Dutch Rivalries...What are they?

This are the main rivalries in Dutch professional football (if it's a 2nd division team I've put (2) behind the name):

Ajax-Feyenoord (not really close, but they are the traditional top 2)
Ajax-Utrecht and Ajax-AZ (however it's more a one way "hate" from AZ and Utrecht versus Ajax than the other way around)
Vitesse-NEC
Groningen-Zwolle
Groningen-Twente
NAC-Willem II
Roda JC-Fortuna Sittard(2)
Roda JC-MVV(2)
Zwolle-Go Ahead Eagles(2)

Telstar(2)-Haarlem(2)
Excelsior(2)-Sparta(2) (both from Rotterdam, but they both don't have a real rivalry with Feyenoord)
Den Bosch(2)-TOP Oss(2)

 

Sparta and feyenoord are rivals IMO.

 

Re: Re: Dutch Rivalries...What are they?

What about Ajax-Volendam? (based on proximity maybe)?

 

Ajax and Volendam are on friendly terms mostly. Volendam's promotion last year was greeted with a big smile in A'dam.

Great away match.

 

My sense is that Volendam is one of those "small" clubs that Ajax fans admire (and are maybe just a bit jealous of, now that Ajax is a public company and plays in the Arena). Without a doubt, this is not a rivalry, as Feyenoord and FC Utrecht are rivals. Here's an excerpt from a match report on the tribute game played in January 2002:

"The bond between the two clubs has always been strong, but will now be even stronger after this warm and respectful evening."

http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/01-02/0112.html

 

Hmmm... Groningen seems to dislike Heerenveen a lot, they have a big deal about being "the pride of the north". Or at least the Groningen supporters do, since the Heerenveen supporters are too "decent" or just too apathetic to do something back.

Heerenveen is being praised by the media and their fans as the nations' "second favourite team", because their supporters are very polite and they're based in a small village, a village inhabited with less people than there are seats in their modern stadium, they have a trainer that has been with the club since the founding of the club and that kind of "cute" stuff.

However, a lot of supporter groups from other teams are getting sick by all of this. They do not only take Heerenveen not serious anymore, they also do actions to piss of the Heerenveen supporters to see if they can notice any sign of life there.

Some time ago, the Feyenoord players showed their back to the Heerenveen players and supporters when Heerenveen played the Frisian anthem, while the Feyenoord supporters whistled an
made noise. There were even teams who wanted to play the Dutch anthem for them if Heerenveen insisted on playing the Frisian anthem, but it was regarded that that was too childish.

Anyway, it's not a real rivalry, but a lot of (hardcore) supporters in Holland feel contempt towards Heerenveen.