The Rotterdam Football and Athletic Association Excelsior was founded on the 23rd of July 1904 and had varying degrees of success as an amateur side up to the start of Professional Football in Holland in 1954. Excelsior is the third club based in Rotterdam and have made their own individual contribution to the way the sport has taken shape in Holland. Many past players have appeared for the Dutch Eleven (Nederlands Elftal), the Football Association Eleven (Bonds Elftal), the Swallows (De Zwaluwen), the Rotterdam Eleven (Rotterdams Elftal) or have been lent out to other teams. Despite the pressures which faced smaller clubs over the years (and saw the original 80 clubs shrink to 36) Excelsior have managed to survive intact, even overcoming the loss of income resulting from the Bosman ruling (which meant the club could no longer ask money for the 'sale' of the product of their youth training).