FC Twente

Dutch professional football club from Enschede, formed in 1965.

FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from Enschede, formed in 1965 by the merger of amateur club Enschedese Boys with professional club Sportclub Enschede. The club has won the Eredivisie once, the KNVB Cup three times, and the Johan Cruyff Shield twice. Their home ground since 1998 is De Grolsch Veste.

Lore & Background

The club was formed in 1965 as a merger of amateur club Enschedese Boys and professional club Sportclub Enschede. SC Enschede had won a Dutch championship in 1926. Twente finished second in the Eredivisie in 1973–74 and reached the 1975 UEFA Cup final, losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach. They won their first KNVB Cup in 1977.

After relegation in 1983, they returned to the top flight a year later. In 2001, they won the KNVB Cup again. The club faced bankruptcy in 2002–03 but continued to achieve success, including winning their first Eredivisie title in 2009–10 under Steve McClaren. They won the KNVB Cup again in 2011 and the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2011 (the 2011 edition, played in 2011).

Financial problems led to a three-point deduction in 2015, and the club was relegated to the Eerste Divisie at the end of the 2017–18 season. They returned to the Eredivisie in 2019 after winning the Eerste Divisie title.

Reader's Guide

FC Twente plays in the Eredivisie, the top division of Dutch football, since 2019. The club's name comes from the region of Twente in eastern Overijssel. Fans are known as 'The Tukkers'. The club's stadium is De Grolsch Veste.

Did You Know?

Twente's finest Eredivisie season was 1973–74, in which they battled for the championship with Feyenoord.
Twente eliminated Juventus en route to the 1975 UEFA Cup final.
Steve McClaren was the first Englishman to guide a Dutch team to a national title since Bobby Robson in 1992.
Twente won the 2010–11 KNVB Cup by defeating Ajax 3–2 in extra time.