Historically, football stadiums were overwhelmingly male-dominated spaces. However, forward-thinking clubs realized early on that to secure their future, they needed to actively invite and engage young female fans. Page 30 of the February 2014 matchday programme provides a charming and highly effective example of this strategy through an announcement by the Junior Club.

Tucked in the bottom left corner is an invitation to a “Meidenavond” (Girls’ Night). Scheduled for Friday, February 14th—Valentine’s Day—the event was exclusively organized for female fans aged 8 to 16. The club invited them to bring their friends, mothers, or sisters to the stadium for an evening of activities. The itinerary included a Twister tournament, cupcake decorating, and “pimping a piece of clothing.”

While decorating cupcakes might seem far removed from the gritty reality of Eredivisie football, the underlying strategy was brilliant. By associating the Euroborg with fun, safety, and female friendship, the club was breaking down the intimidating barriers of traditional football culture. They were telling these young girls: this stadium belongs to you just as much as it belongs to the boys.

A Look into the Future

The push to diversify the fanbase paid massive dividends. By 2026, the demographic makeup of the Euroborg is noticeably more balanced. Furthermore, the explosive rise in popularity of women’s football in the Netherlands (especially after the national team’s Euro 2017 victory) proved that the female appetite for the game was massive. The 12-year-old girls who attended this Valentine’s Day event in 2014 are now women in their mid-twenties. Many of them are likely season ticket holders today, proving that a few cupcakes and a game of Twister was a phenomenal long-term investment in the club’s cultural fabric.