A round of celebratory beers is now written into one soccer star’s contract.
Dutch player and PEC Zwolle captain Bram van Polen recently renegotiated his seasonal contract to include gratis drinks for fans, according to ESPN. To mark his 17th season with the club team, every season ticket holder, volunteer, and sponsor can sip a brewski (or non-alcoholic drink) on the club’s dime.
During the team’s next game against Telstar on Friday, fans can exchange a special token for a drink at the stadium. Van Polen shared details on the contract clause in a handwritten note sent to fans:
“So now is the right time to have something put in my contract with which I can thank you all. Thank you for the unconditional support I have always felt. In good times, but certainly also in bad times,” he writes in the statement. “I’m going to give a beer to the whole stadium. Certainly not to celebrate that I will continue as a footballer for another year, but to thank you for the unconditional support.”
Defender van Polen is the longest-running player on the Dutch team, first signing with the PEC in 2007. Over the years, he’s slipped various unique clauses into his player contracts, many of which have focused on supporting the local economy and patronizing Dutch businesses, as ESPN states.
There was, predictably, much praise for van Polen online as season ticket holders shared photos of the handwritten message and their own accompanying tokens. Some Twitter users crowned him “a hero,” while others called on their local soccer teams to follow suit.
Sipping a free pint and enjoying a close game? Sounds like the perfect afternoon.
