December in the northern Netherlands is cold, dark, and often unforgiving. For a football club, keeping young fans engaged during the harsh winter months requires creativity beyond the pitch. Page 30 of the December 2013 matchday programme shows exactly how FC Groningen tackled this, transforming from a football institution into a winter social hub for the local youth.
The main article on the Junior Club page enthusiastically announces a “Disco on Ice” event. Scheduled for Friday, December 13th, the club rented out the ice hall at the famous local sports complex, Kardinge, turning it into a “disco paradise” exclusively for members of the Green White Bengels (the club’s teenage fan demographic). It was a brilliant community initiative: providing a safe, fun, and highly traditional Dutch winter activity—ice skating—under the umbrella of the football club.
But the magic of the matchday wasn’t just on the ice; it was on the freezing grass of the Euroborg. Despite the December chill, 14 children were given the ultimate honor of walking out of the tunnel hand-in-hand with the players. The programme meticulously immortalizes their names: Lars Niemeijer, Rick Hoppen, Luuk Olthof, Pieter Bouwers, Jonas Warmerdam, Joost Löhr, Hans Löhr, Justin Bierma, B. Plenter, Youri Lukkien, Ivar Lukkien, Jochem Hulsebos, Mathijs Dijkhuis, and Ruben Kral.
A Look into the Future
The teenagers who skated at the Kardinge disco in 2013 and the children who bravely walked out into the cold Euroborg air are now adults. The club’s strategy of embedding itself into their winter social lives paid off immensely, forging a bond that cold weather and bad results could never break. Today, those same names listed on this page are likely the ones standing in the freezing stands, holding season tickets, proving that true loyalty is built both on the pitch and on the ice.