History of Sparta Rotterdam

Done reading and ready to test your knowledge? Clik here!

1888 - 1900

On April 1st, 1888, the rich history of Sparta Rotterdam began when eight students founded a cricket club called ‘Rotterdamsche Cricket & Football Club, Sparta.’ Initially, Sparta was founded as a cricket club, but in July 1888, when the students received a football from their fathers, they began playing football. Eventually, football became the club’s primary focus.

In 1892, the club played its first matches in a league competition. They were the first club to advertise a football match, which attracted 1,500 spectators, according to old newspapers. In 1893, Sparta became champions by winning the second division and were promoted to the highest level of football in the Netherlands. The club's increasing seriousness led to international recognition. The students were given time off school to play against Harwich and Parkeston from England. Unfortunately, they were unable to win either match, despite the great interest from the English spectators.

Since 1899, the club has been known for its red and white colors. Back then, the former board of Sparta took a business trip to England and became fascinated by Sunderland Football Club’s red-and-white shirts. The board decided to buy some old Sunderland shirts, which marked the beginning of Sparta’s tradition of wearing red-and-white jerseys with black shorts during their matches.

1900 – 1925

The early 20th century was one of the most successful periods in Sparta's history. From 1900, Sparta played a pioneering role in the organization of Dutch football. For example, the club began organizing competitions for the ‘Zilveren Bal,’ which was the most important cup tournament at the time. In 1905, Sparta's delegation also organized the first-ever home match for the Dutch national team, which was against Belgium. The match ended 4-0 in favor of the Netherlands, with Sparta icon Bok de Korver scoring the first goal for the national team.

In 1907, the club started publishing the magazine De Spartaan, which is still released twice a year. Two years later, our iconic club song ‘De Sparta Marsch’ was composed by Jaap Blazer.

The club’s growth led to sporting success. We became champions of the Netherlands in 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, and 1915. The ‘Zilveren Bal’ was won in 1910, 1913, 1923, and 1925. These victories drew more fans to the club, and we became the first club in the Netherlands to have our own stadium, moving to ‘Het Kasteel’ in Spangen, where we are still based today. Sporting successes also led to over a thousand fans traveling to away matches, such as one in Haarlem. This growing sense of togetherness among supporters led to the foundation of the association ‘De Sparta Supporter.’

1925 – 1950

Sparta continued its successes and became an established name in Dutch football. In 1928, the Dutch Olympic team played three matches at our stadium ‘Het Kasteel.’ The ‘Red-Whites’ continued to win prizes, claiming the ‘Zilveren Bal’ again in 1929, 1934, and 1935. During this period, new traditions were formed, which remain intact to this day. In 1930, our kit was completed with the introduction of red-and-white striped socks. In 1938, while celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary, the ‘Rood-Witte Mannendiner’ (Red-White Gentleman’s Dinner) was first hosted. Both the socks and the dinner are still part of Sparta’s tradition today.

The following years were less fortunate for the Netherlands due to World War II. Professional football was suspended, but after the Netherlands was liberated in 1945, Sparta won its first post-war match against R.F.C. during a Liberation Cup match.

1950 - 1975

Sparta experienced one of its most successful periods during the 1950s and 1960s. The club won its sixth and most recent national championship (now called the Eredivisie) in 1959. In addition, more national prizes were won in this period. In 1958, the club won its first KNVB Cup by defeating FC Volendam in front of over 18,000 spectators at the ‘Olympisch Stadion’ in Amsterdam. Sparta won the KNVB Cup again in 1962, defeating DHC at ‘Het Kasteel’ in Tonny van Ede’s 500th match for Sparta. In 1966, the KNVB Cup (nicknamed the ‘Denneappel’ or ‘pine cone’) was won once again after defeating ADO Den Haag in the final.

Apart from these successes, there were also significant developments in Dutch football. Sparta was co-responsible for establishing regulations for paid football. By joining forces with other clubs, they convinced the KNVB to allow payments to players, leading to a historic shift in the Dutch football landscape.

The golden years of the 1950s and 60s were also marked by international matches. In 1960, Sparta played in the European Cup, becoming the first Dutch club to defeat a British team, beating Glasgow Rangers. Sparta also organized the first-ever supporter trip to London for its European match at Highbury. In the following years, Sparta competed in the European Cup 2 in 1962, 1966, and 1971, and in the European Cup 3 in 1970.

In 1973, Sparta played friendly matches against FC Barcelona, winning 2-0 at home. In February 1974, Sparta defeated Barcelona 1-0 at Camp Nou, remaining undefeated against the Spanish giants.

1975 – 2000

In 1982, the KNVB allowed clubs to attract shirt sponsorships, and Sparta collaborated with Efteling, the country’s largest theme park. Sparta became the first club in the Netherlands to have a shirt sponsor, and the iconic shirt remains a collector’s item.

During this period, Sparta continued to qualify for European football. In 1983, after defeating Coleraine (Northern Ireland) and Carl Zeiss Jena (East Germany), the club was drawn against Spartak Moscow. After a 1-1 draw at ‘Het Kasteel,’ Sparta lost the return leg in Georgia 2-0. Sparta’s last European matches came in 1985 against Hamburger SV. Sparta defied the odds by winning 2-0 at home and then triumphing in a penalty shootout after a 2-0 loss in regular time in Hamburg.

In 1988, Sparta celebrated its 100th anniversary by hosting FC Barcelona for a friendly match at ‘Het Kasteel,’ where the game ended in a 1-1 draw with Johan Cruyff as Barcelona’s coach.

2000 – Present

In the 2000s, Sparta experienced some instability. In 2000, the new training complex ‘Nieuw-Terbregge’ was opened, featuring four football fields and two training pitches. The same year, after 22 years of planning, ‘Het Kasteel’ was renovated, and the pitch was rotated by a quarter turn while the old castle structure was preserved.

However, in 2002, Sparta was relegated after a poor second half of the season. It took three years to return to the top flight, with club icon Adri van Tiggelen leading the team to victory in the relegation play-offs. Unfortunately, in 2010, Sparta was relegated again. This began the process of rebuilding, which culminated in the club winning the second division title in 2016. In 2018, the club was relegated again, but returned to the Eredivisie after just one season by winning the promotion play-offs in a dramatic two-legged tie against De Graafschap.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Sparta fans experienced a rollercoaster of emotions due to inconsistent results. The 2020-2021 season, which was played without fans, was Sparta's best since 1995-1996, as they qualified for the play-offs for European football, but lost to Feyenoord. The following season was much worse, and relegation seemed inevitable. After parting ways with coach Henk Fraser, Maurice Steijn stepped in with just four matches remaining and performed a miracle by securing 10 points from those games, saving Sparta from relegation. This marked the start of a rebuilding phase for the club.

In the past two seasons, Sparta has again qualified for the play-offs for European football. In 2023, FC Twente narrowly denied us an international adventure by a single goal, and in 2024, we lost the semi-final against FC Utrecht.