"When I started at Go Ahead Eagles, I wasn't even allowed to enter the players' lounge. In fact, I wasn't even in the team photo. Kit people were never really a full part of the squad at the time. Nowadays it's different."
"My experience was different in the early years. Back then, I sometimes really sat on the bench like a supporter. Then I was eating myself up if we didn't play a good game. That took about 15 years."
"Within the current organisation of Go Ahead Eagles, I am the only one. I don't think anyone has ever been on the payroll for so long. I'm really proud of it!"
"The club said Whittie is really loved by all the employees at the club, the players and the supporters."
Carla Whittie, the long-serving kit woman for Go Ahead Eagles, is retiring after 28 years. Fans displayed a giant tifo featuring her face before a match against AZ Alkmaar. Whittie received a certificate of appreciation on the pitch. The players wore shirts thanking her. She joined the club in 1998 as a volunteer and became a paid staff member. Whittie reflected on her early experiences and expressed pride in her long tenure, noting the changes in her role and the club's culture over the years.
Read at www.bbc.com
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