Discover a special piece of sports history on Informational panel Voetbal Noortheylaan

In 2018, scientific research provided evidence that Leidschendam is the birthplace of Dutch football. Because until 1882, Leidschendam was home to Jongenskostschool Noorthey, where the first football match on Dutch soil was played around 1864. Thanks to the efforts of the municipality and descendants of pupils from the school, an information panel has now been installed, which tells the school’s story and how football came to the Netherlands.

Jongenskostschool Noorthey was the first Dutch boarding school which appointed teachers from Great Britain for English language lessons. They not only brought football, but also hockey and cricket. The info panel with the extended version of this story is near Noorthey campsite on the busy walking and cycle route between Veursestraatweg and the railway track between The Hague and Leiden.