Sportclub Heerenveen(Dutch pronunciation:[ˈspɔrtklʏpˌɦeːrə(ɱ)ˈveːn];West Frisian:Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch professionalfootballclub fromHeerenveen.They currently play in theEredivisie,the top level offootball in the Netherlands.The club is known for itsFrisian identity.[2]

Heerenveen
Full nameSportclub Heerenveen
Nickname(s)De Superfriezen(The Super Frisians)
Founded20 July 1920;104 years ago(1920-07-20)
GroundAbe Lenstra Stadion
Capacity26,100[1]
ChairmanDennis Gijsman
Head coachRobin van Persie
LeagueEredivisie
2023–24Eredivisie, 11th of 18
Websitesc-heerenveen.nl
Current season

History

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Sportclub Heerenveenwas founded on 20 July 1920 in the town ofHeerenveen,Friesland,asAthleta.[3]It changed name twice, first toSpartaanand then tov.v. Heerenveenin 1922.[3]While the Netherlands wasoccupied by Germany,Heerenveen won three successive North of the Netherlands championships, and following the end ofWorld War IIit went on to win the same title six times in a row; the club's dominance partly ascribed to the presence ofAbe Lenstra.[3]During this period, Lenstra led Heerenveen to a famous victory overAjaxin one of the most noted games in Dutch domestic football history.[4]Trailing 5–1 with 25 minutes remaining, the Frisian team inexplicably fought back for a 6–5 victory.[4]

During the 1950s, Heerenveen regional dominance faded and after Dutch football turned professional Lenstra left to joinSportclub Enschede,before the club he departed was relegated to theTweede Divisie.[3]By the end of the decade, Heerenveen was in theEerste Divisie,but found itself relegated again.[3]In 1969–70, the Frisian club won the Tweede Divisie to return to the Eerste Divisie and for two seasons in the 1970s, the club was close to achieving promotion to the top-flightEredivisie.[3]By 1974, the club was in financial trouble and to ensure its survival it was split into amateur and professional sections on 1 June 1977, the professional part being renamedsc Heerenveen.[3]

In the 1980s, Heerenveen twice made the promotion playoffs, but were unsuccessful both times.[3]It finally reached the Eredivisie in 1990, becoming the first Frisian club to reach the top level, at the expense of near-neighboursCambuur.[4]The achievement was overseen by Frisian coachFoppe de Haan.Heerenveen's first season in the Netherlands' top division was not at all successful and it was relegated, before returning in 1993, though they reached the final of theKNVB Cupwhile still an Eerste Divisie club.[4]Having established itself as a top-flight club, Heerenveen moved to a new stadium, named after their most celebrated player, theAbe Lenstra Stadion,and reached the final of the KNVB Cup for a second time.[4]The 1998 semi-final in the cup competition was lost to Ajax. Because Ajax and the other finalist,PSV,had both qualified for the cup final, a decision match was needed to fill in the vacant spot for the next season'sUEFA Cup Winners' Cup.Heerenveen had to play against the other losing semi-finalist,Twente.Heerenveen won that match in whichRuud van Nistelrooyscored his last goal for Heerenveen. The match ended 3–1.[citation needed]

Heerenveen became regular competitors in theUEFA Cup,and in 1999–2000 finished second in the Eredivisie, its highest ever finish, and qualified for the2000–01 UEFA Champions League.[3]

The club was led from 1983 until September 2006 by presidentRiemer van der Velde,the longest tenure of any president with a professional club in the Netherlands.[citation needed]As the results of recent transfers that includeKlaas-Jan Huntelaar,Afonso Alves,Michael Bradley,Miralem Sulejmani,Petter HanssonandDanijel Pranjić(and earlier players likeJon Dahl Tomasson,Marcus Allbäck,Erik Edman,Ruud van Nistelrooy,Igor KorneevandDaniel Jensen), Heerenveen is one of the most financially secure Eredivisie clubs. A 2010 report by the Dutch football association showed that Heerenveen is the only Eredivisie club that has a financially secure budget.[5]Under the tenure ofTrond Sollied,Heerenveen won its first KNVB Cup, also its first ever major trophy. Trond Sollied, however, was sacked on 31 August 2009 due to a weak opening of the season and a conflict with the board.[citation needed]

On 17 May 2009, the club defeatedTwente5–4 in a penalty shoot-out to win the Dutch Cup for the first time after a 2–2 draw in the final, withGerald Sibonscoring the winning penalty.[6]On 13 February 2012, it was announced thatMarco van Bastenwould replace Ron Jans, who had led Heerenveen for two years, as team manager for the2012–13 season.[citation needed].

