On 2 December 1902, in Deventer in the east of the Netherlands, a team with an English name was born: Be Quick. Today we call it Go Ahead Eagles, and on 2 December 2026 it turns 124 years old. It is a club with four early league titles, a Cup that arrived after 92 years of waiting and one of the warmest grounds in the country.

From Be Quick to Go Ahead

The club was founded by the Hollander brothers. Libero Guide names Karel Hollander and Leo zur Kleinsmiede as founders, while Karel's brother, Han Hollander, was one of the first members.

Han later became the best-known sports reporter in the Netherlands and in 1928 gave the country's first live radio commentary of a football match. Because he was Jewish, he was murdered together with his wife at Sobibor in 1943. Today a statue of him stands at the club's ground.

In 1905 the Dutch FA asked for a name change, so the team would not be confused with another club. So Be Quick became Go Ahead, which according to NOS was partly thanks to Han Hollander.

The eagle of Deventer

"Eagles" was added on 1 July 1971, when the professional section became independent, at the suggestion of then head coach Barry Hughes. The eagle was no random choice, as it is the charge on Deventer's coat of arms. Locals, though, simply call the team "Kowet", the way "Go Ahead" sounds with a Dutch accent.

Red and yellow

The club's colours are red and yellow, with black completing the palette. The sources we checked do not explain how these colours were chosen. The 2025-26 home shirt had a retro feel, with red and yellow stripes, white shorts and black socks.

The eagles' nest

Since 1920 the team has played at De Adelaarshorst, "the eagles' nest", just outside the town centre. In the 1960s it held around 25,000 spectators. After its 2015 rebuild it has about 10,000 seats and hosts one of the most passionate crowds in the Netherlands.

Titles, a Cup and legends

The golden age came early, with four Dutch league titles in 1917, 1922, 1930 and 1933. Many years between the first and second tiers followed, until the evening of 21 April 2025. In the Cup final against AZ, Go Ahead equalised at 1-1 in extra time and won on penalties, with goalkeeper Jari De Busser the hero.

It was the first Cup in the club's history and its first major title in 92 years. Until then its only European experience had come in 2015, when it entered the Europa League through UEFA's Fair Play ranking and went out to Ferencváros. This time it played in the league phase and finished 28th of 36.

Many names are written into its history. Wim Roetert scored the winner in the 1917 title decider, while František Fadrhonc founded the academy and later became the Dutch national coach. Marc Overmars, Paul Bosvelt and Bert van Marwijk came through the academy, while Leo Beenhakker took his first steps as a coach here in 1975-76.

Celebrate with us

124 years on, the Hollander brothers' Be Quick flies high on the wings of Deventer's eagle. Happy birthday to Go Ahead Eagles and the crowd at the Adelaarshorst!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: De Adelaarshorst in Deventer, 2019 – Donald Trung Quoc Don, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.