Willem II Tilburg
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football club
Willem II Tilburg (Template:IPA), commonly known simply as Willem II, is a Dutch football club based in Tilburg, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2024–25 season. The club was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia. On 12 January 1898, the club was renamed Willem II after Dutch king William II (1792–1849), who, as Prince of Orange and commander of the Dutch army, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830, spent much time in the city after becoming king, and died there.<ref name=Willem>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable former players for the club include Dutch internationals Jan van Roessel, Joris Mathijsen, Jaap Stam, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Overmars, Virgil Van Dijk and Finland's 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 31 May 1995, has a capacity of 14,700 spectators. The average attendance in 2004–05 was 12,500 people.<ref name=Willem />
The club has won the Eredivisie three times, and the Eerste Divisie four times.<ref name=Willem />
History
Established on 12 August 1896 in Tilburg as Tilburgia, the club first played at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark Tilburg and in 1995 relocated to the Koning Willem II Stadion, the ground where they have played ever since. Willem were champions of the Eredivisie in 1916, 1952 and 1955. The Tricolores also won two KNVB Cups in 1944 and 1963 and were also crowned champs of the Eerste Divisie in 1958, 1965 and 2014.<ref name=Willem />
25 September 1963: 1–1
With regard to European competition, Willem II first appeared in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup of 1963 where they lost to Manchester United in the first round by an aggregate score of 7–2. In 1998–99, Willem once again competed in the Cup Winners' Cup and after beating Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia 6–0 in both legs, Willem then lost to Spanish side Real Betis in the second round, 4–1 on aggregate. A second place in the Eredivisie of 1999 guaranteed the club a UEFA Champions League berth for the first time. At the tournament's group stage, Willem only attained two points in their six group G matches and were thus eliminated. After reaching the KNVB Cup final in 2005 where they lost 4–0 against PSV Eindhoven, Willem II again qualified again for the UEFA Cup, in which they lost to French side AS Monaco in the first round by 5–1 on aggregate.<ref name=Willem />
At the end of the 2010–11 season, Willem II were relegated from the Eredivisie for the first time in 24 years. In the 2011–12 season under new manager Jurgen Streppel Willem II was promoted back to the Eredivisie, but they went right back down the next season after finishing bottom of the table. The club became champions of the Eerste Divisie in the subsequent season and were thus promoted back to the Eredivisie.<ref name=Willem />
In early 2015, journalists at De Volkskrant revealed that Willem II had its matches fixed by an "Asian gambling syndicate", who had paid Willem's players a total sum of €100,000 to lose matches against Ajax and Feyenoord (in October and December 2009). According to the journalists, midfielder Ibrahim Kargbo was the Asians' main contact within the club; Kargbo denies having accepted their money.<ref name=Willem /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Royal Dutch Football Association called the affair "the most concrete case of match fixing in the Netherlands" and took legal action as well as asking UEFA and FIFA to reevaluate previous matches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2019, Willem II reached the KNVB Cup final for the fourth time in their history. They beat AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out, but were heavily beaten by in the final by Ajax.
The fans of Willem II have close links with the fans of English championship club Bristol City. Willem supporters have been known to travel to Bristol, with Bristol City fans heading the other way to Tilburg. At Bristol City's game on 31 October 2009 against Sheffield Wednesday, some Willem II fans were seen in the 'Eastend' of the Ashton Gate Stadium, and songs were sung about Willem II by City fans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 3 August 2024, the teams played each other for the first time in a pre-season friendly at Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol.
Rivalries
Willem II longest-running and deepest rivalry is with their neighbour, NAC Breda. This rivalry originated in the 1920s. Matches between the two are referred to as the derby of Brabant. The two cities of Breda and Tilburg are just 20 kilometres apart, leading to an intense feeling of a cross-town rivalry, heightened by a feeling that it is city against city with local pride at stake.
