Dutch club Twente – whose stadium is sponsored by Grolsch and where a fan once went viral for carrying SIXTY-FOUR PINTS – reveal they made more money from BEER sales than selling players last season
- Erik ten Hag’s old club Twente released the accounts for the 2022-2023 season last week
- They made more profit from selling food and drinks than from selling players
- Andre Onana’s place as Man United’s number 1 is in doubt Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
One of their fans once went viral because he somehow managed to transport 64 pints of beer and their stadium is sponsored by the Grolsch brewery.
So perhaps it’s no wonder that Dutch club FC Twente made more money selling beer on their latest accounts than selling players.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s former club, who are currently fourth in the Eredivisie, announced their financial results for the 2022-2023 season this week.
The figures showed not only that the club made a healthy net profit of €5 million (£4.3 million), but also that the club brought in €10.5 million (£9.07 million) from catering, a sharp increase .
Purchasing and personnel costs must be deducted from this, but Twente still ended up with a profit of around €6 million.
Dutch club FC Twente have revealed in their latest accounts that they make more money from selling beer than they do from players. One of their fans is pictured with a stack of pints in the stands
One of their supporters went viral in 2021 for carrying a stack of 64 pints into the stadium
Twente is currently fourth in the Dutch Eredivisie, 12 points behind leader PSV
By comparison, buying and selling players between 2022 and 2023 made them a profit of €3.75 million (£3.24 million).
Although catering costs include both food and drink sales, the figures still raised some eyebrows.
Football International journalist Tom Knipping said: ‘It is strange that FC Twente makes more money on beer than on players.
‘I don’t see anywhere else in Europe where a club earns more from beer than from footballers.’
The Twente stadium, De Grolsch Veste, is sponsored by the local beer maker from Enschede.
Unlike in Britain, drinking alcohol within sight of the pitch in stadiums is permitted and fans in Twente have made headlines with their beer-wielding exploits.
In 2021, a photo of a fan holding a stack of 64 pints in cardboard containers went viral on social media.
That was the effort of fan Christiaan Roetgering, who successfully transported 48 pints from the hall bar to his seat, apparently without spilling a drop.
Carrying huge amounts of beer has become a point of pride for Twente fans
The club’s stadium is sponsored by Grolsch, the local brewery in home city Enschede
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag pictured during one of his three playing periods at Twente
Ten Hag then worked in Steve McClaren’s technical staff at the club in the east of the country
He told the Sun: ‘I always go to the match with a group of friends and each time one of us has the task of bringing in the beers.
‘This time it was my turn and I didn’t feel like having to walk back and forth to the bar. So I decided to get it all in one visit.
‘I had to carry the trays down a corridor and up a flight of stairs, but it all went fine. But it’s not a record: my friend Jochen has managed to transport 50 beers in one go in the past.
I’ve had at least 300 friend requests on Instagram. On Sunday I was watching the highlights on TV and my phone just blew up.’
