Sparta Rotterdam

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Sparta Rotterdam

Full name

Sparta Rotterdam

Nickname(s)

Kasteelheren
(Lords of the Castle)

Founded

April 1, 1888

Ground

Het Kasteel (The Castle)
Rotterdam

Capacity

11,026

Chairman

Hans van Heelsbergen

Manager

Wiljan Vloet ¹

League

Eredivisie

2005-06

Eredivisie, 14th





Home colours





Away colours

Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Until the 2002/2003 season it had always played at the highest level, but it was relegated from the top-level Eredivisie in 2002. Sparta has returned to the Eredivisie for the 2005-06 season. The average attendance in 2004/05 was 5,700 people.

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

1 History
2 Current squad 2006/2007
3 Notable players
4 Former managers
5 External links

[edit] History

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

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

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

[edit] Current squad 2006/2007

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	René Ponk
2	DF	Sepp De Roover
3	DF	Steve Olfers
4	DF	Danny Schenkel
5	MF	Sjaak Polak
6	MF	Sani Kaita
7	MF	Edwin van Bueren
9	FW	Jason Oost
10	MF	Haris Međunjanin
11	FW	Yuri Rose
14	FW	Rachid Bouaouzan
16	MF	Marvin Emnes
17	MF	Dominique van Dijk

No.	Position	Player
18	DF	Marciano Bruma
19	FW	Ivan Cvetkov
21	FW	Yannis Anastasiou
22	DF	Wouter Gudde
23	DF	Dele Adelaye
25	GK	Harald Wapenaar
26	MF	Melvin Zaalman
27	MF	Nathan Rutjes
28	MF	Iderlindo Moreno Freire
29	FW	Jeffrey Vlug
30	GK	Dolf Kerklaan
31	GK	Joost Terol
	MF	Darryl Roberts