De Groene Uilen

De Groene Uilen is a student basketball association based in Groningen, Netherlands. The organization was established in 1957 under the name De Groene Uilen, meaning “The Green Owls.” It later became part of the combined student basketball organization G.S.B.V. De Groene Uilen-Moestasj after merging with Moestasj, another Groningen student basketball team, in 2018. The club is therefore both a long-standing local sports institution and a student-oriented basketball organization rather than a conventional commercial consumer brand. The association’s principal competitive identity is its men’s basketball program. Its first men’s team has competed in the Promotiedivisie, the second tier of Dutch basketball. De Groene Uilen established itself as one of the division’s stronger teams by finishing as runner-up in 1999–2000 and later winning the championship in consecutive seasons. In 2013–14, the club defeated Aarnoudse/Binnenland 52–48 in the final to claim its first Promotiedivisie title. The championship gave the team the right to move up to the Dutch Basketball League, but the organization decided after deliberation to remain in the Promotiedivisie. This choice reflected the club’s student-association character and its decision to continue operating at a level compatible with its organizational circumstances rather than immediately pursue a higher professional division. The team won the Promotiedivisie again in 2014–15. That final was decided after two periods of overtime, with De Groene Uilen defeating the Red Giants of Meppel 76–75. These championships are the central sporting achievements associated with the club and helped establish its reputation within Dutch basketball beyond Groningen’s student-sports community. De Groene Uilen has also maintained a close relationship with Donar, Groningen’s professional basketball club. The two organizations have overlapping local support and have regularly met in preseason games. Their first official competitive meeting took place in the Dutch Basketball Cup on 11 December 2014, when Donar won 96–47. A traditional preseason fixture was later interrupted for several years amid financial difficulties affecting Donar in 2023 and the surrounding basketball structure. The fixture was renewed in 2025, when Donar won 103–44 in front of 450 spectators. A further part of the association’s identity has been the GUMIT, or Groene Uilen Moestasj International Tournament. Historically organized jointly with Moestasj, the tournament brought clubs from different countries to Groningen for a three-day event. It reflected the organizations’ shared student-sport network and their international orientation, while also providing competitive and social activity outside the regular Dutch league system. Following the demotion of Donar’s second team from the Promotiedivisie in 2025, Donar dissolved that team and merged it with the first men’s team of De Groene Uilen-Moestasj. This development further linked the student association to Groningen’s professional basketball infrastructure. Available reference material does not establish a separate commercial owner, corporate parent, executive leadership roster, or consumer product portfolio. De Groene Uilen is best understood as a sports organization and local basketball identity whose principal offering is organized participation and competition in student and Dutch basketball.

De Groene Uilen was founded in Groningen in 1957 as a student basketball association. Its name translates into English as “The Green Owls,” and the organization developed within the city’s student-sports environment. Over time, its men’s first team became a regular participant in the Promotiedivisie, the second level of Dutch basketball. The club’s historical record includes a runners-up finish in 1999–2000 and two championship seasons in 2013–14 and 2014–15. The first title came in the 2013–14 season, when De Groene Uilen defeated Aarnoudse/Binnenland 52–48 in the final. Promotion to the Dutch Basketball League was available after the victory, but the club decided not to move up. Its second title followed in 2014–15, with a 76–75 victory over the Red Giants from Meppel after double overtime. Remaining in the Promotiedivisie allowed the organization to preserve its student-association framework and competitive position. The club’s local profile was reinforced by its relationship with Donar, Groningen’s professional basketball organization. Because the teams were based in the same city, shared parts of the local basketball audience, and operated only one level apart, they regularly played preseason matches. Their first official match was in the Dutch Basketball Cup on 11 December 2014. Donar won 96–47, ending De Groene Uilen’s cup run. De Groene Uilen also had a longstanding connection with Moestasj, Groningen’s other student basketball team. Together, the organizations ran the GUMIT, the Groene Uilen Moestasj International Tournament, a three-day event involving teams from multiple countries. In 2018, the two student clubs formally merged, creating the current De Groene Uilen-Moestasj organization. The merger consolidated student basketball resources and brought the two local identities into one club structure. The relationship with Donar became more significant after changes to the city’s basketball structure in 2025. Following the demotion of Donar’s second team from the Promotiedivisie, Donar dissolved that team and merged it with the first men’s team of De Groene Uilen-Moestasj. The same year, the traditional preseason meeting between Donar and De Groene Uilen was revived after an interruption of several years. Donar won the match 103–44 in front of 450 spectators. The available reference material presents De Groene Uilen primarily as a sports association rather than a commercial brand. It does not identify a corporate owner, headquarters separate from Groningen, formal executive roster, commercial website, or consumer product lines. Its enduring significance comes from its role in Groningen student sport, its two Promotiedivisie championships, its international tournament tradition, and its continuing links with the city’s professional basketball network.

