Sport

Of all the story lines emanating from the FIFA World Cup, it was sometimes easy to forget that soccer was the name of the game. So many different parties where shouting and screaming to have their message heard, we could barely hear the drumbeats of Senegal or the boisterous signing of the national anthem by Moroccan supporters.

One of the stories that generated the most column inches of press coverage here in the Netherlands was the One Love captain’s armband but it was not until the story of the Dutch company that was producing the armbands became so swamped with orders that the story hit the pages of the international media outlets as well. Once again, that little country that always seems to punch above its weight had found its way into the international spotlights.

The One Love armband was the creation of the Dutch Football Association or KNVB. The campaign itself pre-dated the World Cup. Launched in 2020, it was an answer to the thorny problem of discrimination in and around Dutch football - homophobic and racist slurs still find their way into the beautiful game. The KNVB launched a comprehensive plan to combat discrimination on all fronts and the One Love campaign was just one part of that more extensive initiative backed by not only the top divisions of Dutch professional men’s and women’s football but a range of clubs, the Dutch government and other stakeholders such as media partner ESPN. “One Love” was part of a bigger statement made as an extension of the Ons Voetbal slogan of the KNVB. Ons Voetbal of course means “our football” and One Love was added to the complete slogan of “Our Football is for Everyone”. Other key elements of the action plan were the establishment of the Mijnals Committee (which included national television talk show host Humberto Tan and former footballer Ruud Gullit) and DiscriminatieMelder, a hotline app designed to register discrimination incidents in professional and amateur football. As part of the activation of the campaign, the colorful One Love logo was developed and for numerous KNVB and Eredivisie matches, captain’s armbands were made so that the campaign could be fully felt on the pitch. All in all, a very good campaign not just for the goal but for the execution as well. So good, in fact, that the captain’s armband was adopted by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Wales, Sweden and Switzerland.

Those captain’s armbands bring us to the city Utrecht and the company entrusted to produce the vinyl pieces emblazoned with the now famous logo. When FIFA insisted that their own armbands be worn by the captains as per their own bylaws, the publicity surrounding the colorful One Love accessory made them a soughtafter souvenir of the 2022 World Cup. Orders flooded into the offices of Badge Group. The heavy-duty custom printing presses had to be turned on 24/7 to meet the demand and still could not keep up with the orders coming in from near and far. Demand for the bands had been only “so-so” until this summer, Heerkens said. An order for 500 of the coveted armbands was placed by the European Parliament. Badge Group owner Roland Heerkens had more than his own 15 seconds of footy fame as the world’s press scrambled to cover the story of the sold-out armbands. From Tokyo to Toledo and points in between, the story of the run on armbands hit the newsstands, airwaves, internet and social media. Even the mayor of Utrecht could not resist a factory visit to show her pride in some hometown entrepreneurship.

The self-proclaimed “Professor of Merchandising” is certainly no stranger to event-fueled demand. They also have dealt with noteworthy images before having conceived and launched the iconic Champions League round logo some 30 years ago. Badge Group is also the partner of the KNVB in KNVBShop.nl as well as the popular fan merchandise site voeltbalshop.nl. A 40-year veteran and pioneer of merchandising for professional leagues from around the globe, Heerkens claimed he had not seen the likes of the interest in the One Love armband. Never short on words, Heerkens quipped, “While One Love did not get around the arms of the team captains at the World Cup, many people around the world got their arms around One Love!” So much has been written about who should have worn what where and the missed opportunities and the many different sides of the story. One Love is more than just a slogan. Those of you old and lucky enough to think of Bob Marley and the Wailers when you hear One Love, know how darn powerful those two words can be when they fall together. For anyone who is lamenting the missed opportunities of the World Cup 2022 to project the right message, I submit to you that players embracing on the pitch after the United States defeated Iran was a good story that deserves more attention. It was a moment of true sportsmanship and yet we by and large missed it amidst the tumult and the shouting. Often, when we scream at the top of our lungs, we miss the subtle notes that really matter.

Roland Heerkens and the mayor of Utrecht Sharon Dijksma

Written by John Mahnen

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