This Saturday, Quick Boys and VV Katwijk from a Dutch coastal town called Katwijk will face off for the 53rd time. The two teams reside in the Tweede Divisie, the third tier of Dutch football. Amateur football.
It is a fierce derby, one with a massive meaning to the locals and that splits the town into two. But even so, it's still an amateur derby.
That does not matter to a handful of international football fans every so often. Every time the two rivals face off in Katwijk, whether it is at Quick Boys' Sportpark Nieuw-Zuid in the dunes or Katwijk's Sportpark De Krom, you will always find several fans from all over.
Also read: Inside the fierce Katwijk derby, the biggest amateur derby in the world
Last March, the derby was visited by at least 18 fans from Germany, eight from Belgium, two from Poland, two from Norway, one from Switzerland, one from the United Kingdom, and one from Israel. And those are just the ones that have logged it on the Futbology app.
So, what drives these fans to travel all that way for an amateur football game?
"I've been a groundhopper for two or three years, so I was already familiar with Quick Boys because of their large fan base," the Belgian Seppe says. "While searching for a new and enjoyable football trip, I came across the Katwijk derby. I had already seen it mentioned on social media, so I decided to go."
For Seppe, the atmosphere and many positive stories he'd heard made him decide to go on a five-hour drive to and from Katwijk.
"I love amateur football, and Belgium doesn't really have any big amateur clubs except for Sporting Hasselt in the last 2-3 years. When I told my family and friends that I was going to get in the car at 9 a.m. on a Saturday and then drive for 2.5 hours (5 hours in total) to an amateur match in the Netherlands, they thought I was completely crazy."
For Soren from Norway, it was the derby feeling. "I discovered it through Futbology, the app for groundhopping. It’s possible to find derbies all over the world in the app, provided the app recognises them as such. I also heard that another Norwegian groundhopper I know recently visited Katwijk and liked the stadium."
The derby is also an interesting destination because of its central location in a smaller country like the Netherlands.
"I had never seen a derby in the Netherlands before, and I also thought it was special with a derby in a rather small place, which was appealing. Due to short distances and easy ways to travel, we also managed to watch more games in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg that weekend."
For Gus, also from Belgium, it was a perfect game to visit with a group of befriended groundhoppers because of the atmosphere and the away fans, who were allowed back into the stadium for the first time in 2.5 years.
"Someone from this group had the idea to schedule this match because he had already heard about the great atmosphere, the many supporters and the fact that it was the first time in a while that away supporters were allowed to attend. It seemed like the ideal moment to come and take a look!"
An intense, loaded derby
Quick Boys won the derby 4-1 in a frantic game with early goals, reckless tackles, fights, tifos, and fireworks. The game had a massive impact on VV Katwijk's season, as it took them out of contention for the title, with Quick Boys increasing the gap to ten points.
"It really felt like both teams and both groups of supporters really wanted to win, and that it meant a lot for them in terms of prestige," said Soren, who found the atmosphere not to be that of an amateur game.
"The stadium was packed. I think the capacity is 5,000, and it was sold out. It might not be the biggest number, but when a stadium is sold out, the exact number becomes almost irrelevant. The atmosphere of a sold-out, important game is truly special, and I never thought it could be an amateur game."
The derby was visited by 5,000 fans, 350 of whom defended the blue and white of Quick Boys. They arrived at the stadium in several tour buses, since it's compulsory to travel by bus from Nieuw-Zuid to De Krom - a distance of 2.9 kilometres.
"The experience had everything a derby needs, and for me, that’s the most important part when visiting derbies in other countries."
Gus agrees with Soren and gives VV Katwijk even more credit. "This club would certainly not be out of place in the second tier, and definitely wouldn't finish last. Many teams would be jealous of this," he said.
"The tifos, fireworks and the whole pre-match show were anything but amateurish. This is the work of many people with a lot of passion!
Emotions certainly ran high on the pitch, with some serious tackles and scuffles here and there! There were the inevitable yellow cards, discussions with the referees, gestures... It was a great atmosphere in which to watch a match with fish and a pint, just as it should be."
"Really was the game of the year"
"From the outset, people were very friendly, and the atmosphere was different from professional matches," said Seppe, who arrived an hour early to take in the derby atmosphere in the fisherman's town. "Everyone was very open and friendly. It was clear that everyone had been looking forward to this game for months."
Just like with every derby between Katwijk and Quick Boys, the pre-match agenda was filled with music, tifos, and fireworks from both groups of fans.
"During the match, the atmosphere was tense, but it didn't cross the line. It was a healthy rivalry, as it should be in a derby. The early goals from Quick Boys didn't really change the enthusiasm of the home team."
The match was tense and could've ended with fewer than 22 players if it were up to Seppe, who says he'll certainly come back for more derby action.
"You could really tell that it was the game of the year for both sets of supporters. They taunted each other and occasionally swore. The players didn't shy away from the challenges either. I fear that with VAR, there would have been a red card or two. The staff on the bench were also on edge and jumped out of their seats at every mistake.
Fortunately, there were no real riots, although I sometimes had the feeling that some (mainly older people) were hoping for one."
For Gus, the difference between the atmospheres in the Netherlands and Belgium really got highlighted during the game. "Of course, this is a derby that I watched, but I still noticed a difference in the way people experience it. I can only find one Belgian comparison for this type of match, and that is Sporting Hasselt - Belisia Bilsen."
De Krom, which holds fewer spectators than Quick Boys, underwent renovations and welcomed a new grandstand in 2015. Still, the stadium feels small and appeals to the football romantics. Soren included.
"The stadium was really charming. From before the game, the atmosphere was great. Smoke from the home supporters, and I think the away supporters had some flares. Especially the away supporters made noise and sang throughout the match. It was highly intense on the pitch as well."
The 53rd edition of the Katwijk derby, nicknamed the 'Mother of All Derbies', takes place on Saturday, September 20th, at Quick Boys' Sportpark Nieuw-Zuid. The derby kicks off at 13.30 CET.
