FC Groningen, established in 1971, is a professional football club located in the city of Groningen, Netherlands. The club oscillates between the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie. The club's first home ground was Oosterpark Stadium, which was relocated to Euroborg Stadium in 2006.
In the early years of Groningen's career, starting in 1973, the club faced financial difficulties, with fluctuating performance, and was saved by the Groningen City Council. They were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in the 1973-74 season. It wasn't until the 1979-80 season that they returned to the Eredivisie as champions. Groningen established a scouting coordination, nurturing many young players, and the squad was composed of players from their youth academy. In the 1982-83 season, they qualified for European competitions for the first time, and the team gradually entered a golden period, with home attendance records being continuously broken. Between 1984 and 1989, the club faced investigations and penalties for illegal player signings, yet they maintained good performance, and Hennie Meijer was named "Dutch Footballer of the Year."
Due to financial issues, the club underwent multiple management changes. They were promoted back to the Eredivisie in the 1999-2000 season, and on December 16, 2000, a 16-year-old Robben made his professional debut under coach Jan van Dijk. He was considered one of the best players but was soon sold to PSV for a transfer fee of 3.9 million euros. Groningen also had a good performance, competing in the Eredivisie for 23 seasons until their relegation in the 2022-23 season.