VVV Venlo

History

VVV returned to the Eredivisie, the highest league in the Netherlands, by defeating RKC Waalwijk in the promotion/relegation play-offs of the season 2006–2007. After one season in the Eredivisie, VVV-Venlo were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie. After a single season, VVV-Venlo won the Eerste Divisie 2008-09 title and returned to the Eredivisie.

In the 2009–2010 season, the team booked its best league result since 1988, by finishing 12th in the Eredivisie. Another remarkable event was the transfer of star player Keisuke Honda to CSKA Moscow. They also signed toddler Baerke van der Meij on a symbolic 10-year contract, after a video featuring him scoring a hat trick into a toy box went viral. Honda was replaced by Gonzalo and the club signed Japanese player Maya Yoshida. The department of Keisuke Honda turned out to be a key point in the club's success. In the second half of the season the team was not able to win matches and nearly escaped from relegation. At the end of the season, key players Ruben Schaken and Adil Auassar both signed with Feyenoord on a free transfer. Gonzalo returned to his employer FC Groningen, Sandro Calabro signed with Swiss side St. Gallen. The club contracted Ruud Boymans and the Nigerian Ahmed Musa to strengthen the squad to be able to escaping from relegation. This succeeded, but it had been a harsh season in which Jan van Dijk was fired and former international Patrick Paauwe dissolved his contract after losing the competition from his competitors. Belgian manager Glen De Boeck was signed for the next season, but failed to improve the results. As a result of that, he resigned in December 2011. Ton Lokhoff was recruited as the new manager and succeeded to not relegate after the winning the post-season play-offs. However, the 2012–13 season turned out to be the club's final Eredivisie season in the Eredivisie for the time being, as it relegated after losing the promotion/relegation play-offs against Go Ahead Eagles. The club finished fifth in its first Eerste Divisie season since its promotion in 2009.

Japanese Players

VVV-Venlo had been acquiring Japanese players such as Keisuke Honda, Maya Yoshida, Robert Cullen, Yuki Otsu since Keisuke Honda transferred from Nagoya Grampus in 2008. Sef Vergoossen, a legendary manager of the club and a Japanese agent, Tetsuro Kiyooka had become the bridge between the Japanese players and the club.

Stadium

VVV Venlo currently play at De Koel in Venlo. The stadium holds 8,000 people and was built in 1972. It is named after its main sponsor, hence its current name 'Seacon Stadion De Koel'.

Current squad

For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2016

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

Retired numbers

28 — Beau Vilters, defender (2014–15) — posthumous honour.

Domestic Results

Below is a table with VVV-Venlo's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.