Speerzwaluw

Speerzwaluw is a Hattrick football club from The Netherlands, based in the Arnhem region. Founded in June 2018, the club currently competes in division V.150, the fifth tier in the Netherlands.

Origins and name

The club was founded on June 26, 2018, by a group of migrants from the southern Netherlands, emerging from the remnants of Los ChupaPalos, which had rapidly become unmanageable.

Stadium

Speerzwaluw plays its home matches at Speerzwaluw’s nest, which has a capacity of 62,500 supporters. The stadium has historically been described by opponents, critics, and journalists as a daunting venue capable of generating a "boiling atmosphere."

Managerial history

The club has been managed since its inception by Bert Marijnissen (1987), who previously coached FC Kortgene from July 2004 to May 2009. During that period, the club celebrated one championship in division VII (Season 19) and secured five second-place finishes. In 2009 and 2015, Marijnissen made brief comebacks in Hattrick with Ricardo Cruz Jiron and Nergens thuis, respectively, though both stints were short-lived.

In 2018, Marijnissen joined Speerzwaluw and quickly established his philosophy. He is characterized by supporters and critics as calculating, dominant, and possessing a keen eye for talent. In 2024, he was nominated for the Manager of the Year award in Gelderland, ultimately finishing in 106th place.

Season-by-season results

The Early Years (Seasons 57–60)

• Season 57: Speerzwaluw debuted in division VI.995 with three matches remaining in the season. After an opening 2–2 draw against liwadduh and a 4–0 victory over fcrobin, the campaign ended in a heavy 10–0 defeat to SVC Legia Warschauw. The club finished 3rd.
• Season 58: In the first full season under Marijnissen, the club showed progress, securing another 3rd-place finish in VI.995. Striker Ditmar Kloppenburg was a key asset, netting 16 goals.
• Season 59: Following a poor start against liwadduh (2–6), Speerzwaluw finished 3rd once again, accumulating a slightly lower points total than the previous year.
• Season 60: The club continued to develop, leading the league for three weeks before ultimately finishing 2nd after losing both encounters to eventual champions liwadduh. Shortly before the season ended, Ditmar Kloppenburg was sold for a then-record fee of 3.3M —a move described by critics as a "sporting loss but a financial masterstroke." The club immediately reinvested, breaking the bank to sign Secondo Ursella and Gabriel Cecilio Aluchine for a combined 3.5M.

Division Shuffles and Squad Rebuilding (Seasons 61–64)

• Season 61: After consultation with the Hattrick Football Association, Speerzwaluw transferred to division VI.650, resulting in a 3rd-place finish in their debut year and a 2nd-place finish the following season. A key moment occurred mid-season when 17-year-old prodigy Abel Lisser was signed for 149k. Five weeks before the end of the season, Calvin van der Weij was sold for 3.5M, followed by the record-breaking post-season sale of Mannus Oussoren for 4.0M.
• Season 63: The club switched divisions again, entering VI.620. Amid growing fan impatience, manager Marijnissen famously addressed supporters at the Grote Markt, uttering the words calma, calma! before immediately leaving the stage. The club spent heavily pre-season, signing Wouter de Baat for a record 5.1M and Davey Tap for 5.0M, balanced by the sale of Oluf Vang. Speerzwaluw ultimately finished 3rd behind go ahead smid and Timofeev due to a lack of offensive depth, with Bep Heuvels and Tap topping the scoring charts with just 6 goals each.
• Season 64: In their eighth season, progress became visible as the club finished 2nd in VI.620, just four points behind the champions. Draws against Uranus6 and Racing Ruben, alongside a loss to go ahead smid, cost them the title. Ewald Orassie and Davey Tap finished as joint top scorers with 8 goals each.

First Silverware and Rise to Division IV (Seasons 65–69)

• Season 65: A third divisional switch to VI.164 brought immediate success. Speerzwaluw went undefeated from start to finish, capturing their first league championship with a flawless record and a stunning 88–7 goal difference. This occurred despite the early-season sale of Atli Limberg for a record 7.3M (who later became a legend for Montenegrin club Pivo Bar). The matured Abel Lisser claimed the top scorer title with 16 goals, including two hat-tricks. The squad was further boosted by the signing of Akir Kornaros for a club-record 8.1M.
• Season 66: Debuting in division V.134, the club signed stars Fabian Hager (7.3M) and Miraj Nayak (7.4M). Despite opening with three losses in five matches, Marijnissen orchestrated a 7-game winning streak to secure 3rd place, earning himself an unprecedented managerial bonus.
• Season 67: A second consecutive year in V.134 saw continued growth, finishing 2nd and just three points behind SC Sverige4u, driven by Abel Lisser's 10 goals.
• Season 68: In their 12th Hattrick season, Marijnissen guided the club to the V.134 championship. Recovering from a Matchday 3 defeat against Pelle’s Pingelaars, the team went on a 7-game winning streak - similar to the previous season - to capture the title and secure direct promotion to Division IV. Eudóxio Paixão was top scorer with 9 goals, while Abel Lisser was sold prior to the triumph to another Dutch club for 6.1M.
• Season 69: The club's debut in IV.47 proved difficult, yielding just two points from the first four matches. Despite a brief mid-season resurgence, Speerzwaluw finished 6th and was relegated back to Division V after losing a playoff match 1–3 against FC Lange Poten. Confronted with the quick relegation, Marijnissen answered: "I honestly don't care, please leave me in peace", to local journalists. Late in the season, Marijnissen made a surprise statement signing, acquiring Orlando Poepjes for 7.9M.

