Frank van Dinther (44) from Oss is a huge fan of TOP Oss and attends every home match in the Frans Heesen Stadium. Not only does he go to visit his club, but he also has a large TOP Oss collection. On the first floor of his house he has set up his own ‘museum’ with all the things he has collected over the years.
TOP Oss is the only professional club in the Netherlands that has never played football in the Eredivisie. The club does not have a huge following, but it does have a very loyal supporter base.
After a period as an amateur club, TOP Oss returned to professional football in 1991. 12-year-old Frank was already there during the first home game. “Friends of our neighbors knew I loved football and took me along. I was immediately sold. After that, I went to every home game with classmates. That season I even convinced my father to drive to an away game.”
Now 32 years later, Frank is still there. “It is and remains my club. At TOP Oss you don’t have to come for the results. If the players show a lot of effort, then we as supporters are satisfied. I come for the fun, you meet your friends and fellow supporters. At our club you can still walk in during the week, it is not so professional.”
“I benefit most from supporters who help me.”
As a child, Frank mainly collected pennants from foreign clubs. Only later did he switch to equipment from his ‘own’ club. “I put a lot of time into it. This varies from visiting flea markets and fairs to browsing the internet. But I benefit most from other supporters who help me. If anyone has something interesting, I’d be happy to drop by.”
Framed shirts hang on the wall of his ‘museum’ on the first floor and there is a rack with more than forty shirts. “These are shirts from recent years, but also those from the early 90s, such as when we still had BiFi as a sponsor. I noticed that there was only one size shirt: XXL. There was no more choice. By the way, I don’t just buy the shirts. I would prefer to have them worn during a match.”
“The captain’s armband was never washed out of superstition.”
The collection is very broad: the poster of the first away match, pins, scarves, pennants, photos, beer glasses and a tie that he received from former player Frank van Roosmalen. “It’s nice that TOP Oss borrowed the 1963/1964 season ticket from me as a design for the current season ticket. But what stands out for me is a captain’s armband from the 1980s when TOP still played with the amateurs. It was never washed out of superstition.”
Do you have an item for Frank’s museum? Then send us one email.