XerxesDZB

XerxesDZB
Full name	XerxesDZB Rotterdam
Nickname(s)	Zebras
Founded	1904
Ground	Sportpark Faas Wilkes
Capacity	3,500
Chairman	Ronald Broeders
Manager	Winand van Loon
League	Eerste Klasse Saturday B ; (2019–20)
Home colours	Away colours

XerxesDZB is a Dutch football club based in Rotterdam.

History

The club was founded in 1904 as RFC Xerxes and their first regional championship was won in 1907. After a second championship in 1911 the club was promoted to the second class (tweede klasse) of Dutch football. In 1931 Xerxes became champions of their district and were promoted to the first class (eerste klasse) where they faced teams like Feijenoord, Sparta, ADO, Ajax and Blauw Wit.

While playing at the highest level of Dutch football Xerxes was easily able to remain in their division with players like Wim Lagendaal, and in later years Faas Wilkes and Coen Moulijn and play alongside the giant teams in the country, also during the first years of professional football in the country. However, after 1958 the results became worse and in 1960 Xerxes was forced relegated out of the professional football divisions. Two consecutive seasons (1961 and 1962) Xerxes became champion of the amateurs and was returned to professional football for the 1962–63 season.

Times changed and Xerxes promoted to the Eerste Divisie in 1965, followed by another promotion in 1966 to the Eredivisie. At this level Xerxes was again able to achieve decent results with players like Willem van Hanegem, Hans Dorjee, Rob Jacobs and Eddy Treytel. However the lack of their own stadium (a hospital was built on their ground) and withdrawal of the sponsor forced the pro-section of Xerxes to merge with the pro-section DHC Delft during the summer of 1967 to become Xerxex/DHC'66. That club was dissolved already a year later by lack of interest by the fans in Delft.

The amateurs of Xerxes would begin in the fourth class of Dutch football league system in 1969 and win the championship of each tier up the league ladder that the fourth successive championship was won in the first class in 1972. In 1974 the Hoofdklasse (a level above the first class) was introduced, but Xerxers failed to qualify. In 1976 achieving a successive championship in the first class got them promoted to the Hoofdklasse. In 1980 they were champions of the Hoofdklasse A and then began working up the championship of that ladder by beating the Hoofdklasse B and the Hoofdklasse C champions in separate competitions to reach the pinnacle of amateur champions of the Netherlands.

In the last part of the 1990s Xerxes came into financial trouble, and confronted with the fact that they had to leave their grounds again (this time for a railway) and was forced to merge with DZB Zevenkamp resulting in their current name XerxesDZB from 1 July 2000. A big success in the past season when the club (Saturday) promoted to the Hoofdklasse. This is the second amateur level in the Netherlands. The Sunday part of the club is currently playing in the 4rd^{[clarification needed]} class level due to a forced relegation by the KNVB. The biggest success of the Sunday part reached the KNVB-Cup in 2008/2009.^[3] After six seasons in the Hoofdklasse Xerxes was contracted back to the first class.