FC Twente facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Twente

Full name	Football Club Twente
Nickname(s)	The Tukkers Pride of the East The Reds
Founded	1 July 1965; 60 years ago (1965-07-01)
Ground	De Grolsch Veste
Ground Capacity	30,205
Chairman	Dominique Scholten
Head coach	Joseph Oosting
League	Eredivisie
2022–23	Eredivisie, 5th of 18
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Football Club Twente, often called FC Twente Enschede by international fans, is a professional football club from Enschede, a city in the Netherlands. The club started in 1965 when two older clubs, Sportclub Enschede (who won a Dutch championship in 1926) and Enschedese Boys, joined together.

FC Twente has won some important trophies, including the KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup) three times, the Johan Cruyff Shield, and the top Dutch league title, the Eredivisie, in 2010. They also finished second in the UEFA Cup (now called the Europa League) once. Since 1998, their home stadium has been De Grolsch Veste. The team has been playing in the Eredivisie, the highest football league in the Netherlands, since 2019. The club's name comes from the Twente region in the eastern part of Overijssel.

Club History

How it Started

FC Twente was formed in 1965 by combining two existing football clubs. One of these, SC Enschede, had already won a Dutch championship way back in 1926.

The new club quickly found success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with their coach Kees Rijvers. They often finished in the top five of the Eredivisie. Key players from the local area, like Epi Drost and Theo Pahlplatz, were very important to the team. Their best league season was in 1973–74, when they almost won the Dutch championship but finished second after a close game against Feyenoord. This strong performance earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup.

In the 1974–75 UEFA Cup, FC Twente, also known as the Tukkers, had an amazing run. They made it all the way to the final, even beating strong teams like Juventus. However, they lost to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach. In 1977, Twente won their first trophy, the KNVB Cup, by beating PEC Zwolle 3–0.

The 1980s and 1990s

After their successful period in the 1970s, things became a bit tougher for Twente. In 1983, they were relegated to the Eerste Divisie, which is the second division in Dutch football. But they quickly returned to the top league a year later.

In the 1990s, the club became strong again. German coach Hans Meyer led Twente to a third-place finish in the Eredivisie in 1997. On 24 May 2001, Twente won their second KNVB Cup by beating PSV in a thrilling final that went to a penalty shootout.

From Challenges to Champions (2002–2011)

Around 2002–03, the club faced serious financial problems and almost went out of business. Despite these difficulties, they continued to play well, reaching the 2004 KNVB Cup final and finishing fourth in the league in 2006–07.

Steve McClaren was the first manager to lead FC Twente to a league title.

In the 2008–09 season, Steve McClaren, a former England manager, became the new head coach. Under him, Twente played in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, but lost to Arsenal. Domestically, they finished second in the Eredivisie and reached the KNVB Cup final.

The 2009–10 season was historic for FC Twente. They won their first-ever Eredivisie title! They only lost two games all season and won 16 of their 17 home matches. The championship was secured on the very last day when they beat NAC 2–0 away. This made Steve McClaren the first English manager to win a Dutch national title since Bobby Robson in 1992. This victory also meant Twente got to play in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time.

After this amazing season, McClaren left, and Michel Preud'homme became the new manager. Twente continued their success by winning the 2010–11 KNVB Cup in May 2011, beating Ajax 3–2 in extra time. A week later, they faced Ajax again in the final league match, but this time Ajax won, taking the league title.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, under new coach Co Adriaanse, Twente beat Ajax again, winning the Johan Cruijff Shield supercup for the second year in a row.

Financial Issues and Relegation (2014–2019)

FC Twente faced financial difficulties again during the 2014–15 Eredivisie season. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) had to deduct points from the club. The club's president left, and they had to make some tough decisions, like reducing staff. In 2016, the KNVB initially planned to relegate FC Twente, but after an appeal, the club was allowed to stay in the Eredivisie.

However, at the end of the 2017–18 Eredivisie season, Twente finished last and was relegated to the Eerste Divisie. This was the first time in 34 years they were not in the top league.

Back to Europe

In the 2018–19 Eerste Divisie season, Twente had a strong run, going 15 games without a loss from December 2018. On 22 April 2019, they secured the league title and promotion back to the Eredivisie.

After returning to the Eredivisie, the team had some ups and downs. The 2019–20 Eredivisie season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, and Twente finished in fourteenth place, safely avoiding relegation.

For the 2020–21 season, Ron Jans became the new coach. The club brought in new players like Queensy Menig and Václav Černý, who became very important. Young players like Mees Hilgers, Ramiz Zerrouki, and Daan Rots also became regular starters.

After a strong season, Twente finished fourth in the league in 2021–22. This meant they qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, marking their return to European competitions after eight years. In the 2023–24 Eredivisie season, Twente finished 3rd, qualifying for the Europa League group stage.

Affiliated Clubs

FC Twente works with these clubs:

• Dayton Dutch Lions
• Qarabağ
• Kozármisleny
• Heracles Almelo
• Stranraer

Stadium

The gate at the stadium shows the club's history.

De Grolsch Veste, also known as Arke Stadion before, is the official home stadium of FC Twente. It is located near the University of Twente. The stadium can hold 30,205 fans and has a special heating system for the pitch. It also has open areas instead of fences around the stands, which makes it feel more welcoming.

A view of De Grolsch Veste from the outside.

