SC Telstar

Sportclub Telstar (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈspɔrtklʏp ˈtɛlstɑr]), commonly known simply as Telstar, is a Dutch professional football club based in Velsen-Zuid, North Holland. Nicknamed the Witte Leeuwen ("White Lions") for their all‑white home strip, the team competes in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of the Dutch football league system, having secured promotion via the 2024–25 play‑offs—their first top‑flight appearance since 1978.

Telstar

Full name	Sportclub Telstar
Nickname(s)	De Witte Leeuwen (The White Lions)
Founded	17 July 1963; 62 years ago (1963-07-17)
Ground	BUKO Stadion, Velsen
Capacity	4,200
Chairman	Lex de Jager[1]
Head coach	Anthony Correia
League	Eredivisie
2024–25	Eerste Divisie, 7th of 20 (promoted via play-offs)
Website	sctelstar.nl
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Founded on 17 July 1963 through the merger of the professional sections of local rivals VSV and Stormvogels, the new club was named after the recently launched communications satellite Telstar 1. Telstar play their home matches at Sportpark Schoonenberg, branded the BUKO Stadion for sponsorship purposes, a compact all‑seater ground that holds roughly 4,200 spectators. Since formation the team have taken to the field to the Tornados' instrumental "Telstar", a tradition that underlines their link with the satellite and remains a distinctive feature of match days.

History

When professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, both IJVV Stormvogels and their neighbouring club, VSV, played in the professional leagues. VSV won the KNVB Cup in 1938. Due to financial difficulties at both clubs, their professional teams were merged on July 17, 1963. The new club was named Telstar, after the Telstar communication satellite launched that year. Both Stormvogels and VSV continued separately as amateur clubs.^[2]

Telstar was immediately promoted to the Eredivisie following the 1963–64 season and remained in the top flight for 14 consecutive years. The mid-1970s marked the club's most successful era, with top-flight finishes of sixth in 1973–74, seventh in 1974–75, and ninth in 1975–76. However, performances declined thereafter. The club finished 14th in 1976–77, and in the 1977–78 season, placed 18th and last, resulting in relegation to the Eerste Divisie. The squad during that season included future Bayern Munich and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.^[3][4]

From 1978 onwards, Telstar competed in the Eerste Divisie and did not return to the top flight for nearly five decades. The club reached the promotion play-offs in 1978–79 and again in 1981–82, when it recorded its highest post-relegation finish of fourth place. In the mid-1980s, Telstar entered into a partnership with Ajax and functioned informally as a satellite club. During this period, Michel van Oostrum joined from Ajax, and former Ajax assistant coach Cor van der Hart took over as Telstar manager for the 1987–88 season. In 1991–92, the club made its best-ever run in the KNVB Cup, reaching the semi-finals before losing 3–0 to Roda JC.

Telstar made a strong push for promotion in the 1993–94 season, finishing fifth and narrowly missing out by a single point to RKC Waalwijk. Further top-half finishes came in 1991–92 and 2001–02, with the club ending both seasons in seventh place. In 2000–01 and 2004–05, Telstar again participated in the promotion play-offs but failed to advance.

In 2001, Telstar and Stormvogels entered into a renewed partnership, forming Stormvogels Telstar. The merger was intended to strengthen the club's youth development system and benefit from training compensation mechanisms. However, the partnership did not yield the expected results. Few players from the youth academy advanced to the professional first team, and the anticipated financial returns from development fees failed to materialise. As a result, the collaboration was discontinued on 1 July 2008, and the club reverted to its original name, Telstar.^[2]

In 2008–09, Telstar reached the play-offs once more as winners of the third period title but were eliminated in the first round by MVV. A resurgence came in the 2017–18 season under head coach Mike Snoei, with Telstar finishing sixth—its highest league position since 1993–94—and reaching the quarter-finals of the KNVB Cup, where they were defeated by Feyenoord.^[5]

