Football Fans Rain Cuddly Toys Down On Sick Kids During Match

Football fans get a fair bit of stick a lot of the time. Sometimes it's completely justified - if they're kicking each other's heads in, that's no fun - but at other times they really show their softer side.

At a match in the Netherlands, yesterday proved to be one of the latter type.

It was the second matchday in the top professional football league in the Netherlands, the Eredivisie. Feyenoord, from Rotterdam, were taking on their city rivals Excelsior.

Usually, it's a pretty feisty affair - although Feyenoord have historically been the more successful team - but yesterday the visiting fans brought a lovely touch along with them.

Sitting up in the rafters of Feyenoord's De Kuip, the visiting Excelsior fans began to rain down cuddly toys onto the deck below, where children visiting from a local children's hospital were sitting watching the match.

The match had been designated beforehand as 'cuddly toy day' and, while the Feyenoord fans were on board, bringing along toys of their own to throw, the away fans wouldn't necessarily have been expected to get into the spirit - but they did.

Ordinarily you'd only hear about it if they were throwing advertising hoardings or coins down on the players on the pitch, but this represents a really nice gesture from the fans.

As the clock ticked over into the 10th minute of the game, the soft toys began raining down from above for the delighted kids sitting below. Even the supporters of their rivals couldn't help but give them a warm round of applause for their kind actions.

The kids had been invited to attend the game from the Erasmus Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam and must have been delighted to get a load of teddies to take back with them.

As for the game, Feyenoord ran out as easy 3-0 winners. Former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie scored, as well as efforts from Jeremiah St Juste, and Jan-Arie van der Heijden.

That's not that important though, when you think about it.

It goes to show that football fans aren't all bad at all, just marred by the actions of a few idiots that exist in every supporter base.

This isn't the first time that this has happened, either.

Back in 2016, visiting fans from ADO Den Haag, another Eredivisie side, showered visiting Children's Hospital kids below with soft toys and teddies.

This is what football is supposed to be all about.

Featured Image Credit: Fox Sports

Topics: Toys, SPORT, Kids, Football, Fans

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim