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Sportclub Veendam () was a Dutch professional association football club based in Veendam, province of Groningen. Founded on 4 September 1894 as Look-Out, it became P.J. Veendam in 1909, Veendam in 1910, SC Veendam in 1974, BV Veendam in 1997 and again SC Veendam in 2011. The club was a founder member of the regional first tier Eerste Klasse Noord in 1916 and became champions of the division in 1931–32; it qualified for the national championship Playoffs but finished in bottom place. Veendam took part in the inaugural season of the third tier Tweede Divisie in 1956–57; after Yo-yo club between the third and second tiers, the team won promotion to the first tier Eredivisie for the first time in 1985–86. The side spent two seasons in the Eredivisie—1986–87 and 1988–89—but were relegated both times. Veendam then competed in the second tier Eerste Divisie until they were dissolved due to financial problems in 2013.
The team's stadion was De Langeleegte, where they had played since their foundation. Although Veendam is a small town with around 20,000 inhabitants, the club recorded average attendances of around 3,500. Veendam's home kit colours were black and yellow. The club was nicknamed "Veenkolonialen" (English: "Peat colonials"), reflecting the area's peat history. Veendam had rivalries with FC Groningen, with whom they contested the , and with Drenthe-based FC Emmen.
As a result of the successful spell, Veendam winger Jaap Woltjes was called up for the Dutch national team for a Exhibition game against English side Nottingham Forest in 1936; Woltjes came on as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat. Although Veendam recorded a second-place finish in the 1935–36 Eerste Klasse Noord, the team began to slide down the league table; they were eventually relegated to the Tweede Klasse in 1947–48. In 1950, the club signed its first manager, . Veendam returned to the Eerste Klasse in 1954. During the same year, the club turned professional. The Veendam players earned 15 Dutch guilder per win (the equivalent of € as of ), 10 per draw and 5 per loss; the players also received 5 guilders per week if they took part in 3 training sessions. In 1956, the first tier Eredivisie, the second tier Eerste Divisie and the third tier Tweede Divisie were established; Veendam were founder members of the Tweede Divisie and placed fourth during the initial season. The side were promoted to the Eerste Divisie as runners-up in 1958–59.
Veendam came close to bankruptcy in 1984 but a deficit of 2,5 million guilders was eliminated. During the same year, former Veendam player Henk Nienhuis became the club's manager."De geschiedenis van SC Veendam". Dagblad van het Noorden Drenthe Zuidoost. 26 March 2013. p. 4. Under his tenure, Veendam won promotion to the Eredivisie for the first time in 1985–86."Het (bijna) onvergetelijke eerste jaar van BV Veendam in de eredivisie". Dagblad van het Noorden Groningen Oost. 17 October 2020. p. 56. The team finished the season in fourth place and qualified for the promotion play-offs; Veendam were victorious in all six matches and won promotion to the top flight. Around 12,500 spectators were in attendance at De Langeleegte in the decisive game against Willem II (1–0 win, goal from ). Nienhuis’ squad was mostly composed of former FC Groningen players, such as Joop Gall, Pieter Huistra and Harris Huizingh. Veendam finished 17th out of 18 sides in 1986–87 and were relegated back to the second tier. The team ranked second and won promotion to the Eredivisie in 1987–88; Veendam finished in bottom place and were again relegated after one season in the Eredivisie.
In 2010, Veendam was declared bankrupt but it was later annulled on appeal. The following year, in order to attract more investors, the club was renamed SC Veendam, adopted a new badge which included a peat wheelbarrow, and a yellow shirt with a black V."Nieuwe stap op weg naar kultstatus". Dagblad van het Noorden Drenthe Zuidoost. 23 August 2011. p. 18. The financial problems remained, however, and Veendam played their last ever match on 15 March 2013—a 2–1 win against TOP Oss—and were declared bankrupt on 25 March."Tevreden coaches op herrezen Langeleegte". Dagblad van het Noorden Groningen Oost. 31 July 2017. p. 34. The club was dissolved on 2 April, with debts of around €1 million. Veendam 1894, the amateur club from which Veendam split in 1974, still exists as of 2021.
According to a reconstruction made by RTV Noord and Dagblad van het Noorden in August 2013, the death of catering entrepreneur and Veendam supporter Jan Lambeck in 2009 meant the end of an important income source, which eventually led to the bankruptcy of the club.
The club's first kit was a blue shirt with a red sash, white shorts and a blue calotte which included the name “Look-Out”. In 1919, when Veendam merged with Jupiter, the kit changed to a yellow shirt and black shorts. The club retained the yellow and black colours until its dissolvement in 2013.
In 2008, Veendam expressed an interest in building a new stadium away from De Langeleegte. Designed by Klaas Paul de Boer, the new ground would hold 15,000 people; due to its unusual design, with curves on the sides of the grandstand, it was quickly dubbed “Bananenstadion” (English: “Banana stadium”) by locals. The plans later stalled and De Langeleegte remained Veendam's home."Chiquita als nieuwe shirtsponsor!". Dagblad van het Noorden Groningen Oost. 18 April 2020. p. 54.
Veendam contested the with FC Groningen, the only other professional football team from the Groningen province."'Haat en nijd tussen Veendam en Groningen? Daarvan is geen sprake'". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden. 18 September 1999. p. 21. Groningen held the better head-to-head record, as they won 13 games to Veendam's 5. The sides met four times in the Eredivisie—in 1986–87 and 1988–89, with both teams winning once. Veendam's other rivals were FC Emmen from the province of Drenthe; Veendam won 19 matches, while Emmen were victorious in 17 games."Veendam beste in derby". Dagblad van het Noorden Drenthe Zuidoost. 6 March 2012. p. 18.
Veendam's largest ever victory was a 9–0 win against in the 1960–61 KNVB Cup."Uitslagen Kon. Ned. Voetbalbond (Betaald)". Leidse Courant. 31 October 1960. p. 8. The club's largest win in league football was an 8–0 victory against PEC Zwolle in the 1957–58 Tweede Divisie. The largest defeat was a 10–0 loss to FC Utrecht in the 2000–01 KNVB Cup."Veendam beschamend en dramatisch". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden. 22 September 2000. p. 17. Veendam's highest home attendance was 13,500, for a 1979–80 Eerste Divisie match against FC Groningen on 2 March 1980."FC Groningen snel binnen". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden. 3 March 1980. p. 17.
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