On 20 July 1920, a club was born in the small town of Heerenveen that would become the flag-bearer of an entire province. SC Heerenveen turns 107 on 20 July 2027. It is the club of Friesland, with blue-and-white stripes and red "hearts" that are not hearts at all.

Three names in two years

The club started out as Athleta. The following season it became Spartaan, and in 1922, when it registered with the Dutch FA, it took the name of the town, v.v. Heerenveen.

On 1 June 1977 the club split into amateur and professional sections. The professional side became the sc Heerenveen we know today.

The flag of Friesland on the shirt

Heerenveen's kit is essentially the flag of its province. The shirt has blue and white vertical stripes, like the stripes of the Frisian flag.

The crest carries the pompeblêden, the red water-lily leaves of the flag. Many outside Friesland mistake them for hearts, but they are one of the region's best-loved symbols.

Macron's 2026-27 home kit keeps the tradition, with red pompeblêden inside the white stripes. It comes with white shorts and black socks with blue and white stripes.

Abe Lenstra, the town's legend

Abe Lenstra was born in Heerenveen in 1920, the same year as the club. In the 1940s and 1950s he became a national star and led the club to its post-war dominance.

His most famous story is a match against Ajax. Heerenveen were losing 5-1 with 25 minutes left and won 6-5, with Lenstra as the star.

Since 1994 the club has played at the Abe Lenstra Stadion, named after him. It holds more than 26,000 spectators, a lot for a town of this size.

From Friesland to the Champions League

In 1970 the club won the Tweede Divisie title, its first big step up. From the late 1990s, under coach Foppe de Haan, it became an Eredivisie regular.

In 1999-2000 it finished second, the best position in its history. That earned it a place in the 2000-01 Champions League group stage, its only appearance in the competition.

After losing cup finals in 1993 and 1997, the first major trophy arrived on 17 May 2009. Heerenveen won the Dutch Cup 5-4 on penalties against Twente, with Gerald Sibon scoring the last kick.

A shop window for strikers

Heerenveen has a reputation for discovering forwards. Ruud van Nistelrooy made his big breakthrough here, with 13 goals in 31 games in 1997-98.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Afonso Alves, Miralem Sulejmani and Bas Dost also wore the blue-and-white shirt. Coaches such as Trond Sollied and Marco van Basten sat on its bench.

In 2025-26, with Robin Veldman as coach, the club knocked Feyenoord out of the Cup. It continues in the Eredivisie in 2026-27, where the derbies against Cambuur and Groningen always stir passions.

Celebrate with us

Heerenveen shows how a small town can carry a whole province on its shoulders. Blue, white and red water-lily leaves, for 107 years.

Happy 107th birthday, Heerenveen! May Friesland keep following you with the same pride.

See our SC Heerenveen jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: the front of the Abe Lenstra Stadion, 2010 – Lars Curfs (Grashoofd), Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.