The advertising pages of a football programme are a geographical map of a club’s true influence. While the stadium sits in the city center, the financial and cultural support often flows from the deep province. A perfect example is the pale yellow advertisement for Stukadoorsbedrijf Hans Hendriks, located at the top of this commercial block from early 2013.
The business is based in Uithuizen, a town located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, right near the northern coastline of the Wadden Sea. It is a long drive from the Euroborg, yet for local craftsmen like Hans Hendriks, investing in the FC Groningen matchday programme was a logical business step. The ad itself is wonderfully old-school, featuring a clip-art illustration of a plasterer at work and a simple arrow pointing to the company name. It promises “all known wall and ceiling finishes.” In the rural North, reputation is everything, and associating your small business with the region’s premier football club was a powerful way to signal reliability and local pride.
Furthermore, this ad adds to the overwhelming presence of construction and finishing companies in the 2013 programmes. It highlights a culture of homeownership and continuous renovation that defines the Dutch provinces.
A Look into the Future
By 2026, plasterers from northern towns like Uithuizen became the unsung heroes of a regional crisis. As the gas extraction earthquakes severely damaged thousands of homes across Het Hogeland, the demand for skilled wall and ceiling repair skyrocketed. The government reinforcement operations meant that local craftsmen were booked years in advance. The modest plastering businesses that advertised in the football programmes of 2013 found themselves at the very center of the physical rebuilding of their own communities, proving that their trade was not just about aesthetics, but about restoring the structural integrity of the North.