nac.html

KPN Eredivisie, 2000-2001: Club Profile

NAC: THE COMING AND GOING OF THE 'NAC NIGHT'

Een avondje NAC ('a night of NAC' or 'an NAC night') is a traditional expression in Dutch football. It refers to the the hot nights at NAC, from the southern city of Breda. The club was one of the exceptional Eredivisie clubs to play most of its home games on Saturday nights, in the old stadium at Beatrixstraat, home of one of the loudest supporters 'sides' in the country, the B-Side. 'An NAC night' was an intimidating experience for Holland's top teams, even though the actual number of defeats in NAC's roaring home-port is not as big as the legend might make you believe.

The yellow and black 'army' from Breda definitely belongs to the core of Dutch football, but NAC's history is - for a popular club of such standing - one of a surprisingly high number of promotions and relegations. From the moment local Breda sides NOAD and Advendo became the NOAD Advendo Combination (NAC), several regional championships were won before the first full season of professional football in Holland saw NAC's best league achievement ever: a second position in the southern Top Class, directly behind Sparta Rotterdam.

The number of times NAC got relegated and made it back again is almost innumerable. NAC's history shows a fascinating conjuncture of success and failure. Look at the eventful 1960s, for example. NAC reached the Dutch Cup final in 1961, lost 4-0 to Ajax, relegated in 1965, returned the year after and made it to the Dutch Cup final again in 1967, with another defeat against Ajax as a result (2-1 after extra time). Ajax also won the league title that year, which opened the door to 'Europe' for the Breda for the first time. Floriana from Malta was beaten, before Cardiff City from Wales terminated the international adventure in the second round.

The 1970s brought two more Dutch Cup finals: NAC finally triumphed over NEC Nijmegen in 1973, but could not repeat its stunt a year later, losing 6-0 to PSV. Four Cup finals were good for only one actual Cup, but also for a reputation of 'Cup fighter'. The 1980s and 1990s saw more of the typical NAC inconstancy: relegation in 1983, promotion in '84, new relegation in '85. The stay in the First Division was to last for eight years this time, but NAC came back with one of its strongest teams in history. The productive striker's couple, John Lammers and Pierre van Hooijdonk, almost brought Breda back into Europe.

A brand new stadium was built: a beautiful smaller version of Sampdoria's Luigi Ferraris Stadium, but NAC, as well as the once so loud B-Side, had a hard time adjusting to their new environment. In good NAC style, a new relegation was inevitable. The First Division championship, also in good NAC style, was equally inevitable a year later. NAC, including 'Dutch American', Earnest Stewart, is back in the Eredivisie, in a new attempt to break its own tradition.

Fuji-Film Stadium is one of the most beautiful of the many new facilities in The Netherlands, the Breda crowd is faithful, and NAC easily managed to stay in the Eredivisie in the 2000-2001 season. In other words: the future looks good. Perhaps NAC can try to break their somewhat unlucky tradition of suffering late 1-0 defeats in the Amsterdam ArenA. At home in Breda, the yellow and black army will always fight, if only to show the big clubs that the traditional 'NAC nights' still exist, even though those 'nights' now usually take place in the afternoon. (MP)

NAC FACTS

Founded: 19 September, 1912 (fusion of Noad and Advendo, both of 1894).
City: Breda
Stadium: Fuji-Film Stadium
Capacity: 16,564
Official website: http://www.nac.nl

Honors:

• Dutch Cup winners: 1973.

Ajax vs NAC, the last five Eredivisie seasons: