Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: FC Groningen

Stadion Euroborg, Groningen (FC Groningen)

Netherlands, province: Groningen

10 V 2009 / FC Groningen - NAC Breda 1-0 / Eredivisie (= NL level 1)

Timeline

1915 / Foundation of a football club in the city of Groningen, which takes on the name Unitas. The club settles on a pitch laid out at the back of the laundry shop of Mr Kloppenburg at Frieschestraatweg. Unitas joins the so-called GVB or Groninger Voetbalbond, the Groningen sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association NVB (later renamed KNVB).
1916 / Moving away from Terrein Kloppenburg, Unitas settles at a newly laid-out pitch at Peizerweg.
1917 / Abandoning Terrein Peizerweg after just one year, Unitas settles on a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Keuning, situated in the southern neighbourhood Helpman. Also in 1917, an athletics club sees the daylight in Groningen, Groningsche Athletiekvereeniging (GAV) Rapiditas. This club was a breakaway of another athletics club, GRA Groningen. GAV Rapiditas had a football branch which played in the GVB under the name Rapid.
1919 / Either in 1919 or 1917 – the available sources present conflicting information – Unitas changes its name to become Groningsche Voetbal- en Athletiekvereeniging, abbreviated as GVAV. According to the (ostensibly) most reliable source, the club had to change its name when it won promotion from the ranks of GVB to NVB District North’s (Sunday) League 3, which was in 1919. Also in 1919, GVAV as well as GAV Rapiditas move to Terrein Stadspark, a vast recreational area newly laid out by Groningen’s city-council on the southwestern outskirts of the city.
1920 / In its first season in District North’s League 3, GVAV manages a respectable second place, 4 points behind a side from Assen called Attila.
1921 / In its last season as an independent club, GVAV finishes in fourth place in District North’s League 3. In mid-1921, GVAV and GAV Rapiditas conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Groningsche Sportvereeniging (GSV) GVAV-Rapiditas, with A.J.G. Strengholt being the new club’s first chairman. Football and athletics are not the only two branches of sports of the new merger club, with swimming, gymnastics, and walking sports also being part of the myriad of activities. Due to the football branch taking over the place of GVAV in League 3, locals hardly ever use the full club name GVAV-Rapiditas when referring to the football team.
1922 / GSV GVAV-Rapiditas (referred to by its colloquial name GVAV below) finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3A, 3 points behind champions vv Warffum.
1923 / Champions in District North’s League 3A, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv Winschoten, GVAV accedes to League 2 for the first time.
1926 / Finishing in joint first place in District North’s League 2B with vv Bato, GVAV meets the club from Winschoten in a tie-break match, played at HSC’s Terrein Achter Hommes in Sappemeer. Going on to win the match 2-1 (goals by Teun Prins & Fré van der Velde), GVAV qualifies for the championship play-offs against vv Sneek and the aforementioned HSC. Proceeding to win this competition, with a 2-1 home win over vv Sneek proving decisive, the club eventually wins promotion to (Sunday) League 1, the top division of the Netherlands’ football pyramid at the time. In the following years, GVAV hardly ever makes headlines, with city-rivals GV&QV Be Quick and GVV Velocitas being far more successful. Importantly, also in 1926, the footballers of GSV GVAV-Rapiditas move to the newly laid-out Veld II (Pitch 2) at Terrein Stadspark, the first football pitch to have facilities for spectators in the shape of three stands, all on one side of the ground, of which the middle one has been equipped with a roof. Until 1929, and then from 1933 onwards, GVAV shares Stadspark Veld II with GVV Velocitas. The lower teams of both clubs, as well as a smaller local club called GVV, make use of the side-pitch of Terrein Stadspark, often referred to as Terrein Renbaan (probably the pitch used by GVAV’s first team between 1919 and 1926).
