E.S.Z.V.V. Totelos was founded on November 6, 1978 by G.J.M. Dirks and L.N.M. Veugen. They were the driving forces behind two teams in the internal futsal competition, known as Totelos 1 and Totelos 2, which were responsible for many successes.
The first board of our association consisted of five members, with 33-year-old P. van den Berg as chairman (evidently, the concept of the 'eternal student' had not yet died out). The board quickly formed four teams for the Internal Competition and one external team for the KNVB competition. In the 1980s, the majority of Totelos teams were internal, a trend that remained unchanged for a long time. However, in the early 1990s, there was an increase in the number of external teams. This resulted in the 91/92 season being the first to have more external (8) than internal teams (7). By the 95/96 season, after steady growth, Totelos reached its pinnacle in KNVB history. A total of twelve teams participated in the KNVB competition. Due to shifts from KNVB to NZVB, a decrease in membership, and changes in the student population, the number of KNVB teams dropped to five. However, with the introduction of the new women's team, Totelos once again had six teams in the KNVB competition from the 08/09 season onwards. Growth continued, and by the 2018-2019 season, Totelos had nineteen teams. This trend continued in the 2019-2020 season, with a record number of 21 teams.
A few years after its founding (around 1981), for reasons unknown to us, the switch was made to the NZVB. However, this development led to a small split within the association. The first team, although exceptionally successful (rising from the 3rd division to the top division), became an elitist group that even had its own board until 1984. Wisely, this arrangement was ended after a few years.
Around this time, Totelos began to grow steadily. Well-known events such as D-night and the Totelos Tournament made their debut. Initially, only Dutch teams participated in this tournament. However, in the 84/85 season, the tournament expanded internationally, giving rise to the magnificent IUTT (International University Totelos Tournament). This tournament continued successfully in the following years, with occasional financial hiccups despite its popularity. The participant pool was not always international, and certainly not always from universities, although this was the original aim of the tournament. Nevertheless, this did not detract from the success the event enjoyed year after year.
In the years following, around 85/86, Totelos experienced its first coaching change. Bou Boudeling, who had led Totelos in its formative years for eight years, was replaced by a 'real' futsal coach, Jan Harting. He brought exceptional technical and tactical expertise to the table, resulting in significant achievements for Totelos teams. Attention was paid to both low and high-level teams. Additionally, the first NSK Futsal (National Student Championship) was organized in Eindhoven. Eindhoven, read Totelos, secured a respectable third place. This was a foretaste of what the future held. In the years that followed, Eindhoven would win the championship several times.
In the 87/88 season, it was decided to return to playing in the KNVB league. The reasons for this were the sporting appeal (still present), the lower cost (no longer the case), and the poor referees in the NZVB (an experience anyone who has played in an NZVB match can attest to). The following year saw another coaching change, with Jos Halmans succeeding Jan Harting. Eindhoven once again won the NSK, this time in their own city, after having been the strongest team the previous year in Rotterdam. The most significant and memorable development in the 88/89 season was the establishment of the women's branch within the association. They proudly called themselves the 'miepenteam', although this name has since disappeared under a thick layer of dust. Nevertheless, these 'mieps' provided a very positive boost to the association. Events became more enjoyable, and the women were not shy about participating in board and committee work.
In the 89/90 season, the last interim coaching change within Totelos occurred. Jos Halmans found himself overwhelmed, as he also coached Pusphaira, and he was replaced by the widely known Peter Geurts. Under his leadership, characterized by immense dedication and outstanding effort, the association grew to become one of the largest in the sports center. Additionally, the teams' performances reached unprecedented heights within the student sports world. It's no wonder that Eindhoven continued to dominate the NSK.
In the following years, the association began to grow significantly. So much so that seven KNVB teams were registered. As mentioned earlier, the external branch now surpassed the internal branch. Since the Internal Competition was no longer the largest within Totelos, this competition was organized accordingly. Up to this point, the competition had been overseen by a futsal committee, typically consisting of three members, only one of whom was a Totelos member. In 1992, this led to the creation of a new position within the board: the Commissioner of the Internal Competition. This commissioner, along with the sports center coordinator, was responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the Internal Competition. This improved the link between the board and this competition, providing better visibility of the talents emerging from this competition. Sportingly, it's worth noting that in this year, Totelos 1 was promoted to the top division and Totelos 2 to the reserve top division, placing Totelos at the regional top level.
