VEC Ommelanden
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| Full name | Victoria Et Concordia Ommelanden Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Blauw-roden (Blue and reds) Meermannen (Mermen) | ||
| Founded | 1994 | ||
| Ground | Omlandia Stadion, Delfzijl | ||
| Capacity | 19,787 | ||
| Manager | Daan Hoogstra | ||
| League | Eredivisie | ||
| 2023/24 | 1st of 18 | ||
| Website | https://www.vec.nl | ||
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VEC Ommelanden (Dutch pronunciation: [veːseː ɔmˌlɑntə(n)]) is a professional Dutch football club that was formed in 1994. The club is based in Delfzijl and currently competes in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football league. The team's home matches are played at Omlandia Stadion in Delfzijl, which has a seating capacity of 19,787. The club's team colours are red and blue, and the club's name "VEC" stands for "Victoria et Concordia" meaning Victory and Harmony. The club was founded with the goal of promoting the values of sportsmanship and teamwork in the Ommelanden regions of Groningen. The club has slowly built a reputation over the years for its strong youth academy, which has produced several talented players who have gone on to play professionally. Despite being a relatively young club, VEC Ommelanden has established itself as a competitive team in the Eredivisie and is known for its strong performance both on and off the field.
History
editPre-Eredivisie
editThe club was founded in 1994 by a group of local football enthusiasts who wanted to establish a competitive team in their community. The Ommelanden regions have a long history and a rich cultural heritage, but had previously never been represented at the highest level of Dutch football.
The founders of VEC Ommelanden believed that the people of the Ommelanden deserved to have their own team that they could support and be proud of. They wanted to create a team that would represent the region and its people, and that would give the community a sense of identity and belonging. The founders also saw an opportunity to promote the region and its culture through football, and they wanted to use the club as a platform to showcase the region's unique heritage and traditions to a wider audience.
After much deliberation, Delfzijl was chosen as the location for the new club. It was thought that Delfzijl was a central location for most of the Ommelanden, and that the city would benefit from hosting a club with high ambitions and broad appeal.
In 2000, VEC Ommelanden achieved promotion to the Tweede Divisie, which is the third tier of Dutch football league system. This was a significant achievement for the club and it marked the beginning of a period of steady improvement and growth. The club continued to work hard and develop its squad, and this paid off when they earned promotion to the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system in 2005. This was a major milestone for the club as they were now just one step away from the top tier of Dutch football.
After several seasons of consolidating their position in the Eerste Divisie, VEC Ommelanden achieved promotion to the Eredivisie in 2021, defeating RKC Waalwijk in the playoff.
Eredivisie
edit2021/22
editVEC started the 2021-22 season poorly, losing their first five games, but later went on to find a few patches of form throughout the season to sneak into a surprisingly high 8th place finish. Emile Mulder scored 15 goals in the league to finish 4th in the Golden Boot tally.
2022/23
editIn the following season, VEC were on a record winning streak and one game away from a top 4 finish on the last day of the season. Unfortunately, they lost their final game of the season against Vitesse, losing out on the top 4 spot but still earning a record 6th place finish.
VEC claimed their first major honour with a 3-2 win over rivals FC Groningen in the 2023 KNVB Cup final. Goals to Martijn de Vos and Danny Bruyn kept VEC in the game and took them into extra time, where a red card to Groningen player Radinio Balker gave VEC a one man advantage. Martijn de Vos scored in the 119th minute to win VEC Ommelanden their first piece of major silverware in their short history.
2023/24
editPrior to the start of the 2023/2024 Eredivisie season, VEC Ommelanden signed a three year deal with Adidas to design and produce their playing kits. The club successfully defended their KNVB Cup win with a victory against AZ Alkmaar in the 2024 final. Despite falling behind 3-0 in the first half, VEC fought back to win 4-3, with a Manuel Benitez volley from the edge of the box winning the match.
VEC had a fantastic season, losing only three matches throughout the season to finish on top of the table and win the league. Martijn de Vos finished the season with 31 goals in 34 matches, including all six goals in a 6-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles. This was also the first ever Eredivisie hat-trick for VEC in their history.
