FC Groningen facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Groningen | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Trots van het Noorden (lit. Pride of the North) De FC (lit. The FC) |
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| Founded | 16 June 1971 | |||
| Ground | Euroborg | |||
| Capacity | 22,525 | |||
| Owner | FC Groningen Beheer B.V. | |||
| Chairman | Jakob Klompien | |||
| Head coach | Dick Lukkien | |||
| League | Eerste Divisie | |||
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie, 18th of 18 (relegated) | |||
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Football Club Groningen is a professional association football club from Groningen, a city in the Groningen province of the Netherlands. The club was started in 1971. It took over from an older club called GVAV. Currently, Groningen plays in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. They were recently promoted back to this league after playing in the Eerste Divisie (the second league) for one season.
Groningen played in the Eredivisie for their first three seasons. Then, they were moved down to the Eerste Divisie in 1974 because of money problems. They worked hard and were promoted back to the Eredivisie in 1980. Many players from their youth academy helped them achieve this. They stayed in the top league for 18 seasons! After that, they went down to the second league again in 1998. But they quickly returned to the Eredivisie in 2000 and stayed there for 23 seasons. In 2023, they were relegated again, but they bounced back right away, getting promoted in 2024.
Groningen has won the KNVB Cup once, in 2015. They were also runners-up in 1989. Their best league finish was third place in 1991, where they almost won the league title! The team has also played in several European competitions. Their first time was in 1983, when they even beat Atlético Madrid. Many famous players started their careers at Groningen, like Erwin Koeman, Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben, and Virgil van Dijk. Luis Suárez also played for Groningen when he first came to Europe.
The team's first home stadium was Oosterparkstadion. Since 2006, they have played their home games at Euroborg. Groningen's home kit (their uniform) is green and white. These colors come from the city's official coat of arms. The club is often called "Trots van het Noorden," which means "Pride of the North." They also have a big rivalry with Heerenveen, a team from a nearby province. Their matches are known as the Derby van het Noorden.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
The club's story began with GVAV, which was founded in 1921. GVAV was one of the first teams in the Eredivisie when it started in 1956. In the early 1960s, GVAV faced money problems. To help, a special group called "Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV" was formed in 1963. It included GVAV, the Groningen City Council, and local businesses. Even with this help, GVAV's finances were still weak. They were the only professional team left in Groningen. In 1970, GVAV was moved down to the Eerste Divisie.
In February 1970, Harm Brink, who was the chairman of an amateur club, suggested starting a new professional team for Groningen. Other local clubs, businesses, and the City Council agreed to help clear GVAV's debts. In September 1970, most of GVAV's members voted for the new plan. GVAV then won promotion back to the Eredivisie in 1971. On 16 June 1971, Football Club Groningen was officially founded. GVAV then went back to being an amateur club.
A sad event happened just before Groningen was founded. GVAV's goalkeeper, Tonny van Leeuwen, who was also a player for the Dutch national team, died in a car accident. This was just one day before the new club started. Groningen played their very first match on 17 July 1971. They beat a German team, TSR Olympia Wilhelmshaven, 6–0. The team wore green and white kits, which are the colors of the city of Groningen.
Early Challenges and European Adventures (1971–1991)
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Groningen lost their first league game 1–0 at home in front of 13,000 fans. They got their first league win later that season. In 1974, Groningen finished last in the league and was moved down to the Eerste Divisie. During that season, they had their biggest ever defeat, losing 9–0 to Ajax. The club almost went bankrupt, but the Groningen City Council saved them.
To save money on buying players, Groningen started its own scouting system and a youth boarding school in 1975. This helped them build their team with young players. In 1980, Groningen won the Eerste Divisie title and returned to the Eredivisie. They lost only 4 out of 36 matches that season! Most of the players were from Groningen's own youth academy.
In 1983, Groningen qualified for European competition for the first time. This was after finishing 5th in the league. Key player Ronald Koeman left to join Ajax, but his brother Erwin stayed. Both brothers had started their careers at Groningen. The team's first European game was against Atlético Madrid. They lost 2–1 away but won 3–0 at home, winning 4–2 overall! In the next round, they faced Inter Milan. Groningen won 2–0 at home but lost 5–1 in Italy, so they were knocked out. Groningen played in European competitions five more times between 1986 and 1992.
