Willem II (), also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a Dutch

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

based in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

, Netherlands. They play in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...

, the second tier of

Dutch football Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, at the age of 14, he founded Haarlemsche Football Club. Over the next 30 years, football gained ...

, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. The club was founded on 12 August 1896 as ''Tilburgia''. On 12 January 1898, the club was renamed ''Willem II'' after Dutch king

William II of the Netherlands William II ( nl, Willem Frederik George Lodewijk, anglicized as William Frederick George Louis; 6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849) was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg. William II was the son of Willia ...

(1792–1849), who, as Prince of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and commander of the

Dutch army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830, spent much time in the city after becoming king, and died there. Notable former players for the club include Dutch internationals Jan van Roessel,

Joris Mathijsen Joris Mathijsen (born 5 April 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is the director of football at Willem II. Club career Mathijsen started his football career at SV VOAB in Goirle after he visited a tr ...

, Jaap Stam,

Frenkie de Jong Frenkie de Jong (born 12 May 1997) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. A versatile midfielder, he is known for his vision, passing, dribbling, technique, ...

Marc Overmars Marc Overmars (; born 29 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional footballer and director of football at Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp FC. He was previously director of football at Ajax. During his football career, he played as a win ...

Virgil Van Dijk Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, Van Dijk is known for his strength, lea ...

and Finland's

Sami Hyypiä Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (; born 7 October 1973) is a Finnish football manager and former defender. Hyypiä began his playing career with Ykkönen side Kumu and soon moved to Veikkausliiga outfit MyPa. He spent four years at the club, helping t ...

. The club's shirt consists of red-white-blue vertical stripes, inspired by the colours of the

flag of the Netherlands The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evo ...

. Willem II plays its home matches in the Koning Willem II Stadion, also named after the King. The stadium, opened on 31 May 1995, has a capacity of 14,700 spectators. The average attendance in 2004–05 was 12,500 people. The club has won 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 ...

and the

three times each.

History

Established on 12 August 1896 in

as Tilburgia, the club first played at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark Tilburg and in 1995 relocated to the Koning Willem II Stadion, the ground where they have played ever since. Willem were champions of the

in 1916, 1952 and 1955. The Tricolores also won two

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

s in 1944 and 1963 and were also crowned champs of the

in 1958, 1965 and 2014. WillemIIManchesterUnited1963b

With regard to European competition, Willem II first appeared in

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

of 1963 where they lost to Manchester United in the first round by an aggregate score of 7–2. In 1998–99, Willem once again competed in the

Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

and after beating

Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo Tbilisi is a sports club from Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1925. Among its highest honors, is the European trophy earned by its football team which won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2–1 ...

of Georgia 6–0 in both legs, Willem then lost to Spanish side

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

in the second round, 4–1 on aggregate. A second place in the Eredivisie of 1999 guaranteed the club a

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

berth for the first time. At the tournament's group stage, Willem only attained two points in their six group G matches and were thus eliminated. After reaching the KNVB Cup final in 2005 where they lost 4–0 against

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...

, Willem II again qualified again for the UEFA Cup, in which they lost to French side

AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...

in the first round by 5–1 on aggregate. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Willem II were relegated from the Eredivisie for the first time in 24 years. In the 2011–12 season under new manager Jurgen Streppel Willem II was promoted back to the Eredivisie, but they went right back down the next season after finishing bottom of the table. The club became champions of the

in the subsequent season and were thus promoted back to the Eredivisie. In early 2015, journalists at ''

De Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

'' revealed that Willem II had its matches fixed by an "Asian gambling syndicate", who had paid Willem's players a total sum of €100,000 to lose matches against

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

and

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...

(in October and December 2009). According to the journalists, midfielder

Ibrahim Kargbo Ibrahim Obreh Kargbo (born 10 April 1982) is a Sierra Leonean former soccer, football player. He ended his career with a suspension over match-fixing. Career Former teams are Old Edwardians F.C., Feyenoord Rotterdam, RWD Molenbeek, Sportin ...

was the Asians' main contact within the club; Kargbo denies having accepted their money. The

Royal Dutch Football Association The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch Netherlands nati ...

called the affair "the most concrete case of match fixing in the Netherlands" and took legal action as well as asking

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

and

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

to reevaluate previous matches. In 2019, Willem II reached the KNVB Cup Final for the fourth time in their history. They beat

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...

in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out, but were defeated by in the final by

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 ...

. The fans of Willem II have close links with the fans of English

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

. Willem supporters have been known to travel to Bristol, with Bristol City fans heading the other way to Tilburg. At Bristol City's game on 31 October 2009 against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

, some Willem II fans were seen in the 'Eastend' of the Ashton Gate Stadium, and songs were sung about Willem II by City fans.

Players

Current squad

Notable players

The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed represented their countries while playing for Willem II. ;Albania * Lindon Selahi ;Armenia *

Aras Özbiliz Aras Özbiliz ( hy, Արաս Օզբիլիզ; born 9 March 1990) is an Armenian professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Pyunik and the Armenia national team. Early life Özbiliz was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy distri ...

