In the archives of the 2013/2014 season, we previously uncovered a hilarious editorial anomaly: an advertisement for an agricultural transport company printed completely upside down in a spring edition of the matchday programme. However, looking back at page 26 of the December 19, 2013 cup programme, we find the exact same company—H.S. AGRI B.V. from Zuidlaarderveen—featured prominently, and this time, perfectly right-side up.
In fact, for this specific KNVB Beker match against NEC, H.S. AGRI wasn’t just a standard advertiser; they were the official “SPONSOR VAN DE WEDSTRIJD” (Sponsor of the Match). The full-page ad proudly displays their fleet of blue and green trucks and tractors. The list of services provided is a testament to the heavy, rural economy of the northern provinces: injecting and transporting manure, sowing and harvesting corn and beets, potato planting, and earthmoving.
Having a manure and beet transport company as the primary sponsor for a professional football match under the floodlights of the Euroborg is the ultimate flex of the club’s “Boeren” (Farmers) identity. It proves that the VIP lounges aren’t just for tech startups and bankers; they are for the men and women who literally cultivate the land surrounding the city.
A Look into the Future
The contrast between this proud, correctly printed match sponsor page and the upside-down error that would occur months later makes H.S. AGRI B.V. one of the most memorable commercial partners of the season. By 2026, the agricultural sector in the Netherlands has faced massive political and environmental upheavals, but companies like H.S. AGRI remain the indispensable backbone of the rural north. Their presence as a match sponsor in 2013 stands as a printed monument to the deep, unbreakable bond between the football club and the farming community.