• 2025

  Integration with Donar's former second team

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  After Donar dissolved its relegated second team, that team was merged with De Groene Uilen-Moestasj's first men's team.

• 2018

  Merger with Moestasj

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  De Groene Uilen merged with Moestasj to form the combined De Groene Uilen-Moestasj organization.

• 2015

  Second Promotiedivisie championship

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  The club won a second title after beating the Red Giants 76–75 following double overtime.

• 2014

  First Promotiedivisie championship

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  De Groene Uilen won its first Promotiedivisie title by defeating Aarnoudse/Binnenland 52–48 in the final, then declined the opportunity to promote.

• 2014

  First official match against Donar

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  Donar defeated De Groene Uilen 96–47 in the Dutch Basketball Cup on 11 December.

• 2000

  Promotiedivisie runners-up

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  The club finished second in the Promotiedivisie in the 1999–2000 season.

• 1957

  De Groene Uilen founded

  [1]De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org

  The student basketball association was established in Groningen under the name De Groene Uilen.

A Groningen-based student basketball association combining competitive Dutch league basketball, student-sport participation, local community identity, and international tournament activity.

• Basketball team

  De Groene Uilen-Moestasj men's first team

  The organization’s principal competitive unit is its men's first team. The team has competed in the Promotiedivisie, the second tier of Dutch basketball, and won the division in 2013–14 and 2014–15. Following the 2025 restructuring of Donar’s second team, the first team became part of a closer competitive relationship with Groningen’s professional basketball structure.

• International basketball tournament

  GUMIT

  GUMIT, the Groene Uilen Moestasj International Tournament, was a jointly organized three-day tournament involving basketball clubs from different countries. It represented the shared event and international activity of Groningen’s two student basketball organizations before their formal merger.

• 2025

  Integration of Donar's former second teamM&A

  Background

  Donar’s second team was relegated from the Promotiedivisie and the professional club decided to dissolve it.

  Action taken

  The former Donar second team was merged with De Groene Uilen-Moestasj’s first men's team.

  Aftermath

  The move further connected De Groene Uilen-Moestasj with Donar and the Groningen basketball system.

  Source

• 2018

  Merger with MoestasjM&A

  Background

  De Groene Uilen and Moestasj were both student basketball organizations based in Groningen and had jointly organized the GUMIT tournament.

  Action taken

  The two clubs merged to create the current De Groene Uilen-Moestasj organization.

  Aftermath

  The merger consolidated the city’s two student basketball teams under one organizational identity.

  Source

• 2014

  Remain in the Promotiedivisie after winning the titleStrategy

  Background

  Winning the 2013–14 Promotiedivisie championship gave De Groene Uilen the right to promote to the Dutch Basketball League.

  Action taken

  After deliberation, the club chose to stay in the Promotiedivisie rather than move up to the Dutch Basketball League.

  Aftermath

  The team remained in the second tier and won the Promotiedivisie again in 2014–15.

  Source

1. 1De Groene Uilenen.wikipedia.org