SC Cambuur
ClubnameCambuur
Upright0.62
FullnameSportclub Cambuur
Founded19 June 1964 (age 62)
GroundKooi Stadion
Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Capacity15,000
ChairmanCees Heijboer
MgrtitleHead coach
ManagerHenk de Jong
Current2025–26 SC Cambuur season
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Pattern so 1_3_stripes_blue
Leftarm 1FFEE00
Body 1FFEE00
Rightarm 1FFEE00
Shorts 10000FF
Socks 1FFEE00
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Sportclub Cambuur, most often styled SC Cambuur (ɛsˈseː ˈkɑmbyːr) and sometimes Cambuur Leeuwarden, is a Dutch professional football club in Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Founded on 19 June 1964, the team compete in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system, but will play in the Eredivisie from the 2026–27 season following promotion. Since August 2024, they have played their home games at the 15,000‑seat Kooi Stadion, a purpose‑built stadium that replaced Cambuur Stadion.[1]

Cambuur play in yellow shirts and blue shorts, colours drawn from the coat of arms of the Cammingha family, whose heraldic lions also feature on the club crest. Organised as a member‑owned association, the club enjoys strong regional backing and contests the "Friese Derby" against neighbouring sc Heerenveen.

The club have won the second-tier Eerste Divisie three times (1991–92, 2012–13 and 2020–21) and spent a total of seven seasons in the top-tier Eredivisie. Away from the pitch Cambuur operate an accredited youth academy and the Cambuur Foundation, which runs grassroots sport and social‑inclusion programmes throughout Friesland.[2]

History

Main article: List of SC Cambuur seasons

Founded in 1964, SC Cambuur has spent a total of nine seasons in the Dutch top flight, the Eredivisie. During the 1980s and 1990s, the club was a consistent contender in the Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs. Cambuur won the Eerste Divisie title in 1992 and earned promotion to the Eredivisie, but were relegated two seasons later following the 1993–94 season. In 1998, the club returned to the Eredivisie, though they were again relegated after just two seasons, in the 1999–2000 season.

The early 2000s proved turbulent, and in 2005 the club narrowly avoided bankruptcy. A period of restructuring began in 2006, and by 2010 Cambuur had achieved relative financial stability.

In 2009, Cambuur came close to promotion, narrowly losing a play-off to Roda JC on penalties. The following year, they finished second in the league and again missed promotion by a slim margin. The club attracted over 40,000 spectators during that year's play-offs, with an estimated 7,000 supporters gathering in Leeuwarden's city centre to watch the decisive match against Roda on a large screen. The final match drew a record 1.4 million television viewers in the Netherlands, and the entire play-off series—featuring Cambuur, PEC Zwolle, and Roda JC—was watched by more than 4.5 million people.

Cambuur won the Eerste Divisie title in the 2012–13 season, earning promotion to the Eredivisie for the 2013–14 season. On 1 May 2016, they were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie after a 6–2 away defeat to PSV.

In 2020, Cambuur were leading the Eerste Divisie when the season was voided due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the club was controversially denied promotion to the Eredivisie.[3]

The club returned to the top flight after winning the 2020–21 Eerste Divisie title. In the 2021–22 season, Cambuur achieved a ninth-place finish—the highest league position in the club's history. However, the following campaign proved difficult, and on 6 May 2023, Cambuur were relegated back to the Eerste Divisie following a 3–0 away defeat to FC Utrecht.[4]

Cambuur secured promotion again to the Eredivisie from the 2026–27 season, following finished as runners-up in the 2025–26 Eerste Divisie.

Supporters

Cambuur has a group of ultras, known as the M.I.-Side, who stand on the north stand at the Kooi Stadion, but used to stand at both the north and south stands at the Cambuur Stadion. The name derives from the street names in which the stands of the Cambuur stadion were built: M stands for Marathonstraat and I for Insulindestraat. They are among the most notorious in the Netherlands. In the 2009–10 season, the average attendance was 8,600 fans per game, and more than 6,500 season tickets were sold. That was a new record for Cambuur, as these numbers were achieved while the club was in the second division but even higher than when it played in the Eredivisie. In the 2009–10 season, the club sold out six regular season matches with 10,000 fans per game, another milestone for the Leeuwarden-based club. Never before in the second division it had sold out that many regular season matches.

Honours

Recent history

Below is a table with Cambuur's domestic results since the introduction of professional football in 1956.

