The second city of the Netherlands is quite an extraordinary place. The horrors of WWII led to a bold, modern architecture being encouraged. I have been lucky to travel quite extensively in my life, and if La Paz remains the most jaw-dropping city I have ever visited, Rotterdam opened up a new category; the most … Continue reading Rotterdam 1,2,3 →

Has your football viewing schedule, anywhere in the world, taken you to an unexpected and enchanting place? That was the scenario that played out for me whilst in the Netherlands, where the focus had been on getting to an FC Twente game. That fixture had landed on a Saturday evening, giving me the Sunday slot … Continue reading What the PEC →

I am sure we have all been at one or more, especially random, friendly matches in our time. They might not appear as frequently as yesteryear, but look, and you can still find them. My favourite has to be a 1962 match between Port Vale and Czechoslovakia, but Linfield versus East Germany, or Heaton Stannington … Continue reading An FC Twente Stair-Way →

Maastricht is doubtlessly a name familiar to just about everyone, signing of a Treaty put the name on the global map, certainly more than its football team! Having been at a game on Sunday, I was quite keen to extend my stay and see a bit more of the Netherlands, and if that also resulted … Continue reading A Maastricht Treat, almost! →

One of the smallest towns to host Dutch top flight football is back amongst the big boys this season, a warm welcome once more to FC Volendam. The Eredivisie isn’t something new for the team from the wonderful tourist town on the banks of the Markermeer Lake, indeed, they have had a reputation for being … Continue reading FC Volendam →