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SBV Vitesse

SBV Vitesse Arnhem (Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem, Eng: Professional Football Foundation Vitesse Arnhem), widely known as Vitesse or internationally known as Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch professional football club located in the municipality of Arnhem. Established on 14 May 1892, they currently play in the Eerste Divisie following relegation from the 2023–24 Eredivisie. Since 1998, the club has played its home games at the GelreDome.

Vitesse had its most successful period in the 1990s. Their best result in the Eredivisie was third place in 1997–98. They won the KNVB Cup in 2017 and also reached the final in 1912, 1927, 1990 and 2021. Throughout the years, Vitesse established itself as a stepping stone for future top class players like Raimond van der Gouw, Phillip Cocu, Roy Makaay, Sander Westerveld, Nikos Machlas, Mahamadou Diarra, Nemanja Matić, Wilfried Bony, Bertrand Traoré, Robin Gosens, Lewis Baker, Dominic Solanke, Martin Ødegaard, Milot Rashica, and Mason Mount.

History
Vitesse, founded in 1892, is the 2nd oldest professional football club still in existence in the Netherlands, after Sparta Rotterdam who were formed in 1888. The roots of Vitesse actually pre-dated Sparta by a year as in 1887, a club with the name "Arnhemsche cricket- en voetbalvereeniging Vitesse" was formed by a group of high school students who played their sport on the Rijnkade, overlooking the River Rhine in the city centre. Reluctant to choose a Latin or English name for the club as they felt those languages were too elitist, they picked the French word Vitesse, meaning "speed".

In 1891 the club disbanded as they were no longer able to find anywhere suitable to play cricket after a Velodrome was built on their usual playing field in the Klarenbeek Park. The following year a group of wealthy students resurrected the sports club, this time with the name AVC (Arnhemse Voetbal en Cricketclub) Vitesse. In the summer they played cricket and in the winter football. In the end of 1892, Vitesse played its first real football match, and in 1894 Vitesse disbanded the cricket branch. In 1895 and 1896 Vitesse became champions of the Gelderland competition. From the foundation of the Netherlands national football championship in 1898 until 1954, the title was decided by play-offs by a handful of clubs who had previously won their regional league. Vitesse lost the final of the national championship six times (1898, 1899, 1903, 1913, 1914 and 1915).

In 1912, Vitesse reached the final of the Dutch Cup Tournament for the first time. Vitesse lost the final with 0–2 from HFC Haarlem. In this period Vitesse had top players, likes Willem Hesselink and Just Göbel. These players were also active in the Netherlands national team. In 1914 John William Sutcliffe became the first foreign trainer.

During World War II, Vitesse did not play-official matches because playing football in the open air was forbidden. During the Battle of Arnhem, the residents of the city were forcibly evicted from their homes, allowing the Germans to turn the north bank of the Rhine into a heavily defended line. Residents were not allowed to return home without a permit and most did not return until after the war. The football field and clubhouse was completely destroyed. The damage was repaired in the years after the liberation.

In 1984 it was decided to divide the professional and amateur sections of the club. The professional section was renamed SBV (Stichting Betaald Voetbal – "Professional Football Foundation") Vitesse whilst the amateur section became "Vitesse 1892", which lasted until they disbanded in 2009.

From 1984, Karel Aalbers was the president of SBV Vitesse. Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the Second League (Eerste divisie, now Jupiler League), the league in which the club originated, to the top 40 soccer clubs of Europe. He developed the basic idea for the 'Gelredome', a stadium with a sliding pitch that can be moved out of the building. Later, the same system was applied in Gelsenkirchen (Schalke 04) and in Japan. Events such as pop concerts can be held without damaging the grass. Gelredome opened in 1998. It has a roof that can be opened and closed. It is fully climate controlled as well. In the first season after the opening, Gelredome's attendance rose to 20,000, (from less than 8,000 in the old stadium).

Vitesse made their debut in European competition in 1990. The club won their first match in the first round 1–0 over Derry City.

The club remained financially sound through making notable profits on the transfer market. Players such as Roy Makaay, Sander Westerveld, Nikos Machlas, Glenn Helder and Philip Cocu were sold for large sums of money. Others came to occupy empty player positions, such as Mahamadou Diarra and Pierre van Hooijdonk. Vitesse finished in top 4 positions, made profits and showed a solid balance sheet in the final years of Aalbers' presidency. Also, the club became regular competitors in the UEFA Cup and in 1997–1998 finished third in the Eredivise, its record highest finish to date.

Herbert Neumann was Vitesse's manager over most of these years (1992–95 and 1998–99), while star players included: Nikos Machlas, the first ever Vitesse player to win the European Golden Boot in 1998 when he scored 34 goals in a season; John van den Brom, who played 378 matches for Vitesse during this period scoring 110 goals from midfield; and Edward Sturing, who played 383 matches in defence for Vitesse from 1987 to 1998, as well as receiving 3 caps for the Netherlands national team. Additional stars included Dejan Čurović, who spent six years at Vitesse playing 109 matches as a striker, scoring 41 goals including the first goal in GelreDome. Meanwhile, Dutch forward Roy Makaay spent four years at Vitesse, scoring 42 goals in 109 matches between 1993 and 1997.

Aalbers resigned on 15 February 2000, after the main sponsor, Nuon, threatened to pull the plug if he did not. Nuon, as a public utility company owned by local authorities, had trouble explaining why it invested heavily in Aalbers' ambitious plans. His successor was Jan Koning (former chief of Sara Lee/DE who resigned after four months). In a short period of time, Vitesse began to show negative financial results due to poor deals on the transfer market. The club survived numerous financial crises, such as the last one in 2008, when debts were bought off, under the threat of bankruptcy.

The club was in serious financial trouble, and in August 2010 its majority shareholder agreed to sell the club to the Georgian businessman Merab Jordania. There were rumors by The Guardian and various news outlets that this purchase was engineered by former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. The club underwent a successful transformation into a modern, commercial sports organization and established itself as one of the dominant teams of the Eredivisie.

On 1 July 2012, Fred Rutten signed a contract as the new manager of Vitesse, for the season 2012-13. Rutten left Vitesse after the season, finishing in 4th place. Wilfried Bony ended the season as the Eredivisie's top scorer with 31 goals in 30 matches and was awarded the Golden Shoe for the best player in the Netherlands.

For the 2013–14 season, Vitesse appointed Peter Bosz as its new manager. In November 2013, Vitesse was top of the league in the Eredivisie for the first time since 2006. It was the first time since 2000 they'd been top of the league later than the first week. Halfway through the season, after 17 matches, Vitesse was the leader in the competition. Key players in the squad from this period included Davy Pröpper, Christian Atsu and Bertrand Traoré.

Vitesse announced on 13 June 2016 that Henk Fraser would replace Bosz at the start of the 2016–17 season. In his first full season, won the club first major trophy in its 125-year existence. Fraser defeating AZ by a score of 2−0 in the final of the KNVB Cup, with two goals from Ricky van Wolfswinkel. On 5 August 2017 Vitesse were beaten 1–1 (4–2 pen.) at De Kuip, Rotterdam in the Johan Cruyff Shield final by Feyenoord. In the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage, Vitesse's opponents were Lazio Roma, OGC Nice and Zulte Waregem. Vitesse ultimately finished the group stage in fourth place. In October 2017, Guram Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of LGBT rights, leading to a backlash in his own country. In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his act.

In 2021, after beating VVV-Venlo in the semi-final, Vitesse reached the KNVB Cup Final for the fifth time in their history. Vitesse lost the final 2–1 to AFC Ajax. Vitesse finished the 2020–21 Eredivise season in 4th place. In July and August 2021, Vitesse qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Vitesse knocked-out Dundalk F.C. (2-2 and 2–1) and R.S.C. Anderlecht (3-3 and 2–1) in the qualifiers. On 27 August, Vitesse was drawn on Group G of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Stade Rennais and NŠ Mura. Vitesse eventually placed 2nd in the group, making it to the round of 32.

Towards the end of the 2023–24 Eredivisie season, Vitesse was relegated after being deducted eighteen points for failing to comply with the KNVB's license requirements amid continuous financial troubles.

Stadium and training facilities

The club plays its home games at the GelreDome stadium, with a capacity of 21,000 seats. The GelreDome was built to serve as a multifunctional stadium suited for sports, concerts and other events. It was the first football stadium in the world to have a retractable pitch, and, after the Amsterdam ArenA, the second stadium in Europe to have a sliding roof. The pitch is surrounded on each side by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Edward Sturing Stand (North), Charly Bosveld Stand (East), Theo Bos Stand (South) and Just Göbel Stand (West).

The idea of building a multifunctional stadium, which had more than double the capacity of Vitesse's old Nieuw Monnikenhuize stadium, came from former Vitesse chairman Karel Aalbers. The ambitious chairman had been playing with the idea from as early as the late 1980s, but it took until 1996 and the prospect of the upcoming Euro 2000 championships for construction to finally begin. The GelreDome opened two years later, on 25 March 1998, with a league match between Vitesse and NAC Breda (4–1). Three international matches of the Netherlands national football team were played in the stadium, the first one being on 27 May 1998: a friendly against Cameroon (0–1). The last one, played on 26 April 2000, was also a friendly: a 0–0 against Scotland. In 2019, the Netherlands women's national team, also played their an international (friendly) match at the stadium. Furthermore, the GelreDome was the location for three UEFA Euro 2000 group stage matches, as well as the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship tournament.

Vitesse's training facilities are conducted at National Sports Centre Papendal, located in the outskirts of Arnhem in woodland surroundings. The training ground consists of several pitches, a number of which have an artificial turf pitch, and extensive training facilities, including a fitness centre. Papendal, a mere twelve kilometers north of the GelreDome, is not only the training facility for Vitesse's first team; the youth teams play their home matches here as well. Its main field has seating capacity for 500 people. The complex is situated in large wooded area, where the players can prepare in a peaceful and private environment, whilst not being too far from the hustle and bustle of Arnhem's city centre. Papendal is also the base for administration staff, scouting department and all club coaches.

Hertog
Vitesse are well known for the American bald Eagle 'Hertog', which is released before the match and flies over the crowds.

Anthems
Vitesse fans are known to be creative and have various songs and chants during matches. Among the most important Vitesse songs are "Geel en Zwart zijn onze kleuren" by Emile Hartkamp, "Ernems Trots" by Joey Hartkamp, and "Bouw mee aan een steengoed Vites!" by Henk Bleker & Enka Harmonie. Vitesse opens its home matches with "Whatever You Want" by Status Quo, and after every home goal "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise is played.

