“Carla, club legend” » Spectacular scenography for the storekeeper who retired after 27 years

On December 1, 1998, Carla Whittie officially started working at Go Ahead Eagles. More than 27 years on, the entire club celebrated her as a true legend, contributing to a spectacular exit from the scene for the storekeeper who decided to retire.

Spectacular scenery for the GA Eagles storekeeper, who retired after 27 years

Before the championship game between GA Eagles and AZ Alkmaar, Carla was invited onto the pitch where the club representatives presented her with a certificate of appreciation.

The lawn with the host gallery was occupied for a good part of its length by a suggestive scenography, in which Carla has team embematic T-shirts with her, hanging to dry. Plus the message “Carla club legend. Thank you for everything!”.

Before the first whistle, she looked, visibly moved, at the scenography that the supporters dedicated to her.

Bonus, the players came out on the pitch wearing T-shirts that said “Thank you Carla!”.

“The volume of work has increased enormously in recent years”

In 2023, in an interview for the club's channels, Carla recounted how “when I started at Go Ahead Eagles I wasn't even allowed to enter the players' dressing room”.

“In fact, we weren't even in the team photo. Back then, the gear guys weren't really considered part of the team. Today, things are different.

My experience was different in the early years. Back then, sometimes I sat on the bench effectively as a supporter. I would burn myself out if I didn't have a good match. That lasted about 15 years. Now it's different: the players are simply my colleagues.

In the current structure of the Go Ahead Eagles, I am the only one in this situation. I don't think anyone has been on the payroll for that long. I'm really proud of this!” she added.

What other duties did she have at the club besides washing the playing equipment?

In the same interview in 2023, on the occasion of 25 years under contract with Go Ahead Eagles, Carla reported that “I can do my job much faster than when I started 25 years ago, but on the other hand, the workload has increased significantly”.

“In the past I only had to do the laundry for the first team. Now I do this for all the youth teams in the Football Academy as well as the talents in the football school. Do the math to see how many dirty clothes are collected each week.

My duties have become much broader. I also liaise a lot with the administrative staff on all sorts of matters. In addition, I order all the garments from Deventrade myself and do the personalization. The workload has increased enormously in recent years.”