In 2018–19, the club finished 14th but made another notable KNVB Cup run, reaching the round of 16 before a narrow 4–3 loss to Ajax.^[6]

After the 2024–25 season, Telstar finished seventh in the Eerste Divisie, earning a place in the promotion play-offs.^[7] In the first round, the club defeated ADO Den Haag 3–0 on aggregate to advance to the semi-finals, where they faced Den Bosch.^[8] After a 1–1 draw over two legs, Telstar secured a 2–1 aggregate victory with a 109th-minute goal in extra time from Danny Bakker.^[9] In the final, Telstar faced Willem II, which had finished 16th in the Eredivisie after winning the Eerste Divisie the previous season. Following a 2–2 draw in the first leg in Velsen, Telstar won the second leg 3–1 at the Koning Willem II Stadion, securing promotion to the Eredivisie for the first time since 1978.^[10][11]

Stadium

Telstar's home stadium is the 4,200^[12] seater Sportpark Schoonenberg, named BUKO Stadion for sponsorship reasons.^[13] The stadium opened in 1948 and has undergone several renovations throughout the years. It is located in Velsen-Zuid, near the city of Haarlem, and is easily accessible by car and public transport.^[2]

Honours

• Eerste Divisie
  • Promotion: 1963–64, 2024–25

Club names

• 1963–2001: Telstar
• 2001–2008: Stormvogels Telstar
• 2008–present: Telstar

Results

Below is a table with Telstar's domestic results since 1963.

Domestic Results since 1963
Domestic league	League result	Qualification to	KNVB Cup season	Cup result
2024–25 Eerste Divisie	7th	Eredivisie (winning promotion/releg. play-offs)	2024–25	second round
2023–24 Eerste Divisie	17th	–	2023–24	first round
2022–23 Eerste Divisie	9th	–	2022–23	second round
2021–22 Eerste Divisie	19th	–	2021–22	third round
2020–21 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	2020–21	first round
2019–20 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	2019–20	second round
2018–19 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2018–19	first round
2017–18 Eerste Divisie	6th	promotion/relegation play-off: no promotion	2017–18	first round
2016–17 Eerste Divisie	16th	–	2016–17	second round
2015–16 Eerste Divisie	12th	–	2015–16	third round
2014–15 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2014–15	second round
2013–14 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2013–14	second round
2012–13 Eerste Divisie	14th	–	2012–13	third round
2011–12 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	2011–12	second round
2010–11 Eerste Divisie	14th	–	2010–11	round of 16
2009–10 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	2009–10	second round
2008–09 Eerste Divisie	17th	promotion/relegation play-off: no promotion	2008–09	third round
2007–08 Eerste Divisie	14th	–	2007–08	second round
2006–07 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	2006–07	third round
2005–06 Eerste Divisie	16th	–	2005–06	first round
2004–05 Eerste Divisie	7th	promotion/relegation play-off: no promotion	2004–05	third round
2003–04 Eerste Divisie	12th	–	2003–04	third round
2002–03 Eerste Divisie	12th	–	2002–03	round of 16
2001–02 Eerste Divisie	9th	–	2001–02	quarter-finals
2000–01 Eerste Divisie	7th	promotion/relegation play-off: no promotion	2000–01	group stage
1999–2000 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1999–2000	second round
1998–99 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	1998–99	group stage
1997–98 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1997–98	round of 16
1996–97 Eerste Divisie	16th	–	1996–97	second round
1995–96 Eerste Divisie	9th	–	1995–96	second round
1994–95 Eerste Divisie	11th	–	1994–95	second round
1993–94 Eerste Divisie	5th	promotion/relegation play-off: no promotion	1993–94	round of 16
1992–93 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	1992–93	third round
1991–92 Eerste Divisie	7th	–	1991–92	semi-finals
1990–91 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1990–91	second round
1989–90 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	1989–90	second round
1988–89 Eerste Divisie	14th	–	1988–89	round of 16
1987–88 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1987–88	first round
1986–87 Eerste Divisie	19th	–	1986–87	first round
1985–86 Eerste Divisie	6th	–	1985–86	round of 16
1984–85 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	1984–85	first round
1983–84 Eerste Divisie	5th	–	1983–84	first round
1982–83 Eerste Divisie	15th	–	1982–83	second round
1981–82 Eerste Divisie	4th	– (losing in promotion group)	1981–82	second round
1980–81 Eerste Divisie	11th	–	1980–81	second round
1979–80 Eerste Divisie	13th	–	1979–80	second round
1978–79 Eerste Divisie	10th	– (losing in promotion group)	1978–79	first round
1977–78 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	1977–78	second round
1976–77 Eredivisie	14th	–	1976–77	round of 16
1975–76 Eredivisie	9th	–	1975–76	round of 16
1974–75 Eredivisie	7th	–	1974–75	round of 16
1973–74 Eredivisie	6th	–	1973–74	round of 16
1972–73 Eredivisie	12th	–	1972–73	second round
1971–72 Eredivisie	11th	–	1971–72	first round
1970–71 Eredivisie	11th	–	1970–71	first round
1969–70 Eredivisie	14th	–	1969–70	round of 16 [citation needed]
1968–69 Eredivisie	14th	–	1968–69	first round [citation needed]
1967–68 Eredivisie	11th	–	1967–68	round of 16 [citation needed]
1966–67 Eredivisie	16th	–	1966–67	round of 16 [citation needed]
1965–66 Eredivisie	13th	–	1965–66	quarter-finals [citation needed]
1964–65 Eredivisie	10th	–	1964–65	second round [citation needed]
1963–64 Eerste Divisie	2nd	Eredivisie (promotion)	1963–64	second round [citation needed]

