For the young members of the Junior Club, the cold, dark evenings of February are instantly brightened by the prospect of stepping onto the pitch at the Euroborg. Page 30 of the matchday programme against FC Twente ensures that the children selected for this massive honor have a physical keepsake to prove they were there.
The programme lists the 14 children who were chosen to walk out hand-in-hand with the players and the refereeing quartet (led by the “Rotterdam Cop,” Danny Makkelie). The lucky kids immortalized in this edition were: Jasper Noot, Swen Venema, Jasper de Vries, Wout Brongers, Erin Hoekstra, Hugo Post, Luna Bouwmeester, Julian Mulder, Sven Matthijssen, L. Oost, Thom Martijn, Bram Sneek, Luuk Loohuis, and X. van Tiel.
Walking out into a stadium packed with over 20,000 roaring fans, especially for a high-stakes match against a title contender like FC Twente, is an overwhelming sensory experience. By printing their names, the club guarantees that these children become a permanent part of the match’s official historical record.
A Look into the Future
The children listed on this page are now adults. The fleeting moment they spent on the grass of the Euroborg in 2014 likely cemented a lifelong bond with the club. It is a testament to the enduring power of the Junior Club initiatives: the club provides the magic, and in return, it secures the next generation of vocal, passionate supporters who will fill the terraces for decades to come.