SBV Vitesse

Vitesse

Full name	Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem[1]
Nickname(s)	Vites FC Hollywood at the Rhine Airborne Football Club
Founded	14 May 1892; 132 years ago (1892-05-14)
Ground	GelreDome
Capacity	21,248[2]
Owner	Coley Parry
Chairman	Henk Parren
Head coach	John van den Brom
League	Eerste Divisie
2023–24	Eredivisie, 18th of 18 (relegated)
Website	https://www.vitesse.nl
Home colours Away colours
Current season

SBV Vitesse Arnhem (Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem, Eng: Professional Football Foundation Vitesse Arnhem), widely known as Vitesse (Dutch pronunciation: [viˈtɛsə]) or internationally known as Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch professional football club located in the municipality of Arnhem. Established on 14 May 1892, they currently play in the Eerste Divisie following relegation from the 2023–24 Eredivisie. Since 1998, the club has played its home games at the GelreDome.

Vitesse had its most successful period in the 1990s. Their best result in the Eredivisie was third place in 1997–98. They won the KNVB Cup in 2017 and also reached the final in 1912, 1927, 1990 and 2021. Throughout the years, Vitesse established itself as a stepping stone for future top class players like Raimond van der Gouw, Phillip Cocu, Roy Makaay, Sander Westerveld, Nikos Machlas, Mahamadou Diarra, Nemanja Matić, Wilfried Bony, Bertrand Traoré, Robin Gosens, Lewis Baker, Dominic Solanke, Martin Ødegaard, Milot Rashica and Mason Mount.

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Vitesse, founded in 1892, is the 2nd oldest professional football club still in existence in the Netherlands, after Sparta Rotterdam who were formed in 1888. The roots of Vitesse actually pre-dated Sparta by a year as in 1887, a club with the name "Arnhemsche cricket- en voetbalvereeniging Vitesse" was formed by a group of high school students who played their sport on the Rijnkade, overlooking the River Rhine in the city centre. Reluctant to choose a Latin or English name for the club as they felt those languages were too elitist, they picked the French word Vitesse, meaning "speed".

In 1891 the club disbanded as they were no longer able to find anywhere suitable to play cricket after a Velodrome was built on their usual playing field in the Klarenbeek Park. The following year a group of wealthy students resurrected the sports club, this time with the name AVC (Arnhemse Voetbal en Cricketclub) Vitesse. In the summer they played cricket and in the winter football. In the end of 1892, Vitesse played its first real football match, and in 1894 Vitesse disbanded the cricket branch. In 1895 and 1896 Vitesse became champions of the Gelderland competition. From the foundation of the Netherlands national football championship in 1898 until 1954, the title was decided by play-offs by a handful of clubs who had previously won their regional league. Vitesse lost the final of the national championship six times (1898, 1899, 1903, 1913, 1914 and 1915).

In 1912, Vitesse reached the final of the Dutch Cup Tournament for the first time. Vitesse lost the final with 0–2 from HFC Haarlem. In this period Vitesse had top players, likes Willem Hesselink and Just Göbel. These players were also active in the Netherlands national team. In 1914 John William Sutcliffe became the first foreign trainer.

During World War II, Vitesse did not play-official matches because playing football in the open air was forbidden. During the Battle of Arnhem, the residents of the city were forcibly evicted from their homes, allowing the Germans to turn the north bank of the Rhine into a heavily defended line. Residents were not allowed to return home without a permit and most did not return until after the war. The football field and clubhouse was completely destroyed. The damage was repaired in the years after the liberation.

In 1984 it was decided to divide the professional and amateur sections of the club. The professional section was renamed SBV (Stichting Betaald Voetbal – "Professional Football Foundation") Vitesse whilst the amateur section became "Vitesse 1892", which lasted until they disbanded in 2009.

From 1984, Karel Aalbers was the president of SBV Vitesse. Aalbers' goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the Second League (Eerste divisie, now Jupiler League), the league in which the club originated, to the top 40 soccer clubs of Europe. He developed the basic idea for the 'Gelredome', a stadium with a sliding pitch that can be moved out of the building. Later, the same system was applied in Gelsenkirchen (Schalke 04) and in Japan. Events such as pop concerts can be held without damaging the grass. Gelredome opened in 1998. It has a roof that can be opened and closed. It is fully climate controlled as well. In the first season after the opening, Gelredome's attendance rose to 20,000, (from less than 8,000 in the old stadium).

Vitesse made their debut in European competition in 1990. The club won their first match in the first round 1–0 over Derry City.

The club remained financially sound through making notable profits on the transfer market. Players such as Roy Makaay, Sander Westerveld, Nikos Machlas, Glenn Helder and Philip Cocu were sold for large sums of money. Others came to occupy empty player positions, such as Mahamadou Diarra and Pierre van Hooijdonk. Vitesse finished in the top four positions, made profits and showed a solid balance sheet in the final years of Aalbers' presidency. Also, the club became regular competitors in the UEFA Cup and in 1997–1998 finished third in the Eredivise, its record highest finish to date.

Herbert Neumann was Vitesse's manager over most of these years (1992–95 and 1998–99), while star players included: Nikos Machlas, the first ever Vitesse player to win the European Golden Boot in 1998 when he scored 34 goals in a season; John van den Brom, who played 378 matches for Vitesse during this period scoring 110 goals from midfield; and Edward Sturing, who played 383 matches in defence for Vitesse from 1987 to 1998, as well as receiving 3 caps for the Netherlands national team. Additional stars included Dejan Čurović, who spent six years at Vitesse playing 109 matches as a striker, scoring 41 goals including the first goal in GelreDome. Meanwhile, Dutch forward Roy Makaay spent four years at Vitesse, scoring 42 goals in 109 matches between 1993 and 1997.