Mr Vitesse
Theo Bos was raised in Arnhem and started playing football from an early age. He began his career at amateur club Sv Sempre Avanti and played from 1979 to 1983 in the academy of Vitesse. Manager Leen Looijen gave him his professional debut on 13 August 1983 against FC Wageningen; the match ended in a 3–0 victory for Vitesse. Bos spent his entire playing career for Vitesse, making a total 369 appearances in 14 seasons with his club. After his playing career, Bos worked at Vitesse as youth coach, assistant coach and manager. He is therefore considered to be Mister Vitesse. In 2012, the south stand of the GelreDome stadium was named the Theo Bos Stand. Bos died on 28 February 2013 of pancreatic cancer, aged forty-seven. Following his death, a special remembrance to honour Theo Bos took place at Gelredome with around 7,000 Vitesse supporters. As of the 2012–13 season, no player will wear the number 4 shirt at Vitesse after the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for Theo Bos, "the legendary number four". Dutch defender Jan-Arie van der Heijden was the last player to wear the number. In November 2013, his biography Het is zoals het is ('It is what it is') was published, written by journalist Marcel van Roosmalen. In 2015, a statue of Bos was erected outside of the training complex at Papendal.

Airborne-match
Around September there is an annual 'Airborne memorial' football match. During this annual Airborne-match the veterans of World War II will be honored. The Gelredome is decorated with Airborne flags, both outside and inside the stadium, and at halftime, 120 members of the Royal British Legion played the bagpipes with some other musical guests. Clubsymbol Hertog fly with the typical Airborne colours. The match is traditionally visited by veterans who were fighting in this battle, while a special shirt is worn by Vitesse. The club drop their normal striped black and yellow kit for this special match. Instead they wear claret and blue outfits, the same colours of the 1st Airborne Division, with a 1st Airborne 'winged horse' emblem also etched on the kit. Pictured on the collar sticker is the John Frost Bridge. These shirts are after the match auctioned for charity. In addition, Vitesse wearing a special captain's armband as a sign of recognition and respect for those who have fought for our freedom. In the 2014–15 and 2019–20 seasons, Vitesse played their away games in the same colours of the 1st Airborne Division.

Colours and badge
Originally, Vitesse played in white shirts with a blue sash from inception until 1900, paying hommage to the city's colours. At the turn of the century, player Reinhard Jan Christiaan baron van Pallandt offered to sponsor the club's shirts in exchange for Vitesse switching to his family colours of black and yellow. The board were quick to accept, noting that Vitesse, being one of the strongest team in the province of Gelderland, would be vindicated in playing in what could also be considered the province's colours (the flag of Gelderland is a tricolour in blue, yellow, and black). The first logo of Vitesse was a shield-shaped crest. In the middle there was a diagonal dividing line between the left yellow face and the right black box. In the left box, "AVC Vitesse" was diagonally written and in the right-hand side, "1892 ", the club's founding year. The old logo was replaced in 1984, the year in which the roads of the BVO branch and the amateur branch separated. The amateur branch retained the logo with limited modification, SBV Vitesse got a new logo.

The new logo of the BVO from 1984 is once again a shield-shaped figure, but it has straight lines at both the top and sides of the logo. At the top is with thick white uppercase Vitesse. Under the name is a double-headed eagle counterchanged on a black and yellow field. This double-headed eagle can also be found in the coat of arms of Arnhem. In the middle of the logo is a football.

In the autumn of 2011, a new version of the logo was put into use; A total of 13 changes have been made. For example, the symmetry of the eagle was improved, the black outer edge replaced by a white and in the writing has been made thinner. The football has been altered in terms of appearance as a shadow effect is added and (if the context allows it) the year of creation as text EST. 1892 under the logo can be found.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors
Since 2023 Vitesse's kit has been manufactured by Robey. Previous manufacturers include Adidas (1982–89), Hummel (1989–90), Bukta (1990–91), Diadora (1991–93), Umbro (1993–97), Lotto Sport Italia (1997–99), Uhlsport (1999–05), Quick (2005–06), Legea (2006–09), Klupp (2009–12), Nike (2012–14), Macron (2014–19), Nike (2019–23) and Robey (2023-present). The club's shirts are currently sponsored by BetCity. Previous commercial sponsors have been Akai (1982–83), Oad Reizen (1983–85), Spitman (1985–86), Schoenenreus (1987–89), RTL 4 (1990–1991), PTT Telecom (1991–92), BFI (1991–92), Spaarenergie (1992–93), Nuon Energy (1993–01), ATAG Benelux (2000–01), SITA (2002–03), Hubo (2002–03), Bavaria (2002–03), SBS 6 (2002–03), Sunweb Group (2003–04), AFAB (2004–2010), Zuka.nl (2010–2011), Simpel (2011–12), Youfone (2013–14), Truphone (2014–17), SWOOP (2017–18), Droomparken (2018–19), Royal Burgers' Zoo (2019–20), The Netherlands Open Air Museum (2019–20), Waterontharder.com (2020–21) eToro (2021–23) and BetCity (2023–present).

Support
The supporters of the club are known as Vitessenaren. Vitesse has two independent fan bodies. The Supportersvereniging Vitesse was founded in 1992 and currently consists of 3,000 members. They own a fan base within the GelreDome. The second one, Arnhem Ultras, serve a more specific purpose: to improve the atmosphere in the stadium. Besides the fan unions, there are several sets of fans who work together on tifo choreography, likes VIVO (Vitesse Is van Ons), De Aftrap, VAK 113, VAK 212, RFFC, Crew 81 and BGN among others. Nowadays, Vitesse is supported by one fanatic side: The Theo Bos – South Stand. This stand is responsible for a big part of the atmosphere in the stadium.

Vitesse have attracted around 18,000 people to Eredivisie matches on average in the last years. The record attendance stands at 26,600, achieved in a match against NAC Breda at 25 March 1998. Research showed that about 10,000 season ticket holders from Gelderland, with other significant groups coming from Utrecht, South Holland and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Vitesse Kids Club was founded by Vitesse in 1998 for children up to 16 years. Every year, the Vitesse Kids Club Day is organized, offering activities for members who are joined by the first team squad. During pre-season, Vitesse also holds an Open Day for people of all ages; the event gives the opportunity for sponsors and new player signings to be presented.

Vitesse fans have established a close friendship with the supporters of FC Petrolul Ploiești and RFC de Liège. Back in the days they had a friendship with Lierse SK until there was a big riot between them at a friendly match in 2011.

Rivalry with NEC
N.E.C. from Nijmegen are Vitesse's archrivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the Gelderse Derby (Derby of Gelderland). The rivalry between these two clubs goes beyond the football rivalry, it transcends into the city rivalry between the two largest cities of Gelderland: Nijmegen and Arnhem. This city rivalry began when these two cities first received their city rights. The two cities are just 20 kilometres apart, leading to an intense feeling of a cross-town rivalry, heightened by a feeling that local pride is at stake. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be one of the biggest matches of the season.

The inhabitants of these cities differ extremely in both attitudes and cultures which is clearly reflected on the football pitch. Vitesse's style of play has long been a source of pride for the supporters, and one of irritation for the NEK fans.

Since 1813, Arnhem has been the capital of Gelderland, historically based on finance and trade. Arnhem is perceived as an office city with modern buildings. Nijmegen, on the other hand, is predominantly a workers' city, with middle and high-income groups in the minority. People from Nijmegen see Arnhem as arrogant and lazy.

Rivalries with other clubs
De Graafschap are also a rival of Vitesse, but in terms of tension and rivalry, these matches are not as loaded as the duels with NEC Nijmegen. The rivalry has existed for some time with De Graafschap and stems from various causes, such as the opposition between the large city (Arnhem) and the countryside (Doetinchem).

Further teams who share a rivalry with Vitesse include FC Twente, FC Utrecht and AFC Ajax. Past rivalries include local derbies between Vitesse and clubs such as FC Wageningen, Go Ahead Eagles, Quick 1888, Arnhemse Boys and VV Rheden. However, the tension between the local sides lessened as the division of the clubs through playing in different leagues over time became greater. Years of not competing in the same league resulted in less frequent match-ups, until tensions finally settled between the local clubs.

Youth teams
The club is famous, however, for its Youth Academy, which is rated with the maximum of 4 Stars by the KNVB. Many players in professional football in Europe have played at Vitesse in the past including Roy Makaay, Robin Gosens, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Davy Pröpper, Alexander Büttner, Stijn Schaars, Peter Bosz, Marco van Ginkel, Theo Janssen, Erwin Mulder, Eloy Room, Piet Velthuizen, Martin Laamers, Nicky Hofs and Mitchell van Bergen. All youth teams will train and play their matches at Papendal.

The Vitesse Academy comprises age-group teams ranging from U8's up to the flagship U19's. The youngest players are scouted at amateur clubs in the direct surroundings of Arnhem. For the age of twelve and older the academy extends its scouting area, mainly to the remaining part of the Netherlands and Germany. In Vitesse's youth efficient and qualified training is done by full-time coaches and organized by further employees looking after the administration. Goal of the sporting education is to train the youths from basic to development to performance levels, for them to fulfil the sportive and non sportive demands of professional football.

National team players
''The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with Vitesse:

 * Albania
 * 🇦🇱 Armando Broja (2020–2021)
 * Algeria
 * 🇩🇿 Anis Hadj Moussa (2024)
 * Belgium
 * 🇧🇪 Loïs Openda (2020–2022)
 * 🇧🇪 Bob Peeters (2000–2003)
 * Burkina Faso
 * 🇧🇫 Bertrand Traoré (2014–2015)
 * 🇧🇫 Mamadou Zongo (1997–2004)
 * Bosnia & Herzegovina
 * Saïd Hamulić (2023)
 * China
 * 🇨🇳 Zhang Yuning (2015–2017)
 * Curaçao
 * 🇨🇼 Eloy Room (2008–2017; 2023–present)
 * Czech Republic
 * 🇨🇿 Tomáš Kalas (2011–2013)
 * Denmark
 * 🇩🇰 Mads Junker (2006–2010)
 * Ecuador
 * 🇪🇨 Giovanny Espinoza (2007–2008)
 * 🇪🇨 Renato Ibarra (2011–2016)
 * El Salvador
 * 🇸🇻 Enrico Hernández (2020–2022)
 * Estonia
 * 🇪🇪 Marko Meerits (2011–2014)
 * 🇪🇪 Raio Piiroja (2011–2012)
 * Finland
 * 🇫🇮 Niklas Tarvajärvi (2008–2009)
 * Georgia
 * Giorgi Chanturia (2011–2014)
 * Guram Kashia (2010–2018)
 * Valeri Qazaishvili (2011–2017)
 * Ghana
 * 🇬🇭 Matthew Amoah (1998–2005)
 * 🇬🇭 Anthony Annan (2011–2012)
 * 🇬🇭 Christian Atsu (2013–2014)
 * 🇬🇭 Abubakari Yakubu (2004–2009)
 * Haiti
 * 🇭🇹 Carlens Arcus (2022–2024)