De Grolsch Veste replaced the old Diekman Stadion on 22 March 1998. The club decided to build a new stadium because they needed more space for fans and a better location. Building the new stadium cost about 33 million Dutch guilders and took 14 months to complete. It was designed so that it could be easily made bigger in the future.

The first match played at De Grolsch Veste was on 10 May 1998, where FC Twente won 3–0 against PSV.

When it first opened, the stadium could hold 13,500 spectators. It was later expanded in 2008 to 24,000 seats, and then again in 2011 to its current capacity of 30,205.

Before every game, the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry and the Pacemakers is played, and all the fans sing along.

On 7 July 2011, a part of the stadium roof collapsed while construction work was happening. This was a very sad event.

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Lars Unnerstall 2 DF Mees Hilgers 4 MF Mathias Kjølø 5 DF Bas Kuipers 6 MF Carel Eiting 7 FW Mitchell van Bergen 8 FW Taylor Booth 9 FW Ricky van Wolfswinkel 10 FW Sam Lammers 11 FW Daan Rots 12 DF Guilherme Peixoto 16 GK Issam El Maach 17 DF Alec Van Hoorenbeeck 18 MF Michel Vlap

No. Position Player 19 MF Kristian Hlynsson 20 MF Thomas van den Belt 21 GK Sam Karssies 22 GK Przemysław Tytoń 23 DF Stav Lemkin 25 FW Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink 28 DF Bart van Rooij 30 FW Sayfallah Ltaief 32 MF Arno Verschueren 33 DF Björn Titulaer 37 FW Naci Ünüvar 38 DF Max Bruns 39 DF Mats Rots 41 MF Gijs Besselink

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Younes Taha (at Groningen until 30 June 2026) 24 MF Juliën Mesbahi (at FC Emmen until 30 June 2026)

Club Achievements

National Trophies

• Eredivisie (Top Dutch League)
  • Winners: 2009–10
  • Runners-up: 1973–74, 2008–09, 2010–11
• Eerste Divisie (Second Dutch League)
  • Winners: 2018–19
• KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup)
  • Winners: 1976–77, 2000–01, 2010–11
  • Runners-up: 1974–75, 1978–79, 2003–04, 2008–09
• Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Supercup)
  • Winners: 2010, 2011
  • Runners-up: 2001

International Trophies

• UEFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 1974–75

Domestic League Performance

Historical chart of league performance

Here's a table showing how Twente has performed in the Dutch leagues since the Eredivisie started in 1956.

Club Staff

Coaches Through the Years

Famous Players

Here are some notable players who have played for FC Twente. Players whose names are in bold played for their national teams while they were at FC Twente.

Top Scorers

Season Name Goals 1965–66 Hans Roordink 11 1966–67 Jan Jeuring 10 1967–68 Dick van Dijk 22 1968–69 Dick van Dijk 30 1969–70 Antal Nagy 17 1970–71 Jan Jeuring 17 1971–72 René van de Kerkhof 10 1972–73 Jan Jeuring 13 1973–74 Johan Zuidema 14 1974–75 Johan Zuidema 10 1975–76 Jan Jeuring 20 1976–77 Arnold Mühren 13 1977–78 Ab Gritter 15 1978–79 Ab Gritter 14 1979–80 Hallvar Thoresen 11 1980–81 Hallvar Thoresen 15 1981–82 Manuel Sánchez Torres 15 1982–83 Martin Koopman 7 1983–84 Billy Ashcroft 21 1984–85 Willy Carbo 15 1985–86 Martin Koopman 8 1986–87 Ulrich Wilson 8 1987–88 Piet Keur 17 1988–89 Piet Keur 16 1989–90 Claus Nielsen 14 1990–91 Claus Nielsen 16 1991–92 Youri Mulder 18 1992–93 Prince Polley 11

Season Name Goals 1994–95 Michel Boerebach 12 1993–94 Edwin Vurens 10 1995–96 Arnold Bruggink 11 1996–97 John Bosman 20 1997–98 John Bosman Jan van Halst Antti Sumiala 6 1998–99 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 21 1999–00 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 19 2000–01 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 15 2001–02 Jack de Gier 6 2002–03 Ellery Cairo 7 2003–04 Blaise Nkufo 14 2004–05 Blaise Nkufo 16 2005–06 Blaise Nkufo 12 2006–07 Blaise Nkufo 22 2007–08 Blaise Nkufo 22 2008–09 Blaise Nkufo 16 2009–10 Bryan Ruiz 24 2010–11 Marc Janko 15 2011–12 Luuk de Jong 25 2012–13 Luc Castaignos 13 2013–14 Dušan Tadić 16 2014–15 Hakim Ziyech 11 2015–16 Hakim Ziyech 17 2016–17 Enes Ünal 18 2017–18 Oussama Assaidi 6 2018–19 Aitor Cantalapiedra 16 2019–20 Haris Vuckic 11 2020–21 Danilo Pereira da Silva 17 2021–22 Ricky van Wolfswinkel 16

Blaise Nkufo scored 114 goals, making him the club's all-time top scorer.

Women's Team

FC Twente also has a women's football team, which started in 2007 when the Eredivisie (the top women's league in the Netherlands) was created. The women's team won the championship in 2010–11 and played in the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2011–12.

See also

In Spanish: Football Club Twente para niños

• Dutch Football League Teams
• Derby of Twente
• Jong FC Twente (FC Twente's reserve team)
• FC Twente in European football