In the 92/93 season, the IUTT (International University Totelos Tournament) brought Totelos to the brink of financial disaster. Although it was once again a lively tournament, and during this edition, the Totelos anthem was composed, it proved to be a financial catastrophe. A staggering 1750 guilders were lost. Ultimately, Totelos managed to survive this difficult time through a significant increase in membership fees and the introduction of a donorship program, ensuring the continuation of the third lustrum. Additionally, in this season, a second women's team was registered. Although this team would be disbanded after the 97/98 season, it would be reintroduced several years later. Both women's teams would be disbanded after the 03/04 season.
By the 94/95 season, the number of KNVB teams had risen to eleven, bringing Totelos' total teams to nineteen, including eight internal teams. In this season, the women finally clinched the coveted title at the NSK in Tilburg, breaking the cycle of finishing second, reminiscent of Joop Zoetemelk. On the non-sporting front, Totelos borrels (social drinks) were introduced. The 95/96 season would go down in history as the season with the most KNVB teams, a record that will likely stand. Due to the current split within the external competition, fielding twelve KNVB teams is virtually impossible. The number of internal teams continued to rise, resulting in Totelos not only being the undisputed winner across all sports during the Van Lint Sports Week but also being named the Club of the Year. This year, Totelos also moved to its own home base at the sports center. This became possible as the third sports hall on the sports center was completed around this time.
And thus, we come back to the NZVB (Dutch Futsal Association). This lesser-known branch of futsal in the Eindhoven region is an ideal way to provide current students with the opportunity to play futsal. Among other factors, the introduction of the general public transportation pass (OV) and the later division into weekday and weekend passes led to more frequent student travel. This increased the demand for a weekday league, prompting Totelos to once again participate in the NZVB competition from the 98/99 season onwards. This time with three teams, and two years later, even four teams. The first team started off strong. After earning promotion in the first season to the top division, they went on to win the championship in 2001 and gain promotion to the highest division, the Topklasse.
Due to the growing interest of students in the NZVB competition, it became increasingly challenging to fill the KNVB teams. Eventually, the KNVB branch of Totelos would consist of only five teams. However, this had no impact on the membership numbers. In 1999, the membership surpassed 180, making Totelos the third-largest student sports association in Eindhoven, following Thêta and Hajraa. This did not affect the level of the KNVB branch either.
One reason for this is the good flow of talent from the NZVB and the Internal Competition to the KNVB (which, in the 98/99 season, consisted of a record thirteen T-teams, four of which were in the first division!). This resulted in, among other achievements, in 2000, the championship of N2 in the NZVB competition, as well as championships for both T3 and T1. The championship of T1 even meant that E.S.Z.V.V. Totelos would be represented at the second-highest level of futsal in the Netherlands. This is an exceptional feat for a student futsal association. With the constant changes in the association and selection, it was assumed that Totelos would not survive long in the First Division. However, this turned out to be untrue, as Totelos maintained its position in the First Division, narrowly missing out on the championship in the 03-04 season and eventually being promoted to the highest class of the Netherlands in the 05-06 season (partly due to the split of the national premier league into northern and southern divisions). As the KNVB decided to return to a single national top division, Totelos played one division lower from the 08/09 season onwards. The popularity of the NZVB has continued to rise in recent years. In the preceding lustrum year, there were eight KNVB and six NZVB teams. In the 08/09 season, the situation was exactly the opposite. However, this season also saw the return of a Totelos women's team to the KNVB after a five-year absence. In the fourth lustrum year, everyone within Totelos was very optimistic about the association's flourishing financial situation. After the championship of T1, Totelos gained a lot in terms of reputation, appeal, and PR. However, after several poorly executed tournaments, Totelos found itself in a less favorable financial situation.
In the 98/99 season, for the first time, alongside the KNVB tournament, the NZVB tournament was also organized. However, due to disappointing interest, it would not be organized the following year. Even finding enough teams for the KNVB tournament became a problem, resulting in the demise of the women's tournament. The IUTT also experienced disappointment every year. There were fewer and fewer (international) teams participating, and the women's tournament was also at risk of being canceled. However, in 2002, the tide turned. An extremely dedicated IUTT committee restored the international allure of the tournament, and the 2003 edition already featured 28 teams, including eight women's teams, 20 international teams, and winners from Poland and Britain. This trend continued, and in recent years, there has consistently been a strong international field of participants. It's worth noting that the futsal quality remains exceptionally high every year, without sacrificing the atmosphere!
