Editing Sparta Rotterdam (section)

===First golden age===
From 1900 Sparta played a pioneering role in the organization of Dutch football because, at the time, the board of the Dutch Football Association consisted largely of Spartans,<ref name=oldest/> and in 1901, Sparta began to organize competitions for the [[Zilveren Bal]], the most important cup tournament at the time.<ref name=legends/>

In 1905, Sparta initiated and organized the first home match of the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands national team]], against [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]. The match, won 4–0 by the Netherlands, was a rematch of a game two weeks prior, when the Netherlands beat Belgium 4–1 in [[Antwerp]], Belgium. The match took place in what had been the Sparta stadium for about ten years at the time, the Schuttersveld in Crooswijk, and the Dutch squad was coached by former Sparta player [[Cees van Hasselt]].<ref name=oldest/>

From 1893 onwards, the football players of Sparta built up a reputation as "the eternal number 2" because, in its first fifteen years in the top division of Dutch football, Sparta reached second or third place six times. This changed in 1909, as Sparta won the national championship in that year as well as in 1911, 1912, 1913, and 1915; while the Silver Ball was won in 1910 and 1913, and the NBLO Cup in 1909, 1910, and 1911.<ref name=legends/> During this period, Sparta hired a coach for the first time, the Englishman [[Edgar Chadwick]], which undoubtedly contributed to the success. Star players [[Bok de Korver]], [[Huug de Groot]], and [[Cas Ruffelse]] also played a pivotal role in helping Sparta dominate the nation during these years.<ref name=oldest/><ref name=legends/>

On 15 October 1916, Sparta moved for the last time, this time to Sparta's new stadium, [[Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel|Het Kasteel]] (The Castle), in the [[Spangen]] area of west Rotterdam. The move was largely privately funded by a group of 27 residents of Rotterdam. Following the English example, the Sparta stadium became the center of the later-built residential area and was soon known as ''Het Kasteel'' because of its facade with two turrets.<ref name=oldest/><ref name=legends/> The stadium was renovated in 1999 and is still Sparta's stadium.

In 1918, Prince Hendrik was the first member of the Royal House to pay an official visit to a Sparta match. In the years that followed, Queen Wilhelmina, Princess Juliana, and Prince Bernhard also visited the stadium, among other things to attend the annual Blood Transfusion Competition, a charity initiative that earned Sparta a high award from the Dutch Red Cross on its golden jubilee.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}