Aalbers resigned on 15 February 2000,^[3] after the main sponsor, Nuon, threatened to pull the plug if he did not. Nuon, as a public utility company owned by local authorities, had trouble explaining why it invested heavily in Aalbers' ambitious plans. His successor was Jan Koning (former chief of Sara Lee/DE who resigned after four months). In a short period of time, Vitesse began to show negative financial results due to poor deals on the transfer market. The club survived numerous financial crises, such as the last one in 2008, when debts were bought off, under the threat of bankruptcy.

The club was in serious financial trouble, and in August 2010 its majority shareholder agreed to sell the club to the Georgian businessman Merab Jordania. There were rumors in The Guardian and various news outlets that this purchase was engineered by former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.^[4] The club underwent a successful transformation into a modern, commercial sports organization and established itself as one of the dominant teams of the Eredivisie.

On 1 July 2012, Fred Rutten signed a contract as the new manager of Vitesse, for the season 2012-13. Rutten left Vitesse after the season, finishing in fourth place. Wilfried Bony ended the season as the Eredivisie's top scorer with 31 goals in 30 matches and was awarded the Golden Shoe for the best player in the Netherlands.

For the 2013–14 season, Vitesse appointed Peter Bosz as its new manager. In November 2013, Vitesse was top of the league in the Eredivisie for the first time since 2006. It was the first time since 2000 they'd been top of the league later than the first week. Halfway through the season, after 17 matches, Vitesse was the leader in the competition. Key players in the squad from this period included Davy Pröpper, Christian Atsu and Bertrand Traoré.

Vitesse announced on 13 June 2016 that Henk Fraser would replace Bosz at the start of the 2016–17 season. In his first full season, won the club first major trophy in its 125-year existence. Fraser defeating AZ by a score of 2−0 in the final of the KNVB Cup, with two goals from Ricky van Wolfswinkel.^[5] On 5 August 2017 Vitesse were beaten 1–1 (4–2 pen.) at De Kuip, Rotterdam in the Johan Cruyff Shield final by Feyenoord. In the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage, Vitesse's opponents were Lazio, Nice and Zulte Waregem. Vitesse ultimately finished the group stage in fourth place. In October 2017, Guram Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Vitesse against Heracles Almelo in support of LGBT rights, leading to a backlash in his own country. In August 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of UEFA's #EqualGame award for his act.^[6]

In 2021, after beating VVV-Venlo in the semi-final, Vitesse reached the KNVB Cup Final for the fifth time in their history. Vitesse lost the final 2–1 to Ajax. Vitesse finished the 2020–21 Eredivise season in fourth place. In July and August 2021, Vitesse qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Vitesse knocked-out Dundalk (2-2 and 2–1) and Anderlecht (3-3 and 2–1) in the qualifiers. On 27 August, Vitesse was drawn on Group G of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes and Mura. Vitesse eventually placed second in the group, making it to the round of 32.

Towards the end of the 2023–24 Eredivisie season, Vitesse was relegated after being deducted eighteen points for failing to comply with the KNVB's license requirements amid continuous financial troubles.^[7]

The club plays its home games at the GelreDome stadium, with a capacity of 21,000 seats. The GelreDome was built to serve as a multifunctional stadium suited for sports, concerts and other events. It was the first football stadium in the world to have a retractable pitch, and, after the Amsterdam ArenA, the second stadium in Europe to have a sliding roof. The pitch is surrounded on each side by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Edward Sturing Stand (North), Charly Bosveld Stand (East), Theo Bos Stand (South) and Just Göbel Stand (West).

The idea of building a multifunctional stadium, which had more than double the capacity of Vitesse's old Nieuw Monnikenhuize stadium, came from former Vitesse chairman Karel Aalbers. The ambitious chairman had been playing with the idea from as early as the late 1980s, but it took until 1996 and the prospect of the upcoming Euro 2000 championships for construction to finally begin. The GelreDome opened two years later, on 25 March 1998, with a league match between Vitesse and NAC Breda (4–1). Three international matches of the Netherlands national football team were played in the stadium, the first one being on 27 May 1998: a friendly against Cameroon (0–1). The last one, played on 26 April 2000, was also a friendly: a 0–0 against Scotland. In 2019, the Netherlands women's national team, also played their an international (friendly) match at the stadium. Furthermore, the GelreDome was the location for three UEFA Euro 2000 group stage matches, as well as the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship tournament.

Vitesse's training facilities are conducted at National Sports Centre Papendal, located in the outskirts of Arnhem in woodland surroundings. The training ground consists of several pitches, a number of which have an artificial turf pitch, and extensive training facilities, including a fitness centre. Papendal, a mere twelve kilometers north of the GelreDome, is not only the training facility for Vitesse's first team; the youth teams play their home matches here as well. Its main field has seating capacity for 500 people. The complex is situated in large wooded area, where the players can prepare in a peaceful and private environment, whilst not being too far from the hustle and bustle of Arnhem's city centre. Papendal is also the base for administration staff, scouting department and all club coaches.

Name	Years
Rijnkade / Klarenbeek Park	1887–1891
Molenbeekstraat	1892
IJsclub Boulevard Heuvelink	1892–1894
Bronbeek Royal Palace	1893
Paasweide	1894–1896
Klarenbeek Stadium	1896–1915
Monnikenhuize	1915–1950
Nieuw Monnikenhuize	1950–1997
GelreDome	1998–present

Vitesse are well known for the American bald Eagle 'Hertog', which is released before the match and flies over the crowds.

