Football Season Guide

NAC Breda's drop to the Jupiler League in 2015 resulted in a huge disaster for the fans and the city. The Breda club is a relatively big one in The Netherlands and NAC Breda were expected to bounce back to the highest level only one year later but the club somehow failed to adjust to Jupiler League football. This was the case again last season but NAC Breda somehow managed to save their best for last. 5th spot wasn't satisfying at all but manager Stijn Vreven, who took over during the season, was able to produce the best football with his team during the deciding weeks of the campaign. They eventually recorded a win in the play-off final against NEC Nijmegen, which secured the Eredivisie spot. Their promotion came at exactly the right time as financial problems would have put pressure on the club if they'd remained in the Jupiler League. The Rat Verlegh Stadium is more than big enough for Eredivisie football and the fanatic fans are capable of pushing the team to a higher level. Vreven will face a tough mission now though as he will have to consolidate their Eredivisie spot with a relatively inexperienced outfit. The Manchester City connection is there though which already resulted in a couple of promising youngsters in the squad. The fans aren't that happy with this situation but these players could surprise. Cyriel Dessers, by far their best player last season, left the club immediately after the promotion. The key striker was simply too good and he made the switch to FC Utrecht. NAC Breda has the potential (the stadium and the fans) to become a regular team in the Eredivisie again but survival will be the first mission now. The loan players could help NAC Breda this year but the fans are hoping for a more traditional and homegrown side in the future.