FC Volendam’s promotion: From nightmare start to dream Finish
It was Monday night, and no one in the area could have missed it: FC Volendam is officially back in the Eredivisie. In a scrappy match with few chances, FC Volendam finally broke the deadlock after halftime. A goal from Alex Plat—who admitted he “completely mishit” the ball—secured a 0-1 victory away at Jong AZ. With a 13-point lead over third-placed ADO Den Haag and only 12 points left to play for, Volendam has become the first team to secure promotion from the 2024/25 Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
At the start of the season, FC Volendam was already seen as a favorite to return to the top flight after just one year away. But under new head coach Rick Kruys, appointed last summer, the team got off to a disastrous start: after three games, Volendam had suffered three defeats, conceded seven goals, and sat bottom of the league table.
| # | Club | W | PL | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16 |
VVV-Venlo |
0 |
2 |
1 |
-1 |
2 |
|
17 |
MVV Maastricht |
0 |
2 |
1 |
-1 |
2 |
|
18 |
Jong FC Utrecht |
0 |
2 |
1 |
-2 |
2 |
|
19 |
Roda JC Kerkrade |
0 |
2 |
1 |
-5 |
2 |
|
20 |
FC Volendam |
0 |
0 |
3 |
-3 |
0 |
What a turnaround it’s been. In the 31 matches that followed, Volendam lost only three times and picked up an impressive 24 wins. With a home game against fellow promotion-chaser Excelsior still to come, the league title is now within reach. And it would be a historic one: no team has ever won the Eerste Divisie after losing their first three matches. In fact, only one other club has managed to achieve promotion after such a poor start — FC Wageningen in 1973/74. Just take a look at the table after 34 rounds of the 2024/25 season.
| # | Clubs | W | PL | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
FC Volendam |
24 |
4 |
6 |
+43 |
76 |
|
2 |
Excelsior |
19 |
8 |
7 |
+27 |
65 |
|
3 |
ADO Den Haag |
18 |
9 |
7 |
+17 |
63 |
|
4 |
FC Dordrecht |
18 |
8 |
8 |
+20 |
62 |
|
5 |
SC Cambuur |
19 |
4 |
11 |
+18 |
61 |
So how did Rick Kruys—at 39, the youngest coach to secure promotion since Rogier Meijer in 2020/21—manage to turn things around? Volendam has leaned heavily on the experience of prolific scorers and club legends Robert Mühren (17 goals) and Henk Veerman (22 goals). Meanwhile, Bilal Ould-Chikh emerged as one of the league’s most creative forces, tallying 17 assists. In the last ten seasons, only three players have registered more assists in a single Keuken Kampioen Divisie campaign: Koen Kostons and Emil Hansson (19 in 2022/23), and Jergé Hoefdraad (18 in 2016/17).
No surprise, then, that Volendam’s strength this season lay primarily in its attack. With 79 goals scored—at least fifteen more than any other team—they led the league in firepower. They also topped the charts in Expected Goals (62.5) and shots on target (197). Defensively, Kruys' side was solid, though not elite: just one team conceded fewer goals (36), three allowed fewer Expected Goals against (40.2), and five gave up fewer shots on target (149).
Volendam already holds the record for the most promotions (11, including this season) and the most second-tier championships (6, not counting this season). But they could add to their legacy in other ways: a win against Excelsior would mark their longest winning streak since 1960/61 (10 games in a row). They’re just one point away from their all-time points record (77 in 2007/08), and eleven goals shy of their single-season scoring record (90 in both 1966/67 and 2007/08).
If FC Volendam wins all its remaining matches, the 2024/25 season would go down as the fourth-best in Keuken Kampioen Divisie history—with a total of 88 points. FC Volendam can shine again!
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