1933 / At the behest of Groningen’s city-council, a new set of football pitches has been laid out at Zaagmuldersweg in the Oosterparkwijk neighbourhood on the eastern outskirts of the city-centre. At the outset, the main pitch of the so-called Oostersportpark, later referred to universally as Oosterpark, does not have any facilities for spectators. Due to this fact, the League 1 clubs in the city are reluctant to move into the new park, with lower league side BRC (Blauw Rood Combinatie, founded in 1922 as DOSKO) being the only football club to make use of the new facilities in the 1933-34 season.
1934 / Moving away from Terrein Stadspark Veld II and Terrein Renbaan, the football branch of GSV GVAV-Rapiditas moves all its activities to the Oostersportpark as groundsharers of BRC, with the athletics branch staying behind at Stadspark.
1935 / GVAV manages a second place in District North’s League 1, 4 points behind champions GVV Velocitas.
1937 / GVV Velocitas star striker Otto Bonsema joins GVAV after a brush with KNVB authorities due to allegedly having accepted payment for his activities as a footballer – an almost deadly sin in the days when professional league football was strictly forbidden in the Netherlands. Having won his first cap for the Netherlands’ national side in 1932 and having received several more call-ups in subsequent years, Bonsema goes on to add one more cap to his tally during his time at GVAV, being part of his country’s squad in a 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Belgium in 1939. Bonsema would play a pivotal part in GVAV’s first League 1 title in 1940, while remaining at the club as a coach after his playing career.
± 1938 / Earthen ramparts are added to the Oostersportpark as a first facility for spectators. However, it would take until the post-war years before the ground would be recreated, step by step, as a veritable stadium.
1940 / Sensationally, after years of being dominated by city-rivals GVV Velocitas, GVAV manages its first and only title in District North’s League 1, 9 points ahead of closest followers HSC and vv Veendam. The decisive points are clinched in a 4-2 home win over vv Heerenveen. Due to the occupation of the Netherlands by the German army in May 1940, the nationwide title competition has to be postponed by two months. Eventually, GVAV finishes in last place in this competition, far behind winners RVV Feijenoord, with ASV Blauw-Wit, AVC Heracles, and V&AV Juliana being the other participants.
1942 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 15 points behind runaway champions vv Heerenveen.
1945 / BRC, the club with which GVAV shares the Oostersportpark, concludes a three-way merger with Groen Wit (founded in 1933) and Oostelijke Boys (founded as Velox in 1930), resulting in the foundation of vv Oosterparkers.
1946 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 6 points behind champions vv Heerenveen.
1950 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 13 points behind runaway champions vv Heerenveen.
1954 / As the Netherlands’ FA finally gives in to the pleas to allow professional league football, GVAV is one of two clubs from Groningen to take the leap, along with GV&QV Be Quick (renamed GSV Be Quick that same year). One year later, GVV Velocitas and vv Oosterparkers would follow suit. GVAV’s professional league debut was a home draw against Rapid JC, with Piet de Koe scoring the club’s first-ever goal in the newly created Hoofdklasse.
1955 / Finishing in ninth place in Hoofdklasse B, GVAV goes on to win a tie-break match against DFC, played at vv Alkmaar’s Alkmaarderhoutstadion (4-3, winning goal by John de Grooth). As a result, the club qualifies for a play-off competition with RCH, KFC, TSV NOAD, and C&FC Hermes-DVS for two places in the new top tier of the Netherlands’ professional league pyramid, the so-called Eredivisie. Finishing as runners-up behind TSV NOAD, GVAV goes on to clinch one of the two tickets for the new division. The decisive points are clinched in a 3-0 home win over C&FC Hermes-DVS. The successful coach is former star player Otto Bonsema.
1958 / Finishing in joint sixteenth place in the Eredivisie with A&VV Elinkwijk, GVAV meets the club from Utrecht in a tie-break match, played at Stadion Veldwijk in Hengelo. Suffering a 2-1 defeat due to a late goal by Humphrey Mijnals, GVAV descends into the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid, along with bottom club BVV.
