XerxesDZB (Netherlands)

XerxesDZB

Ground: Sportpark Faas Wilkes

Capacity: 3.500

Club Founded: 1904

League: Vierde Divisie B - 5th Tier (current level)

XerxesDZB is an amateur football club from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, founded on the 1st March 1904 as RFC Xerxes.

Club History

Early Years

The club won its first regional championship in 1907, followed by its second four years later, which also brought promotion to Tweede Klasse. In 1931, a further district title followed with Xerxes being elevated to the Erste Klasse. The club regularly played fixtures against the likes of Feijenoord, Sparta, ADO, Ajax, and Blauw Wit. 

Semi-professional football arrived in the Netherlands in the 50’s. Xerxes became members of the Erste Divisie for the 1956-57 season before being relegated back to the amateur ranks. Promotion was achieved in 1965, followed by a rise to the top-flight Eredivisie a year later with Willem van Hanegem, Hans Dorjee, Rob Jacobs, and Eddy Treytel starring.

However, the club sponsor pulled out at the same time. The stadium at Wilgenplasplein was on land required for a hospital, leading Xerxes to merge with the pro section of DHC Delft to become Xerxex/DHC'66. It lasted just one year because of poor support from the public of Delft. Meanwhile, the Xerxes amateur section had continued in the fourth Vierde Klasse. 

Three promotions saw Xerxes in the Erste Klasse for the 1971-72 campaign. The remarkable run continued as the title was won at the first attempt. The Hoofdklasse was introduced in 1974 as the highest-ranked amateur division, with Saturday and Sunday football. Xerxes did not initially qualify but reached the Zondag Sunday Hoofdklasse in 1976.

At the end of the decade, Xerxes were crowned as Zondag Hoofdklasse champions, but lost in the national championship final to Saturday champions Noordwijk. The club struggled financially at the beginning of the 1990’s, not helped by having to leave their ground once more, as the land was required for railway construction.

In 2000, the club merged with DZB Zevenkamp to become XerxesDZB. The club fielded teams for Saturday and Sunday football. The Saturday section managed to achieve second-tier Hoofdklasse football for the 2012-13 season, while the Sunday side played at the fourth Vierde klasse following an enforced relegation.

Concentrating on the Saturday team playing at the higher level, they missed out on promotion through the play-offs in 2012-13 before being relegated three years later. Promotion from Eerste klasse 1A arrived in 2017-18 under trainer Joop Hiele, before he moved on to be replaced by Marco Jalink. 

The team found Hoofdklasse A football too steep a jump as they went straight back down. Tom Rietberg was put in charge of the side for the 2019-20 season. Damiano Vaudo led the side to the Eerste Klasse D title and promotion to fifth-tier Vierde Divisie B. He took the side to the playoffs the following season, which ended in defeat to RBC.

My visit

Stadium Visit - Thursday 28th January 2016

I’d already visited Excelsior and Sparta on a sunny but cool morning, before I took the B line Metro from Marconiplein all the way across the city for a forty-minute ride to Nieuw Verlaat. My pre-planning suggested that a walk along the side of the tram track and then going up the large path of Schout Bontenbalpad would take me to the entrance. 

I was about to learn differently, as like many areas of the Netherlands that are protected by small dikes around land to prevent flooding, this football ground was no different. There was one right between Wollefoppenweg and the venue. 

There was nothing else for it but to cut across halfway down the path I’d already trod and cut through the housing to the actual entrance on Albert Rousselsingel. It was a long way round, but the gates were open, which was good news after such an effort! 

I found a decent ground with two practice pitches as I entered, and a further three beyond the main pitch, which had an artificial surface. Wollefoppenpark had several club buildings, including a decent-sized clubhouse and an injury clinic.

The main pitch had an excellent raised seated stand on the far side. The near side had a few rows of open terracing. The rest of the arena had hard standing and was backed by raised advertisement boards. 

It was nice to see some youngsters getting the full benefit of the artificial pitch by having an impromptu game into the near end goal.

Once done, I cut through the housing area and past a small outdoor market on the main square of the area, before catching the train towards VV Capelle, my final destination of an enjoyable morning.