Tom Overtoom

Thomas "Tom" Overtoom (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtoːmɑs (ˈtɔm) ˈoːvərtoːm]; born 20 November 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eerste Divisie club Telstar.

Tom Overtoom
Personal information
Full nameThomas Overtoom[1]
Date of birth (1990-11-20) 20 November 1990 (age 33)
Place of birthAmsterdam, Netherlands
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s)Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Telstar
Number12
Youth career
1997–1998SV de Meer
1998–1999SV Diemen
1999–2011Ajax
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2009–2011Ajax0(0)
2009Haarlem (loan)12(0)
2011–2012Sparta Rotterdam15(2)
2012–2013Veendam26(6)
2013–2015Volendam54(9)
2015–2016Excelsior2(0)
2016Emmen (loan)9(0)
2016–2018Almere City50(11)
2018–2020NEC30(1)
2020–Telstar96(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:02, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Career

Ajax

Overtoom grew up in the neighbourhood of Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam, and started his football career in 1998 for SV de Meer, before moving to SV Diemen the following year.[2] He only stayed their for another year, before joining the youth academy of Ajax.[3] During his years in the academy, he was chosen multiple times as the best player, such as at the 2002 Danone Nations Cup in France.[4]

In July 2009, Overtoom was sent on a one-season loan to Haarlem, who were then competing in the Eerste Divisie.[5] During his time at Haarlem, Overtoom made 13 appearances for the first team, including his professional debut on 11 September 2009, in a 4–1 home loss to Helmond Sport.[6][7] However, on 22 January 2010, he requested to return to Ajax before Haarlem faced bankruptcy.[8][9] Towards the end of January 2011, Overtoom was included in the matchday squad for the away game against NAC Breda. He had been assigned the jersey number 52 for the 2010–11 season. Despite being part of the first team's match selection once, he failed to make an appearance. In 2011, Ajax made the decision not to extend his expiring contract, and he departed the club as a free agent.[10]

Sparta Rotterdam

On 21 June 2011, Overtoom signed a two-year contract with Eerste Divisie club Sparta Rotterdam.[11] He scored two goals in 15 appearances during his only season at the club, before deciding to terminate his contract by mutual consent.[12]

Veendam

On 1 August 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Veendam. Due to the bankruptcy of the club in March 2013,[13] as it later turned out, he would score the last professional goal in the club's history during the match against FC Oss on 15 March 2013, which they won 2–1.[14][15] After that, he maintained his fitness at Groningen, attracting interest from various domestic and foreign clubs.[16][17]

Volendam

In June 2013, Overtoom joined Volendam on a two-year deal.[18] He made his debut for the club on 3 August 2013, the first matchday of the season, starting and providing an assist in a 3–2 away victory against Almere City, in which Robert Mühren scored a hat-trick.[19] In his first season, he was named Player of the Year.[20] However, in his second year at the club, he played less than half of the matches due to a hip injury.[21] On 1 July 2015, he became a free agent as he chose not to renew his contract with Volendam.

Excelsior

In July 2015, Overtoom signed a one-year contract with Excelsior, with an option for an additional season.[22][23] After making only four appearances during six months at the club, he was sent on loan to Emmen in January 2016.[24][25]

Almere City and NEC

In July 2016, he signed a two-year contract with Almere City.[2] In the summer of 2018, he followed his coach Jack de Gier to NEC, where he signed a three-year contract.[26] On 17 August, he made his debut for the club in a home game against Cambuur.[27] On 4 November, he scored his first goal for NEC in a 3–1 home victory against Jong AZ.[28] On 12 June 2020, his contract, which still had one year remaining, was terminated by NEC by mutual consent.[29]

Telstar

On 19 November 2020, he signed for Telstar as a free agent, after having convinced during trials.[30] He made his debut for the club on 4 December, replacing Sven van Doorm in the 89th minute of a 2–1 home loss to Cambuur.[31] He emerged as a pivotal player for the club, featuring in 32 matches, 30 of which he started, during the 2022–23 season. His contributions aided Telstar to a ninth-place finish in the table – their highest since 2018 and the second-best result since 2005.[7][32]

On 29 May 2024, Overtoom extended his contract with Telstar by one season, keeping him at the club until 30 June 2025.[33]

Career statistics

As of match played 10 May 2024[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueKNVB CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Haarlem (loan)2009–10Eerste Divisie12010130
Ajax2010–11Eredivisie00000000
Sparta Rotterdam2011–12Eerste Divisie1522000172
Veendam2012–13Eerste Divisie26611277
Volendam2013–14Eerste Divisie37710387
2014–15Eerste Divisie172004[a]0212
Total5491040599
Excelsior2015–16Eredivisie202040
Emmen (loan)2015–16Eerste Divisie902[a]0110
Almere City2016–17Eerste Divisie2852000305
2017–18Eerste Divisie226005[a]0276
Total501120505711
NEC2018–19Eerste Divisie2512000271
2019–20Eerste Divisie501060
Total3013000331
Telstar2020–21Eerste Divisie13000130
2021–22Eerste Divisie27011281
2022–23Eerste Divisie31310323
2023–24Eerste Divisie25110261
Total96431995
Career total2943315211032035

References