Players
Current squad
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Out on loan
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Notable players
National team players
The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with Willem II:
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3
- Armenia
- Template:Flagicon Aras Özbiliz (2018–2019)
- Template:Flagicon Norair Aslanyan (2013–2015)
- Belgium
- Template:Flagicon Tom Caluwé (2000–2006)
- Template:Flagicon Geert De Vlieger (2000–2004)
- Template:Flagicon Moussa Dembélé (2005–2006)
- Burkina Faso
- Template:Flagicon Ousmane Sanou (1996–2001)
- Cape Verde
- Template:Flagicon Josimar Lima (2009–2011)
- Curaçao
- Template:Flagicon Darryl Lachman (2016–2018)
- Template:Flagicon Charlton Vicento (2014–2015)
- Template:Flagicon Raymond Victoria (1998–2006)<ref group=nb>A Dutch-born footballer, Raymond Victoria represented Netherlands Antilles internationally, prior to the countries dissolution in 2010, with Curaçao considered by both UEFA and FIFA as the only inherit successor to the national team of former Netherlands Antilles.</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Jason Wall (2013–2014)
- Template:Flagicon Nuelson Wau (1999–2007; 2009)<ref group=nb>A Dutch-born footballer, Nuelson Wau represented Netherlands Antilles internationally, prior to the countries dissolution in 2010, with Curaçao considered by both UEFA and FIFA as the only inherit successor to the national team of former Netherlands Antilles.</ref>
- Czech Republic
- Template:Flagicon Tomáš Galásek (1996–2000)
- Ecuador
- Template:Flagicon Diego Palacios (2018–2019)
- Template:Flagicon Jhonny Quiñónez (2019)
- Finland
- Template:Flagicon Sami Hyypiä (1995–1999)
- Template:Flagicon Joonas Kolkka (1996–1998; 2011–2012)
- Template:Flagicon Jukka Koskinen (1997–1999)
- Template:Flagicon Veli Lampi (2010–2011)
- Template:Flagicon Niki Mäenpää (2009–2011)
- Gambia
- Template:Flagicon Jatto Ceesay (1995–2005)
- Ghana
- Template:Flagicon Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (2020–2022)
- Greece
- Template:Flagicon Vangelis Pavlidis (2019–2021)
- Template:Flagicon Marios Vrousai (2019–2020)
- Template:Flagicon Konstantinos Tsimikas (2017–2018)
- Template:Flagicon Kostas Lamprou (2014–2017, 2022–2023)
- Guinea
- Template:Flagicon Sékou Soumah (1992–1995)
- Template:Flagicon Mohamed Sylla (1989–1995)
- Hungary
- Template:Flagicon Csaba Fehér (2005–2006)
- Template:Flagicon Zsombor Kerekes (2005–2007)
- Indonesia
- Template:Flagicon Thom Haye (2016–2018)
- Template:Flagicon Ole Romeny (2020–2021)
- Israel
- Template:Flagicon Ben Sahar (2014–2015)
- Kosovo
- Template:Flagicon Donis Avdijaj (2018–2019)
- Luxembourg
- Template:Flagicon Aurélien Joachim (2012–2013)
- Morocco
- Template:Flagicon Youssef Mariana (2000–2004)
- Template:Flagicon Adil Ramzi (1998–2000)
- Template:Flagicon Tarik Sektioui (2000–2004)
- Netherlands
- Template:Flagicon Tinus van Beurden (1910–1926)
- Template:Flagicon Jan Brooijmans (1954–1967)
- Template:Flagicon Sjel de Bruyckere (1950–1956)
- Template:Flagicon Jan Gielens (1924–1925)
- Template:Flagicon Gerrit Horsten (1922–1925)
- Template:Flagicon Jo Jole (1922–1923)
- Template:Flagicon Coy Koopal (1956–1964)
- Template:Flagicon Denny Landzaat (1999–2003; 2014)
- Template:Flagicon Huub de Leeuw (1928–1939)
- Template:Flagicon Herman van Loon (1928–1931)
- Template:Flagicon Sjef Mertens (1945–1961)
- Template:Flagicon Toine van Mierlo (1979–1981; 1982–1983)
- Netherlands (continued)
- Template:Flagicon Harry Mommers (1909–1925)
- Template:Flagicon Jo Mommers (1946–1955)
- Template:Flagicon Jan van Roessel (1951–1957)
- Template:Flagicon Jos van Son (1912–1929)
- Template:Flagicon Piet Stevens (1916–1924)
- Template:Flagicon Henk Vriens (1961–1973)
- New Zealand
- Template:Flagicon James McGarry (2018–2020)
- Template:Flagicon Michael Woud (2018–2021)
- Northern Ireland
- Template:Flagicon James Quinn (2002–2005)
- Peru
- Template:Flagicon Renato Tapia (2019)
- Sierra Leone
- Template:Flagicon Ibrahim Kargbo (2006–2010)
- Slovakia
- Template:Flagicon Adam Němec (2015–2016)
- Suriname
- Template:Flagicon Jeredy Hilterman (2023–2024)
- Sweden
- Template:Flagicon Sebastian Holmén (2019–2021)
- Template:Flagicon Alexander Isak (2019)
- United States
- Template:Flagicon Earnie Stewart (1990–1996)
Template:Col-3 Template:Col-end
- Players in bold actively play for Willem II and for their respective national teams. Years in brackets indicate careerspan with Willem II.
