Football Season Guide

After two years in Eerste Divisie Sparta Rotterdam are back in the league that best suits them. They are in fact one of the oldest football clubs in the Netherlands (founded in 1888!) and can also boast an impressive record having won 6 titles (the last in 1959) and 3 national cups (the last in 1966). Last year they ended the regular season in 2nd position (11 points from the champions, Twente). In the playoffs' second round they defeated Oss, while in the final they had the better of De Graafschap, who had finished 17th in Eredivisie. The main architect of the promotion was undoubtedly Henk Fraser, a coach capable of modifying the system of play according to the opponent and to the men available: so last year he alternated 3 and 4 man defence, playing either with 1, 2 or 3 forwards. During the summer transfer market they held most of the first string players, aiming above all at reinforcing the squad with the inclusion of midfielder Dante Rigo on loan from PSV, former Excelsior defender Jurgen Mattheij and a few other promising players.