ADO Den HaagADO Den Haag carries its guiding idea in its name: the letters stand for “Alles Door Oefening”, or “everything through practice”. The club was founded on 1 February 1905 in the café Het Hof van Berlijn in The Hague, a building known today as De Paap. The Hague is the seat of Dutch government and the country's third-largest city, and the team has long been seen as its representative. The nicknames De Residentieclub and De Ooievaars (the Storks) reflect that bond. The colours are yellow and green, and the motto has outlived mergers, changes of name and relegations.
The only national championships came in 1942 and 1943. Both were won before the Eredivisie was introduced in 1956, when the champion was decided in a play-off among regional winners. On the way to the second title, ADO beat Heerenveen, the team of Abe Lenstra, 8–2. The league title has not returned to The Hague since, which makes the 1940s the one era in which the club stood at the very top of Dutch football.
The 1960s brought a different kind of success. Ernst Happel took over as coach in 1962, when ADO was struggling to stay clear of relegation, and within a few years he had built one of the three strongest sides in the country. The club lost cup finals in 1963, 1964 and 1966, but on 3 June 1968 it beat Ajax, then coached by Rinus Michels, 2–1 and won the KNVB Cup for the first time. Lex Schoenmaker scored in that final. Happel later moved to Feyenoord, with whom he won the European Cup in 1970.
In 1971 the professional section merged with Holland Sport to form FC Den Haag, the name the club used for a quarter of a century. Under it the team lost the 1972 cup final to Ajax 3–2 and won the trophy for a second time in 1975, beating Twente 1–0. Martin Jol was part of that squad. The original name returned after another merger in 1996.
The 1975 cup win earned a place in the 1975/76 Cup Winners' Cup. After eliminating Vejle BK 4–0 on aggregate, FC Den Haag drew West Ham United in the quarter-finals. In the first leg on 3 March 1976 the hosts led 4–0 after 42 minutes: Aad Mansveld scored a hat-trick, two of the goals from penalties, and Schoenmaker added the fourth. Billy Jennings pulled two back for West Ham after the break and the match ended 4–2. Two weeks later the English side won the return leg 3–1, with Schoenmaker scoring for the Dutch, and went through on away goals after a 5–5 aggregate. West Ham reached the final and lost it to Anderlecht 4–2. The tie remains the club's greatest European achievement.
Several well-known names of Dutch football grew up at the club. Dick Advocaat, born in The Hague, made 147 league appearances for ADO between 1966 and 1973, returned for a short spell in 1979/80 and coached the club in 2022/23. Jol played for ADO in 1973–78 and again in 1985–89. The club's historic home was the stadium in the Zuiderpark, where the 1968 cup run was celebrated. A new stadium for 15,000 spectators opened in 2007.
The modern era has been more uneven. ADO won the second division in 2003, spent four seasons in the Eredivisie, was relegated in 2007 and returned through the play-offs in 2008. It stayed in the top flight until 2021. In 2025/26 the team coached by Robin Peter won the Eerste Divisie with 29 wins in 38 matches and 89 points. Promotion was secured on 17 March 2026 with a 1–0 win over Jong FC Utrecht in front of a sold-out 15,000, and the title followed on 10 April. The club plays in the Eredivisie again in 2026/27, and its supporters maintain close ties with the fans of Legia Warsaw, Club Brugge and Juventus.