Players

First-team squad

As of 3 July 2025^[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  NED Ronald Koeman Jr. 2 DF  NED Jeff Hardeveld 4 DF  NED Guus Offerhaus 6 MF  NED Danny Bakker 7 FW  NED Mo Hamdaoui 8 MF  SUR Jayden Turfkruier 11 DF  CUW Tyrese Noslin 14 MF  NED Mees Kaandorp 15 DF  NED Adil Lechkar 16 FW  NED Achraf Douiri 17 MF  NED Nils Rossen 18 MF  NED Remi van Ekeris

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  NED Sebastiaan Hagedoorn 20 GK  NED Joey Houweling 21 DF  NED Devon Koswal 23 FW  NED Soufiane Hetli 25 MF  NED Tyrone Owusu 27 FW  NED Reda Kharchouch 28 GK  CUW Tyrick Bodak — DF  NED Neville Ogidi Nwankwo (on loan from Utrecht) — DF  NED Nigel Ogidi Nwankwo — FW  NED Patrick Brouwer — FW  NED Milan Zonneveld

Retired numbers

022: Luciano van den Berg, defender (2004–2005)—posthumous honour.

Former players

Further information: Category:SC Telstar players

National team players

The following players were called up to represent their national teams in international football and received caps during their tenure with SC Telstar:^{[nb 1]}

Afghanistan Hossein Zamani (2021) Cape Verde Elso Brito (2017–2019) Central African Republic Peter Guinari (2024) Curaçao Tyrick Bodak (2024–present) Guyana Terell Ondaan (2013; 2018–2019)

Indonesia Stefano Lilipaly (2015–2017) Luxembourg Gerson Rodrigues (2017) Netherlands Piet Kraak (1939–1954) Piet van der Kuil (1947–1955; 1964–1966) Niek Michel (1933–1944; 1947)

Netherlands (continued) Kees Oldenburg (192?–19??) Gerrit Visser (1924–1925) Ab de Vries (1931–1933; 1933–1951) Suriname Jayden Turfkruier (2022–present) Roscello Vlijter (2019–2022)

• Players in bold actively play for SC Telstar and for their respective national teams. Years in brackets indicate careerspan with SC Telstar.

