NEC Nijmegen, founded in 1900 and located in the eastern Dutch city of Nijmegen, is a Dutch professional football club. It is one of the oldest clubs in the Netherlands, originally formed in 1910 through the merger of Endrach and NVV Nijmegen. The club initially struggled, despite winning the Eerste Divisie five times, but repeatedly failed to qualify for the Eredivisie in the playoffs. Fans jokingly nicknamed it "Nooit eerste classer," meaning "never a first-class team." After World War II, the club won the Eastern Division championship in 1946 and 1947.
The team initially struggled, despite winning the Eredivisie five times, but repeatedly lost in the playoff matches and failed to qualify for the top division. Fans jokingly nicknamed them "Nooit eerste classer," meaning they had never entered the first division. After World War II, the team won the Eastern Division championship in 1946 and 1947.
In 1974, the team was relegated from the top league, and subsequent performance continued to decline. At the same time, the club also faced a severe financial crisis, relying mainly on selling players and massive subsidies from the Nijmegen city council. In 1981, the professional and amateur teams of NEC were separated, and the city council provided further support to the club. However, this did not prevent the club from going bankrupt in 1987. Only after 80% of the creditors waived their claims was NEC able to continue to exist. The newly appointed chairman, Henk van der Voort, established a sponsors' club to raise funds and gradually accumulated momentum, helping the team gradually get back on track.
May 29, 2003, was one of the most important days for the club. In the match against RKC Waalwijk, Jaromír Šiml scored in the final moments, securing the victory and placing the team fifth in the Eredivisie, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. In 2017, the team lost 1-5 to Bred, facing relegation. Four years later, they avenged the loss to Bred in the promotion/relegation playoff and returned to the Eredivisie.