The Oranje Leeuwinnen played their second game at the European Football Championship tonight, and that did not go unnoticed in Noord-Holland. At football club SC ‘t Gooi in Hilversum – who themselves consists of 70 percent women – dozens of supporters came together for a viewing session in the canteen. “Football is not just for men.”
A few minutes before six hours the first girls come into the canteen. One by one they appear in their most beautiful orange outfit, ready for the Netherlands – England of the Leeuwinnen.
Most of them play at one of the many women’s teams from SC ‘t Gooi in Hilversum, and look forward to their idols full of expectations. “Miedema is my favorite,” it sounds enthusiastic.
At the start of the evening there is a hopeful atmosphere in the football canteen. The young players are confident and predict a big win. “The Netherlands wins anyway. I say 3-2!”, One of them shouts.
Sore defeat
But soon the mood changes. Title holder England scores the first goal halfway through the first half, just when the plates of fries come on the table. A disappointed sigh blows through the canteen.
The evening ends with a painful 4-0 defeat for the Oranje Leeuwinnen. “The Netherlands was not doing so well. Some things were exciting, because then almost a goal fell. But in the end they missed,” says a fan.
A number of girls know what it is about. “Some goals were really poorly defended,” it sounds. Another analyst in Spé has another tip for the next game. “They could have fit better and have to shoot fewer long balls. Because England grabbed them a lot there.”
Yet the girls continue to support their heroines. And the rest of the Netherlands can take an example, they think. “More people watch men’s football and less at women. That’s why it’s a bit more special. I think people should fascinate more.”
That also underlines Jolanda Osendarp, the chairman of SC ‘t Gooi. Her club consists of no less than 70 percent women. “This makes us an exception in the area,” she emphasizes. And that while she thinks women’s football has a lot to offer. “Women just like to work together. If you approach a girl, and you give her an assignment in the field, she will always be very driven to do that. Because they do it together.”
Osendarp has been at the helm of the club for seven years now, and that is not always easy. “As a female chairman you have something to prove. That is just the case in the football world. I think I can only do it because I have the right people around me.”
Still hope?
Osendarp and her girls are cautiously optimistic about the next game of Oranje. “They also won the previous one, so then it has to be possible again. I have faith in it!”, Says one. Yet there also sounds doubt. “France is very good, so I don’t know if it will work.”
Sunday, July 13 at 9 p.m., the Dutch national team will play the next group match, this time against France. The lionesses must win to hold a chance in a place in the next round.