Vitesse fans are known to be creative and have various songs and chants during matches. Among the most important Vitesse songs are "Geel en Zwart zijn onze kleuren" by Emile Hartkamp, "Ernems Trots" by Joey Hartkamp, and "Bouw mee aan een steengoed Vites!" by Henk Bleker & Enka Harmonie. Vitesse opens its home matches with "Whatever You Want" by Status Quo, and after every home goal "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise is played.

Theo Bos was raised in Arnhem and started playing football from an early age. He began his career at amateur club Sv Sempre Avanti and played from 1979 to 1983 in the academy of Vitesse. Manager Leen Looijen gave him his professional debut on 13 August 1983 against FC Wageningen; the match ended in a 3–0 victory for Vitesse. Bos spent his entire playing career for Vitesse, making a total 369 appearances in 14 seasons with his club. After his playing career, Bos worked at Vitesse as youth coach, assistant coach and manager. He is therefore considered to be Mister Vitesse. In 2012, the south stand of the GelreDome stadium was named the Theo Bos Stand. Bos died on 28 February 2013 of pancreatic cancer, aged forty-seven. Following his death, a special remembrance to honour Theo Bos took place at Gelredome with around 7,000 Vitesse supporters. As of the 2012–13 season, no player will wear the number 4 shirt at Vitesse after the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for Theo Bos, "the legendary number four". Dutch defender Jan-Arie van der Heijden was the last player to wear the number. In November 2013, his biography Het is zoals het is ('It is what it is') was published, written by journalist Marcel van Roosmalen. In 2015, a statue of Bos was erected outside of the training complex at Papendal.

Around September there is an annual 'Airborne memorial' football match. During this annual Airborne-match the veterans of World War II will be honored. The Gelredome is decorated with Airborne flags, both outside and inside the stadium, and at halftime, 120 members of the Royal British Legion played the bagpipes with some other musical guests. Clubsymbol Hertog fly with the typical Airborne colours. The match is traditionally visited by veterans who were fighting in this battle, while a special shirt is worn by Vitesse. The club drop their normal striped black and yellow kit for this special match. Instead they wear claret and blue outfits, the same colours of the 1st Airborne Division, with a 1st Airborne 'winged horse' emblem also etched on the kit. Pictured on the collar sticker is the John Frost Bridge. These shirts are after the match auctioned for charity. In addition, Vitesse wearing a special captain's armband as a sign of recognition and respect for those who have fought for our freedom. In the 2014–15 and 2019–20 seasons, Vitesse played their away games in the same colours of the 1st Airborne Division.

Originally, Vitesse played in white shirts with a blue sash from inception until 1900, paying hommage to the city's colours. At the turn of the century, player Reinhard Jan Christiaan baron van Pallandt offered to sponsor the club's shirts in exchange for Vitesse switching to his family colours of black and yellow. The board were quick to accept, noting that Vitesse, being one of the strongest team in the province of Gelderland, would be vindicated in playing in what could also be considered the province's colours (the flag of Gelderland is a tricolour in blue, yellow, and black).

The first logo of Vitesse was a shield-shaped crest. In the middle there was a diagonal dividing line between the left yellow face and the right black box. In the left box, "AVC Vitesse" was diagonally written and in the right-hand side, "1892 ", the club's founding year. The old logo was replaced in 1984, the year in which the roads of the BVO branch and the amateur branch separated. The amateur branch retained the logo with limited modification, SBV Vitesse got a new logo.

The new logo of the BVO from 1984 is once again a shield-shaped figure, but it has straight lines at both the top and sides of the logo. At the top is with thick white uppercase Vitesse. Under the name is a double-headed eagle counterchanged on a black and yellow field. This double-headed eagle can also be found in the coat of arms of Arnhem. In the middle of the logo is a football.

In the autumn of 2011, a new version of the logo was put into use; a total of 13 changes were made. For example, the symmetry of the eagle was improved, the black outer edge replaced by a white and in the writing has been made thinner. The football has been altered in terms of appearance as a shadow effect is added and (if the context allows it) the year of creation as text EST. 1892 under the logo can be found.

• 
  The first Vitesse crest
• 
  The second crest
• 
  The third crest
• 
  2011–present

Since 2023 Vitesse's kit has been manufactured by Robey. Previous manufacturers include Adidas (1982–89), Hummel (1989–90), Bukta (1990–91), Diadora (1991–93), Umbro (1993–97), Lotto (1997–99), Uhlsport (1999–05), Quick (2005–06), Legea (2006–09), Klupp (2009–12), Nike (2012–14), Macron (2014–19), Nike (2019–23) and Robey (2023-present).

The club's shirts are currently sponsored by BetCity. Previous commercial sponsors have been Akai (1982–83), Oad Reizen (1983–85), Spitman (1985–86), Schoenenreus (1987–89), RTL 4 (1990–1991), PTT Telecom (1991–92), BFI (1991–92), Spaarenergie (1992–93), Nuon Energy (1993–01), ATAG Benelux (2000–01), SITA (2002–03), Hubo (2002–03), Bavaria (2002–03), SBS 6 (2002–03), Sunweb Group (2003–04), AFAB (2004–2010), Zuka.nl (2010–2011), Simpel (2011–12), Youfone (2013–14), Truphone (2014–17), SWOOP (2017–18), Droomparken (2018–19), Royal Burgers' Zoo (2019–20), The Netherlands Open Air Museum (2019–20), Waterontharder.com (2020–21) eToro (2021–23) and BetCity (2023–present).

