Editing Excelsior Rotterdam (section)

==History==

===Early history===
Excelsior was officially formed on 23 July 1902 as ''Rotterdamse Voetbal en Atletiek Vereniging Excelsior'' ({{langx|en|Rotterdam Football and Athletics Club Excelsior}}). The initial founders of the club, a group of close friends located in the [[Kralingen]] district of [[Rotterdam]], started playing football matches on the fields of the eighteenth century [[buitenplaats]] Woudesteyn. After the actual establishment of the club, the [[municipality]] officially gave permission to use the land.<ref name="stadium">{{cite news |title=De geschiedenis van Stadion Woudestein |url=http://www.excelsioronline.nl/stadion.htm |newspaper=Supportersclub Pro Excelsior |language=nl |trans-title=The history of Stadion Woudestein |access-date=5 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526075038/http://www.excelsioronline.nl/stadion.htm |archive-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> As football was still an elite sport at the beginning of the 20th century, Excelsior became one of the first working class clubs in the Netherlands.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=Excelsior Historie |url=http://www.sbvexcelsior.nl/index.php?objectID=53 |website=Excelsior Rotterdam|language=nl |trans-title=Excelsior History |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=26 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226085616/http://www.sbvexcelsior.nl/index.php?objectID=53 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===First successes===
In the season 1945–46, Excelsior gained their first success by promoting to the Eerste Klasse, the highest tier of Dutch football before professional football was introduced in 1954. The deciding match against [[VUC (football club)|VUC]] was played in [[Feijenoord Stadion|De Kuip]] and attracted 52.000 spectators. Excelsior relegated in the next season, but managed to promote for the second time in the season 1951–52. After the introduction of professional football, Excelsior won the [[Eerste Divisie]] championship three times (1974, 1979 and 2006) and promoted to the [[Eredivisie]] various times, usually to relegate not long afterwards.

Excelsior once reached the [[KNVB Cup]] final in the season 1929–30, but lost the match to fellow Rotterdam club [[Feyenoord]] (0–1). Excelsior's biggest pre-war achievement was the win of the Zilveren Bal trophy. Excelsior beat Feyenoord (5–0) in the finals of the highly rated pre-season tournament.<ref name="history"/>

===Founding father of Dutch professional football===
In the mid-fifties, Excelsior were the leading club behind the introduction of professional football in the Netherlands. When the [[KNVB]] continued to refuse payments in football, Excelsior chairman [[Henk Zon]] and board member [[Aad Libregts]] managed to persuade association president [[Hans Hopster]], in cooperation with the directors of Feyenoord, Sparta and [[ADO Den Haag]]. In August 1954 the KNVB accepted the proposal and professional football was introduced in the Netherlands.

[[File:Elftal Excelsior (22 september 1963).png|270px|thumb|{{center|Excelsior in the 1963–64 Season}}]]

===Pioneers===
Being the smallest professional club in Rotterdam, Excelsior always had to be creative to survive. This creativity made Excelsior play a pioneering role within Dutch football. In 1958 Excelsior became the first Dutch club with covered stands. Later, in 1974, Excelsior also were the first Dutch club with shirt advertising. Against the then existing rules, the club put an 'A' on the shirt. The character was supposed to stand for 'Team A', but in reality it stood for [[Akai]], the company of main investor Rob Albers. The KNVB decided to ban the 'A' from the shirt and it would take until 1982 for shirt advertising to be introduced. Akai would adorn the shirts of Excelsior until the season [[Eerste Divisie 1999–2000|1999–00]].<ref name="history"/>

===Millennium===
In 2002, the year in which the club was officially 100 years old, Excelsior returned to the 
[[Eredivisie]]. They did this after spending more than 20 years in the [[Eerste Divisie|second tier of Dutch football]]. They were relegated after one season. In the 2005/2006 season Excelsior became champions of the [[Eerste Divisie]] and were promoted back to the Eredivisie once again.

Between 1997 and 2005 Excelsior had a partnership with Rotterdam rivals [[Feyenoord]]. Excelsior became Feyenoord's satellite club. As such, Feyenoord gave Excelsior money and players (either on loan or free transfer).

A majority of the Excelsior fans have always been against a partnership with Feyenoord. Michel van der Neut, chairman of Excelsior's supporters club, claimed: "Excelsior sold her soul with the extended partnership. Excelsior simply stops existing this way."<ref>{{cite news|title=Supportersvereniging roept op tot actie |url=http://www.erfc.nl/nieuws2241/supportersvereniging_roept_op_tot_actie.html |newspaper=ERFC.nl |language=nl |trans-title=Supportersclub calls for action |date=21 May 2009 |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525093821/http://www.erfc.nl/nieuws2241/supportersvereniging_roept_op_tot_actie.html |archive-date=25 May 2009 }}</ref>

===Recent history===
In 2010 Excelsior returned to the highest tier of [[Netherlands|Dutch]] football, after defeating crosstown rival [[Sparta Rotterdam]] in the final of the [[Eredivisie]] promotion/relegation play-offs. The team was mostly composed by Feyenoord loanees and was coached by former Feyenoord youth coach [[Alex Pastoor]]. In the [[2010–11 Eredivisie|2010–11 season]] Excelsior made a flying start in the Eredivisie, gaining ten points in its first five matches, including a home victory in the [[Rotterdam derby]] against Feyenoord (3–2). In the remainder of the season, Excelsior upset some of the larger league teams at home, winning against AZ and getting draws against Groningen and eventual league champions Ajax. In the final match of the regular season, Excelsior got a 4–1 win away at [[Vitesse Arnhem]], a result that left them one goal short of staying up. Finishing 16th, Excelsior had to face FC Den Bosch and Helmond Sport in the relegation / promotion play-offs. A 4–2 home win against Helmond sport ensured another season of Eredivisie football for Excelsior.

Excelsior finished bottom of the table in the [[Eredivisie]] at the end of the 2011–12 season, managing only four wins in 34 matches. The club was again relegated to the [[Eerste Divisie]] and has had ups and downs since. In the 2022–23 season Excelsior will be playing in the Eredivisie after being relegated in 2019.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

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