COACH: Edmond DELFOUR


GOALKEEPERS:

1 Frans DE MUNCK

DEFENDERS:

2 Gerrit VREKEN
3 Arie DE VROET
5 Cor VAN DER HART

MIDFIELDERS:

4 Rinus SCHAAP
6 Joop DE KUBBER

FORWARDS:

7 Bram APPEL
8 Kees RIJVERS
9 Jan VAN GEEN
10 Theo TIMMERMANS
11 Bertus DE HARDER
Wilhelm VAN LENT
Johannes RÖHRIG



3-4-3/3-2-5 FORMATION:

France Vs Dutch Professionals XI - "Watersnoodwedstrijd" (12/03/1953)



GK DE MUNCK
RB/CB VREKEN
CB VAN DER HART
LB/CB DE VROET
DMF SCHAAP
DMF DE KUBBER
AMF/SS RIJVERS
AMF/SS TIMMERMANNS
RWF APPEL
LWF DE HARDER
CF VAN GEEN

Captain: Bram Appel
Short Free Kick: Joop de Kubber
Long Free Kick: Joop de Kubber
Free Kick 2: -
Left Corner: Bertus de Harder
Right Corner: Bram Appel
Penalty: Bram Appel


INFO:

In the night of 31 January 1953 to 1 February 1953 the heaviest flood in the North Sea during the 20th century (called the "watersnood" in the Netherlands) struck the Netherlands, Great Britain and Belgium, killing 2551 people and causing heavy damage, especially in the Netherlands. The Dutch football association hosted a match of the NT against Denmark on 7 March 1953 to raise money for the Stichting Nationaal Rampenfonds (National fonds for catastrophes).
Since the KNVB didn't allow professionalism at that time, many of the best Dutch players during those years weren't banned from the NT. Theo Timmermans who played for Olympique Nimes first wanted to organize a match against a selection from Southern France but his idea turned into something bigger: Together with Bram Appel from Stade Reims and with support from French football association he organized a Dutch XI of professional football players - almost all of them played in France, only Frans de Munck played in Germany during that time. Faas Wilkes had been contacted as well but his club Torino didn't allow him to participate.
When KNVB officials heard of those plans, they were furious and even tried to forbid the match but after an intervention by Prince Bernhard (who was head of Stichting Nationaal Rampenfonds) the game could be played - although the Dutch team wasn't allowed to wear orange kits and even the official anthem wasn't allowed to be played.
The preparation for the game was special as well: Some of the players had never met before and except for Cor van der Hart there were no defenders in the squad, so Gerrit Vreken (who usallay played as right winger) and Arie de Vroet (who was left-half) played as side backs for the first time in their career. Edmond Delfour (manager of Stade Francais at that time) decided to join the team as coach for that match.
Despite those circumstances and beeing 0:1 down the Dutch eventually won the game on 12 March 1953 2:1 thanks to goals from de Harder and Appel.
After the game (that gained another 110000 gulden for Stichting Nationaal Rampenfonds) the Dutch team was praised for their excellent performance. This lead to even louder calls to the KNVB to end the ban of professionalism in Dutch football. One year later the first professional clubs made their debut in Dutch championship and on 13 March 1955 - almost on the same day two years after the "Watersnoodwedstrijd" - the first match of the Dutch NT with professionals took place.


VIDEO:




HOME & GOALKEEPER KITS: -

I would like to add some more info and correct the false info mentioned in the original post:
Early November 1954, Dutch FA (KNVB) reached an agreement with the 'wild' FA (NBVB) to abort the leagues that had been started.

The new leagues, in which the professional clubs had been added, started on November 28, 1954. Not in March as has been told in the original post.
There were 4 regional first leagues across the country. The champions of of these 4 leagues were involved in a play-off for the national championship, which was won by Willem II TIlburg eventually.

A Dutch building co. CEO called Egidius Joosten played a decisive role in the process. He is to be considered the Godfather of Dutch Professional Football.
The club he founded (Fortuna '54) became the first Dutch football club that was known internationally. Before international football was even introduced by UEFA, Fortuna played 'demonstration matches against the big clubs in Europe, such as Real Madrid, Arsenal, FC Köln. Even then world giants Botafogo (incl. the all time legend Garrincha)! came to visit Fortuna at their Maurits Stadium (they won 3-4). This happened many years before clubs like Ajax and Feyenoord got recognition in Europe.

Back to Egidius Joosten, 'the godfather': he personally drove to Bern and attend the World Cup final in '54 to see 'the German miracle'. The Netherlands didn't even want to participate in the preliminary round of that World Cup. Because Dutch professional footballers were suspended indefinitely from the national team when going pro, the national team was very weak in those years. 20 years after that particular World Cup and after professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, they reached the World Cup '74 final themselves and the world was thrilled because of their way of playing football. In fact, they still are legends, even by international standars. Four yeas later, they lost a final again in the (now proven) corrupt World Cup '78.

What false info?





I've written nowhere that the league started in march, one year later means 1954 - what's wrong about that? It seems that it's you can't read a text properly - not me who provided a "false" info?




You're accusing me of giving false info here and then come up with such bullshit.

And what does the 1978 World Cup have anything to do with a 1953 team anyway? The post is just an end in itself so the guy could randomly shit talk.