When an Eredivisie club draws a team from the Topklasse (the highest amateur tier) in the KNVB Beker, casual fans often assume the opposition consists entirely of postmen and bricklayers. However, a close examination of the official VV Capelle squad list on page 9 of the October 2013 matchday programme reveals the true, highly competitive nature of top-flight Dutch amateur football.
This was a squad packed with serious pedigree. The defense was anchored by players with extensive professional experience. Leen van Steensel had played in the Eredivisie for Excelsior and even spent time in Germany with Carl Zeiss Jena. Beside him was Jos van Nieuwstadt, a veteran with over a hundred professional appearances for Willem II, Excelsior, and Doncaster Rovers in England. The midfield featured Jerson Ribeiro, a product of the Feyenoord academy who had played professionally for Excelsior and Fortuna Sittard. These were men who knew exactly what it took to play in a stadium like the Euroborg.
The rest of the squad, managed by head coach Theo de Boon and his assistants Arne van Gelder and Ben Kinds, was a mix of hardened amateur veterans and young hopefuls. The goalkeeping trio consisted of Nick van der Ploeg, Bart de Keijzer, and Michael Franken. The defense was rounded out by Jamie Jaliens, Bart van Wieringen, Elvis Versluis, Jahri Valentijn, Kay Blokland, Jerry Tieleman, and a player whose name surely caused a double-take for fans of English football: Salif Diao (a Dutch amateur, not the former Liverpool and Senegal star).
The midfield engine room relied on Lars Bosscha, Marvin Strik, Gertjan Rothman, Emanuel Delgado de Pina, and Sven Hentzen. Up front, the goalscoring burden fell on their cup top scorer Peter de Lange, supported by Philip den Hartog, Damien Muller, Vid Amidzic, and Silgio Thenu. Kept fit by a medical staff comprising Raymond Kersten, Willem van Rij, and Ruud Arends, this was a highly organized, dangerous unit.
A Look into the Future
The professional experience hidden within the VV Capelle roster made them a stubborn opponent. They did not collapse under the lights of the Euroborg, forcing FC Groningen to work hard for their 2-0 victory. For many of the players on this list, this match was the absolute pinnacle of their footballing careers—a final dance on the big stage for the ex-pros, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the career amateurs. The Topklasse was eventually rebranded and restructured, but this printed roster remains a perfect snapshot of the era when the line between professional and amateur in the Netherlands was thrillingly blurred.