Because of their success, Groningen became a fully professional club in the mid-1980s. They also had the fourth-highest average home attendance in Dutch football, with over 10,000 fans at each match. In 1989, Groningen reached their first KNVB Cup final but lost 4–1 to PSV. In the same year, the club's chairman, Renze de Vries, faced legal issues related to how some players were signed. He stepped down, and the club faced financial challenges again.
Despite these money problems, Groningen had their best-ever league finish in 1991: third place! Under coach Hans Westerhof, they were competing for the league title until the end of the season. Groningen's player Henny Meijer was even named Dutch Footballer of the Year that season.
New Stadium and First Major Trophy (1991–2021)
After finishing 5th in 1992 and qualifying for the 1992–93 UEFA Cup, Groningen started to drop down the league table. They were eventually moved down to the Eerste Divisie again in 1998. The club had little money and changed coaches often to try and find success. They finally returned to the Eredivisie in 2000 after winning their promotion play-off group. That season, Groningen set new club records: they scored 81 goals, won 10 matches in a row, and had their biggest ever victory, a 10–1 win against DVS '33 in the KNVB Cup.
In December 2000, 16-year-old Arjen Robben made his first professional appearance. Robben, who later became one of the best players in the world, was soon sold to PSV. Groningen managed to avoid relegation in their first few seasons back in the Eredivisie. Under coach Ron Jans, who started in 2002, Groningen began to climb back into the top half of the league.
In January 2006, Groningen moved from their old stadium, Oosterparkstadion, to the new Euroborg. The number of fans attending home games increased from about 12,000 to around 20,000 in the new stadium. Groningen went unbeaten for their first 15 league games at Euroborg. The stadium quickly earned the nickname "De Groene Hel," meaning "The Green Hell."
In the 2005–06 season, Groningen finished fifth and qualified for play-offs to try and get into the UEFA Champions League. They reached the final but lost to Ajax. However, they still qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, where they were knocked out early. They qualified for the UEFA Cup again the next season but lost to Italian team Fiorentina after a penalty shootout. In 2010, coach Ron Jans left the club.
Under coach Erwin van de Looi, Groningen won their first major trophy in 2015! They beat PEC Zwolle 2–0 in the 2015 KNVB Cup final. This made them the third team from Groningen to win a major honor. By winning the cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Recent Times: Relegation and Promotion (2021–Present)
In the 2022–23 season, Groningen finished last in the league, winning only 4 out of 34 matches. This meant they were moved down to the Eerste Divisie for the third time. Before that season, German coach Frank Wormuth was hired, but he was let go in November 2022. Under the next coach, Dennis van der Ree, Groningen only won once in 21 matches. They were also knocked out of the KNVB Cup by an amateur club. The club's leaders said the team was not strong enough.
However, under coach Dick Lukkien, Groningen finished second in the Eerste Divisie the very next season (2023–24). This meant they were promoted straight back to the Eredivisie! Many players from Groningen's own youth academy were part of this successful team. They secured their promotion by beating their rivals, Roda JC, 2–0 in the last match of the season.
Club Crest and Colours
Soon after Groningen was founded in June 1971, a local newspaper held a competition to design a crest for the club. The winning design came from 21-year-old Reint Rozema. It was a simple, abstract letter "G" for Groningen. In 1993, a Pegasus (a mythical winged horse) was added to the badge to make it look more "dynamic." But fans and the local press didn't like it, so the Pegasus was removed in 1996, and the original "G" crest was brought back.
Groningen's colors have always been green and white since the club started. These colors come from the city's official coat of arms. For a few early seasons, the team also played some matches in a purple kit. Until 1975, local companies made Groningen's jerseys. Then, Adidas became the first big brand to put its logo on the club's shirt. The team's first shirt sponsor was AGO in 1982. Since then, the club has had different companies making their kits and sponsoring their shirts. In the early 1990s, Groningen started using a white shirt with two vertical green stripes, which became their classic home kit design.
The Stadium: Euroborg
Groningen has played its home matches at Euroborg since January 2006. Before that, they played at Oosterparkstadion, which had been the home of GVAV and Groningen since the 1930s. The Dutch national team even played two international matches at Oosterparkstadion in the 1980s. In 1985, Groningen had its biggest attendance at the old stadium, with 21,500 fans watching a 1–1 draw against Feyenoord.
