They played successfully in the youth academy of FC Groningen, but chose to leave. Now the brothers Tijs (21) and Menno (19) Mulder are playing football again with their friends in Winsum. With success: on Saturday GRC Groningen was defeated 5-1, with the Mulders playing a leading role.
Tijs played in the FC Groningen Under-17 team, which became Dutch champions in 2019 by beating Ajax’s peers 5-2 in a spectacular final competition match. It is still the only FC Groningen team ever to become national champion. Tomas Suslov, Björn Meijer, Romano Postema, Luciano Valente, Kian Slor, Milan de Koe and Joël van Kaam: teammates of the eldest Mulder at the time.
No Champions League, but the first division J
It’s quite a difference, Tijs admits in the windy Winsum park. Suslov now plays in the Serie A with Hellas Verona, Meijer played the Champions League with Club Brugge last season and the Conference League this year. And he himself is struggling in the first class J, on a windy sports park next to the Reitdiepdal. “Yes, that is true,” says the eldest Mulder, who has started studying human geography at the University of Groningen. “But I really don’t regret my choice. I just wanted to play football.”
Tijs stopped at FC Groningen when the club, like clubs such as AZ and Ajax, switched from Under-17 and Under-19 to even ages: Under-17 became Under-18. “That meant I was a freshman for an extra year, so to speak,” Tijs explains. “And as a first-year you simply play less. That meant not playing much for another year and I really didn’t feel like that. And so I went back to Winsum, to my friends.”
Order fries
This applies even more to Menno, who is two years younger. He also chose to leave FC Groningen. “I also wanted to be able to order fries in the canteen after a match and that wasn’t really possible there. I just didn’t enjoy playing football enough and that’s why I went back to Winsum. It was the right choice. It’s great to play here again and have a beer with the boys afterwards.”
The Mulders were welcomed with open arms. Logical, because they form the footballing heart of the young team of coach Fred de Boer. With Tijs on the right flank, Menno on the left, the experienced Yumé Ramos in the point and the fast Jered Faleye underneath, Winsum is a tough attack for any opponent in the first division.
Tactics adapted to the wind
Moreover, De Boer and his team make clever use of an extra weapon: the Winsumer wind. De Boer himself always arrives a little earlier before every home match to see how the wind is blowing and adjusts his tactics accordingly.
That also happened against GRC, which until Saturday had only won against city rivals PKC’83. In the first fifteen minutes Winsum went full throttle, with the wind at his back. Within three minutes it was 1-0, within 11 minutes it was 2-0. Maker of both goals: Tijs Mulder. Menno nicely made it 3-0 after his own action.
Excellent running action
Namesake Bram Mulder of GRC scored against before half time, but the 4-1, shortly after Yumé Ramos’ tea, ended the match. Faleye made it 5-1 after an excellent run, after which he threatened with a cross at the free-standing Ramos, but he lashed out himself.
Winsum-GRC Groningen 5-1
Scoring: 3. Tijs Mulder 1-0, 11. Tijs Mulder 2-0, 45. Menno Mulder 3-0, 45. Bram Mulder 3-1, 50. Ramos 4-1, 54. Faleye 5-1.
Yellow card: Menno Mulder (Winsum), Kingma and Paans (both GRC Groningen).
Referee: De Wit.
Spectators: 300.
Winsum: Meijer; Verhoeven (46. Timmer), Van Dijk, Zwakenberg and Bello; Gerlofs (78. Lahdo), Faleye and Hoff; Menno Mulder, Ramos and Tijs Mulder.
GRC Groningen: Van Nieff; Kuijlen, Paans (63, Idema), Heinst and Bult (63, Schokker); Snippe, Van Linschoten and Kingma; Wardenier, Van Duyn and Mulder.