The Division V Rollercoaster (Seasons 70–76)

• Season 70: Entering division V.225, early optimism faded after registering just one point in the opening three rounds. The club finished 3rd. Hermannus Schouten top-scored with 8 goals, closely followed by 17-year-old talent Marko Nalić with 7.
• Season 71: A stronger campaign in V.225 saw Speerzwaluw finish 2nd, just three points behind the promoted champions, Coach.
• Season 72: The club secured another 2nd-place finish in V.225, falling five points short of the title. A bright spot was the breakthrough of academy graduate James Wijsman, who scored 7 goals. Post-season, Marijnissen shocked the league by signing goalkeeper Erni Roguet from top club Åsgård for a near-record 7.9M.
• Season 73: Speerzwaluw finally conquered V.225, winning the championship by a commanding 10-point margin. James Wijsman finished as the league's joint top scorer with 8 goals, supported by Hermannus Schouten (7) and Roberto Vorzillo (6).
• Season 74: Returning to the fourth tier in division IV.17, the team disappointed, finishing 5th. Relegation was sealed after a dramatic 1–2 playoff loss to Fc RGS. Post-season, the club signed Emilian Bargieł for 5.4M.
• Season 75: The club's 18th season turned turbulent in division V.120, managing just 8 points from 10 matches. Unconfirmed reports hinted at a player revolt over "uninspired training sessions," to which Marijnissen publicly responded: "I, and nobody else, am the boss." Leon Keiser was signed for 4.5M, while young star and Montenegrin youth international Marko Nalić was sold to a Cameroonian top club for 5.9M. Speerzwaluw finished 6th.
• Season 76: Following a switch to V.140, the transition remained difficult, resulting in another 6th-place finish despite the efforts of Valentijn Gilsing and James Wijsman. Promising a return to glory, Marijnissen invested heavily in Hungarian winger János Kolozsvári for 7.1M.

Triumphs and Heartbreak (Seasons 77–83)

• Season 77: Marijnissen delivered on his promise, capturing the V.140 championship. After a late-season loss to Blauw-Wit ‘05, Speerzwaluw sat in second place heading into the final matchday. However, leaders SX United collapsed against Alectonello, allowing Speerzwaluw's 7–2 thrashing of FC Prodicom to clinch the title. Christ Peppinck was league top scorer with 9 goals. The off-season saw the departure of club icon James Wijsman and 17-year-old Jorg van der Pas for 1.5M, prompting Marijnissen's famous remarks: "It hurts a bit, but money cures a lot. And honestly, I didn't know him that well."
• Season 78: Entering Division IV for the third time, the club failed to achieve survival, finishing 7th and suffering direct relegation. Key signings included midfielder Andrelton Meulens and Romanian defender Mircea-Ionuţ Niculache (4.0M), the latter arriving amid bizarre rumors of merchandise fraud at his previous Turkish club. A major highlight was the breakthrough of attacker Almaz Dilshat Uulu, who earned a call-up to the Kyrgyzstan U21 national team.
• Season 79: The first of three tough seasons in V.162 saw Speerzwaluw finish 6th, unable to match the pace of Meerzand and FC Bal op het Dak. Off the pitch, youth product Ignaz Harthoorn left the club, dismissing rumors of an unrequited love by blaming his departure to Italy on persistent seasonal allergic rhinitis.
• Season 80: A rejuvenated Speerzwaluw finished a respectable 3rd in V.162 behind FC Bal op het Dak and RVC Stroopwafel ‘85. The defense was bolstered by new goalkeeper Ivan Oliviero, while Fergus Roelofsen showed immense future promise.
• Season 81: The final year in V.162 was a mid-table battle. Spectacular wins over F.C. Krauss United (6–3) and Max Euwe United (0–7) were offset by heavy defeats to Stroopwafel, leading Marijnissen to brand the season as "neither fish nor fowl." Midfielder Valentijn Gilsing reached a milestone by playing his 200th match for the club. At the end of the season, 17-year-old talent Elias Brummelhuis was sold for 3.5M to fund the signing of star player Lucio Lesa, repeating Marijnissen's iconic quote: "It hurts a bit, but money cures a lot. And honestly, I didn't know him that well."
• Season 82: Transferred to V.150, Speerzwaluw engaged in a legendary title race with Lugdunum. Leading by eight points with three games left, the lead evaporated after a draw against Wateenkans and a home defeat to Zoevers. Everything came down to a dramatic final-day showdown away at Lugdunum. Despite leading 1–3 at halftime against a counter-attacking home side, Speerzwaluw conceded two goals in twenty minutes. A late strike by Jos Pluijmert in the 85th minute seemingly restored the lead to 3–4, but Lugdunum scored in the 87th and 90th minutes to win 5–4, snatching the championship. Marijnissen called it "the toughest day ever in Hattrick," and local media dubbed it the most dramatic regional climax in history.
• Season 83: The season began in turmoil after Speerzwaluw sat second-to-last with zero points from the opening five matches. In a controversial press conference, manager Marijnissen attributed the abysmal start to an extended holiday in Portugal and a high workload at another, unspecified job. This explanation was met with fierce indignation from supporters, who subsequently lit flares to protest his management at the next training session. However, the mid-season signing of goalkeeper Diego Bruijn and tactical changes sparked a dramatic turnaround, leading to five consecutive wins against FC Zuid-Holland (0–7 and 7–0), vitamine c (4–0 and 0–6), and Fc Heide Boys (0–3). Despite a late 2–1 setback against Berko United, Speerzwaluw recovered to finish 5th, qualifying for the promotion/relegation playoffs.

