Watching Eredivisie Football in Rotterdam: Sparta and Excelsior

This guide is for people who have moved to Rotterdam from abroad and want to watch top-flight Dutch football at one of the city’s smaller, friendlier grounds, with or without children. It covers how to find tickets for Sparta at Het Kasteel and Excelsior at Woudestein, how to book a behind-the-scenes tour of Sparta’s stadium, and what each club offers families.

• Two clubs, one city
• Buying tickets for Sparta at Het Kasteel
• Sparta’s stadium tours
• Tickets and match days at Excelsior’s Woudestein
• Going with children
• FAQ

Two clubs, one city

Rotterdam has more than one Eredivisie club, and the two smaller ones are well worth your time. Sparta Rotterdam calls itself the oldest professional football club in the Netherlands. Eight students founded it on 1 April 1888 as a cricket club. Football took over in July 1888, after the members were given a ball as a present. The club plays at the Sparta Stadium, which everyone calls Het Kasteel because the old castle building is still part of the ground. The club says the first version of the stadium was built in 1916 and was the first football stadium in the country.

The red and white colours go back to 1899. Board members on a trip to England liked Sunderland’s shirts and bought some old ones to take home. Sparta still plays home games in red and white stripes, black shorts and red and white ringed socks, so you know what colours to wear.

Excelsior Rotterdam plays at Stadion Woudestein and is also in the Eredivisie. Its homepage shows the league table, recent results and upcoming fixtures, including a home match against Telstar and a Rotterdam derby away at Stadion Feijenoord. Excelsior also has a women’s team in the Eerste Divisie and a full youth academy.

Buying tickets for Sparta at Het Kasteel

Sparta has an English-language page for international fans, which helps if your Dutch is still coming along. It links to “Visit Sparta (tickets)”, and there are separate links for the fanshop, the club’s history, contact details and exclusive tours.

The English page does not give ticket prices, sale dates or seating sections. Check the tickets section on the club’s own site for current details before you settle on a match. If the pages do not answer your question, the club asks you to use the help form under Contact.

A few practical points from the English page:

• Fanshop deliveries: Sparta only ships fanshop orders to EU countries and cannot deliver to the United Kingdom. If you want to send a scarf to relatives in the UK, you will have to arrange that yourself.
• Business lounge: the modern main building across the stadium from the castle gives sponsors access to the business lounge on match days. It is for sponsors, not general ticket holders.
• History: the page links to the club’s full history, which is good reading before your first match.

Sparta’s stadium tours

If you would like to see the stadium without the crowds, Sparta runs guided tours. The tour page is in Dutch, so here is what it says. Guides take you behind the scenes, including the sponsors’ terrace, the press centre and one of the sponsor boxes. You also go inside the castle building, with the Ridderzaal (Knights’ Hall), the Kasteelloge and the Sparta Museum, and the guides tell stories from the club’s history along the way.

The booking rules, as the club lists them:

• Length: 60 to 90 minutes.
• Group size: at least three people.
• Booking: tours are only available on request, so you cannot just turn up.
• When: weekdays only, within the daytime hours shown on the tour page.
• Price: the tour page gives a price per person including VAT. Check there for the current rate.

Because tours only run on weekdays, they suit people with flexible hours, parents on leave, or family visiting for a week. With a minimum of three, a parent and two children can book one, and so can a few colleagues. If you are on your own, bring a couple of friends. For a newcomer, it is a quick way to pick up the club history that locals grew up with.

Tickets and match days at Excelsior’s Woudestein

Excelsior’s site has a Supporters section with a page called “Excelsior tickets en bezoekersinformatie” (tickets and visitor information), the stadium house rules (Huisregels) and a route page for getting to Woudestein. There is also a Tickets link in the main menu. The homepage does not list ticket prices or the stadium address, so use those pages on the club’s own site for current details.

The fixture list on the homepage is the quickest way to plan. Each game shows the competition, date, kick-off time and venue, so you can see straight away whether a match is at Woudestein or away. Recent results are listed too, including a narrow home defeat to Go Ahead Eagles and a cup win away at MVV Maastricht.

For companies, Excelsior has a Business Club, a Young Business Club, business seats and a separate business ticket shop. That is the route if your employer wants to host clients. For an ordinary match day, use the standard Tickets link.

Excelsior Vrouwen play in the Eerste Divisie, and some of their home games are at Stadion Woudestein as well. That can be a calmer first visit to the ground. The women’s programme on the homepage has the dates.

Going with children

Going by its own pages, Excelsior does the most for families. It has a kids’ club called Kidsclub de Woudies, listed under Supporters, and a page about a half-time activity (Rustactiviteit). The homepage does not say what the kids’ club includes or which ages it is for, so read the Kidsclub page before you sign up. The club also has a page on a safe sporting environment (Veilig sportklimaat), which parents may want to read.

At Sparta, the stadium tour is the clearest option for curious children. The museum, the castle rooms and the press centre give them plenty to tell their friends at school. The tour page does not mention age limits, so ask when you request a booking. The sponsor lounges and business facilities at both clubs are meant for adults and companies.

Before an Excelsior match, go through the house rules with older children so everyone knows what to expect at the gate.

FAQ

Can I buy Sparta tickets in English?

Sparta has an English page for international fans with a “Visit Sparta (tickets)” link. That page does not give prices or sale dates, so check the tickets section on the club’s site, and use the help form under Contact if you get stuck.

How do I book a Sparta stadium tour?

Tours are only available on request, run on weekdays only and need at least three people. They last 60 to 90 minutes. The club’s tour page has the current price per person and the hours when tours can take place.

Where can I find Excelsior ticket prices?

Excelsior’s homepage does not list prices. Go to the tickets and visitor information page in the Supporters section, or the Tickets link in the main menu, for current details, and to the route page for directions to Woudestein.

Is there anything for children at Excelsior?

Yes. Excelsior has a kids’ club called Kidsclub de Woudies and a page about a half-time activity, both under Supporters. The homepage does not give ages or membership details, so check the Kidsclub page itself.

Official sources: sparta-rotterdam.nl · sparta-rotterdam.nl · excelsiorrotterdam.nl

Last checked: 10 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.