1959 / GVAV’s goalkeeper, Otto Roffel, is called up for the Netherlands’ national team twice in the course of 1959, but he remains on the bench on both occasions. Roffel remains one of the signature figures in GVAV’s history, defending the club’s goal for seventeen seasons (1947-64), in the course of which he played 384 matches. Otto Roffel would pass away in 2022 at the age of 95. Also in 1959, GVAV’s groundsharers vv Oosterparkers voluntarily withdrew into non-league after a less than successful four-year spell as a professional league club. The club would remain as groundsharers of GVAV (and later FC Groningen) at the Oosterparkstadion for the following three decades.
1960 / Champions in Eerste Divisie A, 2 points ahead of runners-up AVC Vitesse, GVAV manages a return to Eredivisie after two seasons. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-1 home win over Fortuna Vlaardingen. The successful coach is Otto Bonsema. Also in 1960, GVV Velocitas withdraws into non-league after five years as a professional league club, leaving GVAV and GSV Be Quick as Groningen’s two remaining representatives in the professional pyramid.
1961 / GVAV manages a sixth place in the Eredivisie final table, going on to repeat that result five years later. This would remain the club’s best finish prior to its being renamed FC Groningen in 1971.
1962 / After fourteen seasons as GVAV’s head coach, Otto Bonsema relinquishes this position. The former player would pass away in 1994 at the age of 84.
1963 / With the professional league club GVAV suffering under an ever-increasing amount of debt, GSV GVAV-Rapiditas receives the support from Groningen’s city-council and a collective of local entrepreneurs, with each of the three parties taking over one-third of the ownership of a new foundation, separating the professional league football club from GSV GVAV-Rapiditas under the official name Stichting Betaald Voetbal (SBV) GVAV.
1964 / After failed merger talks between GVAV and GSV Be Quick, the latter club voluntarily withdraws into non-league, leaving GVAV as the only professional league club in Groningen. Also in 1964, GVAV defender Martin Koeman, who had joined the club one year previously from ASV Blauw-Wit, wins his first and only cap for the Netherlands in an encounter against Austria. Going on to stay with GVAV and successors FC Groningen until 1973, Koeman would manage a total of 334 professional league matches for the two clubs. After hanging up his boots after a spell at vv Heerenveen, Koeman would return to FC Groningen in various staff functions. Martin Koeman passed away in 2013 at the age of 75.
1965 / After two years of fruitless pleas following the creation of the separate entity SBV GVAV, the club’s third team is finally allowed into the non-league pyramid under the ‘old’ club name GVAV-Rapiditas (without the ‘old’ prefix GSV), being placed in Sunday League 4. GVAV-Rapiditas plays its home matches at the Van Starkenborghcomplex, GVAV’s B ground since its having been laid out in 1957 (for the further history of GVAV-Rapiditas, follow this link to the article dedicated to that club's current ground, Sportpark Kardinge veld 2). Also in 1965, GVAV wingback Klaas Buist hangs up his boots after eighteen consecutive seasons (384 matches) with the club. Buist would pass away in 1999 at the age of 71.
1967 / GVAV goalkeeper Tonny van Leeuwen, signed from RV&AV Sparta in 1963 as the successor of the legendary Otto Roffel, is called up for the Netherlands’ national team, managing a total of two caps for his country. Tragically, Van Leeuwen lost his life in the summer of 1971 following a serious traffic incident at the age of 28. In eight seasons with GVAV, Tonny van Leeuwen had managed a total of 232 matches.
1970 / Coached by Jan de Jong, GVAV finishes in seventeenth place in Eredivisie, thus dropping back into the Eerste Divisie along with bottom side SVV. The decisive defeat is incurred at the Oosterparkstadion at the hands of vv DOS (0-1). On the upside, GVAV had managed to reach the semifinals of the Netherlands’ Cup (KNVB-Beker) for the first time, being knocked out by PSV in a tie played at Nijmegen’s Goffertstadion (1-0). In September 1970, as GVAV-Rapiditas still finds itself burdened by the debts incurred prior to the creation of SBV GVAV in 1963, the non-league club announces its withdrawal from the joint venture once and for all as of mid-1971.
