Fortuna Sittard

Fortuna Sittard

Full name	Fortuna Sittard
Nickname(s)	Fortuna, Fortunezen
Founded	1 July 1968 (1968-07-01)
Ground	Offermans Joosten Stadion, Sittard
Ground Capacity	12,500
Chairman	Martin Masset
Manager	Ben van Dael
League	Eerste Divisie
2014–15	Eerste Divisie, 19th
Home colours Away colours

Fortuna Sittard is a football club in Sittard, The Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Offermans Joosten Stadion and features in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club was a merger of former clubs 'Fortuna 54' and 'Sittardia' to merge as the Fortuna Sittard Combinatie on 1 July 1968. 'Fortuna 54' was a relatively successful club which once won the KNVB Cup in the 1956/1957 season where they finished the Eredivisie season 2nd place behind champions Ajax whereas the 'Sittardia' battled against relegation for many seasons. Another KNVB Cup triumph was also celebrated by 'Fortuna 54' in 1964 before the merging of the two clubs in 1968 due to financial difficulties. On 19 May 2009 the KNVB announced it would withdraw the license to play of Fortuna Sittard for the 2010–2011 season. After going to civil court, this decision was revoked and the club did not lose its license.

History

The club experienced mixed fortunes throughout its history although they were a regular fixture in the Eredivisie in the 1990s, with many talented players such as Kevin Hofland, Mark van Bommel and Fernando Ricksen emerging from its youth system. These players later joined PSV Eindhoven and Rangers thereafter featured for the Dutch team. The team's management also had an eye for talent, as they snapped up Wilfred Bouma and Patrick Paauwe from the youth setup of PSV. Both players developed well under manager Bert van Marwijk, before breaking into the Dutch national side and moving towards bigger clubs.

At the end of the 1999–2000 season, successful manager Bert van Marwijk left to join Feyenoord and the team seemed to collapse. Due to poor management, the team signed a number of over-paid and under-performing "stars". Fortuna relegated to the First Division in the 2001–2002 season, where things were getting from bad to worse very quickly. Financial irregularities had been discovered and the team has been facing bankruptcy for the past 4 seasons. A little highlight came in the winter of 2003, when two of the club's fans won the Dutch lottery and donated all of the prize money to the club.

Things started to look up for Fortuna, when they were able to clear most of their debts by selling of the new stadium, the Wagner & Partners stadium. Unfortunately, the team hasn't been performing on the pitch and finished dead-last in the Dutch First Division for three consecutive seasons.

In the 2005–2006 season, the club managed to set a new record in Dutch professional football, going a staggering 28 league games without a win. The club also set a new record by finishing last for the third time in a row.

Even though financial troubles kept plaguing the club, recent years have seen a slow but steady return to financial health, with sportive successes following suit. In the 2011–2012 season they missed qualification for the playoffs for promotion to the Eredivisie by a hair's breadth, conceding an equalizer in the dying seconds of the season in the home match against the Go Ahead Eagles, seeing them take the final playoff spot instead. In 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 they were successful in qualifying, having a first chance at returning to the Eredivisie since their relegation in 2002, but they lost both first round matches against De Graafschap.

Honours

• KNVB Cup
  • Winner: 1957, 1964
  • Runners-up: 1984, 1999

• Eerste Divisie
  • Winner: 1959, 1964, 1966, 1995

• Promoted to Eredivisie
  • Promotion: 1982

Below is a table with Fortuna Sittard's domestic results since the introduction of professional football in 1956.

