The KNVB Beker (pronounced[ˌkaːʔɛnveːˈbeːˈbeːkər]; English: KNVB Cup) 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. Outside the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup. The tournament consists of all teams from the top three tiers of Dutch league football (Eredivisie, Eerste Divisie and Tweede Divisie), as well as the 24 semi-finalists (or replacements) of regional amateur cup tournaments. The finals of the tournament traditionally takes place in De Kuip, and has been held there every season since 1988. The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruyff Shield, which acts as the curtain raiser for the following season.
History
The competition was conceived during a board meeting of the Dutch National Football Association, in the Hague, on 19 January 1898. The tournament began the following season, 1898–1899. The first final was played on 9 May 1899 between RAP Amsterdam and HVV Den Haag. In 1946, the trophy was changed to one made out of silver, which was extremely rare in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Name changes
Like many national cup competitions, the name of the tournament has changed with sponsorship. From 1995, the competition went from being the KNVB Cup to being known as the Amstel Cup after the then sponsor Amstel. On 16 August 2005, the name was changed to the Gatorade Cup after the drinks company Gatorade. In 2006, the name returned to being the KNVB Cup with Gatorade remaining as the principal sponsor.
European competition
Up until 1998, the winner of the cup entered into the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but with the abandonment of that tournament, the winner now goes into the UEFA Europa League. If the winning team has won the Eredivisie and thus entry into the UEFA Champions League, then the berth will be based on performance in that season's Eredivisie.
In 1998, both KNVB Cup finalists, Ajax and PSV, had won places into the Champions League. So a game was played between the beaten semi-finalists, SC Heerenveen and FC Twente, to determine who would take the Cup Winners' Cup place.
1914–15 Koninklijke HFC (3/3)
1915–16 Quick D.Haag (4/4)
1916–17 Ajax (1/19)
1917–18 RHC (1/2)
1918–19 not played
1919–20 CVV
1920–21 Schoten
1921–22 not played
1922–23 not played
1923–24 not played
1924–25 ZFC
1925–26 LONGA
1926–27 VUC Den Haag
1927–28 RHC (2/2)
1928–29 not played
1929–30 Feyenoord (1/13)
1930–31 not played
1931–32 DFC (2/2)
1932–33 not played
1933–34 Velocitas 1897
1934–35 Feyenoord (2/13)
1935–36 Roermond
1936–37 EVV
1937–38 VSV
1938–39 FC Wageningen (1/2)
1939–40 not played
1940–41 not played
1941–42 not played
1942–43 Ajax (2/19)
1943–44 Willem II (1/2)
1944–45 not played
1945–46 not played
1946–47 not played
1947–48 FC Wageningen (2/2)
1948–49 Quick 1888
1949–50 PSV (1/11)
1950–51 not played
1951–52 not played
1952–53 not played
1953–54 not played
1954–55 not played
1955–56 not played
1956–57 Fortuna '54 (1/2)
1957–58 Sparta (1/3)
1958–59 VVV
1959–60 not played