1971 / In its last season of being called GVAV, the club finishes as runners-up in the Eerste Divisie, 3 points behind champions FC Den Bosch ’67, thus winning promotion to the Eredivisie along with the aforementioned club as well as third-placed AVC Vitesse. GVAV’s decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 away win at WVV Wageningen. The successful coach is Ron Groenewoud. Also in 1971, following the decision by the membership of GVAV-Rapiditas to leave the joint venture SBV GVAV, the professional league side takes on a new name to mark its separation from the mother club, becoming FC Groningen.
1973 / Midfielder Piet Fransen hangs up his boots after having played for GVAV and FC Groningen from 1957 onwards. In the fifteen seasons with the club – only interrupted by a one-year spell at RVV Feijenoord (1965-66) Fransen managed a total – Fransen managed an impressive total of 454 matches. Piet Fransen passed away in 2015 at the age of 79.
1974 / Still coached by Ron Groenewoud, FC Groningen finishes bottom of the Eredivisie table, dropping back into the Eerste Divisie along with the club in second-last position, SC NEC.
1975 / Missing out on the Eerste Divisie title due to having a slightly inferior goal difference than SC NEC (+27 vs. + 23), FC Groningen qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs against PEC Zwolle, AVC Vitesse, and EVV Eindhoven, with the last-mentioned club clinching first place and promotion to the top flight of the Netherlands’ football pyramid. Also in 1975, defender Hugo Hogenkamp, who had spent the first seven seasons of his professional league career at GVAV and FC Groningen, leaves the club to sign for AZ ’67. Hovenkamp would go on to become a regular international player for the Netherlands from 1977 onwards, gathering a total of 31 caps in the following six seasons and taking part in the 1978 World Cup and 1980 European Championships.
1977 / FC Groningen signs 20-year-old striker Peter Houtman from SC Feyenoord’s reserves’ team. Houtman made his professional league debut in Groningen, becoming the club’s top scorer in the 1977-78 seasons with 24 goals. Moving back to SC Feyenoord / Feyenoord Rotterdam following that season, Houtman would have two more spells at FC Groningen (1979-82 & 1985-87), managing a total of 108 goals for the northern club. Also having played at Club Brugge KV, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Sparta Rotterdam, FC Den Haag, and SBV Excelsior, Houtman, who won 8 caps for his country between 1983 and 1985 (7 goals!), would hang up his boots in 1993.
1978 / Finishing in sixth place in the Eerste Divisie, FC Groningen qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs against MVV, WVV Wageningen, and RV&AV Excelsior, having to settle for second place behind the club from Maastricht and thus missing out on promotion.
1979 / Runners-up in the Eerste Divisie, 1 point behind champions RV&AV Excelsior, FC Groningen qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs against Fortuna SC, Telstar, and Willem II, with the last mentioned club winning the promotion ticket and Groningen having to settle for third place. Also in 1979, 17-year-old midfielder Erwin Koeman, the son of Martin Koeman, who had joined the club’s youth academy after spells at vv Helpman and vv GRC Groningen, made his debut in FC Groningen’s first team. Being recognised as a talent, Erwin Koeman was signed by PSV following the 1978-79 season, but he would have two more spells in Groningen (1982-85 & 1994-98, a total of 211 matches in green and white), winning his first cap for the Netherlands in 1983 as a FC Groningen player. In the course of his career, Erwin Koeman also had a spell at KV Mechelen and a second period at PSV, while gathering a total of 31 caps and being part of the Netherlands’ squad which conquered the 1988 European Championships – as well as the markedly less successful Orange team in the 1990 World Cup. After his playing career, Erwin Koeman was a coach at RKC Waalwijk, Feyenoord Rotterdam, FC Utrecht, FC Eindhoven, Beitar Jerusalem FC, as well as the national team of Hungary.
