Heerenveen

The Abe Lenstra Stadion sits on the edge of a Frisian town of no great size, and it holds 26,800 people. The club moved in during 1994, four years after climbing back into the Eredivisie.

What the stadium replaced was a club that had almost stopped existing. In 1967 Heerenveen was close to bankruptcy, and it was supporters who kept it alive — a fundraising drive called Aktie'67 brought in 70,000 guilders. Ten years later, on 1 June 1977, the amateur side kept the old name vv Heerenveen, the professional arm became sc Heerenveen. That is the club that plays at the Abe Lenstra today.

It began in July 1920 as Athleta, and for two years could not settle on what to call itself — De Spartaan in the spring of 1922, then Heerenveen by that October. The strong years came early and regionally: a first northern championship in 1942, with more following until 1951. Then the Dutch game turned professional in 1954, and Heerenveen went down to the second division a year later. It took until 1990 to get back up.

The one trophy is the 2009 KNVB Beker, won on penalties against Twente. Heerenveen had lost a cup final before, in 1993, and would lose another to Ajax in 2021. The 2000 season brought second place in the Eredivisie and a Champions League place with it.

The fixture that carries most weight is against Twente, the side beaten in that shoot-out.