 * Israel
 * 🇮🇱 Eli Dasa (2019–2022)
 * 🇮🇱 Sheran Yeini (2015–2017)
 * Ivory Coast
 * Wilfried Bony (2011–2013)
 * Japan
 * 🇯🇵 Mike Havenaar (2012–2014)
 * 🇯🇵 Michihiro Yasuda (2011–2013)
 * Kosovo
 * Toni Domgjoni (2021–present)
 * Milot Rashica (2015–2018)
 * Luxembourg
 * 🇱🇺 Mica Pinto (2023–present)
 * Mali
 * 🇲🇱 Mahamadou Diarra (1999–2002)
 * Mexico
 * 🇲🇽 Joaquín del Olmo (1996–1997)
 * Morocco
 * 🇲🇦 Zakaria Labyad (2014–2015)
 * Netherlands
 * 🇳🇱 Patrick van Aanholt (2012–2014)
 * 🇳🇱 Sjaak Alberts (1942–1953)
 * 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (1996–2001)
 * 🇳🇱 Hans Gillhaus (1993–1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Marco van Ginkel (2010–2013; 2023–present)
 * 🇳🇱 Just Göbel (1910–1923)
 * 🇳🇱 Glenn Helder (1993–1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Wim Hendriks (1946–1954)
 * 🇳🇱 Willem Hesselink (1892–1899; 1901–1902; 1905–1919)
 * 🇳🇱 Marc van Hintum (1997–2001)
 * 🇳🇱 Pierre van Hooijdonk (1999–2000)
 * 🇳🇱 Gerrit Horsten (1925–1935)
 * 🇳🇱 Theo Janssen (1998–2008; 2012–2014)
 * 🇳🇱 Martin Laamers (1986–1996)
 * 🇳🇱 Bart Latuheru (1989–1996)
 * 🇳🇱 Roy Makaay (1993–1997)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan de Natris (1925–1928)
 * 🇳🇱 Davy Pröpper (2008–2015; 2023–present)
 * 🇳🇱 Martijn Reuser (1997–1999)
 * 🇳🇱 Victor Sikora (1999–2002)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (1987–1998)

 * Netherlands (continued)
 * 🇳🇱 Piet Velthuizen (2006–2010; 2011–2016)
 * 🇳🇱 Ferdi Vierklau (1996–1997)
 * 🇳🇱 Sander Westerveld (1996–1999)
 * Nigeria
 * 🇳🇬 Tijani Babangida (2001–2002)
 * 🇳🇬 Benedict Iroha (1992–1996)
 * Norway
 * 🇳🇴 Martin Ødegaard (2018–2019)
 * 🇳🇴 Marcus Pedersen (2010–2014)
 * 🇳🇴 Sondre Tronstad (2020–2023)
 * Romania
 * 🇷🇴 Ștefan Nanu (1999–2003)
 * Russia
 * 🇷🇺 Vyacheslav Karavayev (2018–2019)
 * Saudi Arabia
 * 🇸🇦 Mukhtar Ali (2017–2019)
 * Serbia
 * 🇷🇸 Nenad Grozdić (1999–2000)
 * 🇷🇸 Dragoslav Jevrić (1999–2005)
 * 🇷🇸 Danko Lazović (2006–2007)
 * 🇷🇸 Slobodan Rajković (2010–2011)
 * 🇷🇸 Dejan Stefanović (1999–2003)
 * 🇷🇸 Vladimir Stojković (2007)
 * Slovakia
 * 🇸🇰 Matúš Bero (2018–2023)
 * 🇸🇰 Marián Zeman (1997–2003)
 * Slovenia
 * 🇸🇮 Tim Matavž (2017–2020)
 * 🇸🇮 Dalibor Stevanović (2009–2011)
 * South Africa
 * 🇿🇦 Thulani Serero (2017–2019)
 * Ukraine
 * 🇺🇦 Denys Oliynyk (2014–2016)
 * United States
 * 🇺🇸 Matt Miazga (2016–2018)
 * Zimbabwe
 * 🇿🇼 Marvelous Nakamba (2014–2017)

 * Players in bold actively play for Vitesse and for their respective national teams. Years in brackets indicate careerspan with Vitesse.

National team players by Confederation
Member associations are listed in order of most to least amount of current and former Vitesse players represented Internationally

Players in international tournaments
The following is a list of Vitesse players who have competed in international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, UEFA European Championship, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Africa Cup of Nations, Copa América, and the Caribbean Cup. To this date no Vitesse players have participated in the AFC Asian Cup, or the OFC Nations Cup while playing for Vitesse.

List of Vitesse coaches

 * No official coach (1887–1914)
 * 🏴 Edgar Chadwick (1914)
 * 🏴 John William Sutcliffe (1914–1915)
 * 🏴 James McPherson (1919–1920)
 * 🏴 Charles Griffith (1920–1922)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan van Dort & Bram Evers (1922–1923)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan van Dort (1923–1924)
 * 🏴 Bob Jefferson (1924–1927
 * 🇩🇪 Heinrich Schwarz (1927–1936)
 * 🇳🇱 Joop Damsté (1936)
 * 🇳🇱 Gerrit van Wijhe (1936–1938)
 * 🇳🇱 Gerrit Horsten (1938–1946)
 * 🏴 George Roper (1946–1947)
 * 🇳🇱 Arie van der Wel (1948–1949)
 * 🇳🇱 Gerrit Horsten (interim) (1949)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan Zonnenberg (1949–1954)
 * 🇦🇹 Joseph Gruber (1954–1957)
 * 🇳🇱 Louis Pastoors (1957–1960)
 * Branko Vidović (1960–1962)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan Zonnenberg (1962–1964)
 * 🇦🇹 Joseph Gruber (1964–1966)
 * 🇳🇱 Frans de Munck (1966–1969)
 * 🇳🇱 Cor Brom (1969–1972)
 * 🇳🇱 Frans de Munck (1972–1974)
 * Nedeljko Bulatović (1974–1975)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan de Bouter (1975–1976)
 * 🇳🇱 Clemens Westerhof (interim) (1976)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk Wullems (1976–1982)
 * 🇳🇱 Leen Looijen (1982–1984)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk Hofstee (interim) (1984)
 * 🇳🇱 Clemens Westerhof (1984–1985)
 * 🇵🇱 Janusz Kowalik (1985–1986)
 * 🇳🇱 Hans Dorjee (1986–1987)
 * 🇳🇱 Niels Overweg (1987)
 * 🇳🇱 Bert Jacobs (1987–1992)
 * 🇩🇪 Herbert Neumann (1992–1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Ronald Spelbos (1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Frans Thijssen & Jan Jongbloed (interim) (1995–1996)
 * 🇳🇱 Leo Beenhakker (1996–1997)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk ten Cate (1997–1998)
 * 🇵🇹 Artur Jorge (1998)
 * 🇩🇪 Herbert Neumann (1998–1999)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan Jongbloed & Edward Sturing (interim) (1999–2000)
 * 🇳🇱 Ronald Koeman (2000–2001)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (interim) (2001–2002)
 * 🇳🇱 Mike Snoei (2002–2003)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (2003–2006)
 * 🇳🇱 Aad de Mos (2006–2008)
 * 🇳🇱 Hans Westerhof (2008)
 * 🇳🇱 Theo Bos (2009–2010)
 * 🇳🇱 Raimond van der Gouw & Hans van Arum (interim) (2010)
 * 🇪🇸 Albert Ferrer (2010–2011)
 * 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (2011–2012)
 * 🇳🇱 Fred Rutten (2012–2013)
 * 🇳🇱 Peter Bosz (2013–2016)
 * 🇳🇱 Rob Maas (2016)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk Fraser (2016–2018)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (interim) (2018)
 * 🇷🇺 Leonid Slutsky (2018–2019)
 * 🇳🇱 Joseph Oosting (interim) (2019)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (interim) (2020)
 * 🇩🇪 Thomas Letsch (2020–2022)
 * 🇳🇱 Phillip Cocu (2022–2023)
 * 🇳🇱 Edward Sturing (interim) (2023–2024)
 * 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (2024–present)

Owners
After Karel Aalbers left, the financial situation for the club became dire. This downfall almost led Vitesse into bankruptcy in 2008, as they were not able to pay back loans given by their sponsor AFAB Geldservice B.V. Eventually the club arranged a deal that saw AFAB's owner, Maasbert Schouten, gain 100% of Vitesse's shares. Schouten immediately expressed his intent to sell the club, which opened the window for Merab Jordania to buy Vitesse. When Jordania, a former Dinamo Tbilisi player and owner, bought the team in 2010, Vitesse became the first Dutch club in history with a foreign owner. In 2013, Russian businessman Alexander Tsjigirinski bought the club from Jordania. In May 2018 a new acquisition took place at Vitesse. Valeriy Oyf became the new majority shareholder of Vitesse. The Russian oligarch, who was part of the Board of Directors of Vitesse from 2016, took over the shares of Tsjigirinski.

Chairmen
The first chairman was Frans Dezentjé. Willem Hesselink was chairman of the club from 1917 to 1922 and was appointed honorary chairman in 1962. Although Vitesse's coaches have come from all over Europe, the club's chairmen have been mostly Dutch, with Merab Jordania and Yevgeny Merkel as the only exceptions. The name of Karel Aalbers is inseparably linked to Vitesse. Although a club's success is never the work of a single man, nonetheless, the former chairman's part in the sportive and professional growth of Vitesse may be labelled as truly exceptional. Karel Aalbers handled the chairman's gavel from 1984 to 2000.

