The shifting fortunes of promotion and relegation can create massive, decades-long gaps in regional rivalries. Page 10 of the March 2014 matchday programme highlights exactly such a gap. The headline of the “De Historie” section proudly announces: “Cambuur voor het eerst te gast in Euroborg” (SC Cambuur for the first time as a guest in Euroborg).
The historical text explains this incredible anomaly. While FC Groningen and the club from Leeuwarden had faced each other ten times previously on Groningen soil, the Frisian side had completely missed the modern era of the Pride of the North. The programme notes that the last official meeting between the two sides where Groningen was the “home” team actually took place on neutral ground in Zeist during a Nacompetitie 23.05.1998 match vs SC Cambuur.
To find the last time Cambuur played an Eredivisie match in the city of Groningen, fans had to look back exactly twenty years, to January 30, 1994. That match, a 2-2 draw, was played at the gritty, beloved Oosterpark stadium. Because Cambuur had spent the intervening years battling in the Eerste Divisie, they had never set foot inside the concrete cathedral that opened in 2006. For the traveling away fans, this match wasn’t just a northern derby; it was a long-overdue stadium tour, bridging a twenty-year gap in their away-day calendars.
A Look into the Future
The novelty of SC Cambuur visiting the Euroborg would soon wear off, as the Frisian club managed to establish itself as a regular presence in the Eredivisie (despite occasional relegations) throughout the late 2010s and 2020s. Matches between the two sides developed into fierce, highly anticipated northern clashes. However, this specific page from 2014 remains a fascinating historical marker—the exact date when a traditional northern rival finally crossed the threshold of Groningen’s modern home.