Go Ahead Eagles are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer in the province of Overijssel. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in the 2020–21 season. The club's home stadium since 1920 is De Adelaarshorst. The club have won the national championship on four occasions, in 1917, 1922, 1930 and 1933.

Go Ahead Eagles
Full nameGo Ahead Eagles
Nickname(s)The pride of the IJssel
Kowet (Dunglish pronunciation of "Go Ahead")
Founded2 December 1902; 122 years ago (1902-12-02)
GroundDe Adelaarshorst
Capacity10,400[1]
ChairmanJan Willem van Dop
Head coachPaul Simonis
LeagueEredivisie
2023–24Eredivisie, 9th of 18
Websitehttps://www.ga-eagles.nl/
Current season

They have produced numerous notable players including Raimond van der Gouw, René Eijkelkamp, Marc Overmars, Paul Bosvelt, Jan Kromkamp, Victor Sikora, Bert van Marwijk and Demy de Zeeuw while providing Henk ten Cate, Erik ten Hag and Leo Beenhakker with their first tastes of management.

History

edit

Early successes

edit

The club was founded in 1902 as Be Quick by the Hollander brothers. The name was changed to Go Ahead at the request of the Dutch Football Association in 1905.[2]

Go Ahead started in the second-tier Tweede Klasse. In 1911, the club reached promotion to the Eastern Eerste Klasse. In 1916, Go Ahead became champions of the Eastern Eerste Klasse for the first time, after which they faced off for the national championship in a competition with the other regional champions. In this championship playoffs for the national championship, however, the southern champions from Willem II proved too strong. A year later, however, Go Ahead took their first league title, a feat repeated in 1922, 1930 and 1933.[2]

Polygoonjournaal from 1922. Decisive match against Blauw-Wit in which Go Ahead became national champion. Location: Sportpark Hilversum. Without sound.

In the period between the First and Second World War, Go Ahead was by far the most successful team in the Eastern league. The club won the regional championship fifteen times during that period, and even won the title eight times in a row from 1916 to 1923. The last pre-war Eastern Championship was won in 1937. After that, the club fell on tough times. In 1941, Go Ahead suffered relegation to the Tweede Klasse. The following year, they promoted again. In 1948, the club became champion of the Eastern First Division for the sixteenth and final time. In the playoffs for the national championship with the other regional champions, Go Ahead finished third behind eventual champions, BVV Den Bosch, and Heerenveen.[2]

Professionalism and Europe

edit

The introduction of professionalism in 1954 was initially unsuccessful for Go Ahead. In 1956, the club finished second to last in the Tweede Divisie. In 1959, promotion to the Eerste Divisie was secured. On 7 October 1962, Go Ahead recorded their biggest win in club history. In Deventer the final score was 11–1 against Roda JC.[3] Promotion to the top-tier Eredivisie followed in 1963. In the twenty-four years that followed, the club continuously played at the highest level. Especially in the second half of the sixties, Go Ahead did well in the Eredivisie. For example, from 1966 to 1969, the club finished in the top five four times in a row, with the 1967–68 season as high point when Go Ahead finished third behind Ajax and Feyenoord.[2]

Go Ahead also had successes in the KNVB Cup in that period. The club reached the semi-finals four seasons in a row from 1965 to 1968. Those of 1966, 1967 and 1968 were lost, but in 1965, Go Ahead reached the final. This was lost 1–0 to Feijenoord, but because Feijenoord was also national champion, Go Ahead qualified for European football. In the first round, Scottish side Celtic, who would eventually go on to win the European Cup a season later, was drawn. Go Ahead lost the two legs, 0–1 and 6–0.[2][4]

On 1 July 1971, the suffix "Eagles" was added, following a suggestion from then head coach Barry Hughes, as the professional department of Go Ahead separated from the parent club.[5] The eagle is the charge in the coat of arms of the city of Deventer. The club had a strong start with their new name. Go Ahead Eagles were famously the only side to defeat Ajax in any competition during the 1971–72 season when they won 3–2 at De Adelaarshorst in the Eredivisie.[2]

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Go Ahead Eagles was a stable Eredivisie club. Relegation followed in 1987. A short Eredivisie period followed from 1992 to 1996, but afterwards the club played in the second-tier Eerste Divisie.[2] Partly due to the constant postponement of the construction of a new stadium, major financial concerns arose. Thanks to the help of investors, the club managed to survive in November 2003. In exchange for that help, the investors acquired 80% of the club's shares. The club is thus privately owned. The determining factor was former chairman Hans de Vroome, who owned approximately 50% of the shares.[6]

