Football Club Groningen, formed on 1 January 1971 and registered in 1971, are based in Groningen, Netherlands and compete in the Eredivisie. This page outlines the club’s history and the types of signed football shirts collectors seek, with selected items available via Walkouts for authenticated retail pieces and framed displays.
The club began as the successor to GVAV and experienced early movement between divisions before rebuilding through its academy. Groningen’s modern home has been the Euroborg, and the side’s proud cup record includes a victory in the KNVB Cup once during the 2014-15 campaign. European nights also form part of the legacy, most notably a 1983-84 UEFA Cup victory over Atlético Madrid in their first continental participation.
Groningen’s identity is tied to names and places that matter to collectors and historians alike, from the old Oosterparkstadion to the contemporary Euroborg, and the local rivalry known as the Derby van het Noorden. Players such as Erwin Koeman, Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben, Virgil van Dijk and Luis Suárez began their careers in the club’s setup, and shirts associated with their early seasons are often sought for provenance.
Anniversary releases and commemorative runs surface periodically and drive collector interest in limited editions, retrospective reprints and specially numbered runs. Club anniversary retail lines tend to mirror historic badges and collars, while short production windows make certain runs more collectible, especially when tied to local milestones or retro launches appealing to long term supporters.
Specific seasons and fixtures are considered magnets for collectors because they represent defining moments in Groningen’s story. The 1990-91 third-place season remains a high-water mark for league performance, and the 2014-15 KNVB Cup campaign that led to silverware and a final at De Kuip produces a steady demand for shirts from match-day and squad editions. Away fixtures in decisive cup ties and opening day shirts from promotion seasons also appear regularly on secondary markets.
Collector interest spreads across match-worn items and retail releases but there is a notable focus on 50th anniversary 2021 releases and early player-issue variants which were often limited by region or production run. Authentic signed items include witnessed in-person signatures, and retailers increasingly add a verification cue to listings so buyers can compare provenance, rarity and visible wear when assessing framed shirts or numbered editions.
For buyers seeking authenticated pieces, look for signed retail fanshop shirts from early runs and for listings that include a COA. Provenance tags connected to the 1990-91 campaign and the 2014-15 cup run add context for framing or display, and collectors often prioritise shirts tied to the Euroborg era and historic away fixtures when completing a set. Walkouts lists authenticated retail and signed items with clear provenance for those specific seasons and matches.
