Telstar Info

Holland Information: Telstar

The Club – Telstar: official site (non-english) : http://www.stormvogelstelstar.nl/ fansite (some english) : http://telstar.startkabel.nl/ Sportclub Telstar were founded in 1963 as two local clubs, big rivals VSV and Stormvogels, merged. Because at that time the satellite Telstar had just been shot into space and it brought the old enemies Russia and USA together, they decided to name the club after that satellite ( to unite our 2 local rivals ) and they picked a satellite as club logo.

They started out in the first division, but already after one season they got promoted to the premier league. They stayed on the highest level till 1978. Best result on the highest level ever was a sixth place. Also they once beat the national team of Poland in a friendly. After the relegation in ’78 it all went downwards for the club. We never got promoted after ’78 and luckily there is no way to get relegated even further in Holland, otherwise we would have. Since ’79 there were a few small successes like making the playoffs and reaching the semis of the cup. We have the smallest budget in dutch professional football. The last few years we have a lot of good youth players coming through and with that comes success. We made the playoffs three years ago and two years we made it to the quarter finals of the cup. Unfortunately, two years ago our board decided to merge with a local amateur club because we needed their assets to survive. With this came a change in logo and name. We are now called Stormvogels/Telstar and they have raped our badge, which now carries a bird instead of our beloved satellite. This is still a big issue here in town and lot of people want it to be turned back again. Telstar used to play in lovely all white kits and after the recent merge they inserted some blue into the kit. But rumour is we will play in all white again starting this summer! Don’t use the word Stormvogels when you come and visit our club 🙂 Our biggest rivals are FC Haarlem, another club you play on your trip. They are located close by and you will NOT enjoy your visit to them 🙂 Players who started out at our club and who you might know: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Chelsea) and Arjan de Zeeuw (Portsmouth FC) The Ground (Sportpark Schoonenberg): Pictures: http://www.footballnl.com/telstar/stadium.html Pictures: http://home.wanadoo.nl/dahn/startkabel/schoonenberg/

The ground is one of the oldest in Holland. Where most clubs have moved to high-profile grounds, Telstar are still in the same place as in 1963, their first year as a club. Only the East Stand, long end, has been renovated. The West stand is a wooden stand and full of nostalgia. Plan is to remove it during the first half of the 2004/2005 season and built a new high profileWest-stand. Behind the goals are terraces, which are no longer used after FA regulations. In the ground is a fan home, where the fans gather before and after the match. Also there is a player’s home and a sponsor’s home, all very simple but with a heart. For the match between Telstar and Swansea probably all fans, home and away, will be seated together on the West stand and the fanhome will be open long before the match. At the main entrance there is a fanshop, not sure if it will be open for the Swansea match. But you can only buy Stormvogels/Telstar stuff there anyway, so who cares! The Town – IJmuiden (which is a part of the town of Velsen….the ground is located in Velsen-Zuid, another part of Velsen): Map: http://www.toerisme-ijmond.nl/grfx/regio.gif Some info on the town in english: http://www.hotelprinsenhof.com/ijmuiden/ijmuiden.html

IJmuiden/Velsen is located at the coast of the North Sea and is ferry-connected with Newcastle bij ferry-company DFDS. The town is known for it’s fishing industry and for Corus, the steel giant. Trains, busses or a ferry can bring you to Amsterdam Central Station within 40 minutes. Accomodation: A few hotels in town. Prices are cheap for british standards. At the boulevard, only a few steps from the lovely beach, the Holiday Inn IJmuiden: http://www.holidayinn-ijmuiden.nl/ In the harbour area, a very classy hotel, but not too pricy, The Augusta Hotel:http://www.augusta.nl/ A sort of Motel, near the highway, The Bastion Hotel: http://www.bastionhotels.nl/en/ourhotels/haarlem/ All hotels are not on walking distance from the ground, but busses are around plenty. Drinking / Eating: The ground is situated in Velsen-Zuid, which is ten minutes walk from town ‘centre’. At the ground you can drink or have a bite at the fanhome located on the backside of the ground. A good glass of lager can be found at Zeewegbar of La Belle, two pubs within 10 minutes walking distance of the ground. Zeewegbar is were a lot of the Telstar-fans gather before normal matches. For a decent meal you’ll find a Greek restaurant near these pubs and also an Indian restaurant. Also plenty of ‘snackbars’ around for chips and snacks. The harbour holds many different fish restaurants, but these are not within walking distance. Information If you have any questions left, feel free to mail me your questions attelstar@wanadoo.nl Rinus A., webmaster of the Telstar Fansite: http://telstar.startkabel.nl

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?