A midweek cup match against amateur opposition can sometimes feel like a low-key affair, but FC Groningen ensured that the October 30, 2013 fixture against VV Capelle was a night of profound respect and community inclusion. Page 14 of the matchday programme, dedicated to the Junior Club, is a beautiful testament to this philosophy.
The page opens with a festive invitation to celebrate Sint Maarten (St. Martin’s Day) at the FanCorner, encouraging kids to bring their homemade lanterns to the stadium. But the true heart of the page lies in the meticulously printed Line-up lists. The club didn’t just provide escorts for their own players; they extended the honor to the amateur visitors. The FC Groningen escorts were: Erin Hoekstra, Patrick Schuiten, Sven Sipkes, Ruben Hummel, Sven Matthijssen, Thijs Westerhof, Anco Uil, Sander Hekker, Hans Löhr, and Robin Gibcus. The referees were escorted by Jochem Hulsebos and Simon Kort. And proudly walking out with the VV Capelle players were: Owen Kamphuis, Thys van der Veen, Latanja Meijer, Frank Pauwels, Niels Lockhorst, Ghylian Wolters, Marieke Jongsma, Myrthe Koning, Myrthe van der Veen, and Gertjan de Boer.
The inclusivity didn’t stop at kickoff. A small note at the bottom of the page reveals that the halftime penalty shoot-out was not performed by the usual youth members, but by clients of Stichting De Brug Groningen, a foundation supporting people with intellectual disabilities. Giving them the spotlight on the Euroborg pitch was a powerful statement of the club’s values.
A Look into the Future
The children listed on this page are now young adults, and the memory of walking out under the floodlights—whether holding the hand of an Eredivisie star or a proud amateur player from Capelle—undoubtedly cemented their bond with the club. Furthermore, the halftime inclusion of Stichting De Brug was a precursor to the club’s massive, structural embrace of G-football (such as the Kids United initiative we documented later in the season). This page proves that in Groningen, the football family truly includes everyone.