1980 / Champions in the Eerste Divisie, 6 points ahead of closest followers FC Volendam and FC Wageningen, FC Groningen manages a return to the top flight of the Netherlands’ football pyramid after an absence of six years. The successful coach is Theo Verlangen. Also in 1980, Erwin Koeman’s younger brother Ronald makes his debut in FC Groningen’s first team. The midfielder stayed at Groningen until 1983, moving on to spells with AFC Ajax, PSV, FC Barcelona, and Feyenoord Rotterdam – making him one of the few players to have worn the colours of all three traditional top clubs in the Netherlands – eventually hanging up his boots in 1997. Ronald Koeman also won 78 caps for his country, being part of the 1988 European Championship winning squad as well as the Orange teams in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and the 1992 European Championship. After ending his playing career, Ronald Koeman started a career as a coach, working at SBV Vitesse, AFC Ajax, SL Benfica, PSV, Valencia CF, AZ, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Southampton FC, Everton FC, and the Netherlands’ national team.
1983 / Finishing in fifth place in the Eredivisie, FC Groningen qualifies for European football for the first time with coach Theo Verlangen. Going from strength to strength, the club knocks out Club Atlético Madrid in R1 (4-2 aggr.), suffering elimination in the following round at the hands of FC Internazionale (5-3). Two FC Groningen players make their debut in the Netherlands’ national team in 1983, winger Bud Brocken, purchased from Birmingham City FC, and defender Adri van Tiggelen, a recruit from Sparta Rotterdam. Whereas Brocken only managed to collect five caps, all of them in 1983, Van Tiggelen proved a mainstay of the Netherlands’ defensive line-up in the following decade, coming to a total of 56 caps and being part of the Netherlands’ winning Euro 1988 squad as well as the team selections for the 1990 World Cup and the 1992 European Championships. By that time, Van Tiggelen no longer played for FC Groningen, however, moving to RSC Anderlechtois in 1986 and going on to have spells at PSV and Dordrecht ’90, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1995 and becoming a staff member at his first professional league club Sparta.
1984 / FC Groningen reaches the semifinals of the Netherlands’ Cup, in which the club is knocked out by Fortuna Sittard (2-0). Later that year, 1974 and 1978 World Cup star Johan Neeskens joins FC Groningen for part of the 1984-85 season in between two spells with American clubs, New York Cosmos and South Florida Sun. Marred by injury, the former AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona midfielder does not manage more than seven matches in the green-and-white jersey.
1985 / FC Groningen signs Sparta Rotterdam defender John de Wolf. Staying with the club for four seasons, De Wolf would collect his first cap for the Netherlands in a Euro qualifier away against Greece (0-3) in 1987, but he was left out of Rinus Michels’ squad which won the European title in West Germany the following year. Having defended the Groningen colours in 112 matches, De Wolf left the club to join Feyenoord Rotterdam, having spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, VVV, Hapoel Ashkelon FC, and Helmond Sport later on. Gathering a total of six international matches for the Netherlands, De Wolf was a sub in his country’s squad for the 1994 World Cup.
1986 / Finishing in fourth place in the Eredivisie with coach Han Berger, FC Groningen qualifies for the UEFA Cup, in which the club has the better of Galway United FC (8-2 aggr.) and Neuchâtel Xamax FCS (1-1 aggr. & away goals) in the first two rounds, suffering elimination at the hands of Vitória SC (Guimarães) in the round of last 16 (3-1 aggr.). Also in 1986, FC Groningen is joined by striker René Eijkelkamp of Go Ahead Eagles. Staying with the northern club for four years, Eijkelkamp was called up for the Netherlands’ national team for the first time in 1988 – being unlucky to have a talented crop of strikers standing in his way (Van Basten, Kieft, Bosman, Bergkamp...) to more caps, eventually gathering a total of 6 between 1988 and 1995. After leaving FC Groningen, Eijkelkamp had spells at KV Mechelen, Club Brugge KV, PSV, and FC Schalke 04.
