Willem II (football club)
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| Full name | Willem II | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Tricolores | |||
| Founded | August 12, 1896 (as Tilburgia) | |||
| Ground | Koning Willem II Stadion, Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. (Capacity: 14,637) |
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| Chairman |  Jurgen Streppel |
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| Manager | Marco Faber |
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| League | Eerste Divisie | |||
| 2010–11 | Eredivisie, 18th (relegated) |
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| Website | Club home page | |||
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 Current season |
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Willem II (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪ.ləm ˈtʋeː]), also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team 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 (reign from 1840 until 1849), who, as Prince of Orange and commander of the Dutch army, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830.
Notable former players for the club include Dutch internationals Jaap Stam and Marc Overmars plus the Finn Sami Hyypiä. The club's shirt consists of red-white-blue vertical stripes, inspired by the colours of the flag of the Netherlands. Willem II plays its home matches in the Koning Willem II Stadion, also named after the King. The stadium, opened on May 31, 1995, has a capacity of 14,700 spectators. The average attendance in 2004/05 was 12,500 people.
Despite never winning the Eredivisie, the club came second in 1998-99, qualifying for the Champions League as a result.
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[edit] History
Willem II were the first champions of the Dutch league after professional football was introduced in 1954–55.
The club has won three national titles (1916, 1952 and 1955) and two national cups (1944 and 1963). In 1987, 1990 and 1999, Willem II were voted Dutch Club of the Year. In 1999, a second place in the league guaranteed the club a UEFA Champions League berth. In the first group stage (Group G), Willem II were eliminated. They scored 2 points in 6 matches. In 1963, Willem II lost to Manchester United (7–2 on aggregate) in the first round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 1998–99, Willem II competed in the UEFA Cup. After beating Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia 6–0 on aggregate in the first round, Willem II lost to Spanish side Real Betis in the second round, 4–1 on aggregate. After reaching the Dutch cup final in 2004 (4–0 loss against PSV Eindhoven), Willem II qualified again for the UEFA Cup, in which they lost to French side AS Monaco in the first round (5–1 on aggregate). The fans of Willem II have close relations with the fans of English Championship club Bristol City. Some Willem II fans were seen in the 'Eastend' (Bristol City's most popular stand) for their game against Sheffield Wednesday on the 31st October 2009, there were songs sung about Willem II.
After the 2010/2011 season, Willem II was relegated from the Eredivisie for the first time in 24 years.
[edit] Honours
- Eredivisie
- Eerste Divisie
- KNVB Cup
- Winners (2): 1944, 1963
[edit] Domestic Results
Below is a table with Willem II's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.
[edit] Current squad
As of 1 August 2011
For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2011
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Notable former players
[edit] Managers
| Year | Manager |
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| 1980-82 | Bert Jacobs |
| 1982 | George Knobel |
| 1982-84 | Jan Brouwer |
| 1984-85 | Jan Notermans |
| 1985-90 | Piet de Visser |
| 1990-91 | Adrie Koster |
| 1991 | Piet de Visser |
| 1991-95 | Jan Reker |
| 1995–96 | Theo de Jong |
| 1996-97 |  Jimmy Calderwood |
| 1997-00 | Co Adriaanse |
| 2000 | Hans Verèl |
| 2000-02 | Hans Westerhof |
| 2002-04 | Mark Wotte |
| 2004 | André Wetzel |
| 2004-05 | Robert Maaskant |
| 2005-06 | Kees Zwamborn |
| 2006-07 | Dennis van Wijk |
| 2007-09 | Andries Jonker |
| 2009-10 | Alfons Groenendijk |
| 2010 | Arno Pijpers |
| 2010 | Theo de Jong |
| 2010-2011 | Gert Heerkes |
| 2011 | John Feskens (interim) |
| 2011- | Jurgen Streppel |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official website (Dutch)
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