The supporters of the club are known as Vitessenaren. Vitesse has two independent fan bodies. The Supportersvereniging Vitesse was founded in 1992 and currently consists of 3,000 members. They own a fan base within the GelreDome. The second one, Arnhem Ultras, serve a more specific purpose: to improve the atmosphere in the stadium. Besides the fan unions, there are several sets of fans who work together on tifo choreography, likes VIVO (Vitesse Is van Ons), De Aftrap, VAK 113, VAK 212, RFFC, Crew 81 and BGN among others. Nowadays, Vitesse is supported by one fanatic side: The Theo Bos – South Stand. This stand is responsible for a big part of the atmosphere in the stadium.

Vitesse have attracted around 18,000 people to Eredivisie matches on average in the last years. The record attendance stands at 26,600, achieved in a match against NAC Breda at 25 March 1998. Research showed that about 10,000 season ticket holders from Gelderland, with other significant groups coming from Utrecht, South Holland and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Vitesse Kids Club was founded by Vitesse in 1998 for children up to 16 years. Every year, the Vitesse Kids Club Day is organized, offering activities for members who are joined by the first team squad. During pre-season, Vitesse also holds an Open Day for people of all ages; the event gives the opportunity for sponsors and new player signings to be presented.

Vitesse fans have established a close friendship with the supporters of Petrolul Ploiești and RFC Liège. Previously, they had a friendship with Lierse until there was a big riot between them at a friendly match in 2011.

N.E.C. from Nijmegen are Vitesse's archrivals. The two clubs share a long history together and matches between the two clubs are called the Gelderse Derby (Derby of Gelderland). The rivalry between these two clubs goes beyond the football rivalry, it transcends into the city rivalry between the two largest cities of Gelderland: Nijmegen and Arnhem. This city rivalry began when these two cities first received their city rights. The two cities are just 20 kilometres apart, leading to an intense feeling of a cross-town rivalry, heightened by a feeling that local pride is at stake. The meeting between the two teams is still considered to be one of the biggest matches of the season.

The inhabitants of these cities differ extremely in both attitudes and cultures which is clearly reflected on the football pitch. Vitesse's style of play has long been a source of pride for the supporters, and one of irritation for the NEC fans.

Since 1813, Arnhem has been the capital of Gelderland, historically based on finance and trade. Arnhem is perceived as an office city with modern buildings. Nijmegen, on the other hand, is predominantly a workers' city, with middle and high-income groups in the minority. People from Nijmegen see Arnhem as arrogant and lazy.

De Graafschap are also a rival of Vitesse, but in terms of tension and rivalry, these matches are not as loaded as the duels with NEC Nijmegen. The rivalry has existed for some time with De Graafschap and stems from various causes, such as the opposition between the large city (Arnhem) and the countryside (Doetinchem).

Further teams who share a rivalry with Vitesse include Twente, Utrecht and Ajax. Past rivalries include local derbies between Vitesse and clubs such as FC Wageningen, Go Ahead Eagles, Quick 1888, Arnhemse Boys and VV Rheden. However, the tension between the local sides lessened as the division of the clubs through playing in different leagues over time became greater. Years of not competing in the same league resulted in less frequent match-ups, until tensions finally settled between the local clubs.

As of 27 September 2024^[8]

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 2 DF  NED Mees Kreekels 3 DF  NED Giovanni van Zwam 5 DF  NED Justin Bakker 6 DF  NED Loek Postma 7 FW  NED Gyan de Regt 8 DF  NED Enzo Cornelisse 9 FW  RSA Simon van Duivenbooden 10 MF  IDN Miliano Jonathans 11 FW  NED Dillon Hoogewerf 12 GK  NED Sil Milder 16 GK  NED Tom Bramel 17 FW  GRE Theodosis Macheras (on loan from AEK Athens) 18 MF  NED Jim Koller 19 FW  NED Andy Visser 20 MF  GEO Irakli Yegoian

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 MF  NED Mathijs Tielemans 22 DF  NED Mats Egbring 23 GK  NED Mikki van Sas (on loan from Feyenoord) 24 DF  NED Roan van der Plaat 25 MF  NED Adam Tahaui 26 FW  NED Giovanni Büttner 28 DF  NED Alexander Büttner 29 MF  RSA Michael Dokunmu 30 GK  NED Sep van der Heijden 31 DF  NED Xiamaro Thenu 37 MF  GRE Angelos Tsingaras 55 DF  NED Marcus Steffen 59 MF  NED Naygiro Sambo 98 FW  CRO Tomislav Gudelj

4	Theo Bos, defender (1983–98), posthumous honour
12	Club Supporters (the 12th Man)
13	Vito, the official team mascot

The club is famous, however, for its Youth Academy, which is rated with the maximum of 4 Stars by the KNVB. Many players in professional football in Europe have played at Vitesse in the past including Roy Makaay, Robin Gosens, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Davy Pröpper, Alexander Büttner, Stijn Schaars, Peter Bosz, Marco van Ginkel, Theo Janssen, Erwin Mulder, Eloy Room, Piet Velthuizen, Martin Laamers, Nicky Hofs and Mitchell van Bergen. All youth teams will train and play their matches at Papendal.

