Power
CLUB LOVE OF BV NETHERLANDS: RENÉ NEELISSEN
René Neelissen is chairman of the supervisory board of AZ. In daily life he is an entrepreneur and, among other things, director of the family business Nelson Schoenen. He was also director/founder of Atlas Professionals, which was sold to HAL Investments in October 2020.
Text: Jaap de Groot
Image: John van Helvert
What does the AZ shirt mean to you?
René Neelissen: “Actually quite a lot. It results in a collection of beautiful and less pleasant memories. Like 5-5-2005 is deeply etched in my memory. The day we missed the UEFA Cup final against Sporting Lisbon in the last second. The team coached by Co Adriaanse played a great match, but we were eliminated well into injury time. The same applies to the championship match lost 3-2 on April 29, 2007 against Excelsior. Such a great season and yet no reward. In addition, there is the cup win in 2013 with Gertjan Verbeek and the national championship in 2009 with Louis van Gaal. Unforgettable successes. So two beautiful and two painful moments. This is how sports should be. If you can't lose, then it's no fun. It's quite beautiful that it all still runs so deep.
Then there is something else. When I see that shirt, I also see that there is a vision behind it. To continue to compete at the top, AZ must do it in a different way. There is less money, so it comes down to more vision. That is what the shirt also symbolizes.”
How did you get involved with the Vlub?
“The then owner Dirk Scheringa asked me to be a board member. I had a business relationship with him and one thing led to another.”
You are now chairman of AZ. Does the balance tip towards the driver or the supporter?
René Neelissen: “In my role I have to be careful about being a supporter. He is not responsible for the policy and I happen to be. You will never hear anything from me publicly about what I think of a match, player or trainer. Of course that is happening inside me, but at the same time the driver in me switches off those emotions. I serve this purpose AZ to follow and control a certain vision. In that respect, a competition is a snapshot, while my job is to guarantee the long term.”
The future of AZ? What do you dream of?
“That we keep a dot on the horizon. So always working on a new challenge. Now that is the top four and we are working on further extending that ambition. Continuing to adhere to the European top is part of that, but there is of course more. Such as making new steps sportingly, financially and commercially. We also have to ensure that our supporters not only come to our stadium in the media field, but can also follow AZ via social media. Anywhere in the world."
What is your most cherished moment at AZ?
“That was on June 1, 2010. The moment that, after the collapse of our main sponsor DSB, we said goodbye to the curator and were able to continue independently again. After months of everyone giving up on AZ. From mid-October to the end of December we worked day and night to realize something that most people no longer believed in. A war of attrition and that is why the satisfaction was and is all the greater. June 1st will therefore remain a very precious moment.”
