RAP (football club)
Encyclopedia
RAP was a Dutch football (soccer)
club based in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
, that played in the Netherlands Football League Championship
. The club played from 1887 to 1914, and were the first official football champion of the Netherlands ever in the 1899 season. (The unofficial winner of the first edition in 1888-1889 was won by VV Concordia from Rotterdam).
clubs, R.U.N., Amstels and Progress: RAP.
The team managed to win the Netherlands Football League Championship
five times, and were undefeated in the 1898-99 season. The dominance of R.A.P. in that season was demonstrated by the fact that HVV Den Haag
, who finished second that year, were eight points behind R.A.P. in the end. Furthermore they won the De Telegraaf
Cup in 1898-99 for the first time, making R.A.P. the first team in the Netherlands to win the League title and the Cup in the same season.
In 1900-1901 they finished fourth place, followed by a fifth place finish in 1901-1902. in 1902-03 RAP hit rock bottom and finished last in the league, forcing them to play in a relegation playoff series, which they won, very narrowly escaping relegation. A few years later the club would eventually be relegated to the second division anyway.
Although no longer relegated by the 1911-14 season, the team would always find themselves at the bottom of the table. Volharding (Dutch for Perseverance), which is the other old Amsterdam football club, found themselves in a similar predicament, always merely one or two points above RAP in the table, but still considered classified in the same section.
On July 23, 1914 it was announced in Sport Magazine, that the two clubs had decided to merge. The creation of the mentioned Volharding-RAP-Combination: V.R.C. would bring the end to R.A.P.'s run. After a few more years of football, the club eventually abandoned the sport, and switched back to Cricket
, renaming the club once more to the now known VRA
.
, Rap in this context means 'fast'. Their association is not that of the club which amalgamated into VRA
, nor or they an official successor of the former club, but rather an inspired club which was founded three years after the original clubs dissolution.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, that played in the Netherlands Football League Championship
Netherlands Football League Championship
The Netherlands Football League Championship is a Dutch national football championship that began in 1888. The Royal Netherlands Football Association has awarded the championship since 1898. Until 1954, Dutch football was an amateur competition...
. The club played from 1887 to 1914, and were the first official football champion of the Netherlands ever in the 1899 season. (The unofficial winner of the first edition in 1888-1889 was won by VV Concordia from Rotterdam).
History
Founded in Amsterdam, on November 14, 1887 a football club was formed from members of three cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
clubs, R.U.N., Amstels and Progress: RAP.
The team managed to win the Netherlands Football League Championship
Netherlands Football League Championship
The Netherlands Football League Championship is a Dutch national football championship that began in 1888. The Royal Netherlands Football Association has awarded the championship since 1898. Until 1954, Dutch football was an amateur competition...
five times, and were undefeated in the 1898-99 season. The dominance of R.A.P. in that season was demonstrated by the fact that HVV Den Haag
HVV Den Haag
HVV is an amateur football club in The Hague in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1883 as an extension of HCC, the Hague Cricket Club...
, who finished second that year, were eight points behind R.A.P. in the end. Furthermore they won the De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper, with a daily circulation of approximately . De Telegraaf is based in Amsterdam...
Cup in 1898-99 for the first time, making R.A.P. the first team in the Netherlands to win the League title and the Cup in the same season.
In 1900-1901 they finished fourth place, followed by a fifth place finish in 1901-1902. in 1902-03 RAP hit rock bottom and finished last in the league, forcing them to play in a relegation playoff series, which they won, very narrowly escaping relegation. A few years later the club would eventually be relegated to the second division anyway.
Although no longer relegated by the 1911-14 season, the team would always find themselves at the bottom of the table. Volharding (Dutch for Perseverance), which is the other old Amsterdam football club, found themselves in a similar predicament, always merely one or two points above RAP in the table, but still considered classified in the same section.
On July 23, 1914 it was announced in Sport Magazine, that the two clubs had decided to merge. The creation of the mentioned Volharding-RAP-Combination: V.R.C. would bring the end to R.A.P.'s run. After a few more years of football, the club eventually abandoned the sport, and switched back to Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, renaming the club once more to the now known VRA
VRA Amsterdam
VRA Amsterdam is a Cricket club in The Netherlands based in Amsterdam.Amsterdam's VRA Cricket Association was founded on September 5, 1914 from a merger of Perseverance , RAP and Amstel . In the early years the club played cricket on great locations like the Vondelpark, Museumplein and the Olympic...
.
Cricket
VRA plays at the highest level of Dutch cricket, the Hoofdklasse. The club is one of the few Dutch clubs to have a grass pitch. The club has become cricket champions 7 times, including 5 times within the past 10 years.Confusion
There is another football club from Amsterdam which was founded in 1917, called S.V. RAPS.V. RAP
S.V. RAP is a Dutch football club based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that plays in the Vijfde Klasse, the eight tier of football in the Netherlands, and the sixth tier of Dutch amateur football....
, Rap in this context means 'fast'. Their association is not that of the club which amalgamated into VRA
VRA Amsterdam
VRA Amsterdam is a Cricket club in The Netherlands based in Amsterdam.Amsterdam's VRA Cricket Association was founded on September 5, 1914 from a merger of Perseverance , RAP and Amstel . In the early years the club played cricket on great locations like the Vondelpark, Museumplein and the Olympic...
, nor or they an official successor of the former club, but rather an inspired club which was founded three years after the original clubs dissolution.
National
- Netherlands Football League ChampionshipNetherlands Football League ChampionshipThe Netherlands Football League Championship is a Dutch national football championship that began in 1888. The Royal Netherlands Football Association has awarded the championship since 1898. Until 1954, Dutch football was an amateur competition...
: 5
-
- 1891–92, 1893–94Netherlands Football League Championship 1893–94The Netherlands Football League Championship 1893/1894 was contested by six teams from the cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Wageningen. The teams participated in the competition that would later be called Eerste Klasse West...
, 1896–97Netherlands Football League Championship 1896–97The Netherlands Football League Championship 1896/1897 was contested by seven teams from the cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem and Rotterdam. The teams participated in the competition that would later be called Eerste Klasse West...
, 1897–98Netherlands Football League Championship 1897–98The Netherlands Football League Championship 1897/1898 was contested by ten teams participating in two divisions. The national champion would be determined by a play-off match featuring the winners of the eastern and western football division of the Netherlands...
, 1898–99Netherlands Football League Championship 1898–99The Netherlands Football League Championship 1898/1899 was contested by twelve teams participating in two divisions. The national champion would be determined by a play-off match featuring the winners of the eastern and western football division of the Netherlands...
- 1891–92, 1893–94
- De Telegraaf CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 1
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- 1898–99