A historic title, a hero’s welcome and a very nice party full of pride and joy. April 29 is forever the date that puts a smile on the face of FC Emmen fans. The first championship in club history was won exactly one year ago today.
Never before have fans and players of FC Emmen celebrated such an exuberant party after a defeat. The 1-0 loss at FC Eindhoven does not affect the Drenthe professional club. Because competitor FC Volendam loses to FC Dordrecht, Emmen can no longer be traced. The championship bowl of the Kitchen Champion Division will be taken to Drenthe, the party will start.
Those who want to impress in a company full of football quiz fans can recall that Jasper Dahlhaus gave the championship party a minimal scratch by scoring the winning goal in the second minute, that a series of nine games was ended without defeat and that Rui Mendes was club top scorer with 15 goals. van Emmen, far behind former FC Emmen striker Thijs Dallinga (32 goals for Excelsior).
These are facts in the margins, what has stuck in the collective memory of the FC Emmen fan is the party after Joey Kooij’s final whistle. The players gather at the edge of the field. There is jumping, honking and singing. “We are champions, we are champions”, it sounds from the throats of the many fans who have come along from Drenthe.
Captain Jeroen Veldmate receives the bowl from Evert ten Napel. He lifts the silverware between red-white wisps, smoke and squirting champagne. The package is collected. The party continues in the locker room.
People dance on the table while Jannes and other Dutch hits sound, Miguel Araujo stuffs himself with cake and one drink after another is opened.