In May 2019, Alex Kroes took over 80% of the shares of Go Ahead Eagles, becoming the new owner.[7] On 16 May 2022, it was announced that Kroes intended to sell his share package to Kees Vierhouten – shareholder since 2021 – as of 1 July 2022, and to leave as owner of Go Ahead Eagles. In August 2022, this sale was officially endorsed by the licensing committee of the Dutch Football Association.[8]

Recent seasons

edit

After almost two decades in the Eerste Divisie, Go Ahead won promotion to the 2013–14 Eredivisie at the end of the 2012–13 season, winning the promotion play-offs.[9] The club remained in the top division for the 2014–15 season, finishing 13th.[citation needed]

Go Ahead Eagles would compete in Europe in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League due to the Netherlands' first place in UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking. National Fair Play winner Twente withdrew due to financial difficulties, making the place for Go Ahead Eagles. However, they also suffered relegation after losing 2–0 on aggregate to De Graafschap in the May 2015 promotion/relegation play-offs.[10] In July 2015, they were beaten 2–5 on aggregate by Hungarian side Ferencváros[11] in the first Europa League qualifying round with the home leg played in Emmen due to the Adelaarshorst being renovated, and the away leg without spectators because the Hungarians were serving a ban by UEFA.[citation needed]

The club bounced back to the Eredivisie on the first attempt in May 2016 after beating De Graafschap 5–2 on aggregate in the promotion/relegation play-offs,[12] but were relegated again at the end of the 2016–17 season.[citation needed]

In May 2021, Go Ahead finished second in the Eerste Divisie, earning promotion back to the Eredivisie after four seasons in the second tier.[13]

Honours

edit

Domestic results

edit
EredivisieEerste DivisieEredivisieEerste DivisieEredivisieEerste DivisieEredivisieEerste Divisie
 
Historical chart of league performance

Below is a table with Go Ahead Eagles' domestic results since the introduction of professional football in 1956.

European record

edit
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R   Celtic 0–6 0–1 0–7
1967 Intertoto Cup GS   Lierse 1–2 0–2 4th
  Rouen 5–0 3–4
  Grenchen 3–1 0–2
1969 Intertoto Cup GS   Szombierki Bytom 2–2 0–1 3rd
  Östers IF 1–1 2–3
  Lugano 1–1 4–0
1984 Intertoto Cup GS   Standard Liège 1–1 2–4 4th
  OB 1–1 0–3
  Eintracht Braunschweig 2–1 1–2
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1R   Ferencváros 1–1[14] 1–4[15] 2–5
2024–25 UEFA Conference League 2R   Brann 0–0[16] 1–2 1–2
Notes
  • Goals by Go Ahead Eagles are listed first.
  • 1R: First round
  • GS: Group stage

Rivalries

edit

Go Ahead Eagles' biggest rivals are PEC Zwolle.[17] Both clubs are located close to the river IJssel, hence the name IJssel-derby for their encounters. Other teams who share a rivalry with Go Ahead Eagles include FC Twente and De Graafschap.[citation needed]

Current squad

edit
As of 27 September 2024[18]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GER Luca Plogmann
2 DF   NED Mats Deijl
3 DF   GER Gerrit Nauber
4 DF   NED Joris Kramer
5 DF   NED Dean James
6 MF   NED Calvin Twigt
7 FW   DEN Jakob Breum
8 MF   NED Evert Linthorst
9 FW   NED Milan Smit
10 FW   DEN Søren Tengstedt
11 FW   NED Bobby Adekanye
15 MF   NED Robbin Weijenberg
16 FW   SWE Victor Edvardsen
17 MF   BEL Mathis Suray
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW   FIN Oliver Antman
21 MF   NED Enric Llansana
22 GK   BEL Jari De Busser
23 FW   NOR Oliver Valaker Edvardsen
24 DF   NED Luca Everink
25 DF   NED Jamal Amofa
26 DF   NED Julius Dirksen
27 FW   NED Finn Stokkers
28 DF   NED Pim Saathof
29 DF   DEN Aske Adelgaard
30 GK   NED Sven Jansen
33 GK   NED Nando Verdoni

Out on loan

edit

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   BEL Xander Blomme (at Excelsior until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   BEL Thibo Baeten (at Roda JC until 30 June 2025)

Former players

edit

National team players

edit

The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with Go Ahead Eagles: [check quotation syntax]

  • Players in bold actively play for Go Ahead Eagles and for their respective national teams. Years in brackets indicate careerspan with Go Ahead Eagles.