National team players by Confederation
Member associations are listed in order of most to fewest current and former Willem II players represented internationally
Players in international tournaments
The following is a list of Willem II players who have competed in international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa América, Africa Cup of Nations, Amílcar Cabral Cup, and the Caribbean Cup. To this date no Willem II players have participated in the AFC Asian Cup, or the OFC Nations Cup while playing for Willem II.
Domestic results
Below is a table with Willem II's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.
| Domestic results since 1956 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic league | League result | Qualification to | KNVB Cup season | Cup result |
| 1956–57 Eredivisie | 18th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 1956–57 | ? Template:Citation needed |
| 1957–58 Eerste Divisie | 1st (group A) | Eredivisie (promotion) | 1957–58 | ? Template:Citation needed |
| 1958–59 Eredivisie | 16th | – | 1958–59 | ? Template:Citation needed |
| 1959–60 Eredivisie | 8th | – | not held | not held |
| 1960–61 Eredivisie | 10th | – | 1960–61 | ? Template:Citation needed |
| 1961–62 Eredivisie | 8th | – | 1961–62 | ? Template:Citation needed |
| 1962–63 Eredivisie | 15th | Cup Winners' Cup Eerste Divisie (relegation) |
1962–63 | winners |
| 1963–64 Eerste Divisie | 10th | – | 1963–64 | second round Template:Citation needed |
| 1964–65 Eerste Divisie | 1st | Eredivisie (promotion) | 1964–65 | first round Template:Citation needed |
| 1965–66 Eredivisie | 10th | – | 1965–66 | group stage Template:Citation needed |
| 1966–67 Eredivisie | 18th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 1966–67 | first round Template:Citation needed |
| 1967–68 Eerste Divisie | 4th | – | 1967–68 | round of 16 Template:Citation needed |
| 1968–69 Eerste Divisie | 14th | – | 1968–69 | first round Template:Citation needed |
| 1969–70 Eerste Divisie | 6th | – | 1969–70 | second round Template:Citation needed |
| 1970–71 Eerste Divisie | 14th | – | 1970–71 | second round |
| 1971–72 Eerste Divisie | 15th | – | 1971–72 | first round |
| 1972–73 Eerste Divisie | 14th | – | 1972–73 | second round |
| 1973–74 Eerste Divisie | 18th | – | 1973–74 | round of 16 |
| 1974–75 Eerste Divisie | 14th | – | 1974–75 | first round |
| 1975–76 Eerste Divisie | 9th | – | 1975–76 | first round |
| 1976–77 Eerste Divisie | 11th | – | 1976–77 | round of 16 |
| 1977–78 Eerste Divisie | 7th | – | 1977–78 | first round |
| 1978–79 Eerste Divisie | 3rd | Eredivisie (winning promotion/releg. play-offs) | 1978–79 | second round |
| 1979–80 Eredivisie | 8th | – | 1979–80 | second round |
| 1980–81 Eredivisie | 10th | – | 1980–81 | quarter-final |
| 1981–82 Eredivisie | 14th | – | 1981–82 | second round |
| 1982–83 Eredivisie | 14th | – | 1982–83 | second round |
| 1983–84 Eredivisie | 17th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 1983–84 | first round |
| 1984–85 Eerste Divisie | 8th | – | 1984–85 | first round |
| 1985–86 Eerste Divisie | 5th | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 1985–86 | first round |
