The story behind why the Netherlands