Stadium

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Home of Heerenveen,Abe Lenstra Stadion

The club plays its home matches at theAbe Lenstra Stadium,which opened in 1994 and holds 26,100 people. Before that, the team played at a ground with the same name elsewhere in the town, but it could not meet the increasing popularity of the club. Throughout the years, the club developed several plans to further expand the stadium. One of the plans was to extend at least one side stand towards the pitch, as seen in English football stadiums. Due to deteriorating league results and financial limitedness, however, those plans were shelved. It is uncertain whether or not the club will ever carry them out. Before the move to the Abe Lenstra Stadion, Heerenveen played at theSportpark Noord.The club's training facilities are regarded as world class, which is said to be a major factor in their recruitment of younger players. The name of the clubs facilities is sportparkSkoatterwâld[nl].The facilities are shared withVV Heerenveenandsc Heerenveen (women).

Colours, crest and anthem

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The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the flag ofFriesland.Theflag of Frieslandis based on the arms of the 15th century. The stripes andseeblattshapes represent the districts of Friesland.

A unique tradition in the Dutch Eredivisie is that theFrisian national anthemis played and sung before every domestic match.UEFAdoes not allow this tradition in European matches. Nevertheless, the anthem is sung by the supporters anyway.

Rivalry

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SC Cambuur

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Heerenveen retain a very fierce rivalry withSC Cambuur.One of the reasons of the rivalry is the short distance between the two clubs. Because of that the clubs often refer to each other as DKV which stands for Dertig Kilometer Verderop (Thirty Kilometers Away) so that they do not have to mention each other's names. However, the biggest and also the most confusing reason is the background of the clubs. Many people who aren't involved in the rivalry find it difficult to understand. Most of the Heerenveen fans are from small villages from the entire province (and even outside it) and are very proud of their Frisian identity. Since the 80's the club have been expressing this Frisian pride to the rest of the Netherlands. The Frisian flag, the Frisian anthem, all Frisian symbols were linked to the club, which made Heerenveen the face of Frisia. Because of this Cambuur slowly disappeared in the shadow of Heerenveen, as a reaction to this Cambuur fans started distancing themselves from the Frisian identity. Nowadays Cambuur do not consider themselves Frisian even though they are from the capital of the province. They now call themselves Leeuwarders aka people from the city. Heerenveen fans are mockingly called boeren (farmers) because Heerenveen isn't a city and the fans mainly live in small villages. Because of the successes of Heerenveen and the meager performances of Cambuur including almost going bankrupt, the rivalry was almost forgotten. When Cambuur got promoted back to theEredivisiein 2013 by winning the2012/13season of theJupiler Leaguethe rivalry got revived. Before the meeting on 29 September 2013 the game hadn't been played for 13 years, giving Cambuur a great opportunity to prove themselves. Heerenveen won that game 2–1. The away game later in the season was won 3–1 by Cambuur.

FC Groningen

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The absence of Cambuur causedFC Groningento be the nearest Eredivisie team and soon it became rivals with Heerenveen. Strikingly, both northern sides used to maintain more or less of a friendship in the past. Therefore, thisNorthern Derbyrivalry is only based on geographical location. Because most Heerenveen fans have always considered Cambuur as main rivals, this derby is often referred to as a surrogate derby. Days before the game, Heerenveen and Groningen fans tease each other by means of playful actions, usually with no violence. Heerenveen fans once stole the centre spot fromStadion Oosterpark,and raised the Frisian flag at theMartinitoren,the highest tower in Groningen, combined with a banner saying"SCH op eenzame hoogte" (SCH on lonely height).[7]The front yard of a Groningen chairman once got filled with rubble from a construction site. This was because the construction of theEuroborghad to be halted due to a major design mistake. Groningen fans countered by painting a statue of all-time Heerenveen heroAbe Lenstragreen and white, the colours of Groningen.[8]They also transformed a viaduct near Heerenveen to green and white.

A year later, in the 2001–02 season, Groningen fans awarded Heerenveen playerAnthony Lurlingthe title of "Biggest cheat of the season" and handed him therefore a sewing machine. In that same week the town signs of Heerenveen were changed to "Hoerenveen It Sucks" (Whore-veen) by the Groningen supporters. The following season, Groningen fans teased the Heerenveen following again, this time by establishing a border post on the border of Groningen and Friesland.[9]

Honours

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Domestic results

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Historical chart of league performance

Below is a table with sc Heerenveen's domestic results since the introduction of theEredivisiein 1956.

