Vera Verbeeck, from Belgium, has been following the Yellow Submarine for ten years
From the Flemish region of Belgium, living in Haacht, Vera Verbeeck became aware of Villarreal in 2011 through a charity event organised by Martijn Raemakers, who was her Spanish teacher and is the current president of Yellows’ fan club ‘Els Flamencs Grocs.’ The attraction that she felt for the club, for its welcoming characteristics, made her become the vice-president of the fan club that same year: “Despite Villarreal playing in a league thousands of kilometres away, the contact between the club and the fans is sincere.” A year later, she was in Vila-real when they raised 2,000 Euros for Aspanion (Asociación de Padres de Niños con Cáncer de la Comunitat Valenciana – Association of Parents of Children with Cancer in the Region of Valencia). That activity has since become an annual tradition for the Flemish fan club.
Whenever she can, Vera always tries to travel to Vila-real to watch the team live. Alongside the rest of the fan club, she tries to make two trips per season and underlines the passion that she has for the team: “Whenever I go to the stadium and I hear the voice of our club saying ‘benvinguts’, I get goosebumps.” What’s more, she has been able to go to a number of games in European competition too.
The Belgian doesn’t miss a single game, even if they are largely on television. If it is shown live, the fan club often go to their regular pub ‘The Groenveld’ to watch it. It’s now a routine to toast before and after the game, regardless of the result: “The most important thing is a good atmosphere and supporting the team unconditionally.”
When she was asked about her favourite players, she had to name Marcos Senna and Bruno Soriano, two former legends of the club: “I felt sad that Bruno didn’t get the farewell he deserved because of COVID-19. I have to admit that I cried when I saw that on the TV.” Out of the current squad, she is also a big fan of Sergio Asenjo, as her son is also a goalkeeper.
Finally, Vera underlines that she can’t wait to return to see Villarreal in person, as she has had unforgettable experiences with the team: “I’ve got loads of great memories. I can’t pick just one. The trip to Liverpool in 2016, the excitement all us fans from different countries (Belgians, Dutch, Slovakians) had and the party with our friends from Celtic Submarí. It’s a very special feeling when I get to the train station in Vila-real. I feel like I’m coming home.”