1987 / FC Groningen reaches the semifinal of the Netherlands’ Cup, in which the club is eliminated by AFC Ajax (0-3). In the summer of 1987, the club is joined by winger Garry Brooke of Norwich City FC. Brooke joins another Englishman, midfielder Paul Mason, who had been signed by Groningen several years previously. Especially the unpredictable Brooke is extremely popular with the fanbase. Both players would leave FC Groningen in the summer of 1988, with Brooke signing for Wimbledon FC and Mason for Aberdeen FC. Garry Brooke passed away in 2025 at the age of 64.
1988 / Coached by the caretaker duo Martin Koeman & Henk van Brussel, who replaced Rob Jacobs in the course of the 1987-88 season, FC Groningen steers away from the relegation zone in the second half of the season, thereby qualifying for the UEFA Cup play-offs, going on to top the play-off group against FC Twente, VVV, and Willem II. Two of Groningen’s most talented players – both capped for their country in previous years – striker Jurrie Koolhof (formerly at PSV) and utility man Frans Thijssen (formerly Ipswich Town FC and Nottingham Forest FC) leave the club after just one season, both signing for ambitious Eerste Divisie side SBV Vitesse. They are replaced by defender Wim Koevermans of Fortuna Sittard, who had been part of the Netherlands’ successful Euro 1988 squad, and centre-forward Henny Meijer of AFC Ajax. In the 1988-89 UEFA Cup, FC Groningen survives the first two rounds, eliminating Club Atlético Madrid (2-2 aggr. & away goals) and Servette FC (3-1 aggr.), before bowing out in the round of last 16 against VfB Stuttgart (5-1 aggr.).
1989 / After two semifinals earlier in the 1980s, FC Groningen now goes one better, reaching the final of the Netherlands’ Cup following successive wins over vv Bennekom (1-2), VVV (3-4 A.E.T.), VVOG (0-1), AFC Ajax (3-0), and Willem II (5-1). In the final, played at Stadion Feijenoord "De Kuip" in Rotterdam, FC Groningen suffers a 4-1 defeat at the hands of PSV – but due to PSV clinching the national title as well, Groningen qualifies for the Cup Winners Cup, in which the club knocks out Ikast FS in R1 (3-1 aggr.) before bowing out in R2 against FK Partizan (Belgrade, 6-5 aggr.). Also in 1989, FC Groningen’s groundsharers at the Oosterparkstadion, vv Oosterparkers, leave the ground, moving to a groundshare with GVAV-Rapiditas and DIO-Groningen at the Van Starkenborghcomplex.
1990 / FC Groningen signs Yugoslavian striker Milko Djurovski (Đurovski) of FK Partizan (Belgrade). The mercurial Djurovski, whose tobacco addiction earned him the nickname ‘Rookmagiër’, i.e. Smoking Magician, would form a formidable striking duo with Henny Meijer. Djurovski, who would spend a total of three seasons at FC Groningen, subdivided into two spells (1990-92 & 1993-94), interrupted by one season at Cambuur-Leeuwarden, is looked back on by Groningen fans as one of the most talented players every to have graced the pitch of the Oosterparkstadion. In 1994, Djurovski left the club for Nîmes Olympique. In the course of his career, Djurovski won 6 caps for Yugoslavia in the 1980s and three more for Macedonia in the 1990s.
1991 / In the best season in the history of FC Groningen, the club finishes in third place in the Eredivisie table behind PSV and AFC Ajax, being in contention for the title for most of the season, in no mean part thanks to the goals of Milko Djurovski and Henny Meijer. The successful coach is Hans Westerhof. Qualifying for the UEFA Cup, the club is knocked out in R1 by East German side FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt (2-0 aggr.).
1992 / Finishing in fifth place in the Eredivisie, still with coach Hans Westerhof, FC Groningen qualifies for the UEFA Cup for the second year running, but the club is eliminated in R1 yet again, this time by Hungarian side Váci FC (2-1 aggr.). Also in 1992, having spent virtually his entire 17-year-long playing career at FC Groningen – only interrupted by a short spell at Go Ahead Eagles in 1979 – defender Jan van Dijk hangs up his boots. Having played no fewer than 485 matches for the club, Van Dijk earned himself the nickname 'Mister FC Groningen'.
