The story of NEC Nijmegen’s jersey chosen by its fans An anecdote that dates back to 2016

Juventus make their Europa League debut tonight at home against NEC Nijmegen. Based in Nijmegen, the Dutch side is one of those relatively unknown clubs that tend to populate the early rounds of European competitions that are not called the Champions League. Their name immediately evokes the Netherlands to football fans, while their club colours offer something more unusual, bringing together red, black and green in a striking combination. The three colours have been mixed and matched across the club’s different kits over the years, but it was the Home jersey that eventually became a source of controversy, forcing NEC to turn to its own supporters to decide how it should look.

How NEC Nijmegen’s jersey changed over the years

In 2016, NEC held a referendum among its season-ticket holders to determine the design of its first-choice shirt. Until the mid-1990s, the Home jersey had featured a red base with a green panel running across the centre, framed by two thick black borders. Known as the Balkenshirt, the design was simple but effective, bringing all three club colours together in one unmistakable graphic. Then, in the 1998/99 season, PUMA changed everything. Inspired by the templates seen at the 1998 World Cup, the central panel disappeared, replaced by a predominantly red jersey with green inserts and black detailing.

The arrival of FILA in 2001 brought another aesthetic shift, with the shirt split perfectly down the middle between red and green and finished with black shoulders. The central panel made a brief return, this time in black and serving mainly as a backdrop for the sponsor’s name in white. Lotto introduced another variation, creating a checkered shirt for the 2004/05 season before reverting to the split design, which remained in place until 2015/16 despite several changes of technical sponsor. During those years, NEC’s Home jersey was even voted the worst in the Eredivisie. Among supporters, the desire to abandon the split design and bring back the old central panel gradually grew stronger.

The 2016 referendum that changed NEC Nijmegen's jerset

That brings us to 2016, the turning point. On 23 March, the club launched a referendum asking its season-ticket holders to choose the next Home jersey design. There were two options: keep the existing split red-and-green template or bring back the central panel. The result was telling. A majority of supporters voted to bring back the Balkenshirt, but the numbers were far from overwhelming. Of almost 2,000 votes cast, just 53% opted for the return of the old design. Patrick took that decision into the 2016/17 season, creating the first new Home jersey built around the classic template — the shirt that still defines NEC Nijmegen’s visual identity today. A jersey chosen by the supporters, for the supporters.