Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, which has played in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football, since its inception in 1956. Along with Ajax and Feyenoord, PSV is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated the Eredivisie.
The club was founded in 1913 as a team for Philips employees. PSV's history contains two golden eras revolving around the UEFA Cup victory in 1978 and the 1987–88 European Cup victory as part of the seasonal treble in 1988. The team has won the Eredivisie 27 times, the KNVB Cup 11 times and the Johan Cruyff Shield a record 15 times. Currently (as of January 2026), PSV is ranked 18th on the UEFA club coefficients ranking., UEFA.com. Throughout the years, PSV has developed a reputation as a stepping stone for players who later achieved success at major European clubs or on the international stage, including: Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romário, Ronaldo, Phillip Cocu, Boudewijn Zenden, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Denzel Dumfries, Mark van Bommel, Park Ji-sung, Georginio Wijnaldum, Memphis Depay, and Cody Gakpo.
Since its foundation, it has played in the Philips Stadion and has upheld its club colours (red and white). Its elaborate connection with Philips can be witnessed in its sponsoring, shared technology and board member ties. Fans have named themselves 'boeren' (, Dutch for either peasants or farmers), taking pride in Eindhoven's status of being a provincial city and their Brabantian heritage.
History
Foundation and first decades (1913–1962)
To serve the need for activities with Philips employees, the company founded its own football team in 1910: the Philips Elftal. Its ground was the Philips Sportpark, located on the same location as the present day stadium. Financial turmoil and worker strikes led to a quick demise of the team and in 1913, its successor emerged, Philips Sport Vereniging, founded on 31 August. It was the day that Philips organized celebrations and sports competitions in light of the centennial of the defeat of the French in the Napoleonic Wars. It was not until 1916, however, that the football department switched its name from Philips Elftal to PSV. Because of World War I, the first possibility to enter a league was in the 1915–16 season. The club's first ever match was a 3–2 defeat against Willem II Reserves on 19 September 1915. The team did achieve promotion that season to a newly created Third Division of the Brabantian FA. Under the guidance of coach Wout Buitenweg, PSV were promoted in 1918 and 1921 as well, eventually reaching the Eerste Klasse. The team was relegated in 1925, but its stint in the Second Division only lasted one year when PSV were promoted again. Since 1926, PSV has always played in the highest possible domestic league.
That year, defender Sjef van Run was brought in and a year later Jan van den Broek joined PSV, two players that would shape the squad in the coming years. Behind the scenes, Frans Otten became chairman of the entire PSV sports union. He was responsible for bringing the club to a new level with new accommodations and stadium expansions. After winning the district league in 1929, PSV entered the championship play-offs. In that competition, it won six out of eight matches. A 5–1 win against Velocitas from the city of Groningen meant that PSV was crowned league champions for the first time. In the following three years, PSV won the district league every year, but it could not win the play-offs until 1935. In that year, the team secured the second championship ever in a 2–1 victory against DWS.
Due to World War II, attendances decreased significantly and in 1940, PSV player Johan Brusselers died in combat. After the war, PSV signed two new strikers: Piet Fransen in 1948 and Coen Dillen in 1949. In 1950, PSV got its first post-war success when the team defeated HFC Haarlem in the KNVB Cup final; the match ended in 4–3 after extra time. A year later, PSV won the district title after EVV failed to win their final match. Even though coach Sam Wadsworth resigned during the championship play-offs, the title was won after a 2–1 win over Willem II. The 1950–51 season was Dillen's breakthrough, scoring 21 times and earning the nickname "The Canon". Besides Dillen and Fransen, a memorable player of the early 1950s success was goalkeeper Lieuwe Steiger, who ended up playing 383 matches for PSV.
In 1955, PSV became the first Dutch club to enter the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The two matches against Rapid Wien ended in 1–6 and 1–0. Other success in the 1950s remained absent but in the 1956–57 season, Dillen scored 43 times, a Dutch record that still stands today. The approaching 1960s marked a shift in player's heritage: the team went from mostly Brabantian men to players nationwide. Representative for this policy were defender Roel Wiersma, who arrived in 1954 and captained the team for a decade, and Piet van der Kuil, who came from Ajax for the equivalent of €59,000 (PSV's then-highest transfer fee). Dillen left the club in 1961 after being club top scorer every year from 1953 to 1961. In 1962, Otten also decided to quit as chairman of the sports union. By then, board member Ben van Gelder had gradually started to mold the club in his way. Throughout the next two decades, he became responsible for turning PSV into a full-fledged professional organization.
Van der Kuijlen era and UEFA Cup victory (1963–1978)
In the 1962–63 season, marking PSV's 50-year anniversary, the club appointed Bram Appel as the new coach. The first results were disastrous, however, with a mere six points earned from the first six fixtures. A sudden revival led to a first place at the winter break and a 5–2 victory over Ajax in June meant that PSV could celebrate its fourth league title, with Pierre Kerkhofs leading the goal scorer charts with 22 goals. The following year, PSV ended second in the league but more significantly, reached the Europa Cup I quarter-finals for the first time, where it was eliminated by FC Zürich. Appel remained coach for five years; the position was later on followed up with short stints by Milan Nikolić and Wim Blokland. Willy van der Kuijlen was signed in 1964, who produced 23 league goals in 1966 and became the league's top scorer at age 20.
