Fans support their favorite soccer teams with shirts, scarves, and more apparel and merchandise.
Now, Belgium side Anderlecht is taking fandom to a new level: Food.
In an interesting marketing move, Anderlecht announced that it’s come out with its own version of mayonnaise that’s been dyed purple, the main color of the club (The team is called “The Purple and White” in French and Dutch). One of the most popular gameday snacks in Belgium are fries and mayonaise, according to an informal UEFA poll, and now, fans of Anderlecht can dip their fries into purple mayo!
Ontdek op https://t.co/CQRD7LAHpm de paarse saus die we met Brussels Ketjep lanceren. Haal jij een fles in huis? Dan steun je Child Focus!
— RSC Anderlecht (@rscanderlecht) June 19, 2019
Découvre sur https://t.co/3NL9pJZF1U la sauce mauve que nous lançons avec Brussels Ketjep. La commanderas-tu? Tu soutiendras Child Focus! pic.twitter.com/4hlcTLoqRD
Mayo is apparently so popular in Belgium that there are literally laws on the books governing its ingredients. The move to create a purple sauce comes from a continued business partnership with Brussels Ketjup, a national Belgian ketchup that has sponsored the team.
The purple mayo will be sold in stores around Brussels (where Anderlecht is located) and Belgium, and proceeds from the sales will go towards Child Focus, a pan-European foundation that helps missing and exploited children.
Could we see this come to the Premier League and the U.S.? Imagine red pies at Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United, or a bright green pie in Norwich.
What about green ketchup in Seattle for the Sounders, or orange fries at Houston Dynamo games.
It’s unlikely to happen - different colored ketchup from Heinz was a marketing failure - but it could be fun if it was ever tried again on a small scale, tied to a sporting event or team.
Perhaps we’ll be seeing Vincent Kompany downing some fries and purple mayo this fall.