Helmond Sport is a professional association football club based in the city of Helmond, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. The club was founded on 27 June 1967, as a breakaway from the local professional club Helmondia '55, which had gone bankrupt.

Helmond Sport
Full nameHelmond Sport
Nickname(s)Kattenmeppers (Cat Eaters)[1]
Onze Club (Our Club)[2]
Founded27 July 1967; 56 years ago (1967-07-27)
GroundSolarUnie Stadion
Capacity4,200
ChairmanPhilippe van Esch
ManagerBob Peeters
LeagueEerste Divisie
2022–23Eerste Divisie, 16th of 20
WebsiteClub website
Current season

History edit

The club was founded in 1967, after the professional license was taken over from RKSV Helmondia '55 in order to keep professional football in Helmond. Helmond Sport started in the Tweede Divisie. After only a year, the club was promoted to the First Division after winning the promotion matches against Fortuna Vlaardingen and SC Veendam. In 1982, the team were promoted to the Eredivisie. There, they would play for two seasons, before being relegated back to the Eerste Divisie. The first season back in the Eerste Divisie saw Helmond Sport reach the cup final, which was lost to FC Utrecht in injury time. Helmond Sport was close to promotion to the Eredivisie in the play-offs of the 2004–05 Eerste Divisie season. They came up 1–0 against Sparta due to a 59th minute Nyron Wau goal, but in the last 20 minutes Riga Mustapha (73') and Rachid Bouaouzan (90+1') scored 1–1 and 1–2 and Sparta was promoted instead. In the 2010–11 season Helmond finished 3rd in the Eerste Divisie but were beaten in the play-off final for promotion to the Eredivisie.

Honours edit

Eerste Divisie

Domestic results edit

 
Historical chart of league performance

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

Current squad edit

As of 31 January 2024[3]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   NED Wouter van der Steen
2 DF   NED Bram van Vlerken
3 DF   BEL Flor Van den Eynden
4 DF   GER Pius Krätschmer
6 MF   GER Michel Ludwig
7 FW   BEL Joseph Amuzu (on loan from Mechelen)
8 MF   NOR Håkon Lorentzen
9 FW   NED Martijn Kaars
10 FW   BEL Arno Van Keilegom
11 FW   NED Peter van Ooijen
14 FW   NED Mohamed Mallahi
15 DF   NED Doke Schmidt
17 DF   BEL Bryan Van Hove
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF   ESP Álvaro Marín (on loan from Athletic Bilbao B)
19 MF   GRE Giannis Fivos Botos
20 MF   SVN Enrik Ostrc
21 GK   BEL Robin Mantel
22 MF   NED Elmo Lieftink
23 GK   NED Ramón ten Hove
24 FW   NED Joeri Schroyen
27 MF   BEL Lucas Vankerkhoven
28 DF   NED Mees Kreekels
29 DF   NED Michael Chacón
39 FW   CUW Anthony van den Hurk
47 MF   BEL Amin Doudah (on loan from Mechelen)

Former players edit

Management edit

Position Name
Manager   Bob Peeters
Assistant manager   Dylan Malicheff
  Tim Bakens
Goalkeeping coach   Wim Ribbens
Performance coach   Symon Neutjens
Video Analyst   Gert Pelssers
Physiotherapist   Erik Borsboom
Career   Charlies Rudolf
Materialman   Bryan Van De Meulenhof
Team manager   John Koolen
Technical director   Jurgen Streppel

Former managers edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Helmonds mysterie: Waar komt de naam Kattenmeppers nou echt vandaan?". indebuurt Helmond (in Dutch). 14 April 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  2. ^ "onze club | Helmond Sport". Helmond Sport (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Onze Spelers". helmondsport.nl. Retrieved 10 October 2020.

External links edit