SC Heerenveen currently sits 11th in the Eredivisie with 5 points from four matches and turns its attention to the upcoming home game against leaders AZ Alkmaar. The Frisian club reflects on a match against Willem II while also seeing a supporter represent the Netherlands in Walking Football.
According to a match preview by Onefootball, Heerenveen played away against Willem II in Tilburg last weekend. The home side was still without points before that match after two defeats, while Heerenveen had a mixed start with a win over FC Twente, a draw at Ajax and a loss to PEC Zwolle. The visitors from Friesland began the weekend in ninth, Willem II in sixteenth.
Both teams dealt with injury absences. Heerenveen had to manage without Marcus Linday and Mats Egbring, as per the preview. Willem II missed a larger group of players, including Thomas Didillon and Jari Schuurman. These absences limited options in midfield and attack for both sides. Pre-match statistics pointed to more possession for Heerenveen, which showed an 85% passing accuracy compared to Willem II's 68%.
After four matchdays, Heerenveen is in eleventh place in the Eredivisie. The team managed by coach Kees van Wonderen has gathered 5 points from 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss. The recent form reads DLDW. Heerenveen has scored 5 goals and conceded 6 this season, resulting in a goal difference of -1.
The gap to the leader is significant. AZ Alkmaar tops the table with 12 points, meaning Heerenveen trails by 7 points. The direct confrontation with the league leaders is imminent. The next fixture on the schedule is the home match against AZ Alkmaar on Sunday, September 6. Fans can view the full calendar on our fixtures page and follow the live standings in our standings.
The Leeuwarder Courant last week featured the story of Bianca de Smit, a 65-year-old resident of Heerenveen. De Smit is part of the Dutch women's 60+ team that will compete in the European Walking Football Championship in Spain in November. Her path to this tournament was unusual. Last year she suffered a stroke during a holiday in Lisbon, which ended her kickboxing hobby.
Searching for a new way to exercise, she discovered Walking Football at her old club VV d’Olde Veste ’54 in Steenwijk. "I thought it was completely ridiculous," De Smit laughs in the newspaper. "So incredibly lame. But now that I've reached a lame age myself, I thought after my stroke: oh, what do I care." Through a tournament in Wolvega she found her way into the national team. The team, with six or seven women from the Heerenveen region, will meet for the first time on September 13. De Smit now sees a positive side to the stroke: "Actually, that stroke brought life back."
The focus now shifts entirely to the upcoming home match against the league's number one. The match against Willem II is now in the past. The squad must regroup after an inconsistent run of results. The injury situation remains a point of attention for the coming fixtures.
A victory over AZ Alkmaar would provide a major boost to the league campaign. It would significantly improve the points tally and strengthen morale within the group. The home match against the leaders takes place on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at the Abe Lenstra Stadion. The current team lineup can be found on our squad page.
