would accompany the players to the away games against the other five district champions in the Championship, which was not ordinary at that time. In 1950 against Ajax (Rinus Michels), Enschedese Boys, Heerenveen (Abe Lenstra), Limburgia and Maurits. During these matches the supporters of Blauw-Wit could be heard loud and clear singing (Ons ideaal, dat is Blauwwit, de Club waar pit in zit, de Club van het Stadion, kwam, zag en overwon, invariably ended with the yell alabimba, alabimba, blauwwit, blauwwit, blauwwit!!) (). National team players The following players have played for the Netherlands national football team while playing for Blauw-Wit: 1 Co Bergman 8x (31-10-1937; 28-11-1937; 31-3-1940; 10-3-1946; 27-11-1946; 7-4-1947; 4-5-1947; 26-5-1947) 2 Cor Wilders 8x (31-1-1937; 4-4-1937; 2-5-1937; 23-4-1939; 7-5-1939; 17-3-1940; 21-4-1940; 10-3-1946) 3 Hermanus van Diermen 5x (5-4-1920; 13-5-1920; 16-5-1920; 15-5-1921; 12-6-1921) 4 Eb van der Kluft 4x (12-6-1921; 2-4-1923; 29-4-1923; 10-5-1923) 5 Frans Hombörg 2x (9-6-1929; 12-6-1929) 6 Ko Stijger 2x (17-3-1940; 10-3-1946) 7 Feike Lietzen 1x (26-3-1922) 8 Ferry Mesman 1x (15-10-1950) 9 Herman van Raalte 1x (21-11-1948) 10 Jan Schindeler 1x (19-4-1925) 11 Kees Slot 1x (31-3-1940) Below is a unique national team selection with 3 Blauwwitters, amongst them the team captain, plus 1 on the bench. The Dutch won the match 6–2 against Luxembourg on 10 March 1946. Luxembourg – Netherlands: 2 – 6 Manager: Karel Kaufman Players: Piet Kraak, Cor Wilders (captain), Henk van der Linden, Jan van Buijtenen, Henk Pellikaan, Ko Stijger, Jan Holleman, Faas Wilkes, Abe Lenstra, Kees Rijvers, Co Bergman. Players on the bench: Herman van Raalte, Jan Potharst, A.W.H. van der Veen, Anton van der Vegt The Dutch goals were scored by Faas Wilkes 4x, Kees Rijvers 1x, Co Bergman 1x. The rise and fall in professional football 1954–1972 (1982) In 1954 the club joined the ranks of professional football, after BVC Amsterdam had already stripped the club of all its players just prior (amongst others Hanny Tolmeijer). The players denounced their amateur club membership, and left without compensation to jump straight into professional football. considered very weak by the old supporters (known as the Foreign Legion, with members such as Frans van der Klink, Douwe Damsma, Nico Engelander, Anton Goedhart, Jan Dahrs, Wim van Biljouw, Erwin Sparendam). Playing in paid football the club were however not able to reach their previous form and relegated in 1960 to the Eerste Divisie. Despite the club's illustrious amateur history, the