ULTRAS Kampen: The colours of Dutch amateur football

Words: Han Balk

Images: Han Balk

A cloud of smoke and he appears,

The master of surprise…

When there’s trouble you call DW

Darkwing Duck!

Lets get dangerous!

(Darkwing Duck theme)

The Dutch province of Overijssel boasts no less than four Eredivisie clubs. From East to West: FC Twente Enschede, Heracles Almelo, Go Ahead Eagles Deventer, and PEC Zwolle. But there is another football town in the province. The Hanseatic city at the mouth of the river IJssel: Kampen.

Kampen does not have professional football and never has. Yet, football thrives in Kampen, especially when the local amateur clubs play against each other.

With the exception of the low-ranking VV Kampen; KHC Kampen, Go Ahead Kampen, and DOS Kampen all played in the same first class (sixth level) until last season. In short, six city derbies per season.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. DOS Kampen vs WSV.

At the end of the 2022-2023 season, DOS was relegated to the seventh level. However, the Dutch amateur champions of 1988 seems to be on the way back. Through the play-offs, they could return to the first class after just one year. The path back involves two rounds and a final. In short, not an easy task.

Today, DOS Kampen plays away at sixth level club WSV in Apeldoorn.

During the derbies or when it really matters, you cannot ignore ULTRAS Kampen. DOS Kampen supporters who consistently show that dedication, creativity, and hard work are much more important than large numbers.

ULTRAS Kampen use the cartoon character Darkwing Duck as a motif. Rumour has it that ducks used to frequent the old Kampen pitch in the city park, leading to the nickname “the Poelänten” or pond/puddle ducks.