Although
FC Groningen and
SC Heerenveen played each other for the first time in 1974, the rivalry did not commence until the mid-1990s. In the 1970s and 1980s, Groningen were the biggest and most successful football team in the northern provinces. They were a regular in the first-tier
Eredivisie, qualified several times for
European football, beat
Atlético Madrid and
Inter Milan in the
UEFA Cup, and had the largest attendances in the Netherlands besides
Ajax,
Feyenoord and
PSV. Only
SC Veendam joined FC Groningen in the Eredivisie in two discontinuous seasons the 1980s, but went straight back down on both occasions. Heerenveen would not play in the Eredivisie until
1990–91; during that season, Groningen competed for the league title, ultimately finishing in third place. As Groningen had been the only Northern representative in the top flight, the Dutch media referred to the club as the "Pride of the North". Groningen's club anthem, written in the 1970s, mentions the people from the three northern provinces
Groningen,
Friesland and
Drenthe being united in their support for Groningen. During the early 1990s, however, Groningen began to decline and were relegated from the Eredivisie in
1997–98. Heerenveen won promotion to the Eredivisie in
1992–93 and started to climb up the Eredivisie table in the following years. The side finished second in the
1999–2000 Eredivisie and qualified for the
Champions League. Groningen won promotion back to the top tier
the same season. Heerenveen, under the guidance of chairman
Riemer van der Velde, were referred by the Dutch media as a "family club", embracing its
Frisian identity; Heerenveen have modelled their
kit after the
Frisian flag and play the
Frisian provincial anthem before every home match. In the early 2000s, the Dutch media referred to Heerenveen as "everybody's second favorite team". During the same era, Groningen's supporters clashed several times with fans of other clubs. Heerenveen began to brand itself as the "Pride of the North", which is Groningen's nickname, as the club had surpassed Groningen in domestic performance. The rivalry intensified, particularly from Groningen's side, whose supporters named themselves the "people's club" with a passionate following, while they regarded Heerenveen fans as "
fairweather supporters" with the worst atmosphere in the league. In early 2006, Groningen left their outdated
Oosterparkstadion for
Euroborg. In their new stadium, Groningen began to close the gap and climbed up the league table. Around the same time, Heerenveen's "friendly image" began to attenuate. ==List of results==