Arnhem enduring: Vitesse live on but outshone by Telstar

Words: Han Balk

Images: Han Balk

You might have missed it—after all, there were days in the past few months when the news in the Netherlands was not about Vitesse—but the club from Arnhem has received a license from the KNVB.

Although more investigation is needed, the club, which was more dead than alive in recent times, was still allowed to start in the Eerste Divisie (2nd level) after several Dutch football associations deadlines were extended.

On the first match-day, Vitesse vs. Telstar was on the schedule, a match that, according to statistics, was last played in the 1988/1989 season.

That was the year the yellow-blacks were promoted to the Eredivisie, after narrowly avoiding bankruptcy a few years earlier with help from the municipality of Arnhem.

The paths of Telstar and Vitesse quickly diverged. Telstar struggled on the second level while Vitesse, with the help of various external financiers, skyrocketed. Until last season, that is, when they were relegated and nearly faced bankruptcy again.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. Vitesse vs Telstar.

It wasn’t the fault of the supporters, and on this sunny Friday evening, they once again turned out in large numbers, resulting in long queues at GelreDome’s turnstiles. They were just happy to still have their club.

At the last minute, Vitesse brought in a number of new players, including Alexander Büttner (formerly of Manchester United), who came from rival De Graafschap Doetinchem.

It was Telstar that, not entirely undeservedly, took the lead, but it was Vitesse's substitutions late in the second half that made the difference, making the score 2-1.

If you thought that was a done deal for the club from Arnhem, then you don’t know the Dutch Eerste Divisie yet—a league where it’s often said that anyone can beat anyone.

Perhaps it's the 46 years of experience at the second level of the club at the mouth of the North Sea Canal, as the match ends 2-3 for the White Lions. The 110 traveling Telstar supporters had the night of their lives.

As we left the stadium, a Vitesse supporter next to me said, "Well, FC Groningen also started badly last season, but they still got promoted."

Hope springs eternal.