Martini Sparks | |||
---|---|---|---|
Leagues | Vrouwen Basketball League | ||
Founded | 2018 | ||
History | Martini Sparks 2018–present | ||
Arena | Scharlakenhof | ||
Location | Haren, Netherlands | ||
Team colors | Navy, White | ||
President | Cees Dijkhuis | ||
Head coach | Klaas Stoppels | ||
Martini Sparks is a Dutch women's basketball club based in Haren. Since its establishment in 2018, [1] it plays in the Vrouwen Basketball League (VBL), the highest tier in the Netherlands.
The club was established in 2018 to become the first team from the province Groningen to play in the Vrouwen Basketball League since 2011. On 22 January 2019, the Sparks won their first game ever as they beat Lekdetec Bemmel 55–47 at home. [2]
Due to sponsorship reasons, the team has been known as:
Playoff berth | |
Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Dutch Cup | Head coach | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win% | ||||||||
Martini Sparks | ||||||||||||
2018–19 | 1 | VBL | 7th | 18 | 1 | 17 | .056 | DNQ | Quarterfinalist | Glenn Pinas | ||
2019–20 | 1 | VBL | 7th | 25 | 3 | 22 | .120 | DNQ | Quarterfinalist | Klaas Stoppels | ||
2020–21 | 1 | WBL | 9th | 16 | 0 | 16 | .000 | DNQ |
Football Club Groningen is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team will compete in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the 2022–23 Eredivisie. Groningen played their inaugural season in the Eredivisie, before the side were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1973–74 as they got into financial difficulties. Groningen were promoted back to the Eredivisie as champions in 1979–80 and remained in the top flight for almost 20 seasons before they dropped to the second tier in 1997–98. The team won promotion to the Eredivisie in 1999–2000, where they remained for 23 seasons before suffering relegation in 2022–23.
Candace Nicole Parker nicknamed "Ace", is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks and two seasons with the Chicago Sky, winning a championship with each team.
Sportclub Veendam was a Dutch professional association football club based in Veendam, province of Groningen. Founded on 4 September 1894 as Look-Out, it became P.J. Veendam in 1909, Veendam in 1910, SC Veendam in 1974, BV Veendam in 1997 and again SC Veendam in 2011. The club was a founder member of the regional first tier Eerste Klasse Noord in 1916 and became champions of the division in 1931–32; it qualified for the national championship play-offs but finished in bottom place. Veendam took part in the inaugural season of the third tier Tweede Divisie in 1956–57; after yo-yoing between the third and second tiers, the team won promotion to the first tier Eredivisie for the first time in 1985–86. The side spent two seasons in the Eredivisie—1986–87 and 1988–89—but were relegated both times. Veendam then competed in the second tier Eerste Divisie until they were dissolved due to financial problems in 2013.
Donar, also known as Donar Groningen, is a professional basketball club based in Groningen, Netherlands. The club competes in the BNXT League and its home arena is MartiniPlaza, which has a seating capacity of 4,350 people.
The Vrouwen Eredivisie, also known as the Azerion Eredivisie Vrouwen due to a 3 year sponsor contract starting from the 2022–2023 season, is the highest women's football league in the Netherlands. Organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) it was established in 2007 as a professional league and played for five seasons until 2012 when the leagues of the Netherlands and Belgium merged forming a single combined league. After three seasons the BeNe League folded and the Eredivisie was restarted in the 2015–16 season. The league winner receives a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Mitch Apau is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Eerste Divisie club Telstar.
Jason Richard Dourisseau is an American-born naturalised Dutch professional basketball player. Dourisseau primarily plays the small forward position. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Dourisseau received a Dutch passport in 2015. He is most known for his years with Donar, where he played for 10 seasons and won five DBL championships and seven other trophies. The club retired his number 8.
Ivica Skelin is a Croatian professional basketball coach who is the current head coach for Telenet Giants Antwerp of the BNXT League.
Sean Kingsley Cunningham is an American-Dutch professional basketball player. Cunningham usually plays the point guard or shooting guard position. He is a former member of the Dutch national basketball team.
The Women's Basketball League (WBL) is the highest level of women's basketball in the Netherlands. The first season was played in 1949. Blue Stars is the record titleholder of the league with 20 championships. As of 2021, the league consists of nine teams.
BV Den Helder was a professional basketball club from Den Helder, Netherlands. The team had several seasons in the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional league in the Netherlands. The club is currently inactive, however Den Helder Suns has replaced the club as professional team from Den Helder.
Košarkarski klub Koper Primorska, commonly referred to as KK Koper Primorska, was a men's professional basketball club based in Koper, Slovenia. The club was formed by the merger of KOŠ Koper and KK Lastovka in 2016, and was disbanded in 2020 due to financial problems.
Andrew Smith is an American-Latvian professional basketball player for BC Luleå. Smith played for the Liberty Flames team for four years as a collegiate.
The Den Helder Suns are a professional basketball club based in Den Helder, Netherlands. The club was founded in 2016 and currently plays in the BNXT League. The team has played at the highest domestic level since 7 years. The Suns play their home games in the Sporthal Sportlaan, which has a capacity of 1,000 people.
The ABA League Second Division, also ABA League 2, is the 2nd-tier men's basketball division of the ABA League system. It is run by the ABA League JTD. It is a regional competition between men's professional clubs from six countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
CBV Binnenland is a Dutch basketball club based in Barendrecht. Its women's team plays in the national first tier Vrouwen Basketball League (VBL). The men's team plays in the national second tier Promotiedivisie.
The 2018–19 Dutch Basketball League (DBL) was the 59th season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The regular season started on 6 October 2018 and ended 30 April 2019. The best eight teams qualify for the playoffs which start on 2 May 2019. Donar was the defending champion.
Rienk Johannes Mast is a Dutch college basketball player for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Standing at 205 cm, Mast usually plays the power forward or center position. He is a current member of the Dutch national basketball team.
Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija, commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Slovenian League.
Elena Dhont is a Belgian footballer who plays for Dutch Eredevisie team Twente, and the Belgium women's national football team.