Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Helmond Sport

Helmond Sport
Full nameHelmond Sport
Nickname(s)Kattenmeppers (Cat Beaters)[1]
Onze Club (Our Club)[2]
Founded27 July 1967; 57 years ago (1967-07-27)
GroundGS Staalwerken Stadion
Capacity4,200
ChairmanPhilippe van Esch
Head coachKevin Hofland
LeagueEerste Divisie
2023–24Eerste Divisie, 11th of 20
Websitehelmondsport.nl
Current season

Helmond Sport (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛlmɔnt ˈspɔrt]) is a Dutch professional football club based in Helmond, North Brabant.

Founded in 1967 following the acquisition of the professional license of RKSV Helmondia '55 [nl], the club achieved promotion to the top-tier Eredivisie in 1982. After two seasons in the Eredivisie, Helmond Sport was relegated and has since remained a consistent presence in the second-tier Eerste Divisie. The club's most notable achievement came in the 1984–85 KNVB Cup, where they finished as runners-up after a narrow defeat to FC Utrecht in the final.

Helmond Sport plays its home matches at Stadion De Braak, which is currently known as GS Staalwerken Stadion for sponsorship purposes.

History

Helmond Sport was established on 27 June 1967 following the acquisition of the professional license of RKSV Helmondia '55 [nl], ensuring that professional football would remain in the city of Helmond.[3] The club began in the Tweede Divisie and, after a single season, earned promotion to the Eerste Divisie by defeating Fortuna Vlaardingen in a decisive play-off match.[4][3]

In its early years, Helmond Sport struggled to make a significant impact in the Eerste Divisie, achieving only three top-ten finishes in its first 13 seasons. A breakthrough came in the 1981–82 season, when the club won its first period title and went on to secure the Eerste Divisie championship. This success earned Helmond Sport promotion to the top-tier Eredivisie for the first time.[5] The club narrowly avoided relegation in its debut top-flight season but was relegated the following year.[3][6]

One of the club's most notable achievements occurred in 1985, when Helmond Sport reached the KNVB Cup final. After defeating FC Wageningen over two legs in the semi-finals, the team faced FC Utrecht in the final.[7] The match, played in Utrecht due to financial considerations, ended in a 1–0 defeat for Helmond Sport after John van Loen scored in the final minute.[8]

From 1985 through the late 1990s, Helmond Sport remained a consistent presence in the Eerste Divisie, though it seldom challenged for promotion. The 1998–99 season marked a resurgence, with the team finishing fourth and claiming a period title.[9] Another strong campaign followed in 2003, when the club finished third.[10] Despite reaching the promotion play-off finals in 2003, 2005, 2011, and 2012, Helmond Sport was unable to secure a return to the Eredivisie.[3]

Between 2008 and 2013, the club enjoyed a period of consistent success, finishing in the upper half of the table each season. This run ended in 2014, when Helmond Sport finished 13th. The following seasons were marked by disappointing performances, with the team failing to qualify for the play-offs between 2014 and 2016. Improvement came in the 2016–17 season under new head coach Roy Hendriksen, as the team secured a spot in the promotion play-offs by finishing second in the second period.[3][11]

Despite these sporadic successes, Helmond Sport has not returned to the Eredivisie since its relegation in 1984.[3][6]

Honours

Eerste Divisie

Domestic results

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

As of 2 September 2024[12]

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 Netherlands NED Wouter van der Steen
2 DF Germany GER Tobias Pachonik
3 DF Belgium BEL Flor Van den Eynden
4 DF Morocco MAR Redouane Halhal (on loan from Mechelen)
5 DF Germany GER Jonas Scholz
6 MF Germany GER Michel Ludwig
7 FW Netherlands NED Sam Bisselink
8 MF Slovenia SVN Enrik Ostrc
9 FW Latvia LVA Dario Šits (on loan from Parma)
10 MF Switzerland SUI Théo Golliard (on loan from Young Boys)
11 FW Belgium BEL Lennerd Daneels
12 DF Curaçao CUW Justin Ogenia
14 FW Netherlands NED Mohamed Mallahi
17 DF Netherlands NED Bryan Van Hove
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Iceland ISL Helgi Fródi Ingason
21 GK Netherlands NED Tom Hendriks
22 MF Croatia CRO Alen Dizdarević
23 GK Netherlands NED Kevin Aben
27 DF Netherlands NED Amir Absalem
29 FW Netherlands NED Onesime Zimuangana
32 MF Netherlands NED Tarik Essakkati
33 DF Netherlands NED Lars Zonneveld
39 FW Curaçao CUW Anthony van den Hurk
40 DF Netherlands NED Aassim Farah
41 DF Netherlands NED Jayden Davelaar
47 MF Belgium BEL Amin Doudah
52 MF Belgium BEL Axl Van Himbeeck (on loan from Beerschot)

Management

Position Name
Head coach Netherlands Kevin Hofland
Assistant coach Netherlands Ronald Hikspoors
Goalkeeping coach Netherlands Raymond Vissers
Performance coach Belgium Symon Neutjens
Video Analyst Belgium Gert Pelssers
Physiotherapist Netherlands Erik Borsboom
Career Netherlands Charlies Rudolf
Materialman Netherlands Bryan Van De Meulenhof
Team manager Netherlands John Koolen
Technical director Netherlands Jurgen Streppel

Former managers

References

  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. ^ a b c d e f "Geschiedenis". Helmond Sport (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  4. ^ Ven, Hans van de (15 April 2020). "Oud-voetballer Lambert Kreekels (75) overleden". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  5. ^ Ven, Hans van de (26 April 2022). "Kampioenen van toen na veertig jaar bij elkaar: Helmond Sport huldigt ploeg die in 1982 promoveerde". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Koploper Helmond Sport kruipt uit dal: 'Ons verhaal leeft weer in de stad'". NOS (in Dutch). 8 November 2024. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  7. ^ Berends, Sander (14 April 2023). "Helmond Sport dichtbij megastunt in KNVB Beker: "Man wat was ik boos"". Elfvoetbal.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  8. ^ "1985: John van Loen kopt FC Utrecht naar de eerste KNVB Beker". TOTO KNVB Beker (in Dutch). 28 February 2018. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  9. ^ "De geschiedenis van Helmond Sport in het kort - Helmond Sport". Helmond Sport nieuws (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  10. ^ Daniëls, Daan (25 December 2020). "Helmond Sport was in 2003 niet te stuiten: 'Kampioen worden, dat was niet onrealistisch'". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  11. ^ Janssen, Hans (23 January 2018). "Roy Hendriksen stopt na dit seizoen als trainer bij Helmond Sport". Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Onze Spelers". helmondsport.nl. Retrieved 10 October 2020.