The Helmond Cup

[Kowalczyk]

I just read a little article about the world's most prestigious football trophy: the Helmond Cup!

What makes it so prestigious is the fact that every club in the world can win it (in theory), but that not a single club in the world can keep it. A club that wins the Helmond Cup may keep it for as long as they keep winning (or drawing) their games. When they lose, the Helmond Cup moves on to the team that beat them. This way, the Helmond Cup can travel around the world: it can drop from the Eredivisie to the First Division, it can go abroad - anything is possible.

The Helmond Cup was established by a number of Helmond Sport fans in 2007. They gave the 'trophy' to their own team, who kept it for a while and then inevitably lost it. An increasing number of football fans follow the cup closely via the official Helmond Cup website:
http://ffbieren.tripod.com/helmondcup/

The Helmond Cup was stuck in the First Division last season, but Volendam took it to the Eredivisie, where it is now in the possession of NAC Breda, who (as you all know) did not lose it to PSV yesterday evening. The next game for the Helmond Cup is FC Utrecht vs NAC Breda on Sunday 26 October (14:30 CET).

It's been an exciting autumn for the Helmond Cup, as - for the first time in its existence - it came very close to moving abroad. Heerenveen were the holders when they travelled to Portugal for their UEFA Cup fixture at Vitoria Setubal. The Helmond Cup could have moved to the Portugese league in that game, but Heerenveen got a result over there and took it back to Holland.

I suggest we follow the Helmond Cup in this thread from now on. Wouldn't it be great if Ajax could win and hold it for a while... it would be the first time!

Current holders: NAC Breda
Next Helmond Cup final: FC Utrecht vs NAC Breda (26 Oct, 14:30 CET)

K.

[ozzerdibazio]

This is brilliant. What a great idea.

[Kowalczyk]

NAC Breda must be over the moon: for at least one more week they're the league leaders in the Eredivisie and the holders of the Helmond Cup...

K.

[DanK]

This is one of the better ideas for football I have heard for sometime.

Thanks for the heads up Menno.

[SE6Ajacied]

lol, this is quite good though not particularly original I have to say. No doubt DWS and Jam Cocteau will know all about Scotland being 1967 World Champions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unofficial ... mpionships

[Kowalczyk]

By the way: official games in official competitions only!

The Helmond Cup is about domestic league, domestic cup and European cup fixtures. Friendlies don't count.

K.

[Tom_]

Very cool.

Shame the website's in Dutch, you're going to have to keep the updates coming Menno...

[SPL]

So , if I get this right , at the end of the season we need to be the holders
by virtue of being champions.

It is a good idea though.

[Kowalczyk]

So , if I get this right , at the end of the season we need to be the holders
by virtue of being champions.

Nope. Not necessarily. We can only win the Helmond Cup if we happen to play the current holders.

Let's assume NAC lose it to Utrecht on Sunday. And then Utrecht lose it to PSV. And in the first match after that PSV play Liverpool in the Champions League - and lose. Then, the Helmond Cup will be in England - and Liverpool will be the team to lose it. They could lose it to Portsmouth - and then Portsmouth might lose an F.A. Cup fixture against... Bristol Rovers, for all I care. The Helmond Cup really can go anywhere. In theory, the holders by the end of the season could be a club in the second division in Ukraine.

K.

[Blind3]

What a cool idea. Thank you for posting the website. Hope NAC keep it v. Thug-trecht. The only cup Thug-trecht deserve is a paper cup .

[aveslacker]

This is awesome. What they now need is an actual bit of silverware.

[SE6Ajacied]

This is certainly great fun. If anyone's still lost with the rules the best way I heard it described (for the World Champions thingy) was like a boxing title, say the world heavyweight championship.

A good bit of fun anyway and garunteed to run to the last day of the season

[orange goblin]

absolutely amazing, ko. thanks a lot for this reading. I have talked about this to an italian television journalist (his channel broadcasts the eredivisie) and maybe he will work to a service dedicated to this great idea..