Domestic Results since 1956
Domestic leagueLeague resultQualification toKNVB Cup seasonCup result
2025–26 Eerste Divisie2ndEredivisie (promotion)2025–26first round
2024–25 Eerste Divisie3rdpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2024–25second round
2023–24 Eerste Divisie13th –2023–24semi-finals
2022–23 Eredivisie17thEerste Divisie (relegation)2022–23second round
2021–22 Eredivisie9th –2021–22second round
2020–21 Eerste Divisie1stEredivisie (promotion)2020–21second round
2019–20 Eerste Divisie(no title awarded)Season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic2019–20second round
2018–19 Eerste Divisie10thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2018–19round of 16
2017–18 Eerste Divisie8thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2017–18quarter-finals
2016–17 Eerste Divisie3rdpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2016–17semi-finals
2015–16 Eredivisie18thEerste Divisie (relegation)2015–16second round
2014–15 Eredivisie12th –2014–15quarter-finals
2013–14 Eredivisie12th –2013–14round of 16
2012–13 Eerste Divisie1stEredivisie (promotion)2012–13Round of 16
2011–12 Eerste Divisie7thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2011–12second round
2010–11 Eerste Divisie5thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2010–11fourth round
2009–10 Eerste Divisie2ndpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2009–10second round
2008–09 Eerste Divisie3rdpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2008–09third round
2007–08 Eerste Divisie17th –2007–08third round
2006–07 Eerste Divisie12th –2006–07second round
2005–06 Eerste Divisie15th –2005–06second round
2004–05 Eerste Divisie9th –2004–05second round
2003–04 Eerste Divisie17th –2003–04third round
2002–03 Eerste Divisie11th –2002–03second round
2001–02 Eerste Divisie7thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2001–02third round
2000–01 Eerste Divisie4thpromotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion2000–01third round
1999–2000 Eredivisie17thEerste Divisie (losing promo./releg. play-off)1999–2000second round
1998–99 Eredivisie15th –1998–99round of 16
1997–98 Eerste Divisie2ndEredivisie (winning promo./releg. play-off)1997–98second round
1996–97 Eerste Divisie2ndpromotion/relegation play-off: no promotion1996–97second round
1995–96 Eerste Divisie6th –1995–96quarter-finals
1994–95 Eerste Divisie7th –1994–95second round
1993–94 Eredivisie18thEerste Divisie (relegation)1993–94second round
1992–93 Eredivisie14th –1992–93third round
1991–92 Eerste Divisie1stEredivisie (promotion)1991–92third round
1990–91 Eerste Divisie11th –1990–91second round
1989–90 Eerste Divisie11th –1989–90first round
1988–89 Eerste Divisie11th –1988–89first round
1987–88 Eerste Divisie11th –1987–88second round
1986–87 Eerste Divisie3rdpromotion competition: no promotion1986–87first round
1985–86 Eerste Divisie19th –1985–86first round
1984–85 Eerste Divisie9th –1984–85second round
1983–84 Eerste Divisie4th –1983–84first round
1982–83 Eerste Divisie5thpromotion competition: no promotion1982–83second round
1981–82 Eerste Divisie11th –1981–82second round
1980–81 Eerste Divisie9th –1980–81first round
1979–80 Eerste Divisie5thpromotion competition: no promotion1979–80second round
1978–79 Eerste Divisie15th –1978–79first round
1977–78 Eerste Divisie12th –1977–78second round
1976–77 Eerste Divisie10th –1976–77first round
1975–76 Eerste Divisie11th –1975–76first round
1974–75 Eerste Divisie13th –1974–75second round
1973–74 Eerste Divisie11th –1973–74first round
1972–73 Eerste Divisie7th –1972–73first round
1971–72 Eerste Divisie8th –1971–72did not participate
1970–71 Eerste Divisie4th –1970–71round of 16
1969–70 Eerste Divisie8th –1969–70first round [citation needed]
1968–69 Eerste Divisie4th –1968–69first round [citation needed]
1967–68 Eerste Divisie9th –1967–68group stage [citation needed]
1966–67 Eerste Divisie4th –1966–67first round [citation needed]
1965–66 Eerste Divisie9th –1965–66group stage [citation needed]
1964–65 Tweede Divisie1st (winning championship play-off)Eerste Divisie (promotion)1964–65first round [citation needed]
1963–64 Tweede Divisie9th (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden) –1963–64first round [citation needed]
1962–63 Tweede Divisie7th (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden) –1962–63first round [citation needed]
1961–62 Eerste Divisie13th (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden)Tweede Divisie (relegation)1961–62? [citation needed]
1960–61 Eerste Divisie10th (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden) –1960–61? [citation needed]
1959–60 Eerste Divisie6th (group B) (as VV Leeuwarden) –not heldnot held
1958–59 Eerste Divisie2nd (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden) –1958–59? [citation needed]
1957–58 Eerste Divisie3rd (group B) (as VV Leeuwarden) –1957–58? [citation needed]
1956–57 Tweede Divisie1st (group A) (as VV Leeuwarden)Eerste Divisie (promotion)1956–57? [citation needed]

Club staff

PositionStaff
ManagerHenk de Jong
Assistant ManagerJeroen Burghout
Rik Reinsma
Goalkeeper CoachPeter van der Vlag
Performance CoachNicky Boonstra
Daan Ganzinga
Video AnalystGergely Balázs Sándor
DoctorDirk Steensma
Antje Tardy
Monique Haaksema
PhysiotherapistHarvey Bischop
Kevin Koster
MaterialmanPaul Jansen
Team ManagerPeter Drijver
Niels Dissel

Source:[5]

Managers

Notable former players

The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed represented their countries while playing for SC Cambuur.

Cameroon
Democratic Republic of Congo
Indonesia
Iran
Lithuania
Morocco
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
Nigeria
Philippines
Republic of Ireland
Slovakia
Ukraine
United States
Yugoslavia

See also

References

  1. ^ "SC Cambuur opens up new stadium". thestadiumbusiness.com. 19 August 2024.
  2. ^ Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz. "ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations.". ECMI. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  3. ^ "AFWIKKELING VOETBALSEIZOEN 2019/'20 EEN FEIT" (in Dutch). Eredivisie. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. ^ "SC Cambuur degradeert na twee seizoenen naar de Keuken Kampioen…" (in Dutch). Eredivisie. 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  5. ^ "Technische staf · SC Cambuur" (in nl-NL). SC Cambuur. Archived 14 January 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  6. ^ Cambuur strikt Keizer als hoofdtrainer – AD (in Dutch)