| 1986–87 Eerste Divisie | 2nd | Eredivisie (promotion) | 1986–87 | first round |
| 1987–88 Eredivisie | 4th | – (losing UC play-offs) | 1987–88 | quarter-final |
| 1988–89 Eredivisie | 15th | – | 1988–89 | semi-final |
| 1989–90 Eredivisie | 13th | – | 1989–90 | semi-final |
| 1990–91 Eredivisie | 11th | – | 1990–91 | quarter-final |
| 1991–92 Eredivisie | 12th | – | 1991–92 | third round |
| 1992–93 Eredivisie | 10th | – | 1992–93 | third round |
| 1993–94 Eredivisie | 8th | – | 1993–94 | round of 16 |
| 1994–95 Eredivisie | 7th | – | 1994–95 | round of 16 |
| 1995–96 Eredivisie | 12th | – | 1995–96 | second round |
| 1996–97 Eredivisie | 15th | – | 1996–97 | semi-final |
| 1997–98 Eredivisie | 5th | UEFA Cup | 1997–98 | round of 16 |
| 1998–99 Eredivisie | 2nd | Champions League | 1998–99 | second round |
| 1999–2000 Eredivisie | 9th | – | 1999–2000 | quarter-final |
| 2000–01 Eredivisie | 8th | – | 2000–01 | second round |
| 2001–02 Eredivisie | 11th | Intertoto Cup (R2) | 2001–02 | second round |
| 2002–03 Eredivisie | 11th | Intertoto Cup (R2) | 2002–03 | third round |
| 2003–04 Eredivisie | 7th | – | 2003–04 | round of 16 |
| 2004–05 Eredivisie | 10th | UEFA Cup | 2004–05 | final |
| 2005–06 Eredivisie | 17th | – (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs) | 2005–06 | round of 16 |
| 2006–07 Eredivisie | 15th | – | 2006–07 | quarter-final |
| 2007–08 Eredivisie | 15th | – | 2007–08 | second round |
| 2008–09 Eredivisie | 12th | – | 2008–09 | third round |
| 2009–10 Eredivisie | 17th | – (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs) | 2009–10 | second round |
| 2010–11 Eredivisie | 18th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 2010–11 | third round |
| 2011–12 Eerste Divisie | 5th | Eredivisie (winning promotion/relegation play-offs) | 2011–12 | second round |
| 2012–13 Eredivisie | 18th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 2012–13 | second round |
| 2013–14 Eerste Divisie | 1st | Eredivisie (promotion) | 2013–14 | second round |
| 2014–15 Eredivisie | 9th | – | 2014–15 | second round |
| 2015–16 Eredivisie | 16th | – (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs) | 2015–16 | round of 16 |
| 2016–17 Eredivisie | 13th | – | 2016–17 | first round |
| 2017–18 Eredivisie | 13th | – | 2017–18 | semi-final |
| 2018–19 Eredivisie | 10th | – | 2018–19 | final |
| 2019–20 Eredivisie | 5th | Europa League (Q2) | 2019–20 | round of 16 |
| 2020–21 Eredivisie | 14th | – | 2020–21 | second round |
| 2021–22 Eredivisie | 17th | Eerste Divisie (relegation) | 2021–22 | first round |
| 2022–23 Eerste Divisie | 4th | promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion | 2022–23 | first round |
| 2023–24 Eerste Divisie | 1st | Eredivisie (promotion) | 2023–24 | second round |
Club officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Template:Flagicon Peter Maes |
| Assistant coach | Template:Flagicon Peter van den Berg |
| Goalkeeper coach | Template:Flagicon Peter den Otter |
| Data and Video analyst | Template:Flagicon Rick Mennes |
| Chief scout | Template:Flagicon Steven Aptroot |
| Club doctor | Template:Flagicon Jan de Waal Malefijt Template:Flagicon Pieter Vioen |
| Physiotherapist | Template:Flagicon Gijs van der Bom |