The club first thought about building a new stadium in 1996 because Oosterparkstadion was getting old and only held about 12,500 people. In 2003, Groningen started building Euroborg, which was designed by Wiel Arets. The new stadium opened on 13 January 2006 with a match against Heerenveen, which Groningen won 2–0. Euroborg also hosted the final of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. In 2014, Groningen became the first Dutch club to have its own solar power plant, with over 1,000 solar panels on the roof to make the club more eco-friendly.
Euroborg can hold 22,525 people. It is nicknamed "De Groene Hel" (The Green Hell) and "De Groene Kathedraal" (The Green Cathedral). The stadium has four main stands, named after important figures like Tonny van Leeuwen and Piet Fransen, and the Koeman Family.
Fans and Rivalries
Most of Groningen's supporters come from the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. In the early days, Groningen also had many fans in Friesland because they were the only northern team in the Eredivisie. This is how they got the nickname "Trots van het Noorden" (Pride of the North). In the late 1970s, a group of dedicated fans called the Z-side formed. The Z-side and other Groningen fan groups have good relationships with fans from clubs like AS Roma, Beerschot, and Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Groningen fans also have a long-standing friendship with supporters of Scottish team Hibernian since the 1990s. Fans from both clubs often travel to visit each other's matches.
Because Groningen is one of the few professional teams in the Northern Netherlands, and the only one from its province, they don't have many local rivalries. They used to play against SC Veendam in the "Groningse derby" until Veendam closed down in 2013. During the 1990s, Groningen had intense matches with FC Twente.
A big local rivalry developed between Groningen and the Frisian club Heerenveen. This is known as the Derby van het Noorden. It started after Heerenveen was first promoted to the Eredivisie in 1990. During the 2000s, this rivalry was at its strongest. Fans from both clubs would play pranks on each other, like Groningen fans painting a statue of Heerenveen's famous player Abe Lenstra in green and white. The rivalry has become less intense in recent years, as Heerenveen now sees another Frisian club, Cambuur, as their main rival.
Players
First-team squad
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Out on loan
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Management
Football Management Team
| Position | Name |
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| Head coach | Dick Lukkien |
| Assistant coaches | Casper Goedkoop Marcel Groninger |
| Chairman | Jakob Klompien |
| Chief executive officer | Frank van Mosselveld |
| Chief operating officer | Marc-Jan Oldenbandringh |
| Director of football | Vacant |
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Coaches of FC Groningen
Ron Groenewoud was the club's first coach. He was in charge when Groningen was moved down to the Eerste Divisie in 1974. Groningen won the Eerste Divisie title in 1980 under coach Theo Verlangen. He also led them to their first European competition in 1983. Groningen had their best league finish (third place) under Hans Westerhof in 1991. After being relegated in 1998, the team was promoted back to the top league under Jan van Dijk in 2000. Erwin van de Looi led Groningen to their first major trophy, the 2014–15 KNVB Cup. The German Frank Wormuth was the club's first foreign coach when he started in 2022. Most recently, under Dick Lukkien, Groningen won promotion back to the top league in 2024.
Club Honours
- Eerste Divisie (Second Tier League)
- Winners: 1979–80
- Promoted: 2023–24
- Won promotion play-offs: 1999–2000
- KNVB Cup (Dutch National Cup)
- Winners: 2014–15
- Runners-up: 1988–89
- Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup)
- Runners-up: 2015
Records and Statistics
The player with the most appearances for Groningen is Jan van Dijk. He played 537 games between 1975 and 1992. The club's top goal scorer is Peter Houtman, who scored 128 goals. He also holds the record for most goals in one season, with 31 goals in 1977–78.
The youngest player to play for Groningen was Richairo Živković. He was only 16 years and 88 days old when he made his debut in 2012. The oldest player to play for the club was goalkeeper Peter van der Vlag. He played his last match at 37 years and 163 days old in 2015. In 1991, Hennie Meijer won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award. He is the only Groningen player to have won this award so far.
Groningen's biggest victory was a 10–1 win against DVS '33 in the KNVB Cup. Their largest win in a league game was a 7–1 home victory against Willem II in 2011. The club's biggest defeat was a 9–0 loss to Ajax in 1974.
The highest amount of money Groningen has received for selling a player was €11 million. This was for Norwegian striker Jørgen Strand Larsen in 2022. The most money the club has paid for a player was €3.3 million for Nigerian midfielder Oluwafemi Ajilore in 2008.
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See also
In Spanish: Football Club Groningen para niños
