Sportclub Heerenveen was founded in 1920 as Athlete. It changed name twice, first to Spartaan and then to V.V. Heerenveen. in 1922. The club only entered the first division in 1990. Runners-up to PSV in 2000. Amongst their most famous players are Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the flag of Friesland. The flag of Frieslandis based on the arms of the 15th century. The stripes and shapes which are yellow water-lily represent the districts of Friesland, whilst they may look like lovehearts, they are in fact not. A unique tradition in the Dutch Eredivisie is that the Frisian national anthem is played and sung before every domestic match. Heerenveen retain a very fierce rivalry with SC Cambuur. One of the reasons of the rivalry is the short distance between the two clubs. Because of that the clubs often refer to each other as DKV which stands for Dertig Kilometer Verderop (Thirty Kilometers Away) so that they don’t have to mention each other’s names. SC Heerenveen has another rivalry with FC Groningen, as SC Cambuur played in the second tier of Dutch football for many years. Strikingly, both northern sides used to maintain more or less of a friendship in the past. Therefore, this Northern Derby rivalry is only based on geographical location. Because most Heerenveen fans have always considered Cambuur as main rivals, this derby is often referred to as a surrogate derby. Traditionally, the winner claims the title Pride of the North.
