Heracles

Heracles (/ˈhɛrəkliːz/ HERR-ə-kleez; Ancient Greek: Ἡρακλῆς, Hēraklēs, from Hēra, "Hera", and kleos, "glory"), born Alcaeus (Ἀλκαῖος, Alkaios) or Alcides (Ἀλκείδης, Alkeidēs), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson/half-brother of Perseus. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity, the ancestor of royal clans who claimed to be Heracleidae (Ἡρακλεῖδαι) and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. In Rome and the modern West, he is known as Hercules, with whom the later Roman Emperors, in particular Commodus and Maximian, often identified themselves. The Romans adopted the Greek version of his life and works essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal detail of their own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Central Mediterranean. Details of his cult were adapted to Rome as well.

Heracles Almelo

Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, The Netherlands. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941.

In the 2004–05 season, Heracles won the title in the Eerste Divisie, so that during the 2005–06 season, Heracles played in the Eredivisie, where they finished 13th. The average attendance in 2004–05 was 5,700 people. In the recent top flight seasons, this has risen to just over 8,300 (close to the maximum capacity of 8,500).

In 2012 Heracles competed in its first Dutch cup final, which it lost to PSV in the Rotterdam Stadium De Kuip.

Stadium

Heracles Almelo currently play at the Polman Stadion in Almelo. The Polman Stadion was built in 1999 with a capacity 6,900, this was expanded in 2005 to hold 8,500. The pitch at the Polman Stadion is artificial turf. Renovation of the stadium is on the way and it will be expanded to hold 12.080 supporters at the beginning of season 2015–16.

History

The club was founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998.

PEC Zwolle

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 fifteen 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.

History

Introduction

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.

FC Groningen

Football Club Groningen (Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseː ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)]) is a Dutch professional football club based in Groningen. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest football league of the Netherlands.

The club was founded in 1971 when GVAV changed its name to FC Groningen. Their home stadium was the Oosterpark Stadion from 1971 to 2005, while they currently play at the Euroborg (2006–present).

History

The origins of football in Groningen

The origins of football in Groningen are dated back to 1887, when students of the city gymnasium established the cricket and football club Be Quick. Initially, cricket was the club's main activity with football being a mere winter pastime, but in the mid-1890s football gained a more prominent status within the club. In 1895, Be Quick became a founder member of the first football league in the northern Netherlands (comprising the provinces Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe), which initially consisted of mere three clubs (LAC Frisia from Leeuwarden and Achilles 1894 from Assen being the others). The league was named Tweede Klasse Noord (Second Northern Division, or literary: Second Class North). There was no First Northern Division, but the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) regarded the level of play in the northern league to be too low to be rewarded with First Class status. This meant that the northern champion could not participate in the nationwide championship in which the winners of the other Dutch regional leagues competed for the national title.