1993 / After five successful years at FC Groningen, striker Henny Meijer leaves the club, signing a contract with J-League club Verdy Kawasaki.
1998 / Coached by former player Jan van Dijk, who had replaced Wim Rijsbergen in the course of the season, FC Groningen finishes in second-last place in the Eredivisie table. Having to save its skin in a promotion-relegation play-off group against Eerste Divisie sides Cambuur-Leeuwarden, FC Zwolle, and FC Den Bosch, FC Groningen only manages a third place, thus suffering relegation after an eighteen-year spell in the top flight, and having to cede its place to northern rivals Cambuur. Also in 1998, the decision is taken to refrain from a thorough renovation of the Oosterparkstadion, opting for a projected new stadium elsewhere in Groningen instead. Due to several reasons, the unexpected relegation being one of them, the project takes several years to come to fruition.
1999 / Runners-up in the Eerste Divisie, 13 points behind runaway champions FC Den Bosch, FC Groningen qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, being drawn in a group against SBV Excelsior, Helmond Sport, and Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam. With Sparta winning the group ahead of FC Groningen, the northern club misses out on an immediate return to the top of the Netherlands’ football pyramid.
2000 / Joint runners-up in the Eerste Divisie with FC Zwolle, 8 points behind champions NAC, FC Groningen qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs. In a group against BV Emmen, MVV, and Heracles Almelo, the club finishes top of the table, thus managing a return to the Eredivisie after two years. The successful coach is Jan van Dijk. Also in 2000, 16-year-old winger Arjen Robben, who had joined FC Groningen’s youth academy four years previously from vv Bedum, makes his debut in the club’s first team. Robben, arguably the biggest talent to ever emerge from Groningen’s academy, would stay with the northern club for two seasons, continuing his career at PSV, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid CF, FC Bayern München, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2019. In spite of being marred by multiple injuries in the course of his career, Robben also collected 96 caps for the Netherlands’ national team (37 goals) between 2003 and 2017, representing his country at no fewer than six major tournaments, with the silver and bronze medals at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as highlights.
2004 / Following a design by architect Wiel Arets, works get underway on the projected Euroborg Stadion, built on the location of a former electricity plant to the south of Groningen’s city-centre.
2005 / On December 18th, FC Groningen plays its last league match at the Oosterparkstadion, resulting in a 3-0 victory over NEC. Four days later, the club’s encounter with FC Volendam in the Netherlands’ Cup was the last-ever match to be played at the old stadium, another 3-0 win – with South-African striker Glen Salmon scoring the last goal. It heralded the end of the ground, which had been in use for 72 years.
2006 / On January 7th, 2006, FC Groningen plays its first-ever match at the new Euroborg Stadion, a 3-0 win in a friendly against derby rivals BV Veendam (first goal by Erik Nevland) attended by 20,000 spectators. Six days later, the stadium was officially inaugurated by former FC Groningen winger Arjen Robben, followed by a 2-0 win over SC Heerenveen in front of a sell-out crowd. Strikingly, in both matches, the first goal was scored by Norwegian centre-forward Erik Nevland. The new stadium is a two-tiered, fully covered all-seater ground with a capacity of 22,500. Apart from the stadium itself, the site houses a casino, a movie theatre, a school, a supermarket, and a fitness centre. The stadium's seats are completely clad in the club’s colours of green and white, earning it the nickname ‘The Green Cathedral’. In 2006, FC Groningen, coached by former player Ron Jans, has its best season in years, managing a fifth place in the Eredivisie final ranking, enough to qualify for the UEFA Cup, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by – yet again – FK Partizan (Belgrade, 4-3 aggr.). That same year, the club is joined by Uruguayan Luis Suárez of Club Nacional. Suárez would only stay with Groningen for one season, managing 13 goals in 33 matches. Signing for AFC Ajax, the striker would go on to have spells at several more clubs, most notably Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona, and Club Atlético Madrid. Making his debut in Uruguay’s national side in 2007, Suárez would collect a total of 143 caps, taking part in four World Cup tournaments.
