Spakenburg gets permission for cup match with PSV, Feyenoord-Ajax on April 5

SV Spakenburg has received permission from the Bunschoten municipality to play the semi-final of the KNVB Cup tournament against PSV at its own Sportpark De Westmaat.

The game will be finished on Tuesday, April 4. The other semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax is scheduled one day later. No away supporters are welcome at that game, the Rotterdam city council announced earlier.

Amateur club Spakenburg surprised friend and foe last week when it beat premier league side FC Utrecht 4-1. Earlier in the tournament, coach Chris de Graaf’s team already won 3-2 at FC Groningen.

After rival and neighbor IJsselmeervogels in 1975 and VVSB in 2016, Spakenburg is the third amateur club to reach the last four of the cup.

Last Saturday, the “Blauwen,” as Spakenburg’s nickname goes, were paired with PSV in the draw with a home match. However, the club had to get permission from the municipality to finish the semi-final on its own ground. Spakenburg plans to expand the stadium with temporary stands, allowing some 8,000 spectators to attend.

The winner of the semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax will be the home team in the final on Sunday, April 30. The Spakenburg amateurs do not play on Sundays due to religious considerations. “But next week a consultation with all semi-finalists is scheduled,” league planner Timo Reessink of the KNVB said last Saturday after the draw.

“Then this will undoubtedly be on the table. We are going to see what the possibilities are. But the final is scheduled for a Sunday.”