Controversies and Trivia

The Academy Dietary Crisis

For several seasons, the youth academy Jonge Speerzwaluwen faced severe scrutiny following investigative reports into its dietary program. It was revealed that the academy's kitchen had been serving highly unregulated and unhealthy fast food to its teenage prospects. The dietary crisis came to an abrupt end after the club's head chef was summarily dismissed. Following the incident, manager Bert Marijnissen downplayed the situation, stating that the high-calorie intake was "merely part of an experimental, high-intensity bulking phase," though team doctors later distanced themselves from these claims.

Tactical Predictability

Despite his reputation for being calculating and dominant, Marijnissen has occasionally been criticized by tactical analysts for his extreme stubbornness. For a span of nearly five seasons, he famously mandated a highly specific "Creative Play" tactic within the youth ranks, operating under the absolute conviction that it would magically uncover hidden specialties in young players. The practice was quietly abandoned after it was exposed as a statistical myth, though Marijnissen never officially addressed the tactical error.

Transfer Philosophy

Marijnissen’s approach to squad building is heavily defined by financial pragmatism rather than emotional attachment. When questioned by journalists after selling top youth prospects Calvin van der Weij and Elias Brummelhuis for millions, his public responses became a recurring club meme, as he dryly noted in both instances: "It hurts a bit, but money cures a lot. And honestly, I didn't know him that well."

Queerzwaluw

In 2026, Marijnissen founded a women's team within the Hattrick Femme International division, named Queerzwaluw. The team ceased operations after just three months. According to Marijnissen, a dispute with the board regarding the player budget was the primary reason for the premature disbandment of the women's department.

Youth academy

Jonge Speerzwaluwen is the highly acclaimed youth academy of Speerzwaluw. Notable players who graduated from the academy include Ewald Orassie, Wolf Boschker, Okke Dumas, James Wijsman, Niels Latuheru, Thijmen Ariaans, Mollo Putter, Elias Brummelhuis, and Fergus Roelofsen. In February 2020, Latuheru set a record for the academy when the 17-year-old striker was transferred to a Spanish club for a fee of 5.2M.

Domestic results

Season	Division	Final result	Promotion / Notes
57	VI.995	3rd	Took over with 3 matchdays remaining
58	VI.995	3rd
59	VI.995	3rd
60	VI.995	2nd
61	VI.650	3rd
62	VI.650	2nd
63	VI.620	3rd
64	VI.620	2nd
65	VI.164	1st	First championship
66	V.134	3rd
67	V.134	2nd
68	V.134	1st	Second championship (Promoted to Division IV)
69	IV.47	6th	Relegated after playoffs
70	V.225	3rd
71	V.225	2nd
72	V.225	2nd
73	V.225	1st	Third championship (Promoted to Division IV)
74	IV.17	5th	Relegated after playoffs
75	V.120	6th
76	V.140	6th
77	V.140	1st	Fourth championship (Promoted to Division IV)
78	IV.17	7th	Direct relegation
79	V.162	6th
80	V.162	3rd
81	V.162	3rd
82	V.150	2nd
83	V.150	5th	Qualified for playoffs

International players

The following players have represented their national team under-21 squads while playing for, or after developing at, Speerzwaluw:

Player	National Team	Caps
Almaz Dilshat Uulu	Kyrgyzstan U20	16 caps
Marko Nalić	Montenegro U20	12 caps