Go Ahead Eagles fans buying stadium grass after qualifying for European football

Go Ahead Eagles fans have been buying pieces of the pitch in their stadium, the Adelaarshorst, after a historic season where they dramatically qualified for European Football for the first time solely on league merit. The sales proceeds will go to the groundskeepers for the club, who maintained the pitch all season long.

The grass is being sold in pots at the Intratuin garden center in Deventer. “They are selling quickly,” Pascal Koers, an employee at the garden center and passionate Go Ahead Eagles fan, told the regional broadcaster RTV Oost.

The club beat FC Utrecht in the final of the European Football Playoffs to win a ticket to the second qualification round of the UEFA Conference League next season. It will be the first time the club will take part in European football since 2015 when they qualified through the fair play rankings.

“Our phone was ringing off the hook this morning with people wanting to know whether the sales had started yet. Now acquaintances are coming and going all day.” Koers also gave instructions to the people who bought the grass for 10 euros each.

“In addition to water, you should give the grass just as much love as you give your wife.”

Any fans hoping to get the center spot are out of luck, as it was secretly dug out after the victory against FC Utrecht. The pitch in the Adelaarshorst is being replaced, so the old grass was removed from their stadium.