Behind the scenes at the Grand Prix and European Championship

#THIS ARTICLE IN DUTCH is written by Emilie Maclaine Pont | translated by Liesbeth Wallien

Major sports events like the European Championship. Or the F1 Grand Prix In Zandvoort. Eelco Groen is present, working in a variety of jobs. And then there is his job as a teacher at Johan Cruyff Academy. ‘The work in itself is not really rocket science. But you do have to know which strings to pull.’

Eelco Groen (48) has many years of experience in the world of sports events, as a sports marketeer and players agent. A world in which long and exhausting days are the rule rather than the exception. That is the reason why when his wife and he got kids, Groen . took a job teaching sports marketing at 'Hogeschool van Amsterdam'. But when he did a freelance job during the Women’s European Championship in the Netherlands in 2017, he felt the itch again.

‘At events they often use freelancers. Transparency and connections are essential to get new gigs. After the European Championship I was asked, because of my background, to help draft a mobility plan for the first scheduled Dutch Grand Prix (‘DGP’) in Zandvoort. At the time they wanted 30,000 visitors to come by bike (by 2024 that number had been raised to 45,000, ed.). That had to be facilitated and steered in the right direction. Same with parking in a broad sense.’

Managing 110,000 visitors
Together with the Mobility Team, Groen worked on the details of the plan, only to have Covid ruin all plans for the 2020 edition. A year later the game was on. In the months leading up to the DGP and during the DGP Groen acted as event manager, and was responsible for everything visitor-related, first of all ticketing. In the following years he remained involved in the DGP. By 2024 Groen was Spectator Services Venue Manager.

‘I was in fact crowd managing and supporting other teams like security. On Saturday and Sunday we had 110,000 visitors. Their entertainment does not start with watching the race, but at the train station or parking lot. Together with dozens of volunteers we welcomed them and gave out information, both before and after the race. But we also had to keep track of and communicate about unwanted trespassers trying to scale the fences.’

The right strings
The work in itself is not rocket science, says Groen. ‘There are plenty of people who can direct a team. But you have to know exactly what strings to pull. Only if volunteers are trained well, for instance in telling visitors the fastest route, can an event like this run smoothly. A big part of that is motivation. At the start and at the end of every day I often record a little video, joking around, to keep them eager. About five percent of the volunteers come to pick up their clothing kit, only to never return. You don’t want that of course. What’s more, you want them to greet the visitors with a big smile.’

It was a busy summer for Groen. Not only did he work at the DGP, he also attended the European Championship Football in Dusseldorf in a similar position but at a higher level. This puts him in a unique position to explain the differences between an international football tournament and an event like the DGP.

‘A football match takes two hours. Race days are longer. Also, football fans arrive and leave in bigger crowds, like one big mass. Frequently, unlike race fans, there often is a small group of some football supporters who arrive in a drunken state, especially if the match is in the evening. I take that into account when rostering in female volunteers, as regrettably some male football supports tend to take liberties when they are drunk. Football games are also more often the scene of disturbances or fights. The volunteers There is also a difference in directing the volunteers. Between matches in a specific stadium, several days usually pass. That gives you more time for adjustments than during weekends when there is hardly time to breathe.’

Back to school
Despite the challenging weather conditions on Friday 24, and Saturday 25 August, with high winds even that made it doubtful whether the free training on the Friday before the DGP could go through, Groen is happy when looking back on the weekend. Meanwhile he is now focusing on his teaching job, twenty hours a week.

‘It is a great combination. At Johan Cruyff Academy I have stability, earning a fixed income, and the opportunity to share my knowledge with students who like me are passionate about sports. And at events I am as happy as a pig in clover. I would love to work at more major events. Working your tail off with a team, and making it into a success, that gives me a kick every time. My ultimate dream would be to work at the World Championship in the States in 2026. But I have a wife with her own job, and kids aged 10, 11 and 14. So my agenda does not come first, and perhaps I should put that dream on hold for a while.’