Derby Of The North: FC Groningen vs. SC Heerenveen

Words: Football On Analog

Images: Football on Analog

Saturday morning, somewhere in Northern Germany, I woke up with my first thoughts reminding me of the disappointment from Friday night.

Once again knocked out in the first round of the DFB Pokal, against Bielefeld, but since the grind must go on, I had some breakfast, got in the car, and headed on my two-hour journey to Groningen to see the derby of the North, FC Groningen vs. SC Heerenveen.

I arrived in Groningen early in the afternoon, and since it was my first visit to the city, I parked the car and took a stroll around the city centre, already noticing the unique badge of FC Groningen in the streets.

The city itself is really charming and has the typical Dutch vibe—narrow streets, lots of cyclists, restaurants, coffee shops (the regular kind), and pubs everywhere you go — definitely worth a visit.

But since I was here for football, I headed straight to the ground after grabbing a bag of fries and a local specialty called “Eierbal.”

©Football on Analog/ Terrace Edition. Groningen.

Eierbal is an egg covered by some sort of thick stew and then deep-fried. It wasn’t bad, but also nothing I’d get on a regular.

Whilst it was still pretty early, I made my way to the stadium, since the “Noordtribune Groningen” had called for supporters to gather at six pm at the Supportersplein (a square in front of the stadium), with the special team bus reception planned for 7:15 pm.

When I arrived at the Supportersplein, it was already quite lively with music playing and supporters having beers scattered around the square, especially near the beer carts.

Occasionally, flares would be ignited, followed by fireworks that echoed around the stadium.

Although I somehow knew what to expect, I was still pleasantly surprised by the number of fireworks set off before the team bus's arrival.

©Football on Analog/ Terrace Edition. FC Groningen vs. SC Heerenveen.

As it got closer to 7:15 pm, the mob slowly started to move toward the players' entrance to prepare for the bus reception.

When the bus arrived a few minutes later, there was a sea of pyro in front of me with smoke and flares being put off constantly.

With the low roof above, the noise and smoke felt endless — what an atmosphere to give the team some extra motivation for the derby win.

After a small hassle getting my ticket to work, I was in the stadium. From the inside, it is quite the modern interior, but still has its own charm with graffiti and player murals decorating the walls.

Just before kickoff, a banner was unveiled that said “Pandemonium Cruoninga,” with “Pandemonium” roughly translating to “hell/chaos”, and “Cruoninga” seems to be one if not the main, ultra group on the Noordtribune, according to my information.

It also featured a hypnotized character in the centre surrounded by flags and boards in black and green.

It already looked pretty good, but it turned incredible a few seconds later as it was accompanied by flares, smoke, and Roman candles.

Also leading to the first delay of the match due to the amount of smoke within the stadium.

Once the game started, the atmosphere was electric, with most of the crowd bouncing and chanting things like “Those who don't jump are Friesians.”

Unfortunately, this energy seemed to fade during the first half.

In the 15th minute, when Heerenveen scored and celebrated in front of the main stand, a cup was thrown, causing another 15-minute delay.

The guy sitting next to me told me there’s a specific procedure for these kinds of interruptions, and throwing a second cup would suspend the match, although I’m not sure how active this still is.

In the 29th minute, Groningen scored an equalizer, sparking new hope for a derby win. However, the atmosphere never really picked back up to the level it was at the start.

The second half was quite balanced, with both sides having chances, but also no one really going for it.

Whilst I wish I could tell you the story of how I experienced the winning goal in the 94th minute, I have to disappoint you, as due to long delays during the match, it would end later than calculated by me, and as I still had to drive back, I left the stadium five minutes too early, and could only hear the winning roar.

Well, that's what you get for leaving early...