With their cup victory in the previous season, VEC qualified for the UEFA Europa League playoffs, and subsequently the Europa League group stages, defeating Sparta Praha over two legs. VEC advanced through the competition undefeated, beating Juventus 3-1 in the final to claim their first ever European trophy. Olivier Desmet finished the game with two goals and an assist, winning player of the match.
2024/25
editIn the following season, VEC started strongly to set up a healthy lead at the top of the table. Despite poor form late in the season, VEC held on to win the Eredivisie for the second year running, whilst maintaining an undefeated home record. In the UEFA Champions League, VEC performed well to finish second in their group behind Manchester City. They were drawn to face Bayern Munich in the round of 16, losing the home tie 1-0 and falling devastatingly short in the away leg with a 1-1 draw.
VEC made the KNVB Cup final to set up a rematch of the 2023 final against rivals FC Groningen. Groningen scored the first two goals, but a second half comeback and an injury time winner from Rodney Visser sealed VEC's third consecutive Cup.
2025/26
editPrevious golden boot winner Visser fell out of favour towards the start of the season in favour of young Ukrainian refugee Arsen Kravchenko. Kravchenko would go on to score 45 goals in all competitions, while Visser moved to PSV in the winter transfer window.
VEC went from strength to strength in the 2025/26 Eredivisie season, achieving the first unbeaten Eredivisie season since Ajax in 1994/95. They finished the season with 28 wins and 6 draws, winning the league at home to FC Groningen with five games to spare. This was paired with a Dutch record fourth consecutive KNVB Cup victory, defeating Feyenoord 5-0 in the final.
In the UEFA Champions League, VEC advanced from their group with six wins from six. They made it all the way to the final, defeating Atletico de Madrid on penalties in the Round of 16, before beating Juventus and Chelsea over two legs in the Quarter and Semi finals respectively. They met Arsenal in the final, and held a 2-1 lead coming into the 90th minute, before a deflected shot was put away by Arsenal's Paulo Dybala to take the game to extra time and penalties. VEC failed to score a single spot kick, and heartbreakingly lost 2-0 on penalties. VEC's qualification for the final was the first time a Dutch team had made the final since Ajax in 1996.
Stadium
editOmlandia Stadion is located in Delfzijl, Netherlands. It was initially built as a single stand stadium with a capacity of approximately 6,000. As the club earned promotion to the Eerste Divisie in 2005, plans were drafted to see the stadium capacity expanded to approximately 12,000. After consistently strong performances in the Eerste Divisie and increased demand for tickets, these plans were revised to eventually seat 20,000 spectators.
The stadium as of 2026 has a seating capacity of 19,787. The dimensions of the field are 105m x 68m, which meets the UEFA standards for hosting international matches. One of the most striking features of the Omlandia Stadion is its distinct blue colouring. The stadium's exterior is painted in a bright blue colour, and is affectionately known as 't Oude Blauwfort.
After considerable success in the Eredivisie and in Europe, plans were made for the development of a world class stadium to be constructed by the Oude Eemskanaal in Delfzijl, with the old stadium to be downsized and reincorporated as part of the conjoining training facilities. The new stadium was named Nieuw Blauwfort, and was advertised as 'De Trots van de Ommeland' or 'The Pride of the Surrounding land'. Nieuw Blauwfort has a capacity of 42,987.
Rivalries
editVEC's biggest rival is FC Groningen. Both clubs are located in the province of Groningen, and is known as the Damsterdiep Derby, named after the river that connects the two cities. The rivalry has heated up in recent years after VEC Ommelanden's extra time victory in the 2023 KNVB Cup final, defeating Groningen 3-2.
Current players
editFirst-team squad
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
editThis is a list of notable players that have previously played for VEC Ommelanden.
- Jayden van Dijk (currently at SSC Napoli)
- Emile Mulder (currently at Hertha Berlin)
- Fabio Azevedo (currently at Arsenal FC)
- Martijn de Vos (currently at AC Milan, 2026 World Cup Golden Boot winner)
- Olivier Desmet (currently at Real Madrid)
- Danny Bruyn (currently at West Ham United)
- Baptiste Forestier (currently at Athletic Bilbao)
- Manuel Benitez (currently at Leeds United)
- Huub Jansen (currently at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
- Stipe Kovačić (currently at Brighton & Hove Albion)
- Rav van den Berg (currently at Chelsea FC)
- Joris Bos (currently at AS Roma)
Kit Evolution
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