 * Frans Dezentjé, 1982
 * Dick Couvéé, 1892–1993
 * Siegfried Leopold, 1893
 * Fons Donkers, 1893–1895
 * Chris Engelberts, 1895–1909
 * Johan Caderius van Veen, 1902–1906
 * Lodewijk Suringa, 1906–1908
 * Jan F. Keppel Hesselink, 1908–1909
 * Wim Hupkes, 1909–1916
 * Daniel Brondgeest, 1916
 * Willem Hesselink, 1916–22
 * Lex Staal, 1922–1924
 * Jan Holtus, 1924–1929
 * Wim Hupkes, 1929–1936
 * Henk Herberts, 1936–1947
 * Jan Bosloper, 1947–1949
 * Herbert Mogendorff, 1949–1951
 * Henk Hoolboom, 1951–1955
 * Henk Lammers, 1955–1963
 * Henk Herberts, 1963
 * Coen Winters, 1963–1965
 * Herbert Mogendorff, 1965
 * Herman Ribbink, 1965–1967
 * Gerard Veerkamp, 1967–1969
 * Arnold van der Louw, 1969–1974
 * Eef van Amerongen, 1974–1979
 * Piet Bodewes, 1979–1982
 * Bob Treffers, 1982–1984
 * Karel Aalbers, 1984–2000
 * Jan Konings, 2000
 * Jos Vaessen, 2000–2003
 * Kees Bakker, 2003–2004
 * Henk Ramautar, 2004–2008
 * Kees Bakker, 2008–2009
 * Maasbert Schouten, 2009–2010
 * Merab Jordania, 2010–2013
 * Bert Roetert, 2013–2016
 * Kees Bakker, 2016–2017
 * Yevgeny Merkel, 2017–2021
 * Henk Parren, 2021–

Domestic

 * Dutch Championship/Eredivisie
 * Runners-up: 1897–98, 1902–03, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15

 * Eerste Divisie
 * Winners: 1976–77, 1988–89
 * Runners-up: 1959–60, 1973–74
 * Promoted: 1970–71

 * Tweede Divisie
 * Winners: 1965–66

 * KNVB Cup
 * Winners: 2016–17
 * Runners-up: 1911–12, 1926–27, 1989–90, 2020–21

 * Johan Cruyff Shield
 * Runners-up: 2017

Regional

 * Eerste klasse Oost
 * Winners: 1896–97, 1897–98, 1902–03, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1952–53
 * Promoted: 1954–55

 * Tweede klasse Oost
 * Winners: 1922–23, 1940–41, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1949–50

 * Gelderland Competition
 * Winners: 1894–95, 1895–96

Club Awards

 * VVCS: Dutch Team of the Year
 * Winners: 1989–90

European Golden Boot
The following players have won the European Golden Boot whilst playing for Vitesse:
 * Nikos Machlas (34 goals) – 1998

Dutch Footballer of the Year (Golden Boots)
The following players have won the Dutch Footballer of the Year whilst playing for Vitesse:
 * Edward Sturing – 1990 (Eredivisie)
 * Wilfried Bony – 2013 (Eredivisie)

Johan Cruyff Trophy
The following players have won the Johan Cruyff Trophy whilst playing for Vitesse:
 * Marco van Ginkel – 2013

Eredivisie Top Scorer

 * Nikos Machlas (34 goals) – 1998
 * Wilfried Bony (31 goals) – 2013

Eerste Divisie Top Scorer

 * Herman Veenendaal (23 goals) – 1974
 * Remco Boere (27 goals) – 1983

Rinus Michels Award (Manager of the year)

 * Fred Rutten (Runner-up) – 2012/13
 * Peter Bosz (Runner-up) – 2013/14, 2014/15
 * Henk Fraser (Runner-up) – 2016/17
 * 🇩🇪 Thomas Letsch (Runner-up) – 2020/21

UEFA's #EqualGame Award

 * Guram Kashia – 2018

Vitesse in Europe

 * Group = group game
 * Q = qualifying round
 * KPO = knockout round play-offs
 * PO = play-off round
 * 1R = first round
 * 2R = second round
 * 3R = third round
 * 1/8 = 1/8 final

Dutch Cup finals
The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruyff Shield.

Club records

 * Highest transfer fee paid: Bob Peeters from Roda JC for €6.4 million, 2000
 * Record League win: 0–17 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 11 November 1894
 * Record Eredivisie win: 7–0 v Sparta Rotterdam, 14 April 2018
 * Record Eerste Divisie win: 7–0 v FC Wageningen, 30 August 1970
 * Record European win: 0–4 v Dundee United, UEFA Cup Second Round, 7 November 1990
 * Record home win: 14–0 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 20 January 1895
 * Record away win: 0–17 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 11 November 1894
 * Record home Eredivisie win: 7–0 v Sparta Rotterdam, 14 April 2018
 * Record away Eredivisie win: 1–7 v Fortuna Sittard, 27 September 1997
 * Record defeat: 12–1 v Ajax, Eredivisie, 19 May 1972
 * Record tournament defeat: 0–7 v PSV, KNVB Beker, Fourth Round, 4 May 1969
 * Highest ranking: 3rd in Eredivisie, 1997–98
 * Longest unbeaten run (League): 22, from 8 January 1967 until 17 September 1967 in Eerste Divisie
 * Most clean sheets in one season: 18, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
 * Most League goals all-time by player : 155 – Jan Dommering
 * Most League goals in a season by player: 34 – Nikos Machlas, Eredivisie, 1997–98
 * Most goals scored in a match: 9 – Nico Westdijk v De Treffers, Tweede Klasse C Oost, 19 October 1941
 * Most League goals scored in a season: 85, Eredivisie, 1997–98
 * Most League goals conceded in a season: 74, Eredivisie, 1971–72
 * Most hat-tricks scored (League): 12 – Jan Dommering
 * Fewest League goals scored in a season: 22, Eredivisie, 1971–72
 * Fewest League goals conceded in a season: 20, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
 * Fastest own goal: 19 seconds – Purrel Fränkel v Twente, Eredivisie, 3 October 2003
 * Most top scorer of Vitesse: John van den Brom, 5 times
 * Most international caps for the Netherlands national football team as a Vitesse player: Just Göbel, 22

Domestic results
Below is a table with Vitesse's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.

Club topscorers by season

 * 1954/55 🇳🇱 Eltjo Veentjer (10)
 * 1955/56 🇳🇱 Eltjo Veentjer (10)
 * 1956/57 🇳🇱 Jan Schatorjé (16)
 * 1957/58 🇳🇱 Gerrit van der Pol (13)
 * 1958/59 🇳🇱 Loek Feijen (15)
 * 1959/60 🇳🇱 Loek Feijen (17)
 * 1960/61 🇳🇱 Loek Feijen (12)
 * 1961/62 🇳🇱 Jan Seelen (13)
 * 1962/63 🇳🇱 Jan Seelen (18)
 * 1963/64 🇳🇱 Jan Seelen (10)
 * 1964/65 🇳🇱 Jan Veenstra (12)
 * 1965/66 🇳🇱 Hans Verhagen (21)
 * 1966/67 🇳🇱 Jan Veenstra (22)
 * 1967/68 🇳🇱 Hans Verhagen (17)
 * 1968/69 🇳🇱 Henk Bosveld (15)
 * 1969/70 🇳🇱 Wim Kleinjan (11)
 * 1970/71 🇳🇱 Bart Stovers (10)
 * 1971/72 🇳🇱 Ben Gerritsen (5)
 * 1971/72 🇳🇱 Herman Veenendaal (5)
 * 1972/73 🇳🇱 Bram van Kerkhof (20)
 * 1973/74 🇳🇱 Herman Veenendaal (23)
 * 1974/75 🇳🇱 Henk Bosveld (16)
 * 1975/76 🇳🇱 Henk Bosveld (10)
 * 1975/76 Boško Bursać (10)
 * 1976/77 Boško Bursać (20)
 * 1977/78 Boško Bursać (13)
 * 1978/79 🇳🇱 Henk Bosveld (7)
 * 1978/79 🇳🇱 Herman Gerdsen (7)
 * 1979/80 🇳🇱 Hans Bleijenberg (11)
 * 1980/81 🇳🇱 Ron van Oosterom (14)
 * 1981/82 🇳🇱 Jurrie Koolhof (19)
 * 1982/83 🇳🇱 Chris van de Akker (10)
 * 1983/84 🇳🇱 Remco Boere (27)
 * 1984/85 🇳🇱 Henk Thijssen (8)
 * 1985/86 🇳🇱 Roger Schouwenaar (11)
 * 1985/86 🇳🇱 Rick Talan (11)
 * 1986/87 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (17)
 * 1987/88 🇳🇱 Rick Talan (16)
 * 1988/89 🇳🇱 Jurrie Koolhof (13)
 * 1989/90 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (14)
 * 1990/91 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (8)
 * 1991/92 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (10)
 * 1992/93 🇳🇱 John van den Brom (15)
 * 1993/94 🇳🇱 Hans Gillhaus (22)
 * 1994/95 🇳🇱 Roy Makaay (11)
 * 1995/96 🇳🇱 Roy Makaay (11)
 * 1996/97 🇳🇱 Roy Makaay (19)
 * 1997/98 🇬🇷 Nikos Machlas (34)
 * 1998/99 🇬🇷 Nikos Machlas (18)
 * 1999/00 🇳🇱 Pierre van Hooijdonk (25)
 * 2000/01 🇬🇭 Matthew Amoah (11)
 * 2001/02 🇬🇭 Matthew Amoah (6)
 * 2002/03 🇬🇭 Matthew Amoah (15)
 * 2003/04 🇨🇲 Emile Mbamba (6)
 * 2004/05 🇬🇭 Matthew Amoah (13)
 * 2005/06 🇳🇱 Youssouf Hersi (10)
 * 2006/07 🇷🇸 Danko Lazović (19)
 * 2007/08 🇳🇱 Santi Kolk (12)
 * 2008/09 🇳🇱 Ricky van Wolfswinkel (8)
 * 2009/10 🇳🇱 Santi Kolk (7)
 * 2009/10 🇸🇪 Lasse Nilsson (7)
 * 2010/11 🇳🇱 Marco van Ginkel (5)
 * 2010/11 🇳🇴 Marcus Pedersen (5)
 * 2011/12 Wilfried Bony (12)
 * 2012/13 Wilfried Bony (31)
 * 2013/14 🇧🇷 Lucas Piazon (11)
 * 2014/15 🇧🇫 Bertrand Traoré (14)
 * 2015/16 Valeri Qazaishvili (10)
 * 2016/17 🇳🇱 Ricky van Wolfswinkel (20)
 * 2017/18 🇳🇱 Bryan Linssen (15)
 * 2018/19 🇳🇱 Bryan Linssen (12)
 * 2019/20 🇳🇱 Bryan Linssen (14)
 * 2020/21 🇦🇱 Armando Broja (10)
 * 2021/22 🇧🇪 Loïs Openda (18)
 * 2022/23 🇳🇱 Million Manhoef (9)
 * 2023/24 🇳🇱 Marco van Ginkel (7)

Player of the Season
Vitesse's Player of the Season award is voted for by the club's supporters. It was first introduced in the 1989–90 season.

Vitesse II
Vitesse's reserve team (Under-21) currently plays in the Beloften Eredivisie. It plays its home matches at Papendal and it is coached by Joseph Oosting. The team is composed mostly of professional footballers, who are often recent graduates from the highest youth level (Vitesse U19) serving their first professional contract as a reserve, or players who are otherwise unable to play in the first team.

Honours
The team's honours:
 * Derde Divisie
 * Champions: 2018
 * Beloften Eredivisie
 * Champions: 1993, 2015
 * KNVB Reserve Cup
 * Winners: 1998, 2002, 2011
 * KNVB District (South)
 * Champions: 	1992, 1993
 * KNVB District Cup (East)
 * Winners: 1990

Amateur team
In 1984 it was decided to divide the professional and amateur sections of the club. The professional section was renamed SBV (Stichting Betaald Voetbal – "Professional Football Foundation") Vitesse whilst the amateur section became "(AVC) Vitesse 1892", who played their home matches at the Sportcomplex Valkenhuizen. In total, the club has won 5 trophies; one Derde Klasse title, one Vierde Klasse title, one Zesde Klasse title and two Arnhem Cups. On 2009, Vitesse 1892 was declared bankrupt. The amateur section has produced a number of professional players including Andy van der Meijde, Nicky Hofs, Léon Hese, Erwin van de Looi en Theo Janssen.

