FC Twente tartan kit honours Stranraer friendship born from a dying fan's wish

Shirt, modelled by a Stranraer pub landlord, will debut in the club's Eredivisie match away to AZ Alkmaar this weekend

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published23 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

FC Twente will run out in a new tartan-inspired shirt for the first time this weekend, in a kit that honours a friendship between the Dutch club's fans and supporters in the Scottish town of Stranraer, born from a terminally ill supporter's dying wish to see an Old Firm match.

The shirt makes its debut in FC Twente's Dutch Eredivisie match away to AZ Alkmaar, and celebrates a bond that began in 2006 when Twente fan Dennis Van Unen, who had terminal cancer, met Stranraer supporters Jim McKie and James Hilton at a match at the De Grolsch Veste stadium in Enschede.

Dennis told them his dying wish was to experience an Old Firm match between Celtic and Rangers. McKie, who supported Rangers, and Hilton, a Celtic fan, secured tickets and accompanied him on a tour that took in Ibrox, Celtic Park and Hampden.

Dennis died at the age of 34 the following year, after the pair had travelled to Enschede to say a final farewell. The friendship he inspired has endured, with Twente and Stranraer supporters making regular visits in both directions. In 2017, Twente travelled to Stranraer for a pre-season friendly marking 10 years since his death.

The new shirt was modelled by Billy Hodge, 70, landlord of The Grapes pub in Stranraer, home of the Stranraer Tukkers supporters' group, which takes its name from the nickname for people from the Twente region. Hodge said he knew something was planned when the club contacted him, but was still surprised. "It was strange to be honest, I never fancied myself as a model," he told BBC Scotland News. "I knew there was something secretive going on when they contacted me, but I didn't expect this. The kit is fantastic."

Hodge, a Twente season ticket holder, said the two groups of fans were alike. "I think the two sets of fans are similar. They are all working class guys, they back their team through thick and thin."

Leon Molenkamp, Twente's marketing manager, said the shirt was a way to ensure the "unique" relationship was not forgotten by future generations. "The relationship is very heartfelt," he said. "We have people visiting back and forward multiple time a year."

Twente's Scottish links predate the friendship. The club wore a similar tartan away shirt in the 1994/1995 season, later voted their best ever by fans, and former Motherwell defender Rob McKinnon spent two years at the club. Twente are fifth in the Eredivisie after nine games and are competing in the Europa Conference League this season. The debut will be keenly watched at The Grapes, more than 400 miles from the match.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The shirt carries the story of a cross-border friendship onto the pitch, giving it a permanent place in FC Twente's club history.
It underlines how a bond between two groups of fans can grow into institutional ties, including regular visits and a 2017 pre-season friendly between the clubs.
For Stranraer, the launch puts the town's supporters' group and their pub in front of a national Dutch audience.

Background

The friendship grew from a single meeting at De Grolsch Veste in 2006, when Dennis Van Unen told two visiting Stranraer supporters of his wish to see an Old Firm match. After his death in 2007, the visits continued in both directions, and the relationship deepened to the point that Twente travelled to Stranraer for a pre-season friendly in 2017.

Twente's Scottish connections go back further still. The club wore a similar tartan away shirt in the 1994/1995 season, later voted by fans as their best ever, and Scottish players and staff have featured at the club over the years, including former Motherwell defender Rob McKinnon and Steve McClaren, who managed Twente to their last Eredivisie title in 2010.

Key Perspectives

Billy Hodge, landlord of The Grapes and the shirt's model: Says he never fancied himself as a model, the kit is "fantastic," and the two sets of fans are similar working class supporters who "back their team through thick and thin."
Leon Molenkamp, FC Twente marketing manager: Says the relationship is "very heartfelt," the shirt ensures the unique friendship is not forgotten by future generations, and the friendship is becoming well known among Twente fans, with more people taking an interest in Scottish football.

What to Watch

How the tartan kit is received when it makes its debut away to AZ Alkmaar this weekend.
Whether the shirt matches the standing of the 1994/1995 version, which fans later voted the club's best ever.
The continuing exchange of visits between Twente supporters and the Stranraer Tukkers, with the Stranraer contingent regularly welcomed into the club's hardcore section and Dutch visitors making their way to The Grapes.

Sources

How a fan's dying wish led a Dutch football team to a tartan kit · BBC Scotland
How a fan's dying wish led a Dutch football team to a tartan kit · BBC Scotland

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe friendship between FC Twente and Stranraer supporters began with a terminally ill fan’s wish to attend an Old Firm match.BBC Scotland: “Dennis Van Unen's dying wish was to experience an Old Firm match in person. The FC Twente fan, who had terminal cancer, achieved that dream in 2006 with the help of two Stranraer supporters. What followed was an unlikely friendship”
SupportedThe tartan-inspired shirt will debut in FC Twente’s Eredivisie match away to AZ Alkmaar this weekend.BBC Scotland: “a special tartan-inspired shirt, which will make its debut in FC Twente's Dutch Eredivisie match away to AZ Alkmaar this weekend.”
SupportedIn 2006, Dennis Van Unen met Stranraer supporters Jim McKie and James Hilton at a match at Twente’s stadium in Enschede.BBC Scotland: “The unlikely connection began in 2006 when Dennis met Stranraer supporters Jim McKie and James Hilton during a match at Twente's De Grolsch Veste stadium, in the eastern city of Enschede.”
SupportedMcKie and Hilton secured tickets for Dennis and accompanied him on a tour including Ibrox, Celtic Park and Hampden.BBC Scotland: “Jim, who also supported Rangers, and James, who was a Celtic fan, secured tickets and accompanied him on a football tour that included Ibrox, Celtic Park and Hampden.”
SupportedDennis died aged 34 the year after the match, after McKie and Hilton travelled to Enschede to say farewell.BBC Scotland: “Before Dennis died at the age of 34, Jim and James travelled to Enschede, near the German border, to say a final farewell to their friend.”
Partly supportedTwente travelled to Stranraer in 2017 for a pre-season friendly marking 10 years since Dennis’s death.BBC Scotland: “The links between the clubs were enough for Twente to travel to Stranraer for a pre-season match in 2017 , marking 10 years since Dennis' death.”
SupportedThe shirt was modelled by Billy Hodge, 70, landlord of The Grapes pub in Stranraer.BBC Scotland: “Landlord Billy Hodge, 70, found himself as the unlikely model for the club's marketing campaign”
SupportedHodge said, “It was strange to be honest, I never fancied myself as a model,” and that he did not expect the shirt campaign, adding, “The kit is fantastic.”BBC Scotland: “"It was strange to be honest, I never fancied myself as a model," he told BBC Scotland News. "I knew there was something secretive going on when they contacted me, but I didn't expect this. The kit is fantastic."”
SupportedHodge said the two sets of fans were similar and “all working class guys” who backed their teams “through thick and thin.”BBC Scotland: “"I think the two sets of fans are similar. They are all working class guys, they back their team through thick and thin and I think they are to be applauded for that"”
SupportedTwente marketing manager Leon Molenkamp said the relationship was “very heartfelt” and that people visited “back and forward multiple time a year.”BBC Scotland: “"The relationship is very heartfelt," he said. "We have people visiting back and forward multiple time a year.”
SupportedTwente wore a similar tartan away shirt in 1994/1995, later voted the club’s best ever by fans.BBC Scotland: “The club sported a similar tartan away shirt in the 1994/1995 season, later voted their best ever by fans.”
SupportedThe match is more than 400 miles from The Grapes pub.BBC Scotland: “The first outing of the new tartan strip will be keenly watched more than 400 miles away from the match, at The Grapes pub”