European competition

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SC Heerenveen played 16 seasons in one of the European club football competitions.

score marked with * = first played match
Season Competition Round Opposition Home Away
1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 4 Næstved BK 2–1
Ton Pentre 7–0
Békéscsaba Előre 4–0
União de Leiria 0–1
Round of 16 Farul Constanța 4–0
Quarter-finals Bordeaux 0–2
1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 5 Sligo Rovers 0–0
Lillestrøm 0–1
Nantes 1–3
FBK Kaunas 3–1
1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 1 FC Dinamo-93 Minsk 0–1
Polonia Warsaw 0–0
MSV Duisburg 0–2
Aalborg BK 8–2
1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup First round Amica Wronki 3-1 * 1–0
Second round Varteks 2–1 * 2–4(a.e.t.)
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round Hammarby IF 2-0 * 2–0
Semi-finals West Ham United 0–1 0–1 *
2000–01 UEFA Champions League Group C Valencia 0–1 1–1
Lyon 0–2 1–3
Olympiacos 1–0 0–2
2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup Second round Liepājas Metalurgs 6–1 2–3 *
Third round Basel 2–3 1–2 *
2002–03 UEFA Cup First round Național București 2–0 0–3 *
2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round Lierse 4–1 * 1–0
Semi-finals Koper 2–0 * 0–1
Finals Villarreal 1–2 * 0–0
2004–05 UEFA Cup First round Maccabi Petah Tikva 5–0 n.p.[1]*
Group G Benfica 2–4
VfB Stuttgart 1–0
Dinamo Zagreb 2–2
Beveren 1–0
Third round Newcastle United 1–2 * 1–2
2005–06 UEFA Cup First round Baník Ostrava 5–0 0–2 *
Group F Dinamo București 0–0
CSKA Moscow 0–0
Marseille 0–1
Levski Sofia 2–1
Third round Steaua București 1–3 * 1–0
2006–07 UEFA Cup First round Vitória de Setúbal 0–0 3–0[2]*
Group D Osasuna 0–0
Odense 0–2
Parma 1–2
Lens 1–0
2007–08 UEFA Cup First round Helsingborgs IF 5-3 * 1–5
2008-09 UEFA Cup First round Vitória de Setúbal 5–2 1–1[3]*
Group E Milan 1–3
VfL Wolfsburg 1–5
Braga 1–2
Portsmouth 0–3
2009–10 UEFA Europa League Play-off round PAOK 1–1(a)* 0–0
Group D Sporting CP 2–3 1–1
Hertha BSC 2–3 1–0
Ventspils 5–0 0–0
2012–13 UEFA Europa League Third Q-round Rapid București 4–0 * 0–1
Play-off round Molde 1-2 0-2 *
^1Due to safety concerns in Israel, the first leg was cancelled by UEFA.
^2Played inEstádio José Alvalade,Lisbon.

Current squad

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As of 29 January 2025[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF NED Denzel Hall
3 DF NED Jordy de Wijs(on loan fromFortuna Düsseldorf)
4 DF NED Sam Kersten
5 DF POL Paweł Bochniewicz
6 MF GER Amara Condé
7 FW NED Ché Nunnely
8 MF NED Luuk Brouwers(captain)
10 MF MAR Ilias Sebaoui(on loan fromFeyenoord)
11 DF GER Mats Köhlert
13 GK NED Mickey van der Hart
14 MF NED Levi Smans
15 DF IRQ Hussein Ali
16 MF SWE Marcus Linday
17 DF NOR Nikolai Hopland
18 FW MDA Ion Nicolaescu
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW DEN Jacob Trenskow
21 MF NED Espen van Ee
22 GK NED Bernt Klaverboer
23 GK NED Jan Bekkema
24 FW SRB Miloš Luković(on loan fromStrasbourg)
26 FW GRE Dimitris Rallis
27 DF SRB Mateja Milovanović
28 DF BUL Hristiyan Petrov
30 MF IRN Alireza Jahanbakhsh
32 MF NED Melle Witteveen
35 MF NED Ties Oostra
39 MF NED Isaiah Ahmed
44 GK NED Andries Noppert
45 DF NOR Oliver Braude

Out on loan

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As of 19 January 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW IRQ Danilo Al-Saed(atAIKuntil 30 June 2025)

Notable former players

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Players listed below have had junior and/or senior international cap(s) for their respective countries before, while and/or after playing at Heerenveen.

