A professional football match is a massive logistical operation. While the fans focus on the manager’s tactics and the players’ performances, the actual delivery of the matchday experience relies on an invisible army of hospitality workers. On page 66 of the May 2014 programme, an advertisement for MF Horeca (a hospitality staffing agency based on the Oosterstraat) shines a brief spotlight on this crucial sector.
The advertisement is visually striking, featuring a butterfly constructed entirely out of coffee spoons. But it is the slogan that resonates perfectly within a football magazine: “Je wint het met talent in de horeca!” (You win it with talent in hospitality!).
To keep the Euroborg running on a matchday, the club requires hundreds of bartenders, waitstaff, cooks, and hosts to manage the public concourses and the exclusive business lounges. Agencies like MF Horeca are the vital engines that supply this flexible workforce. By placing this ad, the agency was not only recruiting potential staff from the younger demographic in the stands but also pitching their staffing solutions to the various restaurant and bar owners enjoying the game in the VIP sections.
A Look into the Future
The hospitality staffing sector highlighted in this 2014 advertisement faced unprecedented, existential challenges in the 2020s. Following global lockdowns, the entire Dutch horeca (hotel, restaurant, and cafe) industry experienced crippling labor shortages as former staff moved to other sectors. Agencies like MF Horeca became more critical than ever in helping venues—including massive operations like the Euroborg—find the talent needed to simply keep their doors open and the beer flowing. This artistic ad remains a beautiful tribute to the hard-working people who actually make the matchday experience possible.