Vitesse Legends
Vitesse Legends are a beneficiary team that was initiated by Ben Snelders, Leo de Kleermaeker and Dik Herberts in the 1990s, competing in at least one match a year, usually in the name of charity and/or to bid farewell to retiring former Vitesse players. The team is made up of various members of the Club van 100 of Vitesse who will come out of retirement for this match to face the current Vitesse squad. Past participants have included Theo Janssen, Marc van Hintum, Edward Sturing, Ruud Knol, Remco van der Schaaf, Nicky Hofs, Erwin van de Looi, Glenn Helder, Philip Cocu, John van den Brom, Theo Bos, Martin Laamers, Michael Dingsdag, Roberto Straal, Frans Thijssen, Dejan Čurović, Jhon van Beukering and Huub Loeffen.

National team players
A number of Vitesse players have represented the Netherlands national team, the first official international being Willem Hesselink. He was one of the founders of Vitesse in 1892 at age 14. In 1905 he started in the first ever home match of the Netherlands national football team, a 4–0 victory against Belgium. Some historians attribute one of the goals scored to him. Just Göbel played 22 matches for the Dutch team, being best remembered for his numerous saves during the 2–1 win over England's amateurs and his bronze medal in the football tournament of the 1912 Summer Olympics. The record number of Vitesse players for the Netherlands was three, which occurred on two occasions in 1989. The following players were called up to represent the Netherlands national team in international football and received caps during their tenure with Vitesse:

 * Willem Hesselink
 * Just Göbel
 * Jan de Natris
 * Gerrit Horsten
 * Sjaak Alberts
 * Wim Hendriks
 * Hans Gillhaus
 * Martin Laamers
 * Bart Latuheru
 * Edward Sturing
 * John van den Brom
 * Pierre van Hooijdonk
 * Glenn Helder
 * Roy Makaay
 * Patrick van Aanholt
 * Ferdi Vierklau
 * Martijn Reuser
 * Sander Westerveld
 * Victor Sikora
 * Theo Janssen
 * Piet Velthuizen
 * Marco van Ginkel
 * Davy Pröpper

Notable former players

 * 🇳🇱 Phillip Cocu (1990–1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Pierre van Hooijdonk (1999–2000)
 * 🇳🇱 Roy Makaay (1993–1997)
 * 🇳🇱 Raimond van der Gouw (1988–1996)
 * 🇳🇱 Glenn Helder (1993–1995)
 * 🇳🇱 Orlando Trustfull (1997–2001)
 * 🇳🇱 Frans Thijssen (1988–1991)
 * 🇳🇱 Peter Bosz (1981–1984)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk ten Cate (1975–1976)
 * 🇳🇱 Sander Westerveld (1996–1999)
 * 🇳🇱 Edwin Zoetebier (2000–2001)
 * 🇳🇱 Ricky van Wolfswinkel (2008–2017)
 * 🇳🇱 Marco van Ginkel (2010–2013)
 * 🇳🇱 Davy Pröpper (2010–2015)
 * 🇳🇱 Patrick van Aanholt (2012–2014)
 * 🇳🇱 Stijn Schaars (2003–2005)
 * 🇳🇱 Riechedly Bazoer (2019–2022)
 * 🇳🇱 Paul Verhaegh (2006–2010)
 * 🇳🇱 Eloy Room (2008–2017)
 * 🇳🇱 Hans Gillhaus (1993–1994)
 * 🇳🇱 Willem Hesselink (1894–1919)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk Bosveld (1968–1979)
 * 🇳🇱 Frans de Munck (1965–1967)
 * 🇳🇱 Dick Schoenaker (1986–1988)
 * 🇳🇱 Just Göbel (1909–1924)
 * 🇳🇱 Alexander Büttner (2007–2019)
 * 🇳🇱 Remko Pasveer (2017–2021)
 * 🇧🇪 Gert Claessens (2001–2003)
 * 🇧🇪 Bob Peeters (2000–2003)
 * 🇧🇪 Onur Kaya (2005–2010)
 * 🇧🇪 Loïs Openda (2020–2021)
 * 🇩🇪 Paulo Rink (2004)
 * 🇩🇪 Dieter Burdenski (1990)
 * 🇩🇪 Simon Cziommer (2012–2013)
 * 🏴 Lewis Baker (2015–2017)
 * 🏴 Mason Mount (2017–2018)
 * 🇫🇷 Didier Martel (2000–2003)
 * 🇫🇷 Gaël Kakuta (2012–2013)
 * Marco De Marchi (1997–2000)
 * Luca Caldirola (2010–2011)
 * 🇪🇸 Jordi López (2011)
 * 🇵🇹 Eduardo Carvalho (2018–2019)
 * 🏴 Scott Booth (1998–1999)
 * 🏴 Nick Deacy (1979–1980)
 * 🇬🇷 Nikos Machlas (1996–1999)
 * 🇮🇱 Eli Dasa (2019–2022)
 * 🇸🇪 Lasse Nilsson (2008–2011)
 * 🇳🇴 Martin Ødegaard (2018–2019)
 * 🇩🇰 Jacob Rasmussen (2020–2021)
 * Milot Rashica (2015–2018)
 * Tomáš Kalas (2011–2013)
 * 🇸🇮 Tim Matavž (2017–2020)
 * Guram Kashia (2010–2018)
 * Valeri Qazaishvili (2011–2017)
 * 🇷🇸 Slobodan Rajković (2010–2011)
 * 🇷🇸 Nemanja Matić (2010–2011)
 * 🇷🇸 Danko Lazović (2006–2007)
 * 🇷🇸 Dejan Stefanović (1999–2003)
 * 🇷🇸 Vladimir Stojković (2007)
 * 🇷🇴 Ștefan Nanu (1999–2003)
 * 🇺🇸 Matt Miazga (2016–2018)
 * Claudemir de Souza (2008–2010)
 * Lucas Piazon (2013–2014)
 * Jonathan Reis (2012–2013)
 * 🇸🇷 Lloyd Doesburg (1981–1986)
 * 🇲🇦 Zakaria Labyad (2014–2015)
 * 🇲🇦 Ismaïl Aissati (2010–2011)
 * 🇲🇦 Oussama Tannane (2019–)
 * 🇬🇭 Anthony Annan (2011–2012)
 * 🇬🇭 Christian Atsu (2013–2014)
 * 🇬🇭 Riga Mustapha (1998–2003)
 * Wilfried Bony (2011–2013)
 * 🇲🇱 Mahamadou Diarra (1999–2002)
 * 🇳🇬 Ben Iroha (1992–1996)
 * 🇳🇬 Tijani Babangida (2001–2002)
 * 🇿🇼 Marvelous Nakamba (2014–2017)
 * 🇧🇫 Bertrand Traoré (2014–2015)
 * 🇿🇦 Thulani Serero (2017–2019)
 * 🇪🇨 Giovanny Espinoza (2007–2008)
 * 🇯🇵 Keisuke Honda (2019)
 * 🇨🇳 Yu Hai (2007–2008)

Literature

 * Van Mierlo, Joost: Verspeelde Energie. Vitesse en Nuon, verslag van een explosieve relatie. SUN, Nijmegen 2001, ISBN 9789058750327.
 * Molenaar, Arjen: 111 Jaar Vitesse. De sportieve geschiedenis van Vitesse 1892-2003 Vitesse, Arnhem 2003, ISBN 9090173005.
 * Van Roosmalen, Marcel: Je hebt het niet van mij. Een tragi-komisch verslag over de soap bij Vitesse. Hard gras, Amsterdam 2006, ISBN 9046800962.
 * Van Roosmalen, Marcel: Het Jaar van de Adelaar. Hard gras, Amsterdam 2009, ISBN 9789046805664.
 * Van Roosmalen, Marcel: Geef me nog twee dagen. Hard gras, Amsterdam 2011, ISBN 9789071359446.
 * Bierhaus, Peter: Vites! 9 verhalen over onvoorwaardelijke liefde voor Vitesse. Ctrl-E, Arnhem 2011, ISBN 9789081345781.
 * Remco, Kok: Een Arnhemmer is niet voor Ajax. Lecturium, Zoetermeer 2014, ISBN 9789048431816.
 * Reurink, Ferry: Elke dag Vitesse. 125 jaar clubgeschiedenis in 366 verhalen. Kontrast, Oosterbeek 2017, ISBN 9789492411990.

Official websites

 * Vitesse.nl Official website of Vitesse Arnhem
 * GelreDome.nl Official website of stadium GelreDome
 * UEFA.com The Vitesse Arnhem Story

General fan site

 * Official supporters site

News sites

 * Vitesse Arnhem at SkySports.com
 * Vitesse Arnhem at Goal
 * Vitesse Arnhem at Football-Lineups.com

title: SBV Vitesse


text:
Willem II (football club)

Willem II, also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a Dutch football club based in Tilburg, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion from the Eerste Divisie in the 2023–24 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 of the Netherlands (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.

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.

