For a professional footballer, walking out of the tunnel onto the pitch at the Euroborg is just another day at the office. But for the fourteen children whose names are printed in the black box on page 71, May 12, 2013, was arguably the greatest day of their young lives.
The section titled “VOORAFGAAND AAN DE WEDSTRIJD LOPEN DE VOLGENDE JUNIOR CLUB LEDEN MEE IN DE LINE-UP” (Prior to the match, the following Junior Club members will walk in the line-up) lists the kids who won the lottery to hold the hands of the FC Groningen and Ajax players as they entered the stadium. History demands that every single one of them is recorded: Mila Snakenborg, Gielian Oldenbandringh, Ivar Luppes, Jukka P.G. Bothe-Sijbolts, Nina Vos, Boyd Schutte, Bas de Haan, Magno Veenstra, Harmen Westebring, Jeroen Huizing, Cas Boekaar, Job van Dijk, Sara Barani, and Ruben Hamminga. In the digital age, a photo on a smartphone is fleeting, but having your name officially printed in the matchday programme transforms a childhood memory into a tangible, permanent historical artifact. For these kids, this booklet wasn’t just something to read at halftime; it was a trophy to be kept forever.
A Look into the Future
Fast forward to 2026, and the children listed in this 2013 programme are now young adults in their early twenties. The genius of the Junior Club line-up initiative is that it is the ultimate fan-generation engine. It is highly likely that many of the kids who walked onto the grass that day are now standing in the Z-Side, holding season tickets, and passionately supporting the club. The physical programme they took home that day was the anchor that secured their lifelong loyalty to the Pride of the North.