Not only does the IUTT contribute to Totelos' international allure, but our own members also play a significant role through the FP2000 indoor soccer tournament in Lloret de Mar. Since 1999, Totelos has been regularly represented by a group of young people who, in addition to playing indoor soccer, want to enjoy a week of Sun, Sea, and Beer in Lloret de Mar.
Starting from the 2008-2009 season, a women's team was once again active. In the KNVB competition, the team played in the 4th division where it maintained a stable mid-table position. The team consisted of a core group of women who received reinforcement in the 2010-2011 season and had a permanent coach, Carlos Vilela. In the 2011-2012 season, Totelos women received additional support in both depth and breadth, allowing Totelos to field two women's teams in the KNVB competition. "Home base" at that time was the Sports Complex De Heiberg in Veldhoven. Women's team 1 played in the 1st division and, thanks to the injection of quality and the coaching efforts of Carlos Vilela, immediately won the championship, thus promoting for the first time to the Premier League.
The success and the opportunity to train attracted many new members. So much so that Totelos suddenly grew to four women's teams! Women's team 1 played in the Premier League with Raymond Starke as coach, Women's team 2 played in the 1st division with Carlos Vilela as coach, and Women's teams 3 and 4 played in the 2nd division. Willem Reker regularly coached Women's team 4 that year. In their first year in the Premier League, Women's team 1 achieved a commendable 4th place and reached the semi-finals of the cup. Women's teams 2 and 4 also finished in the top four that season. The women's section was now a vibrant and thriving part of the association.
In the 2013-2014 season, nine players switched to TOB, causing Totelos to revert to three women's teams; one team in each division. Thanks to training and the addition of new members, Women's team 1 had a fantastic season. They finished just three points behind the unbeatable Braakhuizen in 2nd place in the Premier League. And they even won the KNVB Cup for the first time in the club's history by defeating Braakhuizen 4-2 in extra time in the final. With mainly Totelos players, Team Eindhoven also won the GNSK field soccer that year. Women's team 2 managed to finish in the top 3 that season.
Before the start of the 2014-2015 season, Totelos Women said goodbye to some graduated players. Unfortunately, some students also went to study elsewhere, keeping the number of teams at three. However, the women's section was younger than ever, and the number of members continued to grow throughout the season. Women's team 1 also continued to improve sportingly and defeated Braakhuizen 6-1. Despite an exciting end to the season, Totelos had to concede 2 points to Braakhuizen, finishing second again. The KNVB Cup was successfully retained after defeating Valkenswaard 4-2 in the final. As a result, Women's team 1 made its debut in the national cup competition in the 2015-2016 season. Even the second women's team had a particularly successful season and remained undefeated to become champions. This promotion meant that in 2015-2016, two women's teams would compete in the Premier League. Also becoming undefeated champions were the men of Totelos' flagship team. The championship match against DBS ended 4-2 in favor of T1, securing promotion to the Premier League. The men's team also performed well in the cup competition, reaching the semi-finals after penalties.
In the 2016-2017 season, Women's team 1 won the KNVB Cup for the third consecutive year, allowing them to participate again in the national cup competition the following year. Women's team 2 didn't falter in the Premier League after their promotion the previous year. Eventually, Women's team 2 finished in 4th place. The growth in the number of members among the women led to the creation of a fourth women's team. The men also performed well. T1 played in the Premier League this year and started very well. They were just three points behind the number 1 team after the first period. Unfortunately, they couldn't maintain this and narrowly missed promotion to the top class in the promotion competition. Additionally, T2 distinguished itself as a successful team by being promoted to the first division.
In the 2017-2018 season, T1 and D1 continued their good sporting performances. In addition, the association welcomed three extra men's teams. The Internal Competition was professionalized with the introduction of Playpass, better materials, and the addition of Class C to the evening competition. Thanks to the internal plan, the Internal Competition now also benefited Totelos. But the association itself also made great strides: a new website, an accounting system, adapted statutes, a more professional house style, and automated registrations. The 39th board introduced board sweaters and ensured that almost half of the teams received new clothing.
The 2018-2019 season was marked by the 8th Lustrum. Forty years of Totelos were celebrated with a party, an Old Members Tournament, a Lustrum Gala, and a LustrumBOEM. Additionally, for the first time in ages, a Totelos ski holiday took place this season, and the members' weekend was held abroad. Besides all the fun activities, there were also sporting achievements; unfortunately, T1 narrowly missed the promotion competition, and Women's team 1 became champions for the 3rd year in a row. An attempt by the women to play at Eredivisie level next season was unfortunately rejected due to a lack of players/students who could compete at this level.
