Integrating Club, Fans & the Community | As Mastered by the Dutch
The key to the long-term success of any football club is a harmonious relationship existing between the club itself, the fans & the community in which club & fans operate within. Time & again it has become very apparent that the Dutch fully understand this & are a shining example to the rest of the football world of just how important it is to carefully maintain & strengthen these bonds.
During a pre-season friendly between Ajax & Werder Bremen in July 2017 tragedy struck. Considered one of Ajax’s brightest young prospects, Abdelhak Nouri suddenly collapsed on the pitch & suffered severe & permanent brain damage. Nouri survived the ordeal but it was immediately apparent that he would not be able to play the beautiful game ever again.
Sending your “Thoughts & Prayers” in the direction of a tragedy has become a perfectly acceptable method of showing support since the introduction of social media. In this instance for Ajax fans, a hollow few words online was not enough. Hundreds of Ajax fans gathered outside the family home of Abdelhak Nouri & held a vigil & a showing of support for the player & his family. Members of the notorious & often revered Ajax ultras group the ‘F-Side’ consoled Abdelhak’s father, bringing the grief-stricken man to tears at the showing of support for his son & his family.
A huge stadium display in support of Abdelhak Nouri was also unveiled by the F-Side at Ajax’s home leg of a Champions League qualifier against Nice, around three weeks after the tragedy had occurred.
When a new manager or player arrives at a new club, high on their to-do list should be to learn all about the club’s history, culture, fans, etc. Dutchman Louis Van Gaal became Manchester United manager in 2014 & as any United fan will tell you, the Munich Air Disaster & the loss of the Busby Babes in February 1958 is an integral part of the club’s history.
Van Gaal endeared himself to Man Utd supporters forever more following his attendance at a Munich Air Disaster anniversary memorial service in 2015. During the ceremony he was given a poem by a fan, which he brought with him to the official club press conference that very same day. Current club affairs were of secondary importance to Van Gaal as he read out the poem about the Busby Babes & what it is to be Manchester United in its entirety in front of the cameras. A touching tribute by a manager who fully understood how important the Busby Babes are to the club’s fans.
Derby day in any city can be a very volatile & hostile time, with Rotterdam being no exception. However, during a Feyenoord v SBV Excelsior derby in 2018 both sets of fans united for a cause that is much greater than 90minutes of football. Fans were permitted entry to the game with a teddy bear & during the 20th minute thousands of stuffed animals rained down from the upper-tier onto the lower-tier & the pitch. Every single teddy collected was to be donated to the children being treated at the city’s Erasmus Sophia Hospital, some of whom were in attendance that day. A city divided by football, united in support of its most vulnerable & deserving citizens.
“Mothers know best” is widely regarded as a gospel truth & many professional footballers will not hesitate to pinpoint their Mother’s influence as the main reason for their success. Ajax’s decision to allow their players to be accompanied on the pitch by their Mothers on Mother’s Day in 2015 versus Cambuur, was widely praised as a fitting tribute to the women responsible for providing the club with the talent they enjoy on the pitch.
While finally, in the most recent pandemic of the Coronavirus across the world healthcare workers have been working day & night in the most dangerous conditions to help the infected. In the Dutch city of Breda, like countless other places around the world, a total lockdown of the city was ordered. Unable to physically help, NAC Breda Ultras groups “Fr0nt-76” & “Breda Locos” jointly organised for a banner to be hung on the city’s major hospital, reminding the hospital staff that the city is behind them & what an amazing job they are doing. “Here Are Where The Heroes of Breda Work” the banner reads, acting as a pick-me-up for the workers putting their lives on the line for their citizens.
It is worth noting that during the Coronavirus pandemic similar actions were also seen across Europe & ultras of these other Dutch clubs also displayed large, public messages of support to their healthcare workers; Feyenoord Rotterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Fortuna Sittard, FC Den Bosch, Roda JC Kerkrade & NEC Nijmegen.
The Dutch fully understand how important community relations in which they operate are. Sometimes football isn’t everything & showing support for things that really matter supersedes proceedings on-the-pitch. There are plenty of fan groups & clubs around the world that could learn a thing or two about from the Dutch regarding community relations.