TheGo Ahead Eagles are a Dutch professionalfootball club from the city ofDeventer in theprovince ofOverijssel. They play in theEredivisie, the top tier ofDutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tierEerste Divisie in the 2020–21 season. The club's home stadium since 1920 isDe Adelaarshorst. The club have won the national championship on four occasions: in 1917, 1922, 1930 and 1933. They also won theKNVB Cup in2025 for the first time.
The club was founded in 1902 asBe Quick by the Hollander brothers. The name was changed toGo Ahead at the request of theDutch Football Association in 1905, to avoid confusion with another team.[2]
Go Ahead started in the second-tierTweede Klasse. In 1911, the club reached promotion to the EasternEerste Klasse. In 1916, Go Ahead became champions of the Eastern Eerste Klasse for the first time, after which they faced off for the national championship in a competition with the other regional champions. In this championship playoffs for the national championship, however, the southern champions fromWillem II proved too strong. Ayear later, however, Go Ahead took their first league title, a feat repeated in 1922, 1930 and 1933.[2]
Polygoonjournaal from 1922. Decisive match againstBlauw-Wit in which Go Ahead became national champion. Location: Sportpark Hilversum. Without sound.
In the period between the First and Second World War, Go Ahead was by far the most successful team in the Eastern league. The club won the regional championship fifteen times during that period, and even won the title eight times in a row from 1916 to 1923.The last pre-war Eastern Championship was won in 1937. After that, the club fell on tough times. In 1941, Go Ahead suffered relegation to the Tweede Klasse. The following year, they promoted again. In1948, the club became champion of the Eastern First Division for the sixteenth and final time. In the playoffs for the national championship with the other regional champions, Go Ahead finished third behind eventual champions,BVV Den Bosch, andHeerenveen.[2]
The introduction of professionalism in 1954 was initially unsuccessful for Go Ahead. In 1956, the club finished second to last in the Tweede Divisie. In 1959, promotion to theEerste Divisie was secured. On 7 October 1962, Go Ahead recorded their biggest win in club history. In Deventer the final score was 11–1 againstRoda JC.[3] Promotion to the top-tierEredivisie followed in 1963. In the twenty-four years that followed, the club continuously played at the highest level. Especially in the second half of the sixties, Go Ahead did well in the Eredivisie. For example, from 1966 to 1969, the club finished in the top five four times in a row, with the 1967–68 season as high point when Go Ahead finished third behindAjax andFeyenoord.[2]
Go Ahead also had successes in theKNVB Cup in that period. The club reached the semi-finals four seasons in a row from 1965 to 1968. Those of 1966, 1967 and 1968 were lost, but in 1965, Go Ahead reached the final. This was lost 1–0 to Feijenoord, but because Feijenoord was also national champion, Go Ahead qualified for European football. In the first round, Scottish sideCeltic, who would eventually go on to win theEuropean Cup a season later, was drawn. Go Ahead lost the two legs, 0–1 and 6–0.[2][4]
On 1 July 1971, the suffix "Eagles" was added, following a suggestion from then head coachBarry Hughes, as the professional department of Go Ahead separated from the parent club.[5] The eagle is the charge in the coat of arms of the city of Deventer. The club had a strong start with their new name. Go Ahead Eagles were famously the only side to defeatAjax in any competition during the1971–72 season when they won 3–2 atDe Adelaarshorst in theEredivisie.[2]
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Go Ahead Eagles was a stable Eredivisie club. Relegation followed in 1987. A short Eredivisie period followed from 1992 to 1996, but afterwards the club played in the second-tierEerste Divisie.[2] Partly due to the constant postponement of the construction of a new stadium, major financial concerns arose. Thanks to the help of investors, the club managed to survive in November 2003. In exchange for that help, the investors acquired 80% of the club's shares. The club is thus privately owned. The determining factor was former chairman Hans de Vroome, who owned approximately 50% of the shares.[6]
In May 2019, Alex Kroes took over 80% of the shares of Go Ahead Eagles, becoming the new owner.[7] On 16 May 2022, it was announced that Kroes intended to sell his share package to Kees Vierhouten – shareholder since 2021 – as of 1 July 2022, and to leave as owner of Go Ahead Eagles. In August 2022, this sale was officially endorsed by the licensing committee of the Dutch Football Association.[8]
After almost two decades in the Eerste Divisie, Go Ahead won promotion to the2013–14 Eredivisie at the end of the 2012–13 season, winning the promotion play-offs.[9] The club remained in the top division for the 2014–15 season, finishing 13th.[citation needed]
Go Ahead Eagles would compete in Europe in the2015–16 UEFA Europa League due to the Netherlands' first place inUEFA Respect Fair Play ranking. National Fair Play winnerTwente withdrew due to financial difficulties, making the place for Go Ahead Eagles. However, they also suffered relegation after losing 2–0 on aggregate toDe Graafschap in the May 2015 promotion/relegation play-offs.[10] In July 2015, they were beaten 2–5 on aggregate by Hungarian sideFerencváros[11] in thefirst Europa League qualifying round with the home leg played in Emmen due to the Adelaarshorst being renovated, and the away leg without spectators because the Hungarians were serving a ban byUEFA.[citation needed]
The club bounced back to the Eredivisie on the first attempt in May 2016 after beating De Graafschap 5–2 on aggregate in the promotion/relegation play-offs,[12] but were relegated again at the end of the 2016–17 season.[citation needed]
In May 2021, Go Ahead finished second in theEerste Divisie, earning promotion back to the Eredivisie after four seasons in the second tier.[13] On 21 April 2025, Go Ahead claimed their first-everKNVB Cup.[14]
Go Ahead Eagles' biggest rivals arePEC Zwolle.[23] Both clubs are located close to the riverIJssel, hence the nameIJssel-derby for their encounters. Other teams who share a rivalry with Go Ahead Eagles includeFC Twente andDe Graafschap.[citation needed]Go Ahead Eagles fans maintain a friendly relationship with English teamLuton Town.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^"Go Ahead - Roda 1962" (in Dutch). Go Ahead Eagles. 16 February 2017. Archived fromthe original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved20 October 2020.
^Sullivan, Joe (26 October 2015)."Go Ahead Eagles celebrate Golden Anniversary of meeting Celtic".celticfc.net.Celtic F.C. Retrieved20 October 2020.So, it would seem that the 7-0 aggregate score ended Go Ahead's European story right then and there but, as it turns out, their fairytale adventure of getting into Europe via the back door didn't end there for the club who changed their name to Go Ahead Eagles in 1971.