 | ||||
| Full name | Football Club Groningen | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Trots van het Noorden (lit. 'Pride of the North') De FC (lit. 'The FC') | |||
| Founded | 16 June 1971 | |||
| Ground | Euroborg | |||
| Capacity | 22,525 | |||
| Owner | FC Groningen Beheer B.V. | |||
| Chairman | Jakob Klompien | |||
| Head coach | Dick Lukkien | |||
| League | Eredivisie | |||
| 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie, 2nd of 18 (promoted) | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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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, following promotion from the 2023–24 Eerste Divisie.
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, remaining 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 several European competitions; 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.[1]
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').