If you want to understand the logistical heartbeat of a football club, look at how its fans travel to the stadium. In the city of Groningen—widely celebrated as the cycling capital of the world—the bicycle is not just a mode of transport; it is a way of life. Page 28 of the October 2013 matchday programme perfectly encapsulates this local reality with a prominent advertisement for Otto’s Bikeworld.
Located on the Oosterweg, just a short ride from the city center, Otto’s Bikeworld advertises with a simple, pragmatic slogan: “Voor elk type fiets kunt u bij ons terecht” (For every type of bike, you can come to us). In almost any other country, a local bicycle shop buying ad space in a professional football programme might seem niche. In Groningen, it is a stroke of commercial genius. On any given matchday, thousands of fans do not take the bus or drive their cars; they hop on their omafiets (grandma bikes) and pedal en masse toward the Euroborg, creating a massive, ringing, green-and-white peloton through the city streets.
The stadium infrastructure itself reflects this culture, boasting massive, sprawling bicycle parking lots that fill up hours before kickoff. By advertising in the matchday booklet, local businesses like Otto’s were tapping directly into the primary mobility network of the fanbase. It is a beautiful reminder that the matchday experience in the north is inherently active, communal, and deeply integrated into the city’s cycling DNA.
A Look into the Future
By 2026, the cycling culture in Groningen has only intensified, though the technology has evolved. The traditional city bikes have largely been joined by a massive wave of e-bikes and fatbikes. The sea of bicycles parked outside the Euroborg on a Sunday afternoon remains one of the most iconic sights in Dutch football. Local shops like those advertised in 2013 had to adapt to the electric revolution, but their core customer base remains the same: the thousands of fans who believe that the only proper way to travel to a football match is on two wheels, rain or shine.