2019)
* Yu Hai
(2007–2008)
See also
*List of football clubs in the Netherlands, Dutch football league teams
*Vitesse Dallas, an American indoor football club
*
National Sports Centre Papendal
Olympic Training Centre Papendal is the national training centre of the Netherlands, located in the Veluwe woods from Arnhem. Papendal is the home base of NOC*NSF and football club SBV Vitesse. The soccer fields are also being used as training gr ...
*
GelreDome
The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...
Literature
*Van Mierlo, Joost: ''Verspeelde Energie. Vitesse en Nuon, verslag van een explosieve relatie.'' SUN, Nijmegen 2001, .
*Molenaar, Arjen: ''111 Jaar Vitesse. De sportieve geschiedenis van Vitesse 1892-2003'' Vitesse, Arnhem 2003, .
*Van Roosmalen, Marcel: ''Je hebt het niet van mij. Een tragi-komisch verslag over de soap bij Vitesse.'' Hard gras, Amsterdam 2006, .
*Van Roosmalen, Marcel: ''Het Jaar van de Adelaar''. Hard gras, Amsterdam 2009, .
*Van Roosmalen, Marcel: ''Geef me nog twee dagen''. Hard gras, Amsterdam 2011, .
*Bierhaus, Peter: ''Vites! 9 verhalen over onvoorwaardelijke liefde voor Vitesse.'' Ctrl-E, Arnhem 2011, .
*Remco, Kok: ''Een Arnhemmer is niet voor Ajax.'' Lecturium, Zoetermeer 2014, .
*Reurink, Ferry: ''Elke dag Vitesse. 125 jaar clubgeschiedenis in 366 verhalen.'' Kontrast, Oosterbeek 2017, .
Notes and references
External links
Official websites
Vitesse.nlOfficial website of Vitesse Arnhem
GelreDome.nlOfficial website of stadium GelreDome
The Vitesse Arnhem Story
General fan site
Official supporters site
News sites
Vitesse Arnhemat SkySports.com
Vitesse Arnhemat Goal (website), Goal
Vitesse Arnhemat Football-Lineups.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitesse
SBV Vitesse,
Football clubs in the Netherlands
Football clubs in Arnhem
Association football clubs established in 1892
1892 establishments in the Netherlands