The Vitesse Academy comprises age-group teams ranging from U8's up to the flagship U19's. The youngest players are scouted at amateur clubs in the direct surroundings of Arnhem. For the age of twelve and older, the academy extends its scouting area, mainly to the remaining part of the Netherlands and Germany. In Vitesse's youth system, efficient and qualified training is done by full-time coaches and organized by further employees looking after the administration. The goal of the sporting education is to train the youths from basic to development to performance levels, for them to fulfil the sportive and non sportive demands of professional football.

The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with Vitesse:

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

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

Total national team players by confederation

Confederation	Total	(Nation) Association
AFC	4	Japan (2), China (1), Saudi Arabia (1)
CAF	14	Ghana (4), Burkina Faso (2), Nigeria (2), Algeria (1), Ivory Coast (1), Mali (1), Morocco (1), South Africa (1), Zimbabwe (1)
CONCACAF	5	Curaçao (1), El Salvador (1), Haiti (1), Mexico (1), United States (1)
CONMEBOL	2	Ecuador (2)
OFC	0
UEFA	57	Netherlands (24), Serbia (6), Georgia (3), Norway (3), Belgium (2), Estonia (2), Israel (2), Kosovo (2), Slovakia (2), Slovenia (2), Albania (1), Bosnia & Herzegovina (1), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (1), Finland (1), Luxembourg (1), Romania (1), Russia (1), Ukraine (1)

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

Cup	Players
1994 Africa Cup of Nations	Benedict Iroha
1994 FIFA World Cup	Benedict Iroha
1997 Copa América	Giovanny Espinoza
2000 Africa Cup of Nations	Mamadou Zongo
UEFA Euro 2000	Pierre van Hooijdonk
2002 Africa Cup of Nations	Matthew Amoah Tijani Babangida Mahamadou Diarra
2010 FIFA World Cup	Dalibor Stevanović
2012 Africa Cup of Nations	Anthony Annan Wilfried Bony
2013 Africa Cup of Nations	Wilfried Bony
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup	Mike Havenaar
2014 FIFA World Cup	Christian Atsu Renato Ibarra
2015 Africa Cup of Nations	Bertrand Traoré
2015 Copa América	Renato Ibarra
2017 Africa Cup of Nations	Marvelous Nakamba
2017 Caribbean Cup	Eloy Room
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Eloy Room
2019 Africa Cup of Nations	Thulani Serero
2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Carlens Arcus

Position	Name
Owner	Coley Parry
Supervisory Board	Henk Parren (chairman) Coley Parry
Board of the Vitesse-Arnhem Foundation	Henk Parren (chairman) Peter van Bussel Gerrit Jan Steenbergen
Advisory Council	Bert Roetert Cor Guijt Jan Snellenburg
Directors	Pascal van Wijk (General/Financial director) Benjamin Schmedes (Technical director) Peter Rovers (marketing director)
Ambassadors	Edward Sturing Theo Janssen Nicky Hofs

Position	Staff
Sports director	Benjamin Schmedes
Chief scout	Daniel Ebbert
Manager	Edward Sturing (interim)
Assistant manager	Nicky Hofs
	Tim Cornelisse
Goalkeepers coach	Raimond van der Gouw
Fitness coach / Recovery trainer	Jan van Norel
Video analyst	Koen Berkheij
Head of academy	Edward Sturing
Under-21 coach	Nicky Hofs

After Karel Aalbers left, the financial situation for the club became dire. This downfall almost led Vitesse into bankruptcy in 2008, as they were not able to pay back loans given by their sponsor AFAB Geldservice B.V. Eventually the club arranged a deal that saw AFAB's owner, Maasbert Schouten, gain 100% of Vitesse's shares. Schouten immediately expressed his intent to sell the club, which opened the window for Merab Jordania to buy Vitesse. When Jordania, a former Dinamo Tbilisi player and owner, bought the team in 2010, Vitesse became the first Dutch club in history with a foreign owner. In 2013, Russian businessman Alexander Tsjigirinski bought the club from Jordania. In May 2018 a new acquisition took place at Vitesse. Valeriy Oyf became the new majority shareholder of Vitesse. The Russian oligarch, who was part of the Board of Directors of Vitesse from 2016, took over the shares of Tsjigirinski.

The first chairman was Frans Dezentjé. Willem Hesselink was chairman of the club from 1917 to 1922 and was appointed honorary chairman in 1962. Although Vitesse's coaches have come from all over Europe, the club's chairmen have been mostly Dutch, with Merab Jordania and Yevgeny Merkel as the only exceptions. The name of Karel Aalbers is inseparably linked to Vitesse. Although a club's success is never the work of a single man, nonetheless, the former chairman's part in the sportive and professional growth of Vitesse may be labelled as truly exceptional. Karel Aalbers handled the chairman's gavel from 1984 to 2000.

• Dutch Championship/Eredivisie

Runners-up: 1897–98, 1902–03, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15

• Eerste Divisie

Winners: 1976–77, 1988–89

Runners-up: 1959–60, 1973–74

Promoted: 1970–71

• Tweede Divisie

Winners: 1965–66

• KNVB Cup

Winners: 2016–17

Runners-up: 1911–12, 1926–27, 1989–90, 2020–21

• Johan Cruyff Shield

Runners-up: 2017

• Eerste klasse Oost

Winners: 1896–97, 1897–98, 1902–03, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1952–53

Promoted: 1954–55

• Tweede klasse Oost

Winners: 1922–23, 1940–41, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1949–50

• Gelderland Competition

Winners: 1894–95, 1895–96

• VVCS: Dutch Team of the Year

Winners: 1989–90

The following players have won the European Golden Boot whilst playing for Vitesse:

