Thanks to a unique light installation and ‘obligatory attendance’: how Anderlecht turned its stadium into an asset again

Ambiance assured at Anderlecht. The Purple & White is being pushed forward more strongly than ever this season by its twelfth man. With a new lighting installation, animation on and off the field and an intense collaboration with supporters as extra excitement. Or how the record champion built himself a welcome weapon in the play-offs.

Anyone who has already experienced a match at Lotto Park this season will certainly not deny it. And even TV viewers have undoubtedly noticed it.

There is an atmosphere around Anderlecht’s home matches like in the good old days.

No more wave of grimness in the balding stands, but a pleasant atmosphere with spectacle on and off the field.

“It’s great to play football here,” said one player after the last home match against Union. And the results are also telling: Anderlecht scored 42 out of 51 in front of their own crowd – no first division team did better this season.

The supporters are undeniably an extra weapon for the Purple & White in these play-offs.

But how can the revival be explained?

To reduce the boost purely to better sporting results would be wrong, say people who know the house well. In recent years, Anderlecht has invested a lot of time and resources in its stadium experience.

Perhaps it was not always visible to the outside world, but the Purple & White were quietly working on a plan to get the fans back to the stadium.

That was necessary: ​​after that cursed corona period, Anderlecht noticed that the fans – many disappointed by disappointing results – suddenly found it difficult to find their way back to the Lotto Park.

Matches were barely sold out and the number of subscribers decreased noticeably.

“Literally no one was in line,” says marketing director Tim Borguet. “We had to start at the base and install the identity of this renewed Anderlecht.”

“We first did this through our digital platforms, because that was where we could reach the most fans on a daily basis. We wanted fans to be able to feel and read the club’s values ​​in everything.”

“Only: you have to translate that from the smartphone to the stadium, right? During the week, fans experience everything via the telephone, but the climax must come in Lotto Park. We have consciously focused on that this season.”

During the week, fans experience everything via the telephone, but the climax must come in the stadium.

Tim Borguet

And everyone has seen that in recent months.

The new stadium lighting that the record champion put into use is not to be ignored. Anderlecht invested in a new light fixture with 300 white LED lamps, which are more environmentally friendly and more flexible.

Remember how Anderlecht paid an unforgettable tribute to club legend Paul Van Himst in October with a spectacular light show – the images were received with applause far beyond our country.

During these play-offs, fireworks and special atmospheric promotions provide some extra pigment.

“They are accelerators that have strengthened the atmosphere towards the outside world,” Borguet realizes. “But it actually fits into a movement that we have been working on for 3 seasons.”

During that process, Anderlecht also dared to scrutinize its own fans. Because after an evaluation it turned out that not all supporters were in the most ideal place.

“We had some noise in our stadium,” Borguet puts it. “Look, the atmosphere sections in our stadium were the cheapest places. That meant that many fans were not there because they wanted to contribute to the atmosphere, but rather for price reasons.”

“That is why we now work with a no-show percentage in our atmospheric sections, which we have systematically increased in recent years. If a fan does not show up for more than half of the matches, we then propose to him to sit in a different section. This way, our atmosphere groups can recruit new members, eliminate their waiting lists and have more active fans together.”

Heading into next season, we are already looking at how we can generate even more peak moments.

Tim Borguet

In addition, the Purple & White strengthened its ties with its supporters by introducing more consultation moments with the atmospheric groups and its fan council.

But the fact that the atmosphere at Anderlecht is infectious is proven by the fact that there are now more than 2,000 fans on a waiting list for a season ticket.

Borguet: “Of course we realize that you get used to everything. And we also have certain limits in our stadium – there is little space around the field and we are in a residential area. Yet the expectations of our fans will only increase.”

“Towards next season, we are already looking at how we can generate even more peak moments – such as the celebration of Paul Van Himst. In any case, the ambition is to enhance the experience in the stadium even more.”

Will there be a new party in the Park against Cercle tonight?