| Manual therapist | Template:Flagicon Jasper de Langen |
| Team official | Template:Flagicon Henry van Amelsfort |
| Manager | Template:Flagicon Jos de Kruif |
| Team Manager | Template:Flagicon Jos van Nieuwstadt |
| Kit Manager | Template:Flagicon Paul Coehorst Template:Flagicon Guus Bierings |
| Performance manager | Template:Flagicon Nils Thörner |
| Technical director | Template:Flagicon Tom Caluwe |
| General director | Template:Flagicon Martin van Geel |
Coaches
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
| Year | Coach |
|---|---|
| 1949–1956 | Template:Flagicon František Fadrhonc |
| 1956–1962 | Template:Flagicon Heinrich "Wudi" Müller |
| 1963–1966, 1967–1971 | Template:Flagicon Jaap van der Leck |
| 1971–1972 | Template:Flagicon Henk Wullems |
| July 1980–June 1982 | Template:Flagicon Bert Jacobs |
| 1982 | Template:Flagicon George Knobel |
| 1982–1984 | Template:Flagicon Jan Brouwer |
| 1984–1985 | Template:Flagicon Jan Notermans |
| July 1985–June 1990 | Template:Flagicon Piet de Visser |
| 1990–91 | Template:Flagicon Adrie Koster |
| July 1991–Oct 1991 | Template:Flagicon Piet de Visser |
| Oct 1991–March 1995 | Template:Flagicon Jan Reker |
| March 1995–June 1996 | Template:Flagicon Theo de Jong |
| July 1996–June 1997 | Template:Flagicon Jimmy Calderwood |
| July 1997–May 2000 | Template:Flagicon Co Adriaanse |
| May 2000–June 2000 | Template:Flagicon Hans Verèl (interim) |
| July 2000–June 2002 | Template:Flagicon Hans Westerhof |
| July 2002–Jan 2004 | Template:Flagicon Mark Wotte |
| Feb 2004–June 2004 | Template:Flagicon André Wetzel |
| Year | Coach |
|---|---|
| July 2004–Nov 2005 | Template:Flagicon Robert Maaskant |
| Nov 2005–June 2006 | Template:Flagicon Kees Zwamborn |
| July 2006–Nov 2007 | Template:Flagicon Dennis van Wijk |
| Nov 2007–Feb 2009 | Template:Flagicon Andries Jonker |
| Feb 2009–Feb 2010 | Template:Flagicon Alfons Groenendijk |
| Feb 2010 | Template:Flagicon Mark Schenning (interim) |
| Feb 2010–April 2010 | Template:Flagicon Arno Pijpers |
| April 2010–May 2010 | Template:Flagicon Theo de Jong (interim) |
| July 2010–April 2011 | Template:Flagicon Gert Heerkes |
| April 2011–June 2011 | Template:Flagicon John Feskens (interim) |
| July 2011–May 2016 | Template:Flagicon Jurgen Streppel |
| July 2016–March 2018 | Template:Flagicon Erwin van de Looi |
| March 2018–May 2018 | Template:Flagicon Reinier Robbemond (interim) |
| July 2018–January 2021 | Template:Flagicon Adrie Koster |
| January 2021–June 2021 | Template:Flagicon Željko Petrović |
| July 2021–March 2022 | Template:Flagicon Fred Grim |
| March 2022–December 2022 | Template:Flagicon Kevin Hofland |
| December 2022-September 2023 | Template:Flagicon Reinier Robbemond |
| September 2023–present | Template:Flagicon Peter Maes |
Honours
- National Football League Championship/Eredivisie<ref name=Willem /><ref name=Willem2>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Eerste Divisie<ref name=Willem /><ref name=Willem2 />
- KNVB Cup<ref name=Willem /><ref name=Willem2 />
See also
References
Notes
Template:Reflist <references group=note/>
External links
Template:Willem II Template:Eerste Divisie Template:KNVB Cup Winners 1899-1960 Template:KNVB Cup Winners 1961-present