Adelaide United have pulled off a coup, luring experienced Dutch defender Bart Vriends to the Isuzu UTE A-League from the Eredivisie.
Captain of top-flight outfit Sparta Rotterdam – the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands – Vriends has swapped the Dutch top flight for Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium on a two-year deal until the end of the 2025-26 season.
The 33-year-old was available on a free transfer from Sparta, where he amassed 215 official appearances and 11 goals while captaining the club across eight years, and this represents his first move abroad, having also played 113 games for Go Ahead Eagles.
Last month, Vriends laid his own stone in the ‘Wall of Legends and Fans’. It was the first time in 20 years that a player passed the 200-match mark, current goalkeeping coach Frank Kooiman was the last to do so.
“I’ve always desired to play abroad during my career — new league, new playing style, culture, something completely different.” said Vriends, who captained Sparta to an eighth-placed finish behind champions PSV in 2023-24.
“After eight wonderful years at Sparta Rotterdam, it was the perfect time to make that dream come true, but I was looking for something special, and I found that on the other side of the world.”
For Vriends, a switch to Australia had always been on the cards after spending time with Adelaide legend and Socceroos star Craig Goodwin at Sparta Rotterdam.
Goodwin joined Sparta in 2016 after winning the Championship with Adelaide, and he teamed up with Vriends for two seasons in Rotterdam.
It was there where Goodwin planted a seed in the head of Vriends, who also played with another Australian in 2016-17, midfielder Kenny Dougall.
“I used to play with Adelaide-kid Craig Goodwin at Sparta Rotterdam,” Vriends told AUFC Media.
“We spent a lot of time together on and off the pitch, and back then he already convinced me to play in the A-League one day, because it would fit me as a player and a person — well, I took that advice seriously!”
Vriends brings a wealth of experience to Carl Veart’s Adelaide in 2024-25.
He scored for Go Ahead Eagles in a UEFA Europa League clash with Hungarian giants Ferencvaros in 2015.
During his time with Sparta Rotterdam, Vriends enjoyed a sixth-placed finish in 2022-23 – their best placing since 1995-96.
He also scored in a shock 3-1 win over Philip Cocu’s PSV in a KNVB Beker clash in 2016. Goodwin came off the bench for Sparta that day, while PSV boasted a young Oleksandr Zinchenko, Luuk de Jong, Andres Guardado and former Sydney FC winger Luciano Narsingh.
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At Sparta, he played alongside future Netherlands and Inter star Denzel Dumfries, while he was briefly coached by Dutch great Dick Advocaat.
In December 2017, Sparta turned to Advocaat for the remainder of the season but he could not prevent relegation to the second tier.
“Since the moment Marius (Zanin) and Ernest (Faber) approached me about a possible move to Adelaide, it felt like a perfect fit,” Vriends said.
“I had an interesting meeting with Ernest and Cor (Adriaanse) in Eindhoven, who told me about the club, the ambitions, and the sports culture in Australia.
“After that, I watched some videos of the club’s achievements, including the Championship in 2016, and I was convinced right away that Adelaide United should be my next career move.
“It feels like an exciting new challenge to be part of the club, and I’m looking forward to meeting the people in Adelaide, and I can’t wait to play, in what I’ve repeatedly been told, is the best football stadium in the A-League.”
Vriends is Adelaide’s third signing after Archie Goodwin (Newcastle Jets) and Dylan Pierias (Western Sydney Wanderers) and he will arrive in South Australia next month.
Adelaide head coach Carl Veart, whose side missed the finals last season, said: “Bart is someone we’ve been looking at for a couple of seasons.
“He has now flagged with us that he is ready to make that change in his life to move to Australia, and he’s excited about what we’re formulating here in Adelaide.
“I’m very happy with his quality — he’s of a good pedigree; an excellent person both on and off the pitch.
“After playing at such a high level in the Netherlands, we know he’ll bring invaluable leadership and guidance to the younger players within the group.”
