Brabant is the province with the most clubs in professional football. There is a real football culture, but what exactly is it and is it the same everywhere? The new series De Twaalfde Man tries to find an answer to these questions. Documentary filmmaker Joost van der Werff gets to know the clubs and their culture by following the fans during match days.
Football has been under a magnifying glass lately. Spectators walking onto the field attacking players, beer and lighters flying onto the field and games being abandoned. You would almost forget that for many people football is a party and even a real passion.
“I want to give the good supporters a stage right now.”
It is precisely the latter group of supporters that documentary maker Van der Werff wants to portray. “Most of the fans just come for a nice afternoon out with friends. As far as I’m concerned, they also deserve a stage.” He also sees it a little bit as rehabilitation. “Although I especially want to show how well-meaning supporters are.”
The documentary maker hopes that this will give the ‘normal’ football supporter a better image. “Because at the moment we are mainly working on removing the bad apples and the benevolent fans are suffering from that.” He does believe that the end justifies the means and that strict action is necessary.
“It is special that we have so many professional clubs here.”
Joost himself is a fanatical Willem II supporter, but he always had the ambition to make a documentary or series about all professional football clubs in Brabant. “It is very special that we have so many here.” The series De Twaalfde Man is about why someone is now a fan of FC Eindhoven, RKC, Helmond Sport and even RBC. That club was discontinued as a paid football organization in 2011 after financial problems, but continued in amateur football in 2012.
By following a supporter of the club on match day, Joost wants to show what emotions and motivations live among the fans. “And I also want to show the difference between the clubs in this way.” According to the documentary maker, his series paints a beautiful picture of Brabant football culture.
“Look at him laughing that Jug.”
Although a Willem-II supporter himself, he never thought about doing anything with the rivalry between his club and the neighbors of NAC Breda. “No, you really have to separate that. Although I must admit that the NAC supporter I followed said: look at him sitting there laughing, that Kruik, when his club was already 0-4 behind against Jong after 25 minutes Ajax.”
As a fan of Brabant football, he likes the fact that PSV won the KNVB Cup last weekend. “But I’m not jealous of it. If I had to be that now that Willem II is playing in the Kitchen Champion Division, I would be very often jealous and many other Brabant supporters too. That’s the great thing about this series. You see that the supporters get their pleasure from other little things.”
The next broadcast of De Twaalfde Man can be viewed immediately on Brabant+, Omroep Brabant’s new on-demand video platform. Brabant+ is available on your phone and/or tablet. Do you prefer to watch on TV? Then turn on Thursday at 5.15 pm at Omroep Brabant TV. The episode is then repeated.
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