2007 / Finishing in eighth place in the Eredivisie, FC Groningen qualifies for the UEFA Cup for the second year running, yet again being knocked out in R1, this time by ACF Fiorentina (2-2 aggr. & penalty shoot-out). Also in 2007, with the Netherlands hosting the U21 European Championships, the Euroborg Stadion is chosen as the venue for the final, in which Netherlands U21 defeats Serbia U21 (4-1). The successful Netherlands’ coach is Foppe de Haan.
2010 / 19-year-old defender Virgil van Dijk makes his professional league debut at FC Groningen, managing a total of 57 matches for the club in the following three seasons, moving on subsequently to Celtic FC, Southampton FC, and Liverpool FC. Winning his first cap for the Netherlands in 2015, Van Dijk would go on to be the skipper of his country’s national team in the 2022 World Cup as well as the 2024 European Championships.
2011 / Except for the main stand, all stands of the Euroborg Stadion are named after legendary GVAV and FC Groningen players, with the north stand being named after Tonny van Leeuwen, the eastern stand after Piet Fransen, and the southern stand being renamed the ‘Koeman Tribune’ in honour of Martin Koeman as well as his sons Erwin and Ronald.
2014 / Finishing in seventh place in the Eredivisie, FC Groningen qualifies for the Europa League play-offs, managing successive victories over SBV Vitesse (5-1 aggr.) in R1 and AZ (3-0 aggr.) in R2. As such, the team, coached by Erwin van de Looi, qualifies for the Europa League, but, as on previous occasions, European success eludes FC Groningen, which is eliminated in the preliminary round by Aberdeen FC (2-1 aggr.).
2015 / Reaching the final of the Netherlands’ Cup for the second time in club history following successive defeats of BVV Barendrecht (1-4), vv Flevo Boys (1-8), FC Volendam (3-1), SBV Vitesse (4-0), and SBV Excelsior (3-0), FC Groningen goes on to win its first piece of tangible silverware by defeating PEC Zwolle in the final, played at Stadion Feijenoord "De Kuip", thanks to two goals of Slovak international midfielder Albert Rusnák. The successful coach is Erwin van de Looi. Being drawn in a Europa League group with SC Braga, Olympique Marseille, and FC Slovan Liberec, FC Groningen only manages two points thanks to draws against the Portuguese and Czech sides – with SC Braga and Olympique Marseille progressing to the knock-out stage.
2020 / One year after hanging up his boots at FC Bayern München, Arjen Robben decides to make his comeback at FC Groningen, but marred by injuries, Robben does not manage more than seven games in the entire 2020-21 season. In 2021, at the age of 37, Robben retires once and for all, being added to the coaching staff of the northern club.
2023 / Coached by Dennis van der Ree, who had replaced Frank Wormuth in the course of the season, FC Groningen finishes bottom of the Eredivisie table, thus dropping back into the Eerste Divisie along with FC Emmen and SC Cambuur.
2024 / Runners-up in the Eerste Divisie, 4 points behind champions Willem II, FC Groningen manages an immediate return to the top flight of the Netherlands’ football pyramid, along with the Tilburg club as well as play-off winners NAC Breda. The successful coach is Dick Lukkien. Moreover, FC Groningen also reaches the semifinals of the Netherlands’ Cup, in which the club bowed out against Feyenoord Rotterdam (2-1).
2025 / The Euroborg Stadion hosts its first-ever full international match, as the Netherlands crushes Malta in a World Cup qualifier (8-0).
Note – Part of the information above has been derived from two anniversary books of (GSV) GVAV-Rapiditas: “GVAV-Rapiditas 1921-1951”, by J. Hekman (ed. Oppenheim, Groningen 1951) and “GVAV-Rapiditas Groningen 1951-1996”, by Piet Goed, Klaas Sants & Harry Weitering (ed. GVAV-Rapiditas, Groningen 1996). Thanks to the board of GVAV-Rapiditas for allowing me to use these two important sources.