On 1 July 1965 two sworn rivals from Enschede made peace and gave birth to a new club. On 1 July 2027 FC Twente turns 62. The "Tukkers" of the eastern Netherlands wear red and have written some of the most unexpected pages of Dutch football.

From enemies to partners

Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys were the two big local rivals. Sportclub had even won the Dutch championship in 1926. But both were struggling with the cost of professional football.

They had rejected a merger in the past, but their finances left no other choice. The new club was named not after the city but after the region, Twente in eastern Overijssel. That way it could represent the whole region and not just Enschede.

A red that offended no one

Colours were a sensitive issue. Sportclub fans were used to black and Boys fans to green, so picking either would have sparked a row. The solution was an all-red kit that belonged to neither of them.

That is also where the nickname "De Roodhemden", the Red Shirts, comes from. The crest shows a white horse on a red background along with the club's name. Twente has had four crests, in 1965, 1979, 1995 and 2006, with differences that are small but visible.

The Diekman and Europe

In the early years the team played at the municipal Diekman, built in 1956. It was a ground with atmosphere that saw great European nights. Just eight years after its founding, in 1973, Twente reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

In 1975 it went even further. In the semi-final it beat Juventus 3-1 at the Diekman and reached the UEFA Cup final. There it drew 0-0 with Mönchengladbach in Düsseldorf, but lost the return leg in Enschede 1-5.

The stars of that team were Frans Thijssen, Arnold Mühren, Kick van der Vall and Theo Pahlplatz. In 1977 the first major trophy arrived too, the Dutch Cup, with a win over PEC Zwolle.

The McClaren year

In 1998 the club moved to a new stadium near the university, today's De Grolsch Veste. In the first match, on 10 May 1998, it beat PSV 3-0. Today it holds more than 30,000 spectators.

The greatest moment came in 2009-10. With English coach Steve McClaren, Twente won its first league title, losing only two games all season. Bryan Ruiz was one of the stars, and Dušan Tadić and Hakim Ziyech also later played for the club.

Fall and return

After the glory came hard years. Financial problems and questionable transfers led to a points deduction in 2015 and the departure of chairman Joop Munsterman. In 2018 the team finished bottom and was relegated.

The absence lasted just one season, as in 2019 it won the Eerste Divisie and returned to the top flight. The all-time top scorer is Blaise Nkufo with 114 goals, who also has a statue outside the stadium. In the 2025-26 season Twente finished fourth in the Eredivisie and earned a European ticket.

Celebrate with us

From two rivals who could not stand each other to a title nobody expected, Twente is the pride of the east. Its red shirt carries 62 years of passion.

Happy birthday, FC Twente! May the Grolsch Veste keep turning red for many years to come.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: De Grolsch Veste in Enschede, 2019 – Steven Lek, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.