SV Spakenburg

Sportvereniging Spakenburg is a football club based in Bunschoten-Spakenburg, Netherlands, which competes in the Tweede Divisie, the third tier of the Dutch football league system. The club was founded on 15 August 1931, and is regarded as one of the most successful amateur clubs in the Netherlands, having won three championships of the top tier in amateur football. In the 2022–23 season, the club reached the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup by eliminating two Eredivisie clubs. Spakenburg plays its home matches at Sportpark De Westmaat. Their colours are blue and white stripes. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Bunschoten-Spakenburg neighbours IJsselmeervogels. History Foundation and early years (1931–1947) On Saturday, 15 August 1931, a group of enthusiasts founded the football club, initially named Stormvogels. At that time, several local football clubs were also established, such as Strandvogels, Noordster, and Spakenburgse Boys. However, there was no formal competition structure as we know it today, and the clubs mainly engaged in friendly matches and tournaments. After a few years, the club changed its name to Windvogels. In 1935 the club participated in an organised league for the first time, joining the third division of the Utrecht Provincial Football Association (UPVB). Remarkably, in its inaugural year in the league, the team achieved the title of undefeated champions. As the club continued to grow rapidly, reaching a membership of 200, it underwent another name change. In 1947, the club merged with local gymnastics team Lycurgus, leading to the renaming of the club to Sport Vereniging Spakenburg. This was also the year when SV Spakenburg achieved promotion to the highest possible amateur division for a Saturday club. Located in the heart of the Dutch Bible Belt of Reformed Protestantism, playing football on Sundays was forbidden due to religious beliefs. As a result, both SV Spakenburg and their town rivals IJsselmeervogels explicitly stated in its statutes that it does not participate in Sunday football. Consequently, the clubs have historically played matches exclusively on Saturdays. To ensure the continuation of this tradition, SV Spakenburg signed a covenant with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and the Association for Saturday Football (BZV). Saturday titles and national recognition (1947–1971) Spakenburg emerged as a leading Saturday amateur club after the Second World War, winning section titles in 1947, 1950 and 1952 and the Saturday amateur championship in 1947, 1950, 1952 and 1963. In August 1949, the club twice faced a Soestdijk Palace XI during anniversary festivities; Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard attended both fixtures, and captain Jan van der Goot received a medal from the Prince after a 4–2 win in Spakenburg. Hoofdklasse contenders (1971–2010) With the KNVB's introduction of a national Eerste Klasse in 1971–72, Spakenburg qualified for the top tier under coach Joop van Basten and, after consolidation, won the Eerste Klasse B in 1973–74. The club's most successful season of the period came in 1984–85: Spakenburg regained the section title, won a play-off for the Saturday championship against Kozakken Boys and GVVV, captured the West I district cup, and were declared overall Dutch amateur champions after the deciding home match against Sunday champions DHC was abandoned shortly after Joop van de Groep's late penalty put Spakenburg 1–0 ahead (the first leg in Delft ended 2–2). Further section titles followed in the 1986–87 and 1999–2000 seasons, the latter under coach Tijs Schipper, with Spakenburg finishing runners-up in the Saturday championship to Katwijk. In the 2007–08 season, Spakenburg won the Hoofdklasse B on the final day before finishing second in the subsequent play-off for the Saturday title behind Lisse. The club remained a regular contender at Hoofdklasse level through 2010, ahead of the KNVB's reorganisation that created the national Topklasse (from 2010–11), which replaced the Hoofdklasse as the highest amateur division. Success in the Topklasse (2010–2016) Spakenburg joined the newly created Topklasse in the 2010–11 season. The club won the Saturday section of that division in 2011–12 under head coach André Paus, finishing ahead of Rijnsburgse Boys. After avoiding relegation in the 2012–13 season, Spakenburg won the Saturday section again in the following season. Following an early-season managerial change from Johan de Kock to assistant Jochem Twisker, the team finished level on points with GVVV and won a title decider 2–1 at FC Volendam's Kras Stadion following a decisive goal by Kees Tol. Spakenburg then defeated Sunday champions AFC 6–4 on aggregate (4–1 home win, 2–3 away loss) to claim the overall Dutch amateur championship. Spakenburg remained at Topklasse level through the 2015–16 season, after which the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) introduced the national Tweede Divisie and rebranded the Topklasse as the Derde Divisie. Tweede Divisie: cup semi-final, title and aftermath (2019–present) In the 2022–23 season, Spakenburg advanced significantly in the KNVB Cup competition. On 28 February 2023, Spakenburg defeated Eredivisie side Utrecht 4–1 away in the quarter-finals, becoming the third amateur team ever to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. Earlier, on 12 January 2023, Spakenburg had defeated another Eredivisie club, Groningen, 3–2 away at the Euroborg. In the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup, PSV visited De Westmaat and narrowly won 2–1. Dwayne Green scored for Spakenburg, becoming the first amateur player to score a goal in the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup. Spakenburg enjoyed a remarkable 2023–24 season. Already by the winter break, it was clear that SV Spakenburg would be crowned champions. The team's coaching duo, Chris de Graaf and Jorg Hartog, who were both born and raised in Spakenburg and former players of the club, played a key role in their success. On 11 May 2024, SV Spakenburg won the championship with a 3–2 away victory over GVVV. The team's season saw them accumulate 82 points, a record for the Tweede Divisie. This was achieved through a 19-match unbeaten streak (16 wins and 3 draws). Despite a challenge from De Treffers early on, SV Spakenburg ultimately emerged victorious. The team also set another new record on 6 April 2024 with an 8–0 win over Noordwijk, the biggest league victory in club history and Tweede Divisie history. SV Spakenburg's Ahmed El Azzouti's became top goalscorer in the Tweede Divisie with 25 goals, while Chris de Graaf was named the best amateur coach of the year for the West 1 division. KNVB Cup Spakenburg have periodically eliminated professional opposition in the KNVB Cup, most notably in 2022–23 when they won away at FC Groningen and FC Utrecht to become only the third amateur side to reach the semi-finals; they narrowly lost 2–1 to PSV at De Westmaat. Selected matches v professional clubs Key: H = home; A = away; N = neutral; "Group" = League Cup group phase; "Replay" = second match under former replay rules; "pens" = penalty shoot-out. Current squad As of 21 October 2025 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. IJsselmeervogels–Spakenburg rivalry IJsselmeervogels and SV Spakenburg have competed at the same level for much of their histories. The derby is widely regarded as one of the most intense fixtures in Dutch amateur football, often framed locally as a meeting between IJsselmeervogels' "Reds" — traditionally associated with "the people and the fishermen" — and Spakenburg's "Blues", linked to "farmers and clerks". The rivalry escalated in 1987 when a homemade explosive device, thrown from the crowd, injured an assistant referee during the penultimate league match between the sides; in the years that followed, measures were taken to separate the clubs on matchdays. Tensions resurfaced in 1999 when Spakenburg signed Gérard van der Nooij and Pascal de Bruijn from IJsselmeervogels' title-winning team, prompting a municipal ban on the derby for several seasons before fixtures resumed in 2002. The match continues to attract large crowds and regular national and regional media coverage. League derbies since the national Eerste Klasse (1971–) The tables below list league meetings between Spakenburg and IJsselmeervogels since the KNVB introduced the national Eerste Klasse in 1971–72. Dates are in DMY format. Only league fixtures are included. References External links Official website (in Dutch)