Sparta Rotterdam

Football club infobox
clubname = Sparta Rotterdam


fullname = Sparta Rotterdam
nickname = "Kasteelheren"
(Lords of the Castle)
founded = April 1, 1888
ground = Het Kasteel (The Castle)
Rotterdam
capacity = 11,026
chairman = flagicon|Netherlands Hans van Heelsbergen
manager = flagicon|Netherlands Foeke Booy
league = Eredivisie
season = 2007/2008
position = Eredivisie, 13th
shirtsupplier=
shirtsponsors=
pattern_la1=_red_stripes|pattern_b1=_red_stripes|pattern_ra1=_red_stripes
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000000|socks1=ffffff
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_whiteV|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=0000ff|body2=0000ff|rightarm2=0000ff|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=0000ff

Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Until the 2002/2003 season Sparta Rotterdam had always played at the highest level, but they were relegated from the top-level Eredivisie in 2002. Sparta returned to the Eredivisie for the 2005-06 season. The average attendance in 2005/06 was 9,950.

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), the latter playing in the Eredivisie.

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 to 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.

parta in Europe

* Q = Qualifying Round
* 1R = First Round
* 2R = Second Round
* 3R = Third Round
* 1/4 = Quarter Final

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

:::"See also ;flagicon|NED Netherlands
* Dick Advocaat
* Rob Alflen
* Luuk Balkestein
* Ron van den Berg
* Ricky van den Bergh
* Jan van Beveren
* Danny Blind
* Winston Bogarde
* Tinus Bosselaar
* Henk Bosveld
* Jobby Crossan
* Silvio Diliberto
* Pim Doesburg
* Tonny van Ede
* Juul Ellerman
* René Eijer
* Hans Eijkenbroek
* Henk Fräser
* Mitchell van der Gaag
* Louis van Gaal
* Ruud Geels
* René van der Gijp
* Wim van der Gijp
* Ed de Goey
* Glenn Helder
* Wout Holverda
* Nico Jalink
* Andro Knel
* Danny Koevermans
* Bok de Korver
* Theo Laseroms
* Tonnie van Leeuwen
* Ronald Lengkeek
* Wim Meutstege
* Dennis de Nooijer
* Gérard de Nooijer
* Edwin Olde Riekerink
* Jan Olde Riekerink
* Mike Snoei
* Henk van Stee
* Wim Suurbier
* Adri van Tiggelen
* Michel Valke
* Hans Venneker
* Pim Verbeek
* Robert Verbeek
* Edwin Vurens
* Menno Willems
* John de Wolf;flagicon|AUT Austria
* Willy Kreuz

;flagicon|BEL Belgium
* Davy De Fauw
* Sepp De Roover
* Tom Van Mol

;flagicon|DEN Denmark
* Ole Madsen

;flagicon|GHA Ghana
* Prince Polley

;flagicon|MAR Morocco
* Nourdin Boukhari

;flagicon|POL Poland
* Janusz Kowalik ;flagicon|USA United States
*Gregg Berhalter

Former managers

*Gert Aandewiel
*Jimmy Adamson
*Rob Baan
*Cor Brom
*Henk ten Cate
*Wiel Coerver
*Chris Dekker
*Jan Everse
*Willem van Hanegem
*Bert Jacobs
*George Kessler
*Fritz Korbach
*Frank Rijkaard
*Dolf Roks
*Elek Schwartz
*Henk van Stee
*Mike Snoei
*Adri van Tiggelen
*Piet de Visser
*Theo Vonk

External links

* [http://www.sparta-rotterdam.nl/ Official website] nl icon
* [http://www.football-lineups.com/squad/?route=120&tor=17&g=1 Sparta Rotterdam at Football-lineups.com]
* [http://www.ronaldzwiers.0catch.com/Clubs/S/Sparta/Sparta.htm Statistics]
* [http://www.itwm.nl itwm]
* [http://www.despartasupporter.nl despartasupporter]