National team players by Confederation

edit

Member associations are listed in order of most to least amount of current and former Go Ahead Eagles players represented Internationally

Total national team players by confederation
Confederation Total (Nation) Association
AFC 4   Australia (1),   Indonesia (3)
CAF 5   Nigeria (2),   Cape Verde (1),   Comoros (1),   Togo (1)
CONCACAF 3   Curaçao (2),   Suriname (1)
CONMEBOL 0  
OFC 0  
UEFA 21   Netherlands (11),   Denmark (2),   Estonia (2),   Finland (2),   Moldova (2),   Faroe Islands (1),   Iceland (1)

Players in international tournaments

edit

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

Cup Players
  1934 FIFA World Cup   Leo Halle
  UEFA Euro 1976   Peter Arntz
  1994 Africa Cup of Nations   Peter Rufai
  1994 FIFA World Cup   Peter Rufai
  2017 Caribbean Cup   Jarchinio Antonia
  2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup   Jarchinio Antonia
  2021 Africa Cup of Nations   Yacine Bourhane

Coaching staff

edit
Position Name
Head Coach   Paul Simonis
Assistant Coach   Henk den Bruggen
Goalkeeping Coach   Matthijs Hoorstwald
Fitness Coach   Maurits Thijkhuis
Trainer scout   Frank Berghuis
Opponent Analyst   Gert Jan Karsten
Scout   Jan Groeneweg
  Dennis Hulshoff
  Jules Reimerink
Sports Scientist   Tim van der Meulen
Physiotherapist   Frank Nab
Secretary   Adrie Steenbergen
Kit Manager   Carla Whittie-Bruggeman
Academy Manager   Eric Whittie
Team Manager   Alfred Knippenberg
Technical Director   Paul Bosvelt

Coaching history

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "De Adelaarshorst – Go Ahead Eagles".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Historie - Go Ahead Eagles". ga-eagles.nl. Go Ahead Eagles. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Go Ahead - Roda 1962" (in Dutch). Go Ahead Eagles. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Joe (26 October 2015). "Go Ahead Eagles celebrate Golden Anniversary of meeting Celtic". celticfc.net. Celtic F.C. Retrieved 20 October 2020. So, it would seem that the 7-0 aggregate score ended Go Ahead's European story right then and there but, as it turns out, their fairytale adventure of getting into Europe via the back door didn't end there for the club who changed their name to Go Ahead Eagles in 1971.
  5. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles – About Us". Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  6. ^ Arentsen, Dennis (16 May 2018). "De Vroome wil zijn aandelen in GA Eagles aan stichting schenken". de Stentor (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ^ "KNVB keurt overname aandelen goed: Kroes machtigste man binnen Go Ahead". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 31 May 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Alex Kroes vertrekt als grote baas van Go Ahead Eagles". Algemeen Dagblad. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Eredivisie review: Go Ahead Eagles end 17-year exile from the Eredivisie". Sky Sports. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  10. ^ Graafschap duwt Go Ahead Eagles naar Eerste Divisie – Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch)
  11. ^ Ferencváros maat te groot voor GA Eagles - GA Eagles (in Dutch)
  12. ^ Go Ahead Eagles naar eredivisie - De Telegraaf (in Dutch)
  13. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles promoveert op doelsaldo naar eredivisie, De Graafschap met lege handen" [Go Ahead Eagles promoted to Eredivisie on goal difference, De Graafschap empty handed] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles vs. Ferencváros". UEFA. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Ferencváros vs. Go Ahead Eagles". UEFA. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles vs. Brann". UEFA. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  17. ^ Tonie van Ringelestijn and Joël Groeneveld (May 1999). "Betaald voetbal in Zwolle van 1980 tot 1999. Van PEC naar FC Zwolle" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2007. FC Zwolle – Go Ahead Eagles Rivalry.
  18. ^ "Selectie". www.ga-eagles.nl. Go Ahead Eagles. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  19. ^ "De trainer van Go Ahead". Deventer Dagblad (in Dutch). 5 August 1946. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Go- Ahead krijgt Tsjechische oefenmeester". Deventer Dagblad (in Dutch). 19 June 1948. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Trainer S. Nagy gaat Go-Ahead verlaten" (in Dutch). Deventer Dagblad. 9 November 1950. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
edit