[dws]

lol, this is quite good though not particularly original I have to say. No doubt DWS and Jam Cocteau will know all about Scotland being 1967 World Champions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unofficial ... mpionships

Cheeky bugger.

Top of the league.

[Kowalczyk]

For the record, this is the total voyage of the Helmond Cup, since it started on 10 August 2007:

2007-2008

(underscored: cup holders)
(bold: new cup holders)
(:bertje.gif: : new league/division)

10/08/07: TOP Oss - Helmond Sport: 1-1
19/08/07: Helmond Sport - Go Ahead Eagles: 3-0
24/08/07: Helmond Sport - FC Dordrecht: 2-1
27/08/07: Fortuna Sittard - Helmond Sport: 0-1
31/08/07: RKC Waalwijk - Helmond Sport: 2-1
07/09/07: AGOVV Apeldoorn - RKC Waalwijk: 2-6
14/09/07: RKC Waalwijk - MVV: 1-0
17/09/07: Go Ahead Eagles - RKC Waalwijk: 2-0
21/09/07: ADO Den Haag - Go Ahead Eagles: 1-2
25/09/07: Helmond Sport - Go Ahead Eagles: 0-1
30/09/07: Go Ahead Eagles - FC Zwolle: 3-1
05/10/07: Go Ahead Eagles - FC Dordrecht: 1-2
12/10/07: FC Dordrecht - FC Omniworld: 3-3
19/10/07: FC Dordrecht - FC Volendam: 1-1
26/10/07: FC Den Bosch - FC Dordrecht: 2-1
30/10/07: Fortuna Sittard - FC Den Bosch: 1-3
04/11/07: TOP Oss - FC Den Bosch: 2-1
09/11/07: AGOVV Apeldoorn - TOP Oss: 1-4
16/11/07: TOP Oss - RKC Waalwijk: 2-2
23/11/07: Go Ahead Eagles - TOP Oss: 2-0
30/11/07: Go Ahead Eagles - FC Den Bosch: 2-3
07/12/07: FC Den Bosch - AGOVV Apeldoorn: 3-1
15/12/07: FC Eindhoven - FC Den Bosch: 1-0
23/12/07: RKC Waalwijk - FC Eindhoven: 1-0
11/01/08: RKC Waalwijk - Go Ahead Eagles: 7-2
15/01/08: RKC Waalwijk - FC Haarlem: 1-1 (3-5 pen.)
18/01/08: FC Eindhoven - FC Haarlem: 2-2
25/01/08: FC Haarlem - FC Emmen: 1-2
01/02/08: FC Emmen - FC Volendam: 2-2
08/02/08: Fortuna Sittard - FC Emmen: 3-3
15/02/08: FC Emmen - FC Den Bosch: 0-3
18/02/08: FC Den Bosch - TOP Oss: 1-1
22/02/08: FC Den Bosch - Go Ahead Eagles: 3-1
29/02/08: FC Omniworld - FC Den Bosch: 1-0
07/03/08: FC Volendam - FC Omniworld: 3-0
10/03/08: RBC Roosendaal - FC Volendam: 1-2
14/03/08: FC Volendam - SC Cambuur-Leeuwarden: 3-0
21/03/08: FC Volendam - TOP Oss: 3-0
28/03/08: FC Zwolle - FC Volendam: 1-2
04/04/08: AGOVV Apeldoorn - FC Volendam: 3-6
11/04/08: FC Volendam - FC Dordrecht: 2-0
18/04/08: ADO Den Haag - FC Volendam: 0-1

2008-2009

31/08/08: FC Volendam - SC Heerenveen: 2-3
12/09/08: SC Heerenveen - Heracles Almelo: 2-2
18/09/08: Vitória Setubal - SC Heerenveen: 1-1
21/09/08: SC Heerenveen - NEC: 2-1
24/09/08: MVV - SC Heerenveen: 0-3
27/09/08: NAC Breda - SC Heerenveen: 4-2
05/10/08: FC Volendam - NAC Breda: 2-4
18/10/08: NAC Breda - PSV: 2-1
26/10/08: FC Utrecht - NAC Breda

As you can see on 15 January 2008: for European and domestic cup games it's not the score after 90 minutes that counts, but the final outcome after extra time and penalty shoot-outs!

