Zwolsche Boys
 |
|
| Full name |
Prins Hendrik Ende Desespereert Nimmer Combinatie Zwolle |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Blauwvingers (Bluefingers) |
| Founded | June 12, 1910 |
| Ground |
MAC³PARK Stadion Zwolle |
| Capacity | 13,250 |
| Manager | Ron Jans |
| League | Eredivisie |
| 2015–16 | Eredivisie, 8th |
| Website | Club home page |
PEC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, currently playing in the Eredivisie, the country's highest level of professional club football. They have played in the Eredivisie for a total of 16 seasons, reaching sixth place in 2015. They won the KNVB Cup in 2014 and also reached the final in 1928, 1977 and 2015.
This is the second incarnation of the club; its predecessor of the same name went bankrupt in 1990. The current club was founded immediately afterwards as FC Zwolle before renaming back to PEC Zwolle in 2012.
PEC was founded on 12 June 1910, the name being an abbreviation of PH EDN Combinatie (PH EDN Combination). The club was formed by a merger of Prins Hendrik (1 April 1906; Prince Henry) and Ende Desespereert Nimmer (1904; And Never Despair). PEC has been a professional football club since 23 February 1955. The club name was changed to PEC Zwolle in 1971 and to PEC Zwolle '82 in 1982. Instantly after the bankruptcy a new name was chosen for the new club: FC Zwolle. On 14 April 2012, after the promotion, the club name was changed back to PEC Zwolle.
PEC was one of Zwolle's three top football clubs, along with ZAC (founded in 1893) and Zwolsche Boys (1918). ZAC was associated with the local high society, Zwolsche Boys were associated with the working class, while PEC was the club of the local middle class. There was considerable rivalry between these three clubs, especially between Zwolsche Boys and PEC. Not only were their stadiums on walking distance from each other, the clubs frequently met each other in league matches.
Despite this rivalry, PEC and Zwolsche Boys merged in 1969, taking the name PEC. In 1971, this became PEC Zwolle, in an attempt to promote the image of the city of Zwolle. In 1977, PEC Zwolle reached the finals of the KNVB Cup, losing to Twente in extra time, and missed out on promotion to the Eredivisie by one point. In 1978, the club won the Dutch first division title and was promoted to the Eredivisie for the first time in its history. In its first season in the Eredivisie, the club finished second, which remained PEC Zwolle's highest ever league position until finishing sixth in 2014–15. Their most impressive result that season was a 0–1 away victory at PSV. These results were achieved by a talented group of players bought from other clubs, such as Rinus Israël. The money for this came from the Slavenburgs Bank, which was led by FC Zwolle chairman Jan Willem van der Wal. By 1982, the club had built up a debt of six million guilders and was on the verge of bankruptcy.
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