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I was at the Lionesses game yesterday and even though there were quite a lot of people the vibes were not really there (did not help I sat in front of some very stupid men😒)

Yeah, I get what you mean. Sometimes i feel like: if the vibe isn’t there, I might as well just watch it on TV instead.

I sometimes feel like because everything is relatively close together in the Netherlands, there's like this expectation that you should be able to get there or anywhere. Like, people hear "only 150km away" or "it's only on the other side of the country" and think that's nothing. But in reality that can still mean a 3+ hour journey each way, transfers, delays, and getting home around midnight or later.

I think because distances are small on a map, we sometimes underestimate the actual time and effort involved. So people end up feeling like they should go because technically it's not that far away, while practically it's still a pretty big commitment for a (sometimes) weekday evening.

And then when people actually sit down and look at what it means in terms of travel time and overall hassle, that's often the moment they decide it's not worth it or simply can't be bothered. Not necessarily because they don't care about the team, but because the reality of the trip is a lot less appealing than the distance makes it sound as first.

Hope you get what i mean

I think I get what you mean. That’s actually an interesting thought imo

imo the performances have just not been as exciting as they used to be

Yeah, relatable. I don't really feel the urge to go to games anymore either, but I'm still dedicated enough to watch everything on TV.

I do kind of miss it though. To me, the whole atmosphere just feels different somehow, and that's a bit sad. I wish it felt more like it used to.

Yeah, relatable for me. I always make sure I either have a car available (yay licence) or can get home by train. I really don't like being dependent on someone having to come and pick me up 😅

I don't mind :) (and this has gotten quite long again because I apparently can't explain/answer things briefly 😅)

You're right that I do take on quite a bit when it comes to my brothers. On Wednesday (afternoon) I have my "day" with them, but I also help out a lot outside of that. They're deffo no dependent on me alone (And the two oldest in particular can manage just fine on their own for a lot of things). The youngest aslo go to after-school care, other family friends and neighbors help a lot too, and my parents are capable and really do try to do as much as possible themselves.

It definitely affects my life, but not to the point where I constantly wish things were different (I feel like I have always had enough space to do my own thing and discover things/life). Sometimes it's a lot, and sometimes I do get a bit tired of it all, if I'm honest. But as long as I still have enough time for friends, my own interests+development, and some me/alone time (basically being here lol), I'm generally okay with it really. I love them, and I love my parents, and none of us can really do anything about the fact that things turned out the way they did. It's just life and in life, things happen.

I don't work alongside my studies because that's just not manageable for me (okay, mabye I could, but then there is literally 0 time to be me and relax and have some free time, and then I would basically be helping myself into a burnout). My school/uni is also very understanding and flexible (also after proving), and for example allows me to do quite a lot from home, or do things differently which helps enormously. (Hopefully i'll be graduating in like 2 months!!)

The part I struggle with most is letting go. Over the past 8 years I've become a pretty constant presence in their lives and routines, and I think I've also gotten used to being one of the people they can rely on. Because of that, I sometimes worry that if I step back too much or moved out, they would lose a bit of stability or certainty in their day-to-day lives. Like it will affect them in some way.

Whether that's completely true or not, I don't know. Like I said, my parents are capable parents (they're "just" ill and can't do everything) and there are other people around who help too. I think part of it is probably my own difficulty with letting go and accepting that things can continue without me being involved in everything. Don't know it that makes sene? But it's something I do think about a lot.

Trains run later when there are big events here like Carnaval and Pinkpop (in the last case we used to have our friend's weekend at the same time and I can tell you it was hell getting home since a lot of busses and cabs were stuck at Pinkpop and even at past 22.00 the station was really busy because there were lots of trains leaving) it's just that they don't give priority to the women's game. There was a men's match here down in the south and there were extra trains. And lot of the fans for the men's game are willing to travel, but for the women's game not so much. They go when it's convenient for them to reach.

I actually hear that for some people (also in the south, or really anywhere) it genuinely isn’t doable for some games. Whether that’s because trains in certain areas ot the country just don’t run anymore (like for the last bit, the last transfer), or because people don’t want to get home at 2 or 3 am by car due to needing to get up early, (that’s priorities, but I understand it tbh).

And I think I maybe didn’t phrase my previous ask very well, but what I mostly meant is what you’re saying too: people go when it’s convenient for them to reach.

Imo if it’s possible to get home and you really want to go to games, I personally feel like you can just go and put in the effort to see/support your team. If you really want things, a lot is possible, also getting home.

Oh, the city definitely isn't the only factor. There is promotion for the games here (whether it's the right kind of promotion is another question), but for some reason it just doesn't seem to translate into those really big attendance numbers anymore. The stadiums they're playing in don't exactly help with that either. Utrecht is probably the last "big" venue they've played in over the past few years.

I do hear quite a lot of people complain about the match locations and the public transport around them. That said, I think we're also a bit spoiled in the Netherlands 😅 We're very used to being able to get almost anywhere in the country within a few hours, so as soon as a match is on the other side of the country and the round trip takes 3+ hours, people start complaining. I think a lot of fans would prefer matches to be in more central locations.

Still, transport can genuinely be an issue. For example, there was once a match all the way in the south of the country. If I remember correctly, kick-off was around 21:00, but trains were already stopping not long afterwards. A large part of the country doesn't have metro or tram systems either, so if you're relying on public transport and travelling from the other side of the country, getting home can become pretty difficult.

I also think the team really relies on travelling supporters. I think women's football isn't quite popular enough here to fill entire stadiums purely with people from the local area, so making it (a bit) easy for fans from all over the country to attend matters imo.