• Nikos Machlas (34 goals) – 1998

The following players have won the Dutch Footballer of the Year whilst playing for Vitesse:

• Edward Sturing – 1990 (Eredivisie)
• Wilfried Bony – 2013 (Eredivisie)

The following players have won the Johan Cruyff Trophy whilst playing for Vitesse:

• Marco van Ginkel – 2013

• Nikos Machlas (34 goals) – 1998
• Wilfried Bony (31 goals) – 2013

• Herman Veenendaal (23 goals) – 1974
• Remco Boere (27 goals) – 1983

• Fred Rutten (Runner-up) – 2012/13
• Peter Bosz (Runner-up) – 2013/14, 2014/15
• Henk Fraser (Runner-up) – 2016/17
• Thomas Letsch (Runner-up) – 2020/21

• Guram Kashia – 2018

( Guram Kashia – 2012, 2013

• Group = group game
• Q = qualifying round
• KPO = knockout round play-offs
• PO = play-off round
• 1R = first round
• 2R = second round
• 3R = third round
• 1/8 = 1/8 final

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score	Goalscorers Vitesse
1978–79	Intertoto Cup	Group		Hellas Verona	2–1, 0–2	Bursac, Hofs / (-)
				RWDM	0–5, 0–2	(-) / (-)
				Troyes	5–3, 2–1	Bleijenberg (2), Heezen, Mulderij, Bosveld / Bleijenberg, Beukhof
1990–91	UEFA Cup	1R		Derry City	1–0, 0–0	Loeffen / (-)
		2R		Dundee United	1–0, 4–0	Eijer / Latuheru (2), Van den Brom, Eijer
		1/16		Sporting CP	0–2, 1–2	(-) / Van Arum
1992–93	UEFA Cup	1R		Derry City	3–0, 2–1	Van den Brom (2), Van Arum / Straal, Laamers
		2R		Mechelen	1–0, 1–0	Van den Brom / Cocu
		1/16		Real Madrid	0–1, 0–1	(-) / (-)
1993–94	UEFA Cup	1R		Norwich City	0–3, 0–0	(-) / (-)
1994–95	UEFA Cup	1R		Parma	1–0, 0–2	Gillhaus / (-)
1997–98	UEFA Cup	1R		Braga	2–1, 0–2	Čurović, Trustfull / (-)
1998–99	UEFA Cup	1R		AEK Athens	3–0, 3–3	Laros, Perović, Machlas / Machlas (2), Reuser
		2R		Bordeaux	0–1, 1–2	(-) / Jochemsen
1999–00	UEFA Cup	1R		Beira-Mar	2–1, 0–0	Van Hooijdonk, Grozdić / (-)
		2R		Lens	1–4, 1–1	Van Hooijdonk / Kreek
2000–01	UEFA Cup	1R		Maccabi Haifa	3–0, 1–2	Martel, Peeters, Amoah / Amoah
		2R		Internazionale	0–0, 1–1	(-) / Peeters
2002–03	UEFA Cup	1R		Rapid București	1–1, 1–0	Peeters / Peeters
		2R		Werder Bremen	2–1, 3–3	Amoah, Verlaat (o.g.) / Levchenko, Claessens, Mbamba
		3R		Liverpool	0–1, 0–1	(-) / (-)
2012–13	Europa League	Q2		Lokomotiv Plovdiv	4–4, 3–1	Van Ginkel (2), Reis, Bony / Van Ginkel, Van Aanholt, Bony
		Q3		Anzhi Makhachkala	0–2, 0–2	(-) / (-)
2013–14	Europa League	Q3		Petrolul Ploiești	1–1, 1–2	Reis / Van der Heijden
2015–16	Europa League	Q3		Southampton	0–3, 0–2	(-) / (-)
2017–18	Europa League	Group		Nice	0–3, 1–0	(-) / Castaignos
				Lazio	2–3, 1–1	Matavž, Linssen / Linssen
				Zulte Waregem	0–2, 1–1	(-) / Bruns
2018–19	Europa League	Q2		Viitorul Constanța	3–1, 2–2	Matavž, Linssen, Beerens / Matavž, Linssen
		Q3		Basel	0–1, 0–1	(-) / (-)
2021–22	Europa Conference League	Q3		Dundalk	2–2, 2–1	Bero, Openda / Bero, Gboho
		PO		Anderlecht	3–3, 2–1	Dasa, Frederiksen, Tannane / Wittek (2)
		Group		Tottenham Hotspur	1–0, 2–3	Wittek / Rasmussen, Beró
				Rennes	1–2, 3–3	Wittek / Huisman, Buitink, Openda
				Mura	3–1, 2–0	Buitink, Openda, Huisman / Tronstad, Doekhi
		KPO		Rapid Wien	2–0, 1–2	Grbic, Beró / Openda
		1/16		Roma	0–1, 1–1	(-) / Wittek

As of 25 February 2022^[9]

Rank	Country	Team	Points
103		Vitesse	14.000

Season	Opponent	Result	Place	Date
1911–12	Haarlem	0–2	R.A.P.-terrein, Amsterdam	26 May 1912
1926–27	V.U.C.	1–3	Monnikenhuize, Arnhem	19 June 1927
1989–90	PSV Eindhoven	0–1	De Kuip, Rotterdam	25 April 1990
2016–17	AZ	2–0	De Kuip, Rotterdam	30 April 2017
2020–21	Ajax	1–2	De Kuip, Rotterdam	18 April 2021

The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruyff Shield.

