SC Heerenveen

EVERY DUTCHMAN'S SECOND FAVORITE TEAM

The northern province of Friesland (or Fryslân, in the local language) is 'different'. Only some 640,000 people live there, but it has its own 'national' anthem and its own linguistically acknowledged language (never call it a dialect!): Frisian, a language that sounds like a Scandinavian language to other Dutchmen. SC Heerenveen are the standard-bearers of the province. The Frisian flag, with its diagonal blue and white stripes and heart-shaped red leaves, returns in the historic home uniforms of the club. The Frisian flag is always hoisted over the club's home ground in Heerenveen, a small town of some 30,000 level-headed and sober-minded souls. The stadium is always packed, the Frisian anthem sung out loud prior to every home game.

Heerenveen's stadium is named after Friesland's eternal football hero: Abe Lenstra (1920-1985). Older Frisians still talk about 07 May 1950, when Heerenveen beat the mighty Ajax (with striker Rinus Michels!) by 6-5, in one of the most legendary league games in the history of Dutch football. Heerenveen were 1-5 down with only 25 minutes left on the clock. No-one can really explain what happened (the late Rinus Michels, for one, couldn't find the words to describe the magic), but Ús Abe ('Our Abe') shifted to his highest gear and somehow led his team to a historic 6-5 triumph. Italian and French clubs wanted him, but Abe turned all offers down. He wanted to stay at home. The story is re-told each time Ajax visit Heerenveen, even though Ajax certainly received spankings at the Abe Lenstra in more recent seasons.

The Legend: Abe Lenstra, ús Abe ('our Abe'), with his characteristic dark forelock.

"Will the last Frisian switch off the light?" All of Friesland's buses are needed as Heerenveen
fans travel to Rotterdam for the KNVB Cup final against Ajax in May 1993.

Their sense of Frisian tradition, pride and folklore made SC Heerenveen 'every Dutchman's second favorite team' when the club became the first ever Frisian club to get promoted to the Eredivisie (the promotion of 1990 was a major triumph over Frisian arch-enemies Cambuur Leeuwarden, who came close a few times, but always failed). It was rather easy for other clubs' supporters to adore SC Heerenveen, because their fans were as friendly off the pitch as the players were on the pitch: Heerenveen's play was attractive but also quite naive in their first Eredivisie season. Plenty of praise, but not enough points - and the club immediately crashed out again.

Always present at Heerenveen home games for musical support: the illustrious Blauhúster Dakkapel - and their dog.

The second promotion (1993), however, marked the beginning of one of the most remarkable success stories in modern Dutch football. Led by two born and raised Frisians (chairman Riemer van der Velde and coach Foppe de Haan, who coached the club from 1985 to 2004, one of the longest spells in the history of European football) SC Heerenveen started climbing to the top in the latter half of the 1990s. In the year of the second promotion, by the way, Heerenveen had reached the Dutch Cup final as a First Division side. A major achievement, although Louis van Gaal's Ajax were far too strong (6-2) in an exuberant, historically friendly final in Rotterdam, where tens of thousands of Frisians were having the time of their lives.

Only AJ Auxerre's Guy Roux served longer as head-coach of one club than
Foppe de Haan, who left Heerenveen in the summer of 2004.

A new stadium (of course named Abe Lenstra Stadium again), a new sense of professionalism and the devoted support of regional fans and sponsors allowed SC Heerenveen to raise their budget. A second Dutch Cup final was reached in 1997 (and lost again, to Roda JC) and the club had a few UEFA Cup campaigns, before the unthinkable was achieved in 1999-2000: a spectacular and historic second slot in the Eredivisie and direct qualification for the multi-million spectacle of the UEFA Champions League. The results against Valencia, Olympique Lyon and Olympiakos Piraeus proved that such a prominent place in the European spotlights is more than the Frisian club can live up to, but no-one in Heerenveen really seemed to care about that.

Frisian pride: the Frisian anthem, sung out loud before an
edition of the 'Frisian Derby' against rivals Cambuur Leeuwarden.

Heerenveen have excellent youth teams and one of the best scouting departments of The Netherlands: they acknowledged the talents of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar earlier than any other Eredivisie side and received 'big bucks' for them from PSV and Ajax, respectively. Yet, the club will never forget that it got big by remaining small. In a time in which money seems to be the only concern of most football clubs it's a true pleasure to hear a coach of a Champions League participant say, in a crisp Frisian accent: "We'll see what happens, but one thing's for sure: we're gonna have one hell of a good time." That was the great Foppe de Haan, who would move on to win the European Championship with the Dutch U-21 team twice in a row (2006 and 2007). Coach Foppe and chairman Riemer... They're no longer on the payrole, but they will never leave the club. They're now supporters - naturally. (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: 26,000
Official website: www.sc-heerenveen.nl

Honors:

• No national or international trophies won.

Recent History: Ajax vs SC Heerenveen