Mixing home and away supporters before and after FC Emmen’s home matches; Mayor Eric van Oosterhout van Emmen agrees. In fact, he wants to try it. He reports this on the eve of the possible promotion of FC Emmen to the Eredivisie. If the club wins against FC Dordrecht tonight, it will play at the highest level next season.
Van Oosterhout is not concerned with the fact that supporters of the different clubs sit together in a box. “That’s what the KNVB is about, I can’t decide that. But it would be nice if supporters could meet each other before and after the game. You see that also happen in England and Germany.”
“Imagine: the supporters get together for a game on Sunday at about eleven o’clock, play a game of football themselves and then drink a beer together with a croquette sandwich,” continues the Emmer mayor. “Then they go into the boxes before the game and afterwards everyone comes together nicely. That is the image of a beautiful football day for me. I am mainly concerned with the atmosphere before and after the game, that you have a lot more fun there. and more the idea of a football party.”
Van Oosterhout emphasizes that he is not naive and realizes that it is not possible with supporters of all clubs. “But look at Heracles, for example. That would be the best option. Why are we so terribly complicated with buses behind fences and quickly remove the supporters afterwards?”
Before such an experiment is held, Van Oosterhout wants to sit down with clubs that come to visit, the police and Emmen supporters. “Because let it be clear, FC Emmen sets a good example. The supporters behave fantastically. Then I say: give them a reward for that and let them find out for themselves how this could be. many supporter associations can discuss.”
In the past, there were barbed wire fences around football fields, Van Oosterhout explains. “They were eventually removed and that goes well. People do not run onto the field, except for a single drunk droppie, but they then get a stadium ban for five years. Things sometimes go wrong, but that is no reason not to do this.” If you get into an accident with your car, you wouldn’t leave it for ten years, would you?”
Is he tense for tonight? Quite a bit, admits Van Oosterhout. “I woke up with healthy tension, just like thousands of other Drenthe who wonder what it will be, I think. The mayor of Emmen has that too.” He himself is at the match in Dordrecht. “I think it will be very nice there.”
But he also doesn’t think it will be an easy game. “I have also played a lot of football myself and championship matches are often not the best matches. I think Emmen will make it in the end, but I would be surprised if they run across Dordrecht like that, so I think it could be a very exciting match become.”
Van Oosterhout is very much looking forward to it, just like tomorrow. “If it goes well tonight, we will be at the Raadhuisplein tomorrow with 10,000 people. Come early, I would recommend to people who want to be there. At 6 p.m. the players will come on stage and then we will make it a very nice party .”