Photos: Han Balk
Words: Tom Reed
The Netherlands club Sportclub Telstar was once a running joke for its perpetual existence in the Dutch second tier.
"You'll soon be visiting Telstar"
... is the end-of-season chant aimed at those in the Eredivisie relegation spots.
Telstar was named after a space satellite, and you might have heard the electronic earworm by the Tornados of the same name from the 1960s.
Yet, wonderfully, the club from Velsen-Zuid stunned Willem II in the Eerste Divisie playoffs, beating the Tilburg side 1-3 away, meaning the satellite side is on the rise for the first time since the 70's.
The win sparked a pyrotechnic fest back home in Velsen Zuid, with the normally sleepy fishing town reverberating with rockets and firecrackers into the night.
Telstar is known for its quaint basket-scoring system at Sportpark Schoonenburg, where the buckets are raised with each goal. Telstar are far from basket cases and aim to be weaving their way through the Netherlands' top flight next term.
You'll soon be visiting Telstar Ajax et al.!
