Although disappointment still lingers, we look back on a memorable season. After a difficult start, we found our way up and were in the race for direct promotion for a considerable time. The highlight was an impressive streak of nine unbeaten matches, crowned with winning a period title. And yet, the season ended painfully for everyone who holds ADO Den Haag dear.
The desired promotion didn’t became reality. The abrupt end to the play-offs, due to objects being thrown onto the pitch, was disappointing for us all. This kind of behavior does not align with the club we strive to be. The culprits have been identified and will not be welcome in our stadium for the foreseeable future. These incidents are at odds with the hard work we have put in. Together with our supporters’ associations and the departments of safety and supporter affairs we strive to create a safe, welcoming, and family-friendly atmosphere in the stadium. Only together we continue to improve ADO Den Haag’s reputation and build a future in which everyone feels at home, regardless of origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
There are also positive developments we do not want to overlook, as they give us hope and make us proud. Stadium attendance has grown, resulting in several sold-out matches this season. We also see a clear increase in young visitors and families, which is a sign that our strategy is paying off. On the commercial front, we have signed the largest sponsorship deal in our club’s history: WerkTalent will be the naming partner of our stadium for the next five years. In addition, nearly all of our Sky Lounges have been sold and our business club continues to grow steadily.
Besides the progress we are making financially we also continue to make a daily social impact, now active at no fewer than 93 locations. Our youth academy has impressively climbed to sixth place nationally, with minimal resources and great promotions for both our boys' and girls' teams. And of course, we are looking forward to returning to the heart of our city. In Zuiderpark, two new top-quality training fields have already been installed, and we hope our first men’s team can start using them soon.
None of these forward steps would have been possible without the support of our shareholder. We would like to thank our shareholder for the opportunities to pursue our shared ambitions. Like us, they believe in the potential of our club.
We would also like to send out our gratitude to all our sponsors and commercial partners for their loyalty and financial support. We also continue working closely together with municipality, police, and emergency services. Finally, we want to take this opportunity to thank our supporters, volunteers, and staff. They continued to support the team in both good and challenging times, with many dedicating themselves day and night to our club.
We are currently evaluating the season from a football perspective. Our goal for the upcoming season remains unchanged: we are aiming for promotion, with a strong and competitive team. However, your support plays a crucial role in this. Many Season Ticket holders have already renewed and expressed their unwavering support for next season. To those who haven’t yet secured a Season Ticket, they will soon be available for purchase. To all our sponsors—renew your contracts and bring new partners to our stadium. Only together can we build our ADO Den Haag: one club, club comes first!