Season	Opponent	Result	Place	Date
2017	Feyenoord	1–1 (2–4 pen.)	De Kuip, Rotterdam	5 August 2017

• Highest transfer fee paid: Bob Peeters from Roda JC for €6.4 million, 2000
• Record League win: 0–17 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 11 November 1894
• Record Eredivisie win: 7–0 v Sparta Rotterdam, 14 April 2018
• Record Eerste Divisie win: 7–0 v FC Wageningen, 30 August 1970
• Record European win: 0–4 v Dundee United, UEFA Cup Second Round, 7 November 1990
• Record home win: 14–0 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 20 January 1895
• Record away win: 0–17 v Victoria, Gelderse Competitie NVB, 11 November 1894
• Record home Eredivisie win: 7–0 v Sparta Rotterdam, 14 April 2018
• Record away Eredivisie win: 1–7 v Fortuna Sittard, 27 September 1997
• Record defeat: 12–1 v Ajax, Eredivisie, 19 May 1972
• Record tournament defeat: 0–7 v PSV, KNVB Beker, Fourth Round, 4 May 1969
• Highest ranking: 3rd in Eredivisie, 1997–98
• Longest unbeaten run (League): 22, from 8 January 1967 until 17 September 1967 in Eerste Divisie
• Most clean sheets in one season: 18, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
• Most League goals all-time by player : 155 – Jan Dommering
• Most League goals in a season by player: 34 – Nikos Machlas, Eredivisie, 1997–98
• Most goals scored in a match: 9 – Nico Westdijk v De Treffers, Tweede Klasse C Oost, 19 October 1941
• Most League goals scored in a season: 85, Eredivisie, 1997–98
• Most League goals conceded in a season: 74, Eredivisie, 1971–72
• Most hat-tricks scored (League): 12 – Jan Dommering
• Fewest League goals scored in a season: 22, Eredivisie, 1971–72
• Fewest League goals conceded in a season: 20, Eerste Divisie, 1988–89
• Fastest own goal: 19 seconds – Purrel Fränkel v Twente, Eredivisie, 3 October 2003
• Most top scorer of Vitesse: John van den Brom, 5 times
• Most international caps for the Netherlands national football team as a Vitesse player: Just Göbel, 22

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

Domestic Results since 1956
Domestic league	League result	Qualification to	KNVB Cup season	Cup result
2023–24 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	2023–24	quarter-final
2022–23 Eredivisie	10th	–	2022–23	first round
2021–22 Eredivisie	6th	– (losing UECL play-offs)	2021–22	quarter-final
2020–21 Eredivisie	4th	Europa Conference League (Q3)	2020–21	final
2019–20 Eredivisie	7th	–	2019–20	quarter-final
2018–19 Eredivisie	5th	–	2018–19	quarter-final
2017–18 Eredivisie	6th (5th after EC play-offs)	Europa League (Q2) (winning EC play-offs)	2017–18	first round
2016–17 Eredivisie	5th	Europa League	2016–17	winners
2015–16 Eredivisie	9th	–	2015–16	second round
2014–15 Eredivisie	5th (4th after EC play-offs)	Europa League (Q3) (winning EC play-offs)	2014–15	quarter-final
2013–14 Eredivisie	6th (8th after EC play-offs)	– (losing EC play-offs)	2013–14	round of 16
2012–13 Eredivisie	4th	Europa League	2012–13	quarter-final
2011–12 Eredivisie	7th (6th after EC play-offs)	Europa League (winning EC play-offs)	2011–12	quarter-final
2010–11 Eredivisie	15th	–	2010–11	round of 16
2009–10 Eredivisie	14th	–	2009–10	third round
2008–09 Eredivisie	10th	–	2008–09	third round
2007–08 Eredivisie	12th	–	2007–08	second round
2006–07 Eredivisie	12th (10th after IC play-offs)	– (losing IC play-offs)	2006–07	third round
2005–06 Eredivisie	11th (10th after IC play-offs)	– (losing IC play-offs)	2005–06	second round
2004–05 Eredivisie	7th	–	2004–05	third round
2003–04 Eredivisie	16th	– (surviving promotion/relegation play-offs)	2003–04	round of 16
2002–03 Eredivisie	14th	–	2002–03	quarter-final
2001–02 Eredivisie	5th	UEFA Cup	2001–02	second round
2000–01 Eredivisie	6th	–	2000–01	semi-final
1999–2000 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1999–2000	semi-final
1998–99 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1998–99	quarter-final
1997–98 Eredivisie	3rd	UEFA Cup	1997–98	quarter-final
1996–97 Eredivisie	5th	UEFA Cup	1996–97	quarter-final
1995–96 Eredivisie	5th	–	1995–96	second round
1994–95 Eredivisie	6th	–	1994–95	second round
1993–94 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1993–94	third round
1992–93 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1992–93	round of 16
1991–92 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1991–92	round of 16
1990–91 Eredivisie	5th	–	1990–91	quarter-final
1989–90 Eredivisie	4th	UEFA Cup	1989–90	final
1988–89 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie (promotion)	1988–89	quarter-final
1987–88 Eerste Divisie	9th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	1987–88	first round
1986–87 Eerste Divisie	7th	–	1986–87	quarter-final
1985–86 Eerste Divisie	8th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	1985–86	first round
1984–85 Eerste Divisie	17th	–	1984–85	second round
1983–84 Eerste Divisie	11th	–	1983–84	first round
1982–83 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	1982–83	second round
1981–82 Eerste Divisie	8th	–	1981–82	second round
1980–81 Eerste Divisie	8th	–	1980–81	first round
1979–80 Eredivisie	17th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	1979–80	round of 16
1978–79 Eredivisie	14th	–	1978–79	second round
1977–78 Eredivisie	9th	–	1977–78	quarter-final
1976–77 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie (promotion)	1976–77	second round
1975–76 Eerste Divisie	5th	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	1975–76	first round
1974–75 Eerste Divisie	3rd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	1974–75	first round
1973–74 Eerste Divisie	2nd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	1973–74	second round
1972–73 Eerste Divisie	3rd	–	1972–73	second round
1971–72 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	1971–72	first round
1970–71 Eerste Divisie	3rd	Eredivisie (promotion)	1970–71	second round
1969–70 Eerste Divisie	7th	–	1969–70	second round
1968–69 Eerste Divisie	3rd	–	1968–69	quarter-final
1967–68 Eerste Divisie	5th	–	1967–68	group stage
1966–67 Eerste Divisie	8th	–	1966–67	first round
1965–66 Tweede Divisie	1st (group A)	Eerste Divisie (promotion)	1965–66	group stage
1964–65 Tweede Divisie	4th (group A)	–	1964–65	first round
1963–64 Tweede Divisie	9th (group B)	–	1963–64	first round
1962–63 Tweede Divisie	6th (group A)	–	1962–63	second round
1961–62 Eerste Divisie	10th (group A)	Tweede Divisie (relegation)	1961–62	fourth round
1960–61 Eerste Divisie	4th (group A)	–	1960–61	group stage
1959–60 Eerste Divisie	2nd (group A)	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	not held	not held
1958–59 Eerste Divisie	10th (group B)	–	1958–59	no participation
1957–58 Eerste Divisie	5th (group A)	–	1957–58	fourth round
1956–57 Eerste Divisie	7th (group B)	–	1956–57	second round