National team players by Confederation

Member associations are listed in order of most to least amount of current and former SC Telstar players represented Internationally

Total national team players by confederation

Confederation	Total	(Nation) Association
AFC	2	Afghanistan (1), Indonesia (1)
CAF	2	Cape Verde (1), Central African Republic (1)
CONCACAF	4	Suriname (2), Curaçao (1), Guyana (1)
CONMEBOL	0
OFC	0
UEFA	7	Netherlands (6), Luxembourg (1)

Players in international tournaments

The following is a list of Telstar players who have competed in international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. To date, no Telstar players have participated in the UEFA European Championship, Copa América, Africa Cup of Nations, AFC Asian Cup, or the OFC Nations Cup while playing for the club.

Cup	Players
1938 FIFA World Cup	Niek Michel
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Terell Ondaan
2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Tyrick Bodak Jayden Turfkruier

Coaching Staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Anthony Correia[15]
Assistant Coaches	Rory Roubos Gertjan Tamerus Robbert Michielsen
Goalkeeping Coach	Rick van der Mast
Medical Staff	First-Team Doctor: Ron Peters Pim Graafland First-Team Physiotherapists: Rens Teeuwen[16] Paul de Vlugt[17] Bob Kooning Physio Assistant: Clement Uittenbogaard
Equipment Manager	Dirk van der Lugt[18]
Performance Coaches	Niels Bunink Pieter van Roode
Video Analyst	Pieter van der Slikke
Team Manager	Jordi van Ewijk

Historic facts

All-time leading goalscorers

Pos.	Name	Birth	Nationality	Goals
1	Glynor Plet	30 January 1987		90
2	Sander Oostrom	14 July 1967		87
3	Melvin Holwijn	2 January 1980		60
4	Ronald Hoop	4 April 1967		52
5	Cees van Kooten	20 August 1948		45
6	Rini van Roon	24 January 1961		43
7	Co Stout	7 September 1948		41
	Ron de Roode	20 March 1965		41
9	Dick Bond	27 December 1943		38
10	Jan Bruin	30 September 1969		37

Most appearances

Pos.	Name	Birth	Nationality	Appearances
1	Frank Korpershoek	29 October 1984		386
2	Fred Bischot	23 July 1948		372
3	Frans van Essen	19 February 1948		360
4	Anthony Correia	2 May 1982		356
5	Paul van der Meeren	6 July 1944		339
6	Fred André	31 May 1941		321
7	Sander Oostrom	14 July 1967		320
8	Koos Kuut	2 January 1958		310
9	Richard van Heulen	13 October 1981		294
10	René Panhuis	26 August 1964		282

Former managers

Period	Manager	Nationality
1963–64	Toon van den Ende
1964–65	Jack Mansell
1965–66	Oliver Gaspar
1966–69	Piet de Visser
1969–74	Jan Rab
1974–77	Joop Castemiller
1977–78	Mircea Petescu
1978–80	Martin van Vianen
1980–83	Joop Brand
1983–87	Fred André
1987–88	Cor van der Hart
1988–90	Cees Glas
1990–93	Niels Overweg
1993–95	Simon Kistemaker
1995–97	Cor Pot
1997–98	Harry van den Ham
1998–99	Henny Lee
1999–01	Simon Kistemaker
2001–02	Toon Beijer
2002–05	Jan Poortvliet
2005–08	Luc Nijholt
2008–10	Edward Metgod
2010–2012	Jan Poortvliet
2012–2014	Marcel Keizer
2014–2017	Michel Vonk
2017–2019	Mike Snoei
2019–2022	Andries Jonker
2022–2024	Mike Snoei
2024	Ulrich Landvreugd
2024–	Anthony Correia

Notes

1. The following is a consolidated list of clubs' IJVV Stormvogels, VSV and SC Telstar, as a result of the merger of the two prior aforementioned clubs in 1963.