Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. Groningen played their inaugural season in the Eredivisie, before the side were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1973–74 as they got into financial difficulties. Groningen were promoted back to the Eredivisie as champions in 1979–80 and remained in the top flight for almost 20 seasons before they dropped to the second tier in 1997–98. The team won promotion to the Eredivisie in 1999–2000, where they have remained since. Groningen have won the KNVB Cup once—in 2014–15—and were runners-up in 1988–89. Groningen achieved their highest-ever league position in 1990–91 when they finished third in the Eredivisie. The side's first participation in European competition came in the 1983–84 UEFA Cup; Groningen defeated Atlético Madrid on aggregate in the first round, but were eliminated by Inter Milan in the following round. Notable players who have played for the club include Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben, Luis Suárez and Virgil van Dijk. The team's first home stadium was Oosterparkstadion; since 2006, they have played their home games at Euroborg. Groningen's home kit colours are based on the city's coat of arms: green and white. The club is nicknamed "Trots van het Noorden" (English: "Pride of the North"), and has a rivalry with Frisian side sc Heerenveen, with whom it contests the Derby of the North. History Professional football in Groningen In 1954, professional football started in the Netherlands. The clubs from Groningen who turned professional were Be Quick, , GVAV and . In 1956, GVAV became founder members of the first tier Eredivisie, while Be Quick, Velocitas and Oosterparkers were founder members of the Tweede Divisie, the third tier. Oosterparkers quickly returned to amateurism, Velocitas played professional football until 1960 and Be Quick remained professional until 1964; this left GVAV as the city's only professional team. Although GVAV averaged home attendances of 10,000 or more during the early 1960s, the club had become mired in financial difficulties. This instigated the establishment of "Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV" (English: "Professional Football Foundation GVAV") in 1963, a triumvirate of GVAV, the Groningen municipality government and an organization representing local businesses. The three parties paid 300,000 guilders each to be the foundation's shareholders; GVAV's finances remained in a weak