Briefly just 12 questions, symbolic as the number of fans shirt .
I am Westwood one of the members of Ultras Arnhem.
Q2: Present your football club & town
Vitesse Arnhem. Vitesse is one of the oldest clubs in the land 1892, only Sparta Rotterdam is older 1888. Our nickname are Vitas, or FC Hollywoord on the Rhine. We are located in the east of the country people may know our town of Arnhem from Operation Market Garden, also known as a Bridge too far – the biggest Airborne operation of the WW2. We are playing in yellow&black vertical stripe much similar as Botev Plovdiv. Our stadium is The GelreDome and it got a capacity is 25,000, and it is one of a kind. Its built in 1998, with a retractable roof and a convertible pitch. That can be retracted when unused during concerts or other events held at the stadium. Our Chairman is the Georgian old footballer Merab Jordania and we are first Dutch football club owned by a foreigner. Vitesse got a strong connection with the London Blue’s Chelsea, and beside that we have got one of the best football academy of the land. In good and in bad time, it’s never boring.
Q3: Present your firm
Ultras Arnhem, we are the biggest independent firm of the club. And this year’s we got our 10years anniversary. Under this name there are a lot of groups active like, RFA Rhine Front Arnhem. We combine and mobilizes all the divert groups, and organize for example our own pre and after match’s party. We stand up for the normal fans, and being critical when necessarily. We dare to say those thing the official supporters club doesn’t. We are Vitesse, and without us the it’s just a soulless club. Q4: Average attendance home & away? Organization for away matches?
Arnhemers are a tuff crowd and the average attendance is hard to number. In the old stadium, (till 1998, capacity 12,000) they where around 7,000 fans. That’s always feel like a full house. In 1998 we started the play in het GelreDome (capacity 25,000) en that where the glory days of the club with average 24000 fans, and after than a average of 18,000. With the new owner the numbers will go up again. Away games that’s a complete divert stories. The regulation by the government is quiet hard, and criminals got more rights of free traveling around the country. Therefore it’s all depending who is the opponent, and what’s the regulation that specifies game. Therefore a stand can be completely been full or almost empathy and nothing in between. Not quit a less there is a always a big number of lads travel quietly and sits in home stand.
Q5: Best support ever seen in a Vitesse match?
One of the best matches was a couple years ago in 2006 the home game against ajax. We started very poorly, and within 4 minutes it was 0-1. It get worst and with 35 minutes 0-2. We were completely overrun until halftime. Directly from the second half everybody had a feeling from; let’s go all-in, because there was nothing to lose. Directly we score the 1-2 the stadium went wild. Six minutes later we scored again, 2-2. Truly bring out the tissues because it feels like sex. Directly after that there raise the question, do we go on? or will we stay and defending the 2-2? The answer; full power play, and everybody in the stadium had the feeling there more into this. In the 89 minute we score the winning, 3-2. Sensation!!! Was like stepping into the playboy mansion, owwwwwwwww. And on top of that, in spare time, the last minute of the game, 93m on the clock, 4-2!!! Now you may only guess.
Q6: Present current situation of Dutch scene - tifo, hools...
To be sincerely the tifo actions from Vak410(ajax) and VakP (Fctwente) are quit impressing. No doubt about that. Hoolliactions, There where big riots last year between the matches FC Utrecht – FC Twente, and between Nek – Vitesse. Also Feyenoord(all the serveral firms) got into a mess with own club leadership. But, the Cops en government are very into this, so I will pass it on.
Q7: Hatred, rivalry, friendships?
Absolutely hate we have against NEC Nijmegen, or like we call them NEK from ODW. ODW stands for Across the Waal(river). They play in the colors Red, Green, Black, deathly combination. This is the biggest Derby of the country – I telling you this not as a fan, but as a fact. This is the derby of all derby’s in the Netherlands. You can compare it with the matches between Ajax and Feyenoord, only we are almost direct neighbors. This is the game of the year everybody is looking forward to. And losing isn’t a option. In the month’s for the match people already start talking about it, and they are always a lot of bully actions. Rivalry is just when we facing Ajax, Feyenoord or De Graafschap (small derby)
Q8: Any interesting stories of your own experience as a Vitesse fan?
To be a Vitesse fan it’s never boring, FC Hollywood! One time we playing the derby against Nek. One of the lads was so nervous, that he decide to go the gym. When he show up on 14:30u he was quite surprised and angry at the same time. The match started at 13:30u!
Q9: What do you know about Balkan and Bulgarian scene in particular?
Vitesse got a big history with players from former Yugoslavia, like Nemanja Matić, Slobodan Rajković, Aleksandar Ranković, Dejan Stefanović, Danko Lazović, Dejan Čurović, Marko Perović and Bosco Bursac or Greece with Nikos Machlas, Kostas Chaniotakis. And just one from Romania Ştefan Nanu, and one from Hungary Balázs Rabóczki. But no one from Bulgaria. To be honest I know that Monolev who’s plays with PSV come from Bulgaria. Don’t ask me further more. Because we play the first Europe league match against Lokomotiv Provdiv, I got quite interesting in Bulgarian football. But quick study learnt me that Botev Plovdiv is more my club. At least one player did play for both clubs namely Émile Mbamba. And it would be nice if I can mark someday an Bulgarian player from Botev to my players list? ..and why not?
Q10: Have you ever been here (Balkans)?
I have never been in Bulgaria myself, but I went to Greece if that counts
Q11: Club or country?
Clearly a clubmen, did you see the EK?
Q12: Against modern football factory...(your opinion about bans, seats, pyro etc)
We are the modern football, very similar to Chelsea. With a lot of money buying success. And I believe you most run a club/team like that way if you wane be successfully. For example Vitesse is building one of the best trainings accommodation of Europe. On the other side, so long they never will forget who the true fans are. The problem now days, is that watching football feels like a crime. We are been treated like animals, and we must be like a dead bird. Sitting quiet, overpaying for everything, and applause when the scored. We can have a stadium ban for…smoking! FUCK-it all, this is football and it is a Big Men’s game. Bring the (ticket) price on a normal level, let fans there banners, fireworks, smoke grenades to the stadium. But therefore we are there the Ultras, just to remind then. They may own the club, We are the club, WE ARE VITESSE! Our homepage is www.since1892.nl and our forum is www.ultrasarnhem.nl
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