The club has won the Eredivisie three times, and the Eerste Divisie four times.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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:

 * Armenia
 * 🇦🇲 Aras Özbiliz (2018–2019)
 * 🇦🇲 Norair Aslanyan (2013–2015)
 * Belgium
 * 🇧🇪 Tom Caluwé (2000–2006)
 * 🇧🇪 Geert De Vlieger (2000–2004)
 * 🇧🇪 Moussa Dembélé (2005–2006)
 * Burkina Faso
 * 🇧🇫 Ousmane Sanou (1996–2001)
 * Cape Verde
 * 🇨🇻 Josimar Lima (2009–2011)
 * Curaçao
 * 🇨🇼 Darryl Lachman (2016–2018)
 * 🇨🇼 Charlton Vicento (2014–2015)
 * 🇨🇼 Raymond Victoria (1998–2006)
 * 🇨🇼 Jason Wall (2013–2014)
 * 🇨🇼 Nuelson Wau (1999–2007; 2009)
 * Czech Republic
 * 🇨🇿 Tomáš Galásek (1996–2000)
 * Ecuador
 * 🇪🇨 Diego Palacios (2018–2019)
 * 🇪🇨 Jhonny Quiñónez (2019)
 * Finland
 * 🇫🇮 Sami Hyypiä (1995–1999)
 * 🇫🇮 Joonas Kolkka (1996–1998; 2011–2012)
 * 🇫🇮 Jukka Koskinen (1997–1999)
 * 🇫🇮 Veli Lampi (2010–2011)
 * 🇫🇮 Niki Mäenpää (2009–2011)
 * Gambia
 * 🇬🇲 Jatto Ceesay (1995–2005)
 * Ghana
 * 🇬🇭 Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (2020–2022)

 * Greece
 * 🇬🇷 Vangelis Pavlidis (2019–2021)
 * 🇬🇷 Marios Vrousai (2019–2020)
 * Guinea
 * 🇬🇳 Sékou Soumah (1992–1995)
 * 🇬🇳 Mohamed Sylla (1989–1995)
 * Hungary
 * 🇭🇺 Csaba Fehér (2005–2006)
 * 🇭🇺 Zsombor Kerekes (2005–2007)
 * Israel
 * 🇮🇱 Ben Sahar (2014–2015)
 * Kosovo
 * Donis Avdijaj (2018–2019)
 * Luxembourg
 * 🇱🇺 Aurélien Joachim (2012–2013)
 * Morocco
 * 🇲🇦 Youssef Mariana (2000–2004)
 * 🇲🇦 Adil Ramzi (1998–2000)
 * 🇲🇦 Tarik Sektioui (2000–2004)
 * Netherlands
 * 🇳🇱 Tinus van Beurden (1910–1926)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan Brooijmans (1954–1967)
 * 🇳🇱 Sjel de Bruyckere (1950–1956)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan Gielens (1924–1925)
 * 🇳🇱 Gerrit Horsten (1922–1925)
 * 🇳🇱 Jo Jole (1922–1923)
 * 🇳🇱 Coy Koopal (1956–1964)
 * 🇳🇱 Denny Landzaat (1999–2003; 2014)
 * 🇳🇱 Huub de Leeuw (1928–1939)
 * 🇳🇱 Herman van Loon (1928–1931)
 * 🇳🇱 Sjef Mertens (1945–1961)
 * 🇳🇱 Toine van Mierlo (1979–1981; 1982–1983)

 * Netherlands (continued)
 * 🇳🇱 Harry Mommers (1909–1925)
 * 🇳🇱 Jo Mommers (1946–1955)
 * 🇳🇱 Jan van Roessel (1951–1957)
 * 🇳🇱 Jos van Son (1912–1929)
 * 🇳🇱 Piet Stevens (1916–1924)
 * 🇳🇱 Henk Vriens (1961–1973)
 * New Zealand
 * 🇳🇿 James McGarry (2018–2020)
 * 🇳🇿 Michael Woud (2018–2021)
 * Northern Ireland
 * James Quinn (2002–2005)
 * Peru
 * 🇵🇪 Renato Tapia (2019)
 * Sierra Leone
 * 🇸🇱 Ibrahim Kargbo (2006–2010)
 * Slovakia
 * 🇸🇰 Adam Němec (2015–2016)
 * Suriname
 * 🇸🇷 Jeredy Hilterman (2023–2024)
 * Sweden
 * 🇸🇪 Sebastian Holmén (2019–2021)
 * 🇸🇪 Alexander Isak (2019)
 * United States
 * 🇺🇸 Earnie Stewart (1990–1996)

 * 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 least amount of 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.

Honours

 * National Football League Championship/Eredivisie
 * Winners (3): 1915–16, 1951–52, 1954–55
 * Runners-up (1): 1998–99
 * Eerste Divisie
 * Winners (4): 1956–57, 1964–65, 2013–14, 2023–24
 * Runners-up (1): 1986–87
 * KNVB Cup
 * Winners (2): 1943–44, 1962–63
 * Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2018–19

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Willem II (football club)


text:
Augustus Agar

Augustus Willington Shelton Agar, (4 January 1890 – 30 December 1968) was a Royal Navy officer in both the First and the Second World Wars. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for sinking a Soviet cruiser during the Russian Civil War.

In his naval biography, Footprints in the Sea, published in 1961, Agar described himself as "highly strung and imaginative." The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Agar "epitomizes the 'sea dog' of British naval tradition: honourable, extremely brave and totally dedicated to King, country and the Royal Navy."

Early life
Augustus Agar was born in Kandy, Ceylon, on 4 January 1890. He was the thirteenth child of John Shelton Agar/Eagar, an Irishman from Milltown, County Kerry, who had left his native land in 1860 to become a successful tea planter in Ceylon. John's cousin Honora Eagar was the first wife of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, an Irish Fenian leader and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Agar was brought up in comfortable circumstances in a fine house with servants. Agar's mother, who was Austrian, died shortly after his birth, and at the age of eight he was sent with one of his brothers to school in England. All his brothers were educated in English public schools, and all his sisters were educated in Austrian or German schools. His father died in 1902 of cholera which he had caught during a visit to China.

Augustus ("Gus") Agar attended Framlingham College in Suffolk. He was now without parents or a fixed home and his oldest brother, Shelton, determined that he should go into the Navy. Gus, who idolized his older brother, willingly agreed. To prepare, he attended Eastman's Royal Naval Academy in Southsea.

A friend of the family, Captain Henry Jackson, later First Sea Lord and an Admiral of the Fleet, nominated Agar for a place in the annual intake of naval cadets. After time spent with a "crammer", he passed the entrance exams and in 1904 joined the naval cadet school, HMS Britannia, at Dartmouth. The Britannia was a wooden man of war, obsolete when launched in 1860, and soon tied up and used as a stationary training ship.

As a part of his training, Agar went to sea in a 5,650 ton second class cruiser, HMS Highflyer (1898), and afterwards on the slightly older HMS Isis. These ships were stationed at Bermuda and many classes were held ashore when the ships were in port. Agar had many pleasant memories of sports, swimming, boating and picnics during this period.

Agar served at sea in a number of ships in the prewar period, including the battleships HMS Prince of Wales (1902) attached to the Mediterranean Fleet, and HMS Queen (1902), commanded by Captain (later Admiral) David Beatty. He greatly admired Beatty's dash and style.

Agar's early training gave him a thorough grounding in basic naval matters, especially in handling small boats. This was to prove a great asset later in his career. In 1910 Agar passed his seamanship examination with flying colours and was made an acting sub-lieutenant. During 1911, he served aboard a destroyer, HMS Ruby (1910). He spent the next period on course at Portsmouth and studying at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He was promoted to lieutenant on 30 June 1912.

After his courses were complete, Agar was assigned to small ships, his first being Torpedo Boat No. 23. In April 1913 he was sent to learn to fly. It was not entirely his métier, though he obtained his licence after enduring three crashes in the very primitive aircraft of the time. He joined the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Hibernia (1905) in September 1913, attached to the Home Fleet.

The Grand Fleet
Agar was aboard Hibernia when the First World War broke out in August 1914, and soon sailed with her to Britain's wartime base at Scapa Flow. He was a part of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's Grand Fleet.

As newer and faster dreadnoughts joined the fleet, the pre-dreadnoughts became increasingly obsolete, being slower, with much less firepower and poor design features.

The Dardanelles and guard duty
In the summer of 1915 it was decided to send Hibernia out to the Dardanelles to provide gunnery support to the Allied landings on the Gallipoli peninsula. She arrived in September 1915 at the Royal Navy base at Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos at the entrance to the straits leading to the Black Sea.

The sheltered waters of the Aegean Sea and the straits enabled Hibernia to use all her guns and she was employed in firing at Turkish targets on Gallipoli and the nearby Asia Minor shore. She was hit once by a Turkish shell, but not seriously damaged.

Hibernia returned to Britain when the Allies evacuated Gallipoli and was stationed at Rosyth with others of her class to guard against raids on the British coast by German ships. Because of their slow speed and weak offensive power, the pre-dreadnought battleships were not ordered to join the Grand Fleet for the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, though they got up steam pending the outcome of the engagement.

North Russia
After Jutland the battleship threat from Germany receded somewhat and the danger from mines and submarines grew. Especially vulnerable were the two ports of Murmansk and Archangel in North Russia used by British merchant ships taking materiel to their ally. Mine-sweeping naval trawlers were sent to counter this threat, and two old cruisers were modified to act as repair workshops and headquarters for this flotilla. Agar joined one of them, HMS Iphigenia (1891), as executive officer in December 1916. The Iphigenia dated from 1892, displaced 3,400 tons and in her early days could make 20 knots.

Iphigenia arrived at Murmansk in March 1917, just as the Russian Revolution was beginning. She operated out of Archangel in the summer when the White Sea was clear, and from the ice free Murmansk in the winter. Although it was apparent to local Allied commanders that the materiel landed after the spring of 1917 was not being put to good use, their advice to stop the flow was ignored by Whitehall. Indeed, much of the materiel was either destroyed or ended up being used by the Bolsheviks or the Germans.

While at Murmansk, Agar had the opportunity to renew acquaintance with Russian officer friends from the cruiser RUSSIAN CRUISER Askold, which was berthed alongside. He had served with them in the Dardanelles when he was on HMS Hibernia. He met them again at the Devonport dockyard. However, mutiny soon broke out on the Askold, and Agar was shocked to see his officer friends arrested one by one and taken ashore, not to be seen again. Discipline aboard the ship broke down completely and, after the last of the food and supplies were consumed, she was abandoned to rust away.

This difficult and occasionally dangerous mission occupied the Iphigenia until the end of February 1918, when worsening conditions and a hostile Bolshevik government prompted a withdrawal. The British were able to take away with them a number of Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks.

The Russian experience was of value to Agar later in his career.

Coastal motor boats
Agar served in the Coastal Motor Boats (CMBs) in home waters during the latter part of the war. These small vessels displaced just 5 tons, compared to the 1,110 tons of a First World War era destroyer. Their main offensive weapon was a torpedo. They were of shallow draught and could operate close inshore.

The CMBs carried one or two torpedoes, depending on whether they were "forty footers" or "fifty-five footers". Mines could be substituted for torpedoes and they also carried depth charges and Lewis guns. It was planned that they be either towed or carried into battle on the German controlled coast by the light cruisers and destroyers of Commodore Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt's Harwich Force. With their shallow draught they could skim over the mines and attack the German patrol craft around Heligoland. As 1918 wore on a more ambitious scheme matured to send the CMBs in over the shallow coastal waters to attack the German fleet at its anchorage. However, the Armistice occurred on 11 November 1918 before these plans could be put into effect.

It was as a torpedo and mining officer that Augustus Agar was selected for this service. He participated in the famous raid on Zeebrugge led by Acting Vice-Admiral Roger Keyes, CMBs being used to lay smoke screens outside the mole to cover the escape of the crews of the blockships. During the summer of 1918, he was stationed at Dover and at Dunkirk, where the CMBs attacked German patrol craft along the Belgian coast.