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

For the record, this is the total voyage of the Helmond Cup, since it started on 10 August 2007:

2007-2008

(underscored: cup holders)
(bold: new cup holders)
(:bertje.gif: : new league/division)

10/08/07: TOP Oss - Helmond Sport: 1-1
19/08/07: Helmond Sport - Go Ahead Eagles: 3-0
24/08/07: Helmond Sport - FC Dordrecht: 2-1
27/08/07: Fortuna Sittard - Helmond Sport: 0-1
31/08/07: RKC Waalwijk - Helmond Sport: 2-1


K.

I see, so does that tell us all we need to know, Helmond were unbeaten in the first four games of last season and felt the need for a trophy to celebrate

Note - before I get hate mail from any Helmond fans, that was with my Blackpool not Ajax hat on

[Orange14]

So it looks like this is the one cup that we have yet to win!! Maybe NAC can hold on to it until we play them.

[Kowalczyk]

The final score of this weekend's Helmond Cup final, FC Utrecht - NAC Breda, was 0-0. Which means that NAC Breda are still the cup holders.

Next Helmond Cup final: NAC Breda - FC Twente on Wednesday 29 October, kick-off 20:00 CET.

This also means that Ajax are getting closer to the cup. If Twente beat NAC on Wednesday, the next Helmond Cup final will be... Twente vs Ajax!

2008-2009

31/08/08: FC Volendam - SC Heerenveen: 2-3
12/09/08: SC Heerenveen - Heracles Almelo: 2-2
18/09/08: Vitória Setubal - SC Heerenveen: 1-1
21/09/08: SC Heerenveen - NEC: 2-1
24/09/08: MVV - SC Heerenveen: 0-3
27/09/08: NAC Breda - SC Heerenveen: 4-2
05/10/08: FC Volendam - NAC Breda: 2-4
18/10/08: NAC Breda - PSV: 2-1
26/10/08: FC Utrecht - NAC Breda: 0-0
29/10/08: NAC Breda - FC Twente

K.

[Blind3]

I hope Twente and NAC , two clubs above us, either beat each other senseless or play to a draw.

[Kowalczyk]

Yes, yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, the great moment is there: Saturday's away game against FC Twente will be Ajax's very first final for the Helmond Cup! A win - and it will be ours!

2008-2009

31/08/08: FC Volendam - SC Heerenveen: 2-3
12/09/08: SC Heerenveen - Heracles Almelo: 2-2
18/09/08: Vitória Setubal - SC Heerenveen: 1-1
21/09/08: SC Heerenveen - NEC: 2-1
24/09/08: MVV - SC Heerenveen: 0-3
27/09/08: NAC Breda - SC Heerenveen: 4-2
05/10/08: FC Volendam - NAC Breda: 2-4
18/10/08: NAC Breda - PSV: 2-1
26/10/08: FC Utrecht - NAC Breda: 0-0
29/10/08: NAC Breda - FC Twente: 0-1
01/11/08: FC Twente - Ajax

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Definitely not unthinkable that the Helmond Cup will make the jump to England this week. Twente's next game after Ajax at home is Man City away, in the UEFA Cup...

K.

[Orange14]

Definitely not unthinkable that the Helmond Cup will make the jump to England this week. Twente's next game after Ajax at home is Man City away, in the UEFA Cup...

K.

Which is why we need to do the citizens of Helmond proud and take it from Twente!!

[Dubbel]

This is exciting stuff! Is Ajax playing versus a Chech team next week? In that case either possible HC winner of this weekend's final will be defending against a club from abroad. Our team obviously holding the better cards. With or without Luis Suarez. Come on AJAX! :hupajax.gif:

[aveslacker]

It's ours, baby!

[Blind3]

Welcome Mr. Helmond. May you have a long stay in Amsterdam.