FC Groningen

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE 'PRIDE OF THE NORTH'

In 2006 FC Groningen finally returned to where they belong: the positions on the Eredivisie table that allow them to represent The Netherlands in the UEFA Cup. After only a few months at their wonderful new Euroborg stadium (proudly nicknamed The Green Cathedral) Groningen finished 4th in the Eredivisie in 2006 and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in, well, ages. What a long road it was... Less than ten years ago the club spent two seasons in the First Division and had to start from scratch, financially. Even in their darkest years, however, not a single Dutch football fan regarded FC Groningen as 'small timers', simply because the white and green have the aura of a big club, something that many other clubs haven't, no matter how high on the table they are. There's a halo of pride around FC Groningen, a club with a real stadium and a real fanbase.

The city of Groningen is the by far largest of the northern Netherlands. The inhabitants of beautiful old Groningen may actually correct you when you say that, claiming that Groningen is in fact the only city of the North. The inhabitants refer to themselves as Stadjers (local dialect for 'city people') and to FC Groningen as 'the FC'. It only underscores their sense of pride: only one city, only one 'FC' - also known as the 'Pride of the North'.

Young Ronald Koeman wearing the colours of FC Groningen,
showing one of the first trophies of his career. [Photo: Ronald Koeman.com]

FC Groningen was orriginally founded as GVAV, back in 1921. The club changed its name in 1971 and had a very rough start in the First Division of Dutch football. The tide changed when coach Theo Verlangen appeared on the scene. How poetic: Verlangen is the Dutch word for 'desire' or 'longing', which was exactly what the Groningen fans had done for so long. The much anticipated promotion to the Eredivisie was finally accomplished in 1980. Qualification for the UEFA Cup followed in 1983. It was achieved by a team of self-developed local heroes, which included the two Koeman brothers (Ronald and Erwin) in midfield. Indeed, they started their careers in the white and green of FC Groningen.

One of the sweetest memories of the older Groningen supporter is the club's heroic 3-0 victory over Atlético Madrid at a roaring Oosterpark Stadium in 1983. However, the club's best team ever was probably the team that was put together some six years later: with local hero Jan van Dijk as their team captain Groningen made it to the KNVB Cup final of 1989 (by demolishing Ajax 3-0 in the semis). The club's best ever Eredivisie season followed two years later with a team that  had Hennie Meijer and Milko Djurovski as its superb forward duo. 'The FC' were in the race for the championship until the last weeks of the season, but eventually finished 3rd, just a noselength behind PSV and Ajax.

Groningen played their last home games at old Oosterpark Stadium in
December 2005 and moved to the futuristic Euroborg. [Photo: FC Groningen.nl]

Beautiful memories, but - quite typical for FC Groningen - both of these 'golden years' in the 1980s were followed by tragedies of almost fatal impact. In the years after the historic third slot in the Eredivisie chairman Renze de Vries got involved in a nasty case of tax fraud. The club survived by selling their best players, but 1998 saw the tragedy no Dutch football fan had ever expected: relegation. Groningen Stadjers are known as proud and loyal and these virtues were badly needed at time. They also come in handy during games against Ajax. The locals like to claim that the Amsterdammers "always have a hard time" in Groningen and often stumbled there, but the surprising truth is that 'Groningen away', despite defeats in the first two visits to Euroborg, is statistically one of Ajax's easier Eredivisie road games: Ajax never lost a league game in Groningen between September 1985 and March 2006 and scored more than 35 goals in their last 10 games at Oosterpark Stadium (!). Fact is that games between FC Groningen and Ajax are almost always spectacular and very memorable.

Groningen's two years in the dark basement of Dutch professional football were frustrating, but the Oosterpark crowd never let the club down and kept showing up in large numbers, proving that FC Groningen simply don't belong in the First Division. The one and only 'Mr FC Groningen', Jan van Dijk, midfielder of the succesful late 1980s team, brought the club back to the Eredivisie as a head-coach (2000), with his two sons playing in the first team. Once again the club's true heroes weren't purchased; they were born and raised Stadjers.

Perhaps the greatest superstar in FC Groningen history and member of the
best team 'the FC' ever had: Milko Djurovski, the 'Magician of Macedonia'.

And now... 'the FC' are back at the top (or close to it, anyway). They are no longer in dire straits financially. They play at a truly wonderful stadium (and they're already looking into the options to add an extra tier) and they are supported by a larger fanbase than ever. FC Groningen are alive and kicking. The club are hot in the north, arguably even more 'booming' than northern rivals Heerenveen at the moment, and they will do everything to keep it that way. (MP)

FC GRONINGEN FACTS

Founded: 16 June 1971, continuation of GVAV (26 January 1921)
City: Groningen
Stadium: Euroborg
Capacity: 20,000
Official website: www.fcgroningen.nl

Honors:

• No national or international trophies won

Recent History: Ajax vs FC Groningen