Russian Civil War
The end of the war found him at the CMB base at Osea Island in Essex, England. He was asked in late 1918 by Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, head of the foreign section of the British Secret Intelligence Service, to volunteer for a mission in the Baltic Sea, where CMBs were to be used to ferry British agents back and forth from Bolshevik Russia. The shallow draught and high speed of the CMB made it ideal for landing on enemy occupied shores and making a quick getaway. Agar and his two boats were technically under the command of the Foreign Office (specifically Captain Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming head of MI6).

Agar set up a small base at Terijoki, just inside Finland and close to the Soviet frontier. From here he undertook a top secret and dangerous mission to retrieve Paul Dukes, a man he knew only by the MI6 codename ST-25, from the coast of the Bay of Petrograd. The last British agent left in Russia, Dukes had been infiltrating the Bolshevik government for some time and had made copies of top secret documents. A master of disguise, he was known as "The Man with A Hundred Faces", but his resources had run out by this time. In order to spirit Dukes away, Agar's boats had to cross Bolshevik minefields and pass by a number of forts and ships guarding the entrance to the Bolshevik naval base at Kronstadt and to Petrograd, now St. Petersburg.

Also operating in the eastern Baltic Sea was a Royal Navy detachment of light cruisers and destroyers under Admiral Sir Walter Cowan. Though technically not connected, Agar regularly reported to Cowan and received assistance from him. Cowan's mission was to keep the sea lanes open to the newly independent Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which were under threat of being overrun by Soviet Russia.

On their missions Agar and his crews dressed in civilian clothes to maintain the fiction that Britain was not involved. They had a uniform on board in case they were in danger of capture. Without the uniform, they could be shot as spies.

Agar felt that his small force should be doing more than acting as a shuttle service. The Bolsheviks had seized much of the Russian fleet at Kronstadt, and Agar considered these vessels a menace to British operations and took it upon himself to attack the enemy battleships. He set out with his two boats, HM Coastal Motor Boat 4 and another, on 17 June 1919. One had to turn back before completing its mission, but Agar continued into the bay. The battleships were not in the harbour though. CMB4 penetrated a destroyer screen and was closing on a larger warship further inshore when CMB4, whose hull had been damaged by gunfire, broke down. She had to be taken alongside a breakwater for repairs and for twenty minutes was in full view of the enemy. The attack was then resumed and a Russian cruiser, the 6,645 ton RUSSIAN CRUISER Oleg was sunk, after which Agar retired to the safety of the open bay under heavy fire. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross on 22 August.

Realizing the utility of the CMBs, Cowan ordered more to be sent out from England to add to his fleet.

On 18 August 1919, Agar took his remaining boat against the Soviets, acting as guide-ship to a flotilla of six others, leading them through the minefields and past the forts. Agar's boat was ordered to stay outside the harbour, and the attack was led by Commander Claude Dobson. They entered Kronstadt harbour, this time damaging two battleships, 17,400 ton pre-dreadnought RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP Andrei Pervozvanny and dreadnought RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP Petropavlovsk and sinking a submarine depot ship, the 6,734 ton RUSSIAN CRUISER Pamiat Azova.

Paul Dukes, meanwhile, thinking Agar dead because of his failure to appear at their rendezvous point, resolved to leave Petrograd by land and was forced to jump from tram to tram in the city to shake off Cheka agents. After a series of extraordinary adventures through war-torn Latvia under a variety of disguises, he got back to London with his secret documents copied onto tissue paper. He was subsequently knighted by King George V, and remains the only man to be knighted based entirely on his exploits as a spy. For his part in the Kronstadt action, Agar was awarded the DSO. Dobson and another officer Gordon Steele received Victoria Crosses.

The British naval presence in the Baltic Sea was crucial to securing the independence of Estonia and Latvia.

Between the wars
Immediately following his Baltic experiences, Agar returned to Osea Island. On 20 July 1920 he married Mary Petre, 19th Baroness Furnivall.

Agar held a number of seagoing commands between the wars. His first, in June 1920 was as executive officer aboard HMS Chatham (1911), a 5,400 ton light cruiser assigned to the newly formed New Zealand Naval Forces, later known as the New Zealand Division (then still part of the Royal Navy). In 1922 he was given command of HMS Philomel (1890), an obsolete cruiser of 2,575 tons used as a training ship for the New Zealand Division. These were very happy years for Agar, in a friendly country with interesting work and regular cruises through the South Seas.

On 1 January 1924, at the request of King George V, Agar was appointed captain of the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert, another pleasant duty. He served until January 1925.

A great professional assignment in April 1926 was command of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet. The commander in chief, Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, specifically asked for Agar. Keyes was an outstanding leader and brought the fleet to the height of its efficiency. The flotilla consisted of four ships, and Agar commanded the flotilla leader HMS Witch (D89) until July 1927. By the late 1920s, Agar and his wife were living apart; they divorced in 1931. This probably had an adverse effect on his chances for promotion, keeping him from reaching flag rank.

After these assignments, Agar was sent on courses and on shore duty for several years, including a stint as naval advisor to the New Zealand Delegation to the London Naval Conference 1930.

On 30 September 1930, Agar was placed in command of the sloop HMS Scarborough (L25) attached to the North America and West Indies Squadron. During this time he married Ina Margaret Lindner in Bermuda, a union which lasted the rest of his life. He served aboard Scarborough until September 1932.

Other seagoing commands followed, first in early 1936 aboard the 4,190 ton anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curlew (D42), part of the Reserve Fleet at the Nore. Then, from 15 January 1937 he commanded his favourite ship, the 7,300-ton light cruiser HMS Emerald (D66), which, along with her sister, HMS Enterprise (D52), was the fastest ship in the Royal Navy at 35 knots.

Emerald was attached to the East India Station from January 1937 to July 1938. Agar then served as captain of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, England, but with war in the offing he was returned to command of the Emerald in the summer of 1939.

HMS Emerald, gold ingots and the North Atlantic convoys
When war began on 3 September 1939 Agar was in command of the Emerald and, as in 1914, was directed to Scapa Flow. His ship was soon ordered onto the "Northern Patrol", between the Faroe Islands and Iceland, to intercept any German merchant ships trying to return to their homeland. A second duty was to stop neutral ships and check for contraband headed for Germany. Emerald had just returned to Scapa on 1 October 1939 when Agar received "Top Secret" orders to proceed "with all despatch" to Plymouth, England.

On 3 October, Emerald dropped anchor in Plymouth. A short time later Agar was being briefed by Rear Admiral Lancelot Holland on his mission. The written instructions were: "Two million pounds in gold bars is to be embarked in each ship to Halifax. A railway truck is expected to be placed alongside each ship about 01.00 October 7. Each truck is expected to contain 148 boxes each weighing 130 lbs. The total number of boxes is numbered Z 298 to Z 741 inclusive. Guards are to be put on each truck on arrival at the ship. Embarkation is to commence about 06.30 or as soon as daylight permits. Adequate steps are to be taken for supervision of each box from unloading from truck to stowage in ship. Finally a receipt is to be forwarded to C-in-C Western Approaches on the attached form."

On 7 October 1939, Emerald sailed from Plymouth, England for Halifax, Nova Scotia with the gold bullion from the Bank of England bound for Montreal, Quebec, Canada to be used to pay for American war materials. This voyage was a component of Operation Fish, the transfer of British wealth to Canada, and was under the strictest secrecy, with the crew were outfitted with tropical whites to confuse German agents. In the company of the two old battleships, HMS Revenge (06) and HMS Resolution (09), her sister ship, Enterprise, and the old cruiser HMS Caradoc (D60), she ran into some of the heaviest seas that Agar encountered. By the time they reached Halifax the Emerald had lost her ship's boats, rafts and various depth charges, wires, shackles and other valuable equipment, not to mention her spotter plane, a Fairey Seafox.

Upon arrival in Halifax, Emerald was assigned to North Atlantic convoy escort duty for the return voyage. The large convoy was filled with American munitions for the war effort. Since the Emerald had been designed and equipped for work in gentler climates this was very uncomfortable as well as dangerous duty. The Canadian Red Cross provided a large supply of warm gloves, woolen scarves, sea boot stockings, leather headgear lined with wool and fur, and woolen underwear, for the crew were ill-equipped to face winter storms with their tropical gear. The convoy lost two merchant ships to U-boats on the trip to the United Kingdom.

Among the convoys Emerald escorted was the first Canadian troop convoy, in November 1939, when 7,500 troops reached Britain without incident. Convoy duty continued through the bitter winter of 1939/40. Agar's tour of duty as captain of the Emerald was completed in June 1940 after escorting a contingent of Canadian soldiers in the SS Empress of Australia to occupy Iceland. In the Clyde he handed over command of his beloved ship and departed with the cheers of his officers and crew ringing in his ears. He was then assigned to command the destroyer leader HMS Malcolm (D19) as head of the 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich. It was the first assignment in six months on temporary duty.

Operation Lucid
Agar was in charge of the planning and execution of Operation Lucid in September 1940, an attempt to hit the German wooden invasion barges at Boulogne and Calais, France, with incendiary material and set them alight. It was a desperate time and any measure, however risky, that could frustrate the German invasion plans was welcome. The plan had the personal backing of Winston Churchill.

Accompanied by various auxiliary vessels, Agar set off for Boulogne several times in September and October 1940 with four small ancient oil tankers filled with a special incendiary fuel (called "Agar's special mixture"). The wartime need for oil tankers was so great that only vessels unfit for convoy work were available to Agar. The very poor mechanical condition of these ships hampered the enterprise. Bad weather or mechanical breakdowns forced cancellation of the first attempts.

The last attempt seemed set to be successful until the command ship with Agar aboard, HMS Hambledon (L37), a Hunt class destroyer, hit an acoustic mine mid-Channel and was severely damaged. She had to be towed back to England, being shelled by German coastal batteries on the French coast on the way back, but without receiving a hit.

The season was now too late for another attempt and, in any case, the threat of invasion had receded.

Coastal Forces
On 25 November 1940, Agar was appointed chief staff officer to the rear admiral commanding Coastal Forces. This was a critical position as the Germans were vigorously attacking the coastal convoys running down the English Channel and up and down the east coast from Scotland to the northeast of England down to London. The threats were from aircraft, mines and fast German motor torpedo boats called E-boats. Britain had let her coastal forces deteriorate since the days when Agar had himself commanded CMBs.

One coastal convoy in the fall of 1940 lost fourteen of twenty-five ships between London and Bristol. The toll on the East Coast convoys was just as great, with the threat of E-boats making a quick dash from ports in the Low Countries. The problem was that if coastal convoys were discontinued, the British rail network could not handle the extra traffic and factories would be idle for lack of raw materials. The vessels used in the coastal trade were small and specially designed for the service, and of limited utility on ocean convoys. The traffic in coal from the northeast of England to London was especially important.

Agar worked hard in this role from November 1940 to July 1941 when he was given a new seagoing command.