Domestic Results since 1956
Domestic league	League result	Qualification to	KNVB Cup season	Cup result
2014–15 Eerste Divisie	19th	–	2014–15	third round
2013–14 Eerste Divisie	8th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2013–14	second round
2012–13 Eerste Divisie	7th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2012–13	second round
2011–12 Eerste Divisie	11th	–	2011–12	second round
2010–11 Eerste Divisie	16th	–	2010–11	third round
2009–10 Eerste Divisie	17th	–	2009–10	second round
2008–09 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2008–09	third round
2007–08 Eerste Divisie	16th	–	2007–08	third round
2006–07 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2006–07	second round
2005–06 Eerste Divisie	20th	–	2005–06	second round
2004–05 Eerste Divisie	19th	–	2004–05	second round
2003–04 Eerste Divisie	19th	–	2003–04	second round
2002–03 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2002–03	group stage
2001–02 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	2001–02	round of 16
2000–01 Eredivisie	16th	– (surviving prom./releg. play-offs)	2000–01	round of 16
1999–2000 Eredivisie	12th	–	1999–2000	third round
1998–99 Eredivisie	10th	–	1998–99	final
1997–98 Eredivisie	7th	Intertoto Cup (R3)	1997–98	quarter final
1996–97 Eredivisie	11th	–	1996–97	second round
1995–96 Eredivisie	13th	–	1995–96	round of 16
1994–95 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie (promotion)	1994–95	group stage
1993–94 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	1993–94	third round
1992–93 Eredivisie	16th	Eerste Divisie (losing prom./releg. play-off)	1992–93	round of 16
1991–92 Eredivisie	14th	–	1991–92	second round
1990–91 Eredivisie	12th	–	1990–91	second round
1989–90 Eredivisie	7th	–	1989–90	quarter final
1988–89 Eredivisie	8th	–	1988–89	round of 16
1987–88 Eredivisie	8th	–	1987–88	round of 16
1986–87 Eredivisie	9th	–	1986–87	quarter final
1985–86 Eredivisie	8th	–	1985–86	quarter final
1984–85 Eredivisie	7th	–	1984–85	round of 16
1983–84 Eredivisie	12th	Cup Winners' Cup	1983–84	final
1982–83 Eredivisie	8th	–	1982–83	second round
1981–82 Eerste Divisie	2nd	Eredivisie (promotion)	1981–82	first round
1980–81 Eerste Divisie	4th	–	1980–81	second round
1979–80 Eerste Divisie	7th	–	1979–80	second round
1978–79 Eerste Divisie	4th	promotion competition: no promotion	1978–79	quarter final
1977–78 Eerste Divisie	5th	–	1977–78	second round
1976–77 Eerste Divisie	7th	–	1976–77	second round
1975–76 Eerste Divisie	7th	promotion competition: no promotion	1975–76	first round
1974–75 Eerste Divisie	9th	–	1974–75	second round
1973–74 Eerste Divisie	5th	promotion competition: no promotion	1973–74	second round
1972–73 Eerste Divisie	9th	–	1972–73	first round
1971–72 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1971–72	quarter final
1970–71 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	1970–71	semi-final
1969–70 Eerste Divisie	14th	–	1969–70	first round
1968–69 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	1968–69	first round
1967–68 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54... ...and Sittardia)	17th 18th	Merger into Fortuna SC	1967–68	group stage round of 16
1966–67 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54... ...and Sittardia)	14th 7th	–	1966–67	first round
1965–66 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1965–66 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	9th 1st	– Eredivisie (promotion)	1965–66	group stage
1964–65 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54... ...and Sittardia)	6th 15th	– Eerste Divisie (relegation)	1964–65	first round round of 16
1963–64 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1963–64 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	7th 1st	Cup Winners' Cup Eredivisie (promotion)	1963–64	winner first round
1962–63 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1962–63 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	12th	–	1962–63	round of 16 third round
1961–62 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1961–62 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	12th 3rd	–	1961–62	?
1960–61 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1960–61 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	15th 5th (group B)	–	1960–61	?
1959–60 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54... ...and Sittardia)	14th 18th	– Eerste Divisie (relegation)	not held	not held
1958–59 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1958–59 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	3rd 1st (group B)	– Eredivisie (promotion)	1958–59	?
1957–58 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1957–58 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	4th 4th (group B)	–	1957–58	?
1956–57 Eredivisie (as Fortuna '54) 1956–57 Eerste Divisie (as Sittardia)	2nd 6th (group B)	–	1956–57	winner  ?

Current squad

As of 1 September 2015

For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Ferhat Kaya 2 DF Dennis Dengering 3 DF Ferry de Regt 4 DF Roel Janssen (captain) 5 DF Joeri Schroyen 6 MF Ted de Man 7 MF Jordie Briels 8 MF Souhail Belkassem 9 FW Tim Janssen 10 MF Youri Loen (on loan from Sparta Rotterdam) 11 FW Lars Hutten 12 DF Demen Roumen

No. Position Player 13 FW Niels Vets 14 MF Dries Saddiki 15 DF Marco Ospitalieri 16 FW Gavin Vlijter 17 FW Gökhan Lekesiz 18 MF Bob Vankan 19 DF Luc Mares 20 MF Muhammed Mert 21 FW Soufian Moro 22 DF Redžo Kovačević 23 GK Glenn Daniëls 24 MF Raymond Fafiani

Managers

As Fortuna '54

• 1956/57: Friedrich Donenfeld (vice champion, cup winner)
• 1957/58: Bram Appel
• 1958/59: Harry Verhardt
• 1959–61: Friedrich Donenfeld
• 1961–63: Jung Schlangen
• 1963–65: Wim Latten (cup winner 1964)
• 1965/66: Max Schirschin
• 1966/67: Karl-Heinz Marotzke
• 1967/68: Bram Appel

As Sittardia

• Frans Debruyn
• Vladimir Beara (1966–1968)
• Frans Debruyn (1968)

As Fortuna Sittard

• Frans Debruyn (1968–69)
• Henk Reuvers (1969–70)
• Evert Teunissen (1970–72)
• Cor Brom (1972–76)
• Cor van der Hart (1976–77)
• Joop Castenmiller (1977–80)
• Frans Körver (1980–84)
• Bert Jacobs (1984–87)
• Hans van Doorneveld (1987–89)
• Han Berger (1989–91)
• Georg Keßler (1991–92)
• Chris Dekker (1992–94)
• Pim Verbeek (1994–97)
• Bert van Marwijk (1997-00)
• Henk Duut (2000–01)
• Frans Thijssen (2000–01)
• Hans Verèl (2001)
• Hans de Koning (2001–04)
• Chris Dekker (2004–06)
• Frans Körver (2006–07)
• Henk Wisman (2007)
• Roger Reijners (2007–10)
• Wim Dusseldorp (2010–11)
• Tini Ruys (2011–12)
• Willy Boessen (2012–14)
• Peter van Vossen (2014–15)

See also

• Dutch football league teams

External links

• Official website
• Fansite Fortuna Supporters Collectief