Norair Aslanyan Norair Aslanyan ( hy, Նորայր Ասլանյան}; né Norair Mamedov; born 25 March 1991) is an Armenian footballer who plays as a winger for OFC Oostzaan in the Dutch Derde Divisie. Early life Aslanyan was born on 25 March 1991 in the vi ...

;Austria * Andreas Lasnik ;Belgium *

Geert De Vlieger Geert De Vlieger (; born 16 October 1971) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career De Vlieger was born in Dendermonde. He started his career in his home country playing for Anderlecht and Beveren before mo ...

* Moussa Dembélé * Christophe Grégoire * Chris Janssens * Tristan Peersman ;Bulgaria *

Igor Tomašić Igor Tomašić (; bg, Игор Томашич, Igor Tomashich; born 14 December 1976) is a former naturalized Bulgarian footballer of Croatian ethnicity who played as a defender. Career Youth career His first club was Moslavina Kutina, where ...

;Burkina Faso *

Ousmane Sanou Ousmane Sanou (born 11 March 1978) is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Sanou was born in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. He made his debut in professional football for Willem II, on 28 August 1996 ...

;Curaçao *

Kemy Agustien Germaine Hesus "Kemy" Agustien (born 20 August 1986) is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Matlock Town. He previously played for Willem II, AZ Alkmaar, Roda JC and RKC Waalwijk, for Birmingham City, Crys ...

Darryl Lachman Darryl Brian Ricky Lachman (born 11 November 1989) is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for A-League club Perth Glory and the Curaçao national team. He has formerly played for Groningen, PEC Zwolle, Twente, ...

;Czech Republic *

Tomáš Galásek Tomáš Galásek (; born 15 January 1973) is a Czech former football player and current manager. He was a holding midfielder who was also strong as a centre-back. Club career Galásek started his career with Banik Ostrava in 1991, before mo ...

;Denmark * Lucas Andersen ;Finland *

Juha Hakola Juha Pekka Hakola (born 27 October 1987) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Grankulla IFK in the Kakkonen. Club career Hakola played two seasons for FC Flora Tallinn. Hakola was named the Meistriliiga Footballer ...

Joonas Kolkka Joonas Einari Kolkka (born 28 September 1974) is a Finnish retired professional footballer who played as a left winger most of his career, but could also play on the right wing. Having started his career in his native Finland, he went on to play ...

* Jukka Koskinen *

Veli Lampi Veli Lampi (born 18 July 1984) is a Finnish former professional association football, football right back. Lampi was born in Seinäjoki, Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland where he played for the local youth teams before moving to Vaasan Palloseura, ...

* Niki Mäenpää ;Gambia *

Jatto Ceesay Jatto Ceesay (born 16 November 1974) is a The Gambia, Gambian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Career Born in Banjul, Ceesay started to play football as a small boy wit ...

;Guinea * Mohamed Sylla ;Hungary * Csaba Fehér *

Zsombor Kerekes Zsombor Kerekes (, born 13 September 1973) is a former Hungarian footballer. Kerekes was a forward who was born in Senta, Serbia (back then still part of SFR Yugoslavia) and was a member of the Hungarian minority in Serbia. Despite being bo ...

;Israel *

Ben Sahar Ben Sahar ( he, בן שׂהר, changed the Hebrew spelling of his surname from ; born 10 August 1989) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a striker for Maccabi Haifa and the Israel national team. At 16, Sahar was the equivalent ...

;Kosovo *

Arijanet Muric Arijanet Anan Muric; cnr, Аријанет Мурић, translit=Arijanet Murić (born 7 November 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Burnley. Born in Switzerland, he represents the Kosovo nation ...

Donis Avdijaj Donis Xhemë Avdijaj (born 25 August 1996) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Swiss Super League club FC Zürich. Club career Schalke 04 After scoring 59 goals in 53 matches for U17 and 17 goals in 24 games for U19, ...

;Luxembourg *

Aurélien Joachim Aurélien Joachim (born 10 August 1986) is a professional footballer who plays for RUS Ethe Belmont as a striker. Born in Belgium, he made 80 appearances for the Luxembourg scoring 15 goals between 2005 and 2019. He is the younger brother of fo ...

;Morocco * Rochdi Achenteh *

Youssef Mariana Youssef Mariana (born 13 May 1974) is a former Moroccan footballer who usually played as midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks ...

Mourad Mghizrat Mourad Mghizrat ( ar, مراد مغيزرات; born 7 September 1974) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently assistant coach at Quick Boys. Club career Mghizrat started his career with TONEGIDO, O ...

Adil Ramzi Adil Ramzi ( ar, عادل رمزي; born 14 July 1977) is a Moroccan-Dutch professional football coach and a former midfielder. He is the head coach of Eerste Divisie club Jong PSV. International career Ramzi was a member of the Morocco nation ...

Tarik Sektioui Tarik Sektioui ( ar, طارق السكتيوي; born 13 May 1977) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a right winger, currently the manager of Union de Touarga. He spent most of his professional career in the Netherlands ...

;Netherlands * Kevin Bobson *

Bud Brocken Budde Jan Peter Maria "Bud" Brocken (born 12 September 1957) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played for Willem II, Birmingham City, FC Groningen and FC Den Bosch, as well as the Netherlands national team, as a winger. Club car ...