Club staff

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Position Staff
Head Coach Robin van Persie
Assistant Coach Henk Brugge
Brian Pinas
First-Team Coach Michiel de Boer
First-Team Goalkeeper Coach Harmen Kuperus
Rehab Coach Jeroen Smit
Video Analyst Yöri Bosschaart
Chief Scout Peter Maas
Scout André Hanssen
Søren Frederiksen
Dirk Jan Derksen
Youth Chief Scout Marten van der Kamp
Physiotherapist Erik ten Voorde
Johnny de Vries
Masseur Thom van der Heide
Performance Manager Nico Romeijn
Kit Manager Catrinus Stoker
Benny Hulzinga
Strategic Advisor Rob Koeken
Academy Manager Marcel van Buuren

Coaching history

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No official trainer from 1920 to 1930

Foppe de Haan– manager from 1985 to 1988 and from 1992 until 2004 and from 2015 until 2016(int.).

Match statistics

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All competitions
  • Biggest home win: SC Heerenveen - FC Oss 11–1; KNVB Cup (21 December 2011)
  • Biggest score: Ton Pentre AFC - sc Heerenveen 0–7; Intertoto (2 July 1995)
  • Largest double result: Helsingborg IF - sc Heerenveen 8-6 (3-5 and 5–1); UEFA Cup 1st Round (2007)
  • Most goals in a season: 88 goals, 2007/08
  • Most goals in a game: Afonso Alves 7 (also Dutch record); sc Heerenveen - Heracles (7 October 2007)
Eredivisie
  • Biggest home win: sc Heerenveen - Heracles Almelo 9-0 (7 October 2007)
  • Biggest game: Willem II - sc Heerenveen 1-6 (23 February 2001)
  • Largest home defeat: sc Heerenveen - PSV Eindhoven 0-8 (25 April 2024)
  • Fastest penalty for: sc Heerenveen - sc Cambuur (19 October 2014)
Champions League
  • Biggest home win: SC Heerenveen - Olympiakos Piraeus 1-0 (17 October 2000)
  • Most spacious stay: none
  • Highest draw: Valencia CF - sc Heerenveen 1-1 (7 November 2000)
  • Largest double result: SC Heerenveen - Lyon 1-5 (2000)
European Cup II
  • Biggest home win: SC Heerenveen - KS Amica Wronki 3-1 (17 September 1998)
  • Biggest game: KS Amica Wronki - sc Heerenveen 0-1 (1 October 1998)
  • Largest double result: sc Heerenveen - KS Amica Wronki 4-1 (1998)
UEFA Cup
  • Biggest home win: SC Heerenveen - Maccabi Petach Tikwa 5-0 (30 September 2004), SC Heerenveen - FC Baník Ostrava 5-0 (29 September 2005) and SC Heerenveen - FK Ventspils 5-0 (16 December 2009)
  • Biggest game: Vitória Setúbal - sc Heerenveen 0-3 (14 September 2006)
  • Largest double result: Helsingsborg IF - sc Heerenveen 8-6 (2007)
Intertoto Cup
  • Biggest home win: SC Heerenveen - Aalborg BK 8-2 (19 July 1997)
  • Biggest score: Ton Pentre AFC - sc Heerenveen 0-7 (2 July 1995)
  • Largest double result: FHK Liepajas Metalurgs - sc Heerenveen 4-8 (2001)

Women's team

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In 2007, SC Heerenveen created awomen's footballteam, which competes in theVrouwen Eredivisie,and between 2012 and 2015 in theBeNe League.While it has ranked mostly in the table's bottom positions, in 2011 it reached thenational cup's final, lost againstAZ.Vivianne MiedemaandSherida Spitsestarted their professional career at Heerenveen.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Abe Lenstra stadion".
  2. ^Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz."ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations".ECMI.Retrieved14 March2023.
  3. ^abcdefghi"The history of Heerenveen".sc-heerenveen.nl. Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2008.Retrieved1 December2008.
  4. ^abcde"sc Heerenveen: EVERY DUTCHMAN'S SECOND FAVORITE TEAM".ajax-usa.Archivedfrom the original on 12 August 2009.Retrieved1 December2008.
  5. ^"Financiële problemen voor profclubs".RTL Nieuws.2 August 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2010.Retrieved2 August2010.
  6. ^"Heerenveen prevail in Dutch final shoot-out".Uefa.17 May 2009.Retrieved18 May2009.
  7. ^"Frisian flag in Groningen".sc-heerenveen.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2017.Retrieved27 March2018.
  8. ^"The painted statue".trotsvanhetnoorden.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2018.Retrieved27 March2018.
  9. ^"Trots van het Noorden".trotsvanhetnoorden.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 4 August 2017.Retrieved13 February2018.
  10. ^"Selectie".Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2017.Retrieved21 April2017.
  11. ^van Cuilenborg, C. (Ed.) (2007).Voetbal international, seizoengids 2007–2008.(p. 92). Amsterdam: WP Sport Media BV.
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