HMS Dorsetshire
Agar was appointed captain of the 9,925 ton heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire (40) in August 1941. The ship carried a catapult operated reconnaissance aircraft (a Supermarine Walrus), had a great range and was designed for finding and destroying enemy commerce raiders. She was assigned to convoy protection duty in the South Atlantic and left Scotland on her first mission escorting a slow convoy to South Africa with a stop en route at Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Based at Freetown, Dorsetshire worked with the cruisers HMS Newcastle (C76) and later HMS Dunedin and HMS Devonshire (39). For a while they were joined by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle (1918). Their task was to protect Allied commerce in the South Atlantic from German surface raiders and submarines. Particular targets of the British cruisers were the supply ships which replenished German submarines and surface raiders. Without them the submarines would have to withdraw. The Devonshire sank the German commerce raider GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Atlantis on 22 November 1941.

On 1 December 1941 Dorsetshire came upon the German supply ship Python, which immediately attempted to flee. Since the area was one where merchant ships seldom ventured, Agar fired two salvos at the ship, one before and one behind as a warning to stand to. At this the Python scuttled herself. Dorsetshire did not stop to pick up survivors as she knew that submarines were likely to be near.

One of the German U-boats heading to the Python to be refuelled spotted HMS Dunedin and sank her. Only four officers and 63 men survived out of Dunedin 's crew of 486 officers and men.

Japanese in the Indian Ocean
Dorsetshire was berthed at the naval base at Simon's Town, South Africa, on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and, soon after, British positions at Hong Kong, Shanghai and Malaya. She was immediately assigned to escort a convoy of British troops just arriving from Halifax in American transports, originally destined for the Middle East, but now diverted to Singapore. She guided them to Bombay and then returned to Durban to escort another convoy to Aden and Bombay. This was essential duty as these convoys were now vulnerable to attack by both German and Japanese raiders, passing by the less than friendly Vichy French island of Madagascar. Dorsetshire then was assigned to escort a convoy to withdraw as many civilians from Singapore as possible before the island was overrun by the Japanese. She got them safely to Colombo, Ceylon.

Agar then was assigned a mission to transport and land a party of 100 Royal Marines in Burma to harass invading Japanese forces, giving the main forces time to evacuate Rangoon. Dorsetshire then escorted the last convoy to get out of Rangoon before it fell on 8 March 1942.

Dorsetshire was not equipped to operate in an area with enemy aircraft and Agar was attempting to add anti-aircraft guns in Colombo and to dismantle and refit her engines and boilers to meet the challenges ahead when word arrived that an enemy fleet had entered the Indian Ocean. For an account of the Japanese attack on British positions in the Bay of Bengal see Indian Ocean raid. He stopped his refit, reassembled his machinery and put to sea as fast as he could. Acting on information that the Japanese fleet had turned back, Admiral Somerville ordered Dorsetshire back into Colombo to finish the refit. Agar again began to dismantle his machinery and clean his boilers. He was told by the port admiral that anti-aircraft guns would arrive in two days for his ship. It was a Saturday, 4 April, the day before Easter.

The Dorsetshire was part of a scratch fleet of obsolete British battleships with two small obsolete aircraft carriers and attached cruisers hurriedly put together to stem the Japanese naval advance into the Indian Ocean. Admiral James Somerville had moved the main part of the fleet to a secret base at Addu Atoll in the Maldives, as he knew that his fleet was no match for the Japanese. His main duty was to keep the sea lanes open to India, to the Persian Gulf oilfields and to the Eighth Army in Egypt, at that time attempting to stop the German and Italian armies under General Erwin Rommel.

End of the Dorsetshire
Dorsetshire was in some ways a victim of the lack of British intelligence about the capabilities of the Japanese fleet. Neither Agar nor Somerville had any idea that the range of Japanese naval dive bombers was almost twice that of comparable British aircraft. To survive after getting a second warning of the presence of a large westbound Japanese Fleet in the Indian Ocean he would have had to leave Colombo as fast as possible and head west at top speed.

On Saturday afternoon, 4 April 1942 an urgent message summoned Agar to the base Operations Room in Colombo. A Consolidated Catalina flying boat had just reported that it was shadowing a large force of enemy carriers accompanied by battleships steering west from the Malacca Straits, directly for Ceylon. This was the fleet of Admiral Nagumo.

Admiral Somerville was in the Maldives beyond the immediate reach of the advancing Japanese. Upon receiving the news he moved further out of Nagumo's way and ordered the Dorsetshire and HMS Cornwall (56), which was also in Colombo, to join him with all speed. He left the choosing of a rendezvous point to the admiral commanding in Colombo. It took six long hours to reassemble the ships machinery and get her ready for sea. The two cruisers left Colombo harbour at 10 pm on 4 April. The rendezvous point was approved by Admiral Somerville. It was a fatal error as a more westerly rendezvous point would have saved the two ships. The ships could steam at only 28 knots, the top speed that Cornwall could make.

At daybreak, Easter Sunday, 5 April 1942, Agar received a signal that the Japanese Fleet was only 120 miles south of Colombo. They began an attack on the port at 8 am. No further communication was received from Colombo (their radio tower was hit).

At this point, lacking further direction, as Somerville was maintaining radio silence and Colombo was out of action, Agar made a fatal decision. He saw his first duty as rejoining the fleet in the hopes of launching a night attack on the Japanese and opted to continue on southwards to the rendezvous point instead of heading due west out of the danger zone. At 11:30 am a Japanese patrol aircraft spotted them. There were six hours of daylight left. Agar continued on to the rendezvous point. He broke radio silence to tell Somerville of his decision. The rendezvous point was 90 miles away.

The two ships were caught by Japanese dive bombers at 1 pm and the Dorsetshire sank eight minutes after the first bomb hit. She went down at 13:50 after being struck by 10 bombs. A total of 234 men were killed and 500, including the Captain, survived in the water until rescue 32 hours later. Only 16 of the men who went into the water died, a testament to crew discipline and the leadership of Agar and the other officers and petty officers. The Cornwall was sunk as well.

Agar worked hard to save his crew, picking up the wounded in a whaler, gathering up stragglers and giving good advice. He was reported by survivors as speaking calmly.

A Fairey Swordfish found the men in the water the next afternoon and an hour later the light cruiser HMS Enterprise (D52) and the destroyers HMS Paladin (G69) and HMS Panther (G41) arrived to rescue the survivors. Agar was taken aboard the Paladin.

During the engagement Agar had been wounded in the leg by shrapnel. This wound turned septic as a result of being left unattended after the sinking. When the Dorsetshire sank, Agar had been dragged down deep and suffered an air embolism while coming up, with serious damage to his lungs (i.e. 'pulmonary barotrauma'). On the surface he swallowed oil. These injuries affected his fitness for further seagoing duty. He was fifty-two and had completed thirty-seven years of active duty. After a short stay in Bombay where his health took a turn for the worse, he was sent to hospital in South Africa. The leg healed, but lung trouble from the air embolism and from the oil he swallowed stayed with him for the rest of his life. He arrived in Britain on 28 May 1942.

Later life
After leave for a month, the less than fit Agar was sent to Belfast to supervise the building and completion of the new aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn (I72). He worked on this assignment for a period and was placed on the retired list in 1943.

Agar was appointed commodore in 1943 when he once again served as president and captain of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He served in this capacity until 1946 and reverted to his substantive rank of captain.

Agar wrote two noteworthy books about his naval career. In his retirement he farmed at Alton, Hampshire, England. His farm produced strawberries. His clubs were the Athenaeum and the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Augustus Agar died on 30 December 1968 and was buried in Alton Cemetery. His will was probated at 9,580 pounds sterling on 28 March 1969.

His second wife, Ina, attended HMS Dorsetshire reunions after his death.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London, along with his telescope. His other medals and various papers are in storage there, including a receipt for gold bullion delivered to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1939.

HM Coastal Motor Boat 4, his boat in the Baltic, is on permanent display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

Character and manner
Augustus Agar was described by Alfred Draper in his book, Operation Fish, as a "slim, impeccably-uniformed man with an extremely courteous manner." He had a reputation for expecting a lot from his men, but looking out for their best interest as well. Arriving in Plymouth on Sunday, 29 October 1939 after a gruelling two months of continuous sea duty in the North Atlantic, he was informed that he had to get his damaged ship ready for sea in six days. He sent his men home for a much needed rest and stayed himself to personally supervise dockyard repairs. He devised a means (drawing on his Murmansk experience in 1917–18) of getting steam heat into the mess decks, so that the men coming from and going onto duty in the cold could get a "warm up".

title: Augustus Agar


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User talk:Carpeteer~enwiki

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title: User talk:Carpeteer~enwiki


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Brent Belecki

Brent Belecki (born December 22, 1977, in Calgary, Alberta) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the Western Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League, United Hockey League, and American Hockey League.

In the 1997-1998, as a junior, he won the WHL's top goaltender award and the WHL playoff Most Valuable Player award. Belecki backstopped the Portland Winter Hawks to the CHL's highest honor, the 1998 Memorial Cup. However, due to his small size (5-9, 175 lbs), Belecki was never drafted by a National Hockey League team.

As a professional, Belecki played for teams including the Miami Matadors, the Huntsville Channel Cats, the Asheville Smoke, the San Antonio Iguanas, the Utah Grizzlies, the Corpus Christi Rayz, the Austin Ice Bats, and the Muskegon Fury.

Awards and achievements

 * Named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 1998

title: Brent Belecki


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User talk:Schuetzm

Hello, welcome to Wikipedia. You might like to start by reading the tutorial and introducing yourself at the new users page. For ideas of what to put on your user page, see User page.

If you have any questions, you can ask at the help desk or on my talk page. Two useful tips are that you can sign your name using four tildes ( ~ ) and you can preview your changes before you save using the show preview button. You can regularly find new tips on the Community Portal. I look forward to reading your great articles and I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian. :) Angela. 23:30, 16 Jul 2004 (UTC)

German grammar
Thanks for fixing the declension tables. I was fairly sure they were wrong, but unable to set them straight. Cheers! Stevage 13:18, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:48, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Schuetzm


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User talk:Vahe Sarkissian

Hello, welcome to Wikipedia. Thanks for introducing yourself at the new users page. If you haven't already seen it, you might find the tutorial useful. For ideas of what to put on your user page, see User page.

If you have any questions, you can ask at the help desk or on my talk page. Two useful tips are that you can sign your name using four tildes ( ~ ) and you can preview your changes before you save using the show preview button. You can regularly find new tips on the Community Portal. I look forward to reading your great articles and I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian. :) Angela. 23:31, 16 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Hi Vahe! Inch bes es? I know I've seen your name somewhere - where might it be? -phma 23:19, 17 Jul 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Vahe Sarkissian


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Category:Universities and colleges in Maine

Institutions of higher education in the U.S. state of Maine.