FC Groningen

Football Club Groningen (Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseː ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)]) is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, Groningen province. Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV, Groningen compete in the Eredivisie, the first tier of Dutch football.

Groningen played in the Eredivisie during their first three seasons, before the side were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1973–74 as they got into financial difficulties. Groningen were promoted back to the Eredivisie as champions in 1979–80 with a squad composed mostly of players who were recruited from the club's youth academy, and remained in the top flight for 18 seasons before they dropped to the second tier in 1997–98. The team won promotion back to the Eredivisie in 1999–2000, where they remained for 23 seasons before suffering relegation in 2022–23. Groningen finished as runners-up in the 2023–24 Eerste Divisie and returned to the Eredivisie at the first attempt.

Groningen have won the KNVB Cup once, in 2014–15, and were runners-up in 1988–89. Groningen achieved their highest league finish in 1990–91 when they ranked third in the Eredivisie, competing for the league title until the latter part of the season. The side have participated in European competitions on several occasions; Groningen's first participation in European competition came during the 1983–84 UEFA Cup, when they defeated Atlético Madrid on aggregate in the first round, but were eliminated by Inter Milan in the following round. Erwin Koeman, Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben and Virgil van Dijk started their careers at Groningen, while it was Luis Suárez's first European club.

The team's first home ground was Oosterparkstadion; since 2006, they have played their home games at Euroborg. Groningen's home kit colours are based on the city's coat of arms: green and white. The club is nicknamed "Trots van het Noorden" (lit. 'Pride of the North'), and has a rivalry with Frisian side Heerenveen, with whom it contests the Derby van het Noorden (lit. 'Derby of the North').

Established in 1921, GVAV were founder members of the Eredivisie in 1956, the first tier of Dutch football. At the time, they were one of four professional teams from the city of Groningen, alongside Be Quick, Velocitas and Oosterparkers [nl]. GVAV soon faced significant financial difficulties; as a result, "Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV" (lit. 'Professional Football Foundation GVAV') was established in 1963—a triumvirate of GVAV, the Groningen City Council and a consortium of local businesses. Each party contributed 300,000 Dutch guilders, becoming equal shareholders in the foundation. GVAV's finances remained fragile, however, also putting the future of professional football in Groningen at risk, especially as GVAV had become the city’s only remaining professional team. The side remained in the Eredivisie until they were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1969–70.

In February 1970, Harm Brink, the chairman of amateur club GRC Groningen [nl], proposed the creation of a new professional team to represent Groningen. His idea gained support from several local amateur clubs, while both the local businesses and the Groningen City Council were willing to write off the debts of Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV. In September 1970, a majority of GVAV's members voted in favour of Brink's proposal. GVAV won promotion to the Eredivisie after a one-year absence, and Football Club Groningen was founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, who returned to amateur football.

During the 1970–71 season, GVAV goalkeeper Tonny van Leeuwen had conceded only seven goals—the fewest of any goalkeeper in Dutch football—and was honoured by the Royal Dutch Football Association in Rotterdam. Van Leeuwen died in a car accident on his way home, just one day before Groningen's foundation. The side played their first match on 17 July 1971, defeating German Regionalliga side TSR Olympia Wilhelmshaven 6–0. Groningen wore a green and white kit, the colours of the city's coat of arms.

Groningen lost their first league game 1–0 at home against FC Utrecht in front of 13,000 spectators. The team recorded their first league victory on the 10th matchday—a 2–1 win at Vitesse—and finished the 1971–72 Eredivisie season 12th out of 18 sides. The club was still mired in financial difficulties; to cut transfer expenses, Groningen established a scouting system. In 1973–74, they suffered a club record 9–0 defeat to Ajax, ranked bottom of the league table and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie. The club came close to bankruptcy but was saved by the Groningen City Council. In 1974–75, Groningen finished runners-up to NEC Nijmegen, missing out on the title due to an inferior goal difference. Although the side qualified for the play-offs which determined the second and final team to gain promotion to the Eredivisie, they finished second behind FC Eindhoven and remained in the second tier. In 1975, Groningen established a youth boarding school as the club tried to rebuild the squad with homegrown players. The side finished eighth in the 1976–77 Eerste Divisie—their lowest-ever league finish—before missing promotion to the Eredivisie in the promotion play-offs in 1977–78, despite Peter Houtman scoring a club record 31 goals during the season. Groningen finished runners-up to Excelsior in 1978–79, but returned to the Eredivisie as champions during the following season under coach Theo Verlangen [nl], losing only 4 of 36 matches. Most of the squad that won promotion had progressed through Groningen's youth academy.