(As of 10 December 2021[update])	Eredivisie	Eerste Divisie	Tweede Divisie	UEFA CUP	UEFA Europa League	Europa Conference League
Matches played	1228	852	120	36	18	14
Matches won	482	379	57	14	3	6
Matches drawn	342	215	34	9	5	4
Matches lost	404	258	29	13	10	4
Goals for	1868	1450	221	40	19	25
Goal against	1697	1192	165	37	32	20
Seasons	37	25	4	9	5	1
Best ranking	3 (1997–98)	1 (1976–77, 1988–89)	1 (1965–66)	–	–	–
Worst ranking	18 (1971–72)	17 (1984–85)	9 (1963–64)	–	–	–

Vitesse's Player of the Season award is voted for by the club's supporters. It was first introduced in the 1989–90 season.

Year	Winner
1990	Theo Bos
1991	René Eijer
1992	Martin Laamers
1993	Phillip Cocu
1994	Glenn Helder
1995	Chris van der Weerden
1996	Arco Jochemsen
1997	Edward Sturing
1998	Nikos Machlas
1999	Sander Westerveld

Year	Winner
2000	Michel Kreek
2001	Victor Sikora
2002	Dejan Stefanović
2003	Matthew Amoah
2004	Nicky Hofs
2005	Abubakari Yakubu
2006	Youssouf Hersi
2007	Danko Lazović
2008	Piet Velthuizen
2009	Paul Verhaegh

Year	Winner
2010	Piet Velthuizen
2011	Slobodan Rajković
2012	Alexander Büttner
2013	Wilfried Bony
2014	Christian Atsu
2015	Davy Pröpper
2016	Guram Kashia
2017	Ricky van Wolfswinkel
2018	Mason Mount
2019	Martin Ødegaard

Year	Winner
2020	Remko Pasveer
2021	Remko Pasveer
2022	Maximilian Wittek

Ranking	Name	Position	matches	First season	Last season
1.	Theo Bos	DF	429	1983/1984	1997/1998
2.	Edward Sturing	DF	383	1987/1988	1997/1998
3.	John van den Brom	MF	378	1986/1987	2000/2001
4.	Martin Laamers	MF	354	1986/1987	1995/1996
5.	Raimond van der Gouw	GK	294	1988/1989	1995/1996
6.	Guram Kashia	DF	292	2010/2011	2017/2018

Ranking	Name	Position	matches	First season	Last season
1.	Guram Kashia	DF	244	2010/2011	2017/2018
2.	Davy Pröpper	MF	133	2009/2010	2014/2015
3.	Eloy Room	GK	128	2008/2009	2016/2017
4.	Piet Velthuizen	GK	125	2006/2007	2015/2016
5.	Jan-Arie van der Heijden	DF	123	2011/2012	2014/2015
6.	Renato Ibarra	FW	122	2011/2012	2015/2016

Ranking	Name	Position	matches	First season	Last season
1.	Theo Bos	DF	17	1983/1984	1997/1998
2.	John van den Brom	MF	17	1986/1987	2000/2001
3.	Raimond van der Gouw	GK	16	1988/1989	1995/1996
4.	Theo Janssen	MF	16	1998/1999	2013/2014
5.	Martin Laamers	MF	16	1986/1987	1995/1996
6.	Bart Latuheru	FW	15	1989/1990	1995/1996

Ranking	Name	Position	Goals	Period
1.	Jan Dommering	FW	168	1929–1948
2.	John van den Brom	MF	110	1986–2001
3.	Gerrit Langeler	FW	91	1916–1925
4.	Kees Meeuwsen	FW	89	1929–1954
5.	Henk Bosveld	MF	82	1968–1979
6.	Boško Bursać	FW	78	1974–1980

Ranking	Name	Position	Goals	Period
1.	Matthew Amoah