* Romano Denneboom *

Nicky Hofs Nicky Hofs (born 17 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional career with SBV Vitesse, Vitesse. After retiring, he began working as a youth and assistan ...

Kew Jaliens Kew Raffique Jaliens (born 15 September 1978) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a defender. Club career Sparta Kew Jaliens started his career at Sparta and made his league debut aged 18 in a 2–1 away win over FC Groningen on 25 Ma ...

Bert Konterman Bert Konterman (, born 14 January 1971) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. Playing career Born in Rouveen, Konterman's career began with the local amateur club ''SC Rouveen'', then went on to play for clubs in ...

* Michel Kreek *

Kees Krijgh Cornelus "Kees" Krijgh (born 13 February 1950) is Dutch retired professional football (soccer), football player. He was usually fielded as defender (association football), defender. Krijgh started playing football with his local team FC Den Bosc ...

Denny Landzaat Denny Domingues Landzaat (born 6 May 1976) is a Dutch former footballer who mostly played as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder and current assistant manager of Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznań. Early life Landzaat was born and raised in ...

Oscar Moens Oscar Moens (born 1 April 1973) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After his retirement, he has held positions in the coaching staff of Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord. Club career Early career A youth pro ...

Martijn Reuser Martijn Franciscus Reuser (born 1 February 1975) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played top-flight football in both the Netherlands and England. He made one appearance for the Netherlands national team. Career Born in Amsterdam, ...

* Jaap Stam *Netherlands (''continued'') *

Virgil van Dijk Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, Van Dijk is known for his strength, lea ...

Jean-Paul van Gastel Jacobus Johannes Martinus Paulus "Jean-Paul" van Gastel (; born 28 April 1972 in Breda, North Brabant) is a retired football midfielder from the Netherlands, who obtained five caps for the Dutch national team, scoring twice. Currently, he is ...

Ulrich van Gobbel Ulrich van Gobbel (born 16 January 1971) is a Dutch Surinamese football coach and a former player who played as a defender for Feyenoord Rotterdam (where he had two spells), Galatasaray and Southampton. He works as a coach with the Under-19 s ...

Toine van Mierlo Antonius Wilhelmus Matthias Theodore van Mierlo (born 24 August 1957), known in England as Tony van Mierlo, is a former Netherlands international footballer who played primarily as a left winger but can also play as a forward. Van Mierlo was b ...

* Jan van Roessel *

Kenneth Vermeer Kenneth Harold Vermeer (born 10 January 1986) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Vermeer has played for Jong Ajax, Willem II on loan, ...

;New Zealand *

James McGarry James McGarry may refer to: * James McGarry (hurler) * James McGarry (footballer) {{hndis, McGarry, James ...

;Nigeria *

Bartholomew Ogbeche Bartholomew Owogbalor Ogbeche (born 1 October 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club Hyderabad. He is the all-time top scorer in Indian Super League history. He played his club football i ...

;Northern Ireland * James Quinn ;Peru *

Renato Tapia Renato Fabrizio Tapia Cortijo (born 28 July 1995) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Celta Vigo and the Peru national team as a defensive midfielder. Club career Youth career Born in Lima, Peru, Tapia started hi ...

;Sierra Leone *

;Slovakia *

Adam Nemec Adam Nemec (; born 2 September 1985) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I side FC Voluntari. In his career, he has played in seven different countries but mostly for teams in Germany and Romania. During 13 years ...

;Switzerland *

Stephan Keller Stephan Keller (born 31 May 1979) is a Swiss football manager and a former player. Club career Europe Keller is a defender, born in Zürich, who played 13 years youth career for Grasshopper Club Zürich. He made his debut in professional foo ...

;Sweden *

Alexander Isak Alexander Isak (; born 21 September 1999) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Sweden national team. Starting off his professional career with AIK in 2016, Isak represent ...

* Andreas Landgren *

George Mourad George Mourad ( ar, جورج مراد; born 18 September 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Mourad represented both Sweden and Syria internationally. Club career After playing for Västra Frölunda IF, he join ...

;Thailand * Geoffrey Prommayon ;Ukraine * Evgeniy Levchenko ;United States *

Earnie Stewart Earnest Lee Stewart Jr. (born March 28, 1969) is an American former soccer player who played as a striker or a midfielder. His career spanned 17 years from 1988 until his retirement in 2005, with the majority of them spent in the Netherlands, th ...

Domestic results

Below is a table with Willem II's domestic results since the introduction of the

in 1956.

Club Officials

Coaches

Honours

* National Football League Championship/Eredivisie ** Winners (3): 1915–16, 1951–52, 1954–55 ** Runners-up (1): 1998–99 *

** Winners (3): 1956–57, 1964–65, 2013–14 ** Runners-up (1): 1986–87 *

** Winners (2): 1943–44, 1962–63 ** Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2018–19

References

External links

Willem II on TwitterWillem II on Instagram
{{KNVB Cup Winners 1961-present Association football clubs established in 1896 1896 establishments in the Netherlands Football clubs in the Netherlands Football clubs in Tilburg