The 2019-2020 season was an interesting one. The year started well with nine full men's teams in the KNVB competition, seven NZVB teams, and four women's teams. Midway through the season, the competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 virus. Many activities were scrapped from the agenda, but this made room for other online activities and called for creative solutions. After a few months, gatherings resumed, adhering to the given measures. At the end of the season, we were fortunate to return to the gym for training, and with certain measures in place, several tournaments were still held. The competitions were not resumed and ended unfinished.
Season 2020-2021 started with high hopes. With four women's teams, seven KNVB teams, and nine (one pending) NZVB teams, the season began. Despite COVID-19, at least the KNVB competition could start. Especially for D1, this would be a challenging year in the Eredivisie. To make matters worse, the party quickly ended: new COVID-19 measures resulted in everything coming to a halt after a few weeks. No matches, and not even training. To maintain the sense of community since we couldn't see each other in the gym anymore, successful online events were organized. This ensured that we didn't forget each other, and as COVID-19 measures eased, we embraced each other on the field. Grass, not the gym floor, as training could continue outdoors on a larger scale. Thanks to this creative solution, many Totelos members improved their fitness level. After the rain comes sunshine, which manifested in the reopening of the gyms. An optional Regional Cup from the KNVB was scheduled but unfortunately did not take place. However, training sessions became more like the old days, and that left us wanting more. After all the setbacks of the previous year, there is no doubt that E.S.Z.V.V. Totelos will start next year like a young deer bursting out of the starting blocks.
At the start of the 2021-2022 season, Covid-19 seemed to be a thing of the past. The year started enthusiastically with training sessions and matches. However, it didn't take long for this to be halted by tightened government measures. Matches were stopped, and only training with adjusted measures was allowed. Some time later, relaxations were introduced, and more recreational and sports activities could be organized again. This year, after being absent for three years, IUTT took place again. This edition was a success with no less than seventeen men's teams and seven women's teams. Additionally, this year saw the inaugural ZAalvoetbalToernooi der Totelos (ZATT) with sixteen men's teams and eight women's teams. A low-threshold one-day tournament where the third half is highly valued. As usual, D1 became champions this year. However, this victory felt bittersweet due to the departure of many veteran women. However, they won't go far, as many will take on their former teammates at TOB next year or test their skills on the field at RPC. Nevertheless, the loss of these old guard women will be sorely felt by the association, and finding new female members and filling the goal of four women's teams will be a challenge. Finally, construction began on hall 1 at the SSC at the end of this year. A development that will be closely followed, including with a new camera system that can be used during training sessions and matches to study game situations.
The cursed Coronavirus was a thing of the past in the 2022-2023 season. Therefore, this year could be devoted to rebuilding and growing the association and actively bringing members together. Many members who had meant a lot to the association were forced to leave Totelos this season because the five-year regulation, introduced by the Coronavirus, was abolished. Nevertheless, this season the association started with one more men's team in the KNVB than the previous season: T8. Performances were delivered this season: D1 became champions and almost won the cup, T1 held their ground in the Topklasse, and T2 also did well in the Hoofdklasse. Furthermore, the results among the teams were mainly varied, but each team was able to enjoy a full season. On the recreational side, this season saw a full agenda: the largest tournaments organized by Totelos, IUTT and ZATT, were a great success! IUTT almost reached maximum capacity thanks to the experienced committee, and ZATT, in its second edition this year, was a two-day instead of a one-day tournament, further establishing itself for the coming years. Additionally, outside Eindhoven, we enjoyed fun tournaments at our sister associations Merlijn, Morado, and Vijfje. Furthermore, this year, after a long time, we participated again in the Batavierenrace in the beautiful East of the Netherlands. Finally, this year's BuTo was a huge success, with a record number of 31 Totelos members traveling to Belgrade, Serbia for the event.
A good trip it was!
In the 2023-2024 season, Totelos celebrated its 9th lustrum with the lustrum theme "Paradiso." Naturally, this was celebrated on a grand scale, starting with a successful opening party at 't Lempke. Additionally, a delicious specialty beer was brewed in honor of the lustrum, and unique lustrum merchandise was released, with someone seen wearing it almost every day. A spectacular gala was also organized at the Ketelhuis. On the sports front, T2 won the GNSK in Rotterdam, securing a ticket for the ESK. After training sessions, due to renovations, people had to move to the pop-up café at the SSC or the pavilion.
