Eendracht maakt macht – Unity creates power – that’s the name of a temporary exhibition in the Philips Museum. The exhibit is about the many years of ties between Philips and PSV.
It’s the first exhibition visitors have been able to see since the museum was closed by the anti-corona measures – the intertwining of sports and technology’s typical of Philips, the famous Eindhoven company. Museum curator, Sergio Derks, explains how these ties were formed.
“It all started with Anton Philips. He began to really put sport on the map within the company”. PSV was born in 1913, out of a big party to celebrate the Netherlands’ 100 years of independence.
Matches continued
At that party, hosted by the light bulb factory, sports events were organised for Philips employees. It was such a success that those matches continued and took the form of a club – the Philips Sports Association. Since then, the interplay of technology and sport has yielded all sorts of great things for the city – for residents, the company, and later also for football.
The players benefit, for example, from the excellent Philips lights that illuminate the football pitch. The 1988 Champions League has been a highlight. “The real cup is in the PSV museum,” says Derks.
“But we have something that is not so unique but almost as good – a hologram of the Europa Cup 1. We combined this cup with the PSV logo and that images of that match’s defining moment – when that goal was stopped”.
A very special object
The hologram attracts quite a lot of attention. But still, it’s not the exhibit’s showpiece. That honour belongs to a different object – a seat from the PSV stadium. Sergio Derks explains, “It is Mr Frits’ (Philips, ed.) chair – a great addition.
“That man’s been so important to the club. As a five-year-old boy in a sailor’s suit, he kicked off the first match. And in 2005, a few months before his death, he received the championship trophy from Mark van Bommel”. Van Bommel had won the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League for PSV.
People who want to see the exhibition have to book, online, in advance.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda Walraven
