On 19 July 1908, four young men met in a café in south Rotterdam and set up a football team. Feyenoord turns 119 on 19 July 2027. It is the club of the port, of the working class and of the Netherlands' first European trophy.

From the De Vereeniging café

The meeting took place at the De Vereeniging café, owned by Jac. Keizer. The new team was first called Wilhelmina.

Quick changes followed: Hillesluise Football Club in 1909, then RVV Celeritas. On 15 July 1912 came the final name, Feijenoord, after the city district.

In the early 1970s the spelling became Feyenoord. The reason was practical, as foreigners struggled to pronounce the Dutch "ij".

The half-red, half-white shirt

In the early years the team wore a red shirt with blue sleeves and white shorts. As Celeritas it switched to yellow and black stripes.

From 1912 it adopted the kit it still wears today: a shirt split vertically down the middle, half red and half white, with black shorts and black socks with red and white hoops. Sources do not explain why these colours were chosen.

In the centenary season, 2008-09, the historic "golden logo" returned as the official crest. It was a nod to the roots of a club that loves its traditions.

De Kuip, "the Tub"

After two moves within south Rotterdam, the club settled in 1937 at the Stadion Feijenoord. The first match was played on 27 March 1937.

Everyone knows it as De Kuip, "the Tub", because of its shape. It is where the club's greatest moments were written.

Promotion to the top flight had come early, less than 12.5 years after the founding. The first league title arrived 16 years after that café meeting, and in 1965 the club won its first double.

First in Europe

In 1970 Feyenoord beat Celtic in the final in Milan, with a goal from Ove Kindvall. It became the first Dutch club to win the European Cup.

The same year it also won the Intercontinental Cup against Estudiantes, with Joop van Daele's decisive goal at De Kuip. In 1974 it became the first Dutch club to win the UEFA Cup, beating Tottenham.

In 2002 it lifted the UEFA Cup again, beating Dortmund 3-2 on home soil. In 2022 it reached the first Conference League final, losing 1-0 to Roma.

Rotterdam's heroes

Coen Moulijn, "Mister Feyenoord", holds the appearance record with 487 games over 17 seasons. Willem van Hanegem was key to the triumphs of 1970 and 1974 and has a stand at the stadium named after him. Cor van der Gijp is the club's all-time top league scorer, with 171 goals in 233 games.

In 1983-84 Johan Cruyff passed through Rotterdam and led the club to the double. Henrik Larsson, Dirk Kuyt, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Robin van Persie also wore the shirt.

In 2023 came the 16th league title, the first since 2017. In 2025-26, with Van Persie as coach, the club finished second in the Eredivisie and earned a direct Champions League place.

Celebrate with us

Feyenoord is more than a team for Rotterdam. It is the pride of a city that works hard and sings even louder at De Kuip.

Happy 119th birthday, Feyenoord! May the red and white shirt keep writing history.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam – Wouter Engler, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.