Between 1968 and 1972, Kurt Linder coached PSV. His team reached two Dutch cup finals and the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Van der Kuijlen had trouble fulfilling his promise after an encouraging career start in the 1960s, however, partly because of a lack of chemistry between him and Linder's harsh coaching style. The early 1970s in football were dominated by Ajax and Feyenoord and it was not until the appointment of Kees Rijvers as coach in 1972 that would mark the start of increasing success for PSV. With Van der Kuijlen and goalkeeper Jan van Beveren as the stars of the team, Rijvers created a new squad by signing Ralf Edström, Gerrie Deijkers and the twins Willy and René van de Kerkhof. Things improved for Van der Kuijlen when Rijvers built the team around him, giving him a free role in the process. Van der Kuijlen, a technical player, formed a successful striker partnership with Edström, who was famed for his heading ability. It led to a Dutch cup victory in 1974, and after a blistering season start (no defeats in the first season half) and 28 goals by Van der Kuijlen. PSV also won the league for the fifth time in 1975.
A year later, PSV managed to win its first double. With defender Huub Stevens joining the team, the league title was secured after a 4–1 result against Feyenoord. Earlier, a 1–0 victory over Roda JC meant that PSV won the national cup as well. In the European Cup, the final was only narrowly missed after a 1–0 aggregate loss against Saint-Étienne in the semi-finals. After the two consecutive titles, PSV ended second in 1977. The following year, Edström left the squad but PSV nonetheless enjoyed a strong league campaign. In April 1978, the team secured the title without a single loss. The domestic cup ended early after a shocking 1–6 first round loss against FC Wageningen (PSV's biggest home loss ever to date). The UEFA Cup campaign proved to be more successful; after wins against Glenavon, Widzew Łódź, Eintracht Braunschweig and 1. FC Magdeburg, the team faced Barcelona. A 3–0 win in the first leg was nullified by the Spaniards in the return leg, but a single goal by Nick Deacy at Camp Nou meant that PSV could progress with a 4–3 aggregate win. The two-legged final against Bastia first produced a goalless draw in the first match. The return leg in Eindhoven ended in a 3–0 win, with goals by Willy van de Kerkhof, Deijkers and Van der Kuijlen providing PSV its first European trophy.
Hiddink and the European Cup victory (1979–1989)
After the UEFA Cup victory, the team chemistry started to suffer, which was reflected in the results. Not long after a 6–0 UEFA Cup loss against Saint-Étienne, Rijvers was sacked and the squad disintegrated. Van Beveren, unhappy with the declining success and Rijvers' departure, left for the United States after 291 league games and years of captaincy. Van Gelder also quit in 1980 and was replaced by Kees Ploegsma. Even though PSV invested in players like Hallvar Thoresen and Jurrie Koolhof, success remained absent. Thijs Libregts' (coach from 1980 until 1983) highest league position was the second place in the 1981–82 season, and in 1983, Jan Reker took over. A clash between Van der Kuijlen and Libregts led to the former's departure in 1982 after nearly 18 seasons at the club.
In 1985, chairman Jacques Ruts and Ploegsma decided on a change of direction: Hans Kraay became the new director of football (supervising Reker in 1985–86, and taking over altogether in 1986–87) and PSV started to sign players with flair, like Ruud Gullit, Søren Lerby, Gerald Vanenburg and Eric Gerets. Gullit, who quickly was appointed as captain, contributed to the team that headed the league table for the majority of the 1985–86 Eredivisie and claimed the title after an 8–2 win against Go Ahead Eagles. Being unhappy with his personal development, Gullit heavily criticized PSV and Kraay in a March 1987 interview. The management's subsequent warning was deemed too lenient by Kraay, who resigned. Gullit's strained relationship with the club meant that he left for Milan in the summer for a world record fee of €7.7 million. Earlier that year, Guus Hiddink replaced Kraay and Ronald Koeman joined PSV. That season, the squad suffered early eliminations from the Dutch cup and European Cup, but secured the title in the penultimate match.
The 1987–88 season turned out to be PSV's best year in history. The Eredivisie was won four matches before the end after many high scoring matches, leading up to 117 goals. The cup was also won after beating Roda JC 3–2 after extra time. The European Cup campaign started with wins against Galatasaray and Rapid Wien. Subsequently, PSV managed to reach the final with only draws. The quarter finals against Bordeaux were decided by Wim Kieft’s away goal. A vicious foul by Hans Gillhaus on Jean Tigana was praised by Koeman, which prompted UEFA to suspend him for the semi-final return leg against Real Madrid. Again, an away goal in the first leg (a notoriously lethargic shot by Edward Linskens at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium) meant that the second leg's 0–0 was enough to proceed. The final against Benfica, held in Stuttgart, remained goalless. In the penalty shoot-out, Van Breukelen saved Benfica's sixth penalty by António Veloso, which meant that PSV had won the European Cup and completed the treble.