Bromsgrove Sporting were delighted to welcome Vincent van der Lugt to their league game against Leiston on Saturday.
What was special about Vincent’s visit? Well, not only had he come over from the Dutch city of Weert, but he was also celebrating his stag do, with those in the party coming from both the Netherlands and the UK.
Why Sporting, you might ask? Well, the party was visiting Birmingham and chose to visit Bromsgrove – a clincher for Vincent was that the Rouslers play in red and white, the same colours as his beloved Ajax!
The club’s amazing group of volunteers worked extremely hard to ensure Vincent’s day was brilliantly fun-filled. Firstly, Anita from the club shop kitted Vincent out in a full Sporting home kit, plus hat and scarf. Then, Matt from the club’s commercial team gave the stag party a tour of the ground. Here, they met, amongst others, first team manager Scott Adey-Linforth, along with Chris and Max, from Sporting’s media team, who helped to promote the event and took photos of the day.
Far from his experience being over, Vincent then led to the team out onto the pitch as a mascot, shaking hands with players and match officials, before partaking in the club’s ‘Chip and Bin’ half time game, in which the aim is to volley a football into a waste bin (a game usually played by Sporting’s Colts youth set-up!)
To conclude his day with Sporting, Vincent and his party met the team at Social Sticks, who had sponsored the match!
Adam, Vincent’s best man, who had helped organised the day with Matt from Sporting’s commercial team, commented: “We wanted to pass on how welcome everyone made us feel – from the catering team to the bar staff, the PA playing Dutch music, the stewards, the wonderfully helpful lady in the club shop, the chairman, the social media team, all the fans (many of whom said hello to us and taught us songs), the players who signed his shirt, the manager who introduced himself and, of course, Matt for helping to get us there.
“We’re going to try and come back at least once a year – we’ve all got a new club to follow!”
Vincent’s brother, Edward, said: “What an unbelievably amazing day. The staff and volunteers did an excellent job and really went the extra mile. The welcome was warm and kind – the Anglo-Dutch Bromsgrove Sporting fan club is officially here!”
Another member of the stag party added: “It was an incredible day – there can’t be a friendlier club in the whole country! We’re all Sporting fans now!”
Everybody at Sporting is delighted that Vincent and his party had an unforgettable day, and we look forward to welcoming them back soon! We also wish him every happiness with his wedding day!
