heerenveen.html

KPN Eredivisie, 2000-2001: Club Profile

SC HEERENVEEN: EVERY DUTCH FOOTBALL FAN'S SECOND FAVORITE TEAM

No Dutch province is as different as the northern province of Friesland. It only has some 500,000 inhabitants in total, its own national anthem and its own, officially acknowledged language: Frisian, which sounds like Danish, or a very northern Anglosaxon dialect to a non-Frisian Dutchman. SC Heerenveen is the standard-bearer of its remarkable province. The shirt, with vertical blue and white stripes, has heart-shaped red leaves in the white bars. It's the pattern of the Frisian flag, always hoisted over the club's cosy home ground in the small town of Heerenveen, a town of only some 40,000 level-headed and sober-minded souls. The stadium is always packed; the Frisian anthem sung out loud before every home game.

SC Heerenveen's stadium is named after Friesland's eternal football hero: Abe Lenstra. Older Frisians still talk about that one legendary day: 7 May, 1950, when the countryside-boys were 1-5 down against the mighty Ajax of striker Rinus Michels, with only 30 minutes left to play. Still, no-one can really explain the miracle that happened, but *Us Abe* ('our Abe') led his boys to a historic 6-5 victory. Italian and French clubs wanted him, but Abe said 'no'. He wanted to stay at home. The story is gladly re-told, every time SC Heerenveen faces the bigmouths from Amsterdam.

The pleasant sense of tradition and Frisian pride and folklore, made SC Heerenveen 'every Dutchman's second favorite team' when they made it to the Eredivisie for the first time in 1990, something which Frisian arch-enemy, Cambuur Leeuwarden, had not achieved yet. It was easy to love SC Heerenveen, because their fans created as little problems on the stands as the team did on the pitch. The Frisians' football was as attractiveas it was naive. Before they realized what was happening, they were back in the First Division again.

For a long time, SC Heerenveen was regarded as a sweet and charming rather than as a truly formidable club. The second promotion (in 1993) however, marked the beginning of one of the most remarkable success stories in modern Dutch football. Before Dutch football turned professional, Heerenveen had only been succesful in regional football. Lead by two born and raised Frisians, chairman Riemer van der Velde and coach Foppe de Haan, SC Heerenveen started building in the latter half of the 1990s. Reaching the Dutch Cup final in Rotterdam's De Kuip was the first big achievement, even though Louis van Gaal's young Ajax team was far too strong (6-2) in an exuberant final in Rotterdam.

A new stadium (of course named Abe Lenstra Stadium again), a new sense of professionalism and the fanatical support of both regional fans as well as sponsors, allowed SC Heerenveen to lift the budget, reach another Dutch Cup final in 1997 (lost again, against Roda JC, 4-2) and finally achieve the unthinkable in 1999-2000, finishing second in the Eredivisie and qualifying directly for the multi-million spectacle of the Champions League. The results against Valencia, Olympique Lyon and Olympiakos Piraeus proved that such a prominent place in the spotlights is more than the Frisian club can live up to.

The Champions League campaign a disappointment? Well, maybe a little, but one of the nicest things about SC Heerenveen and its charming coach, Foppe de Haan, is that the club will never forget that they became big by remaining small. In a time in which money seems to be the main concern of most clubs, it is a true pleasure and a relief to hear a coach of a Champions League participant say: "We'll see what happens, but one things's for sure: we're gonna have a hell of a good time." And, after the anticipated elimination: "We had a marvellous time. And now we're gonna play for the league again. Which is fun, too." Which football fan on this planet can resist that? (MP)

SC HEERENVEEN FACTS

Founded: 20 July, 1920 as VV Heerenveen (name changed into SC Heerenveen on 1 June, 1977)
City: Heerenveen
Stadium: Abe Lenstra Stadium
Capacity: 14,025
Official website: http://www.sc-heerenveen.nl

Honors:

• No national or international trophies won.

Ajax vs SC Heerenveen, the last five Eredivisie seasons: