Tucked away in the middle of the advertising grid on page 31 are two small blocks that represent the absolute bedrock of the Dutch working-class economy. One is for Glazenwasserij Tolhuisen (a window cleaning business), and right next to it is ReWo Montage, a renovation and construction firm based in the village of Siddeburen.
In the Netherlands, window cleaning is a highly traditional, fiercely territorial, and culturally specific local trade. It is hard, physical labor. Similarly, the renovation work offered by ReWo Montage represents the hands-on craftsmanship that keeps the region’s housing stock intact. Seeing these modest, blue-collar businesses advertising in the official matchday programme of a top-tier professional football club is a beautiful reminder of the sport’s grassroots origins. These are the companies owned by the men and women who stand in the passionate Z-Side stands, the people who physically build and clean the city. Their financial contribution to the club, through buying these small ad spaces, is just as vital to the club’s identity as the multi-million-euro shirt sponsors.
A Look into the Future
Looking back from 2026, the presence of a construction firm from Siddeburen carries a heavy historical weight. Located right in the heart of the earthquake zone caused by gas extraction, Siddeburen would spend the next decade at the epicenter of the region’s seismic crisis. The local builders and renovators who advertised their services in 2013 soon found themselves overwhelmed with the monumental task of repairing and reinforcing their own community’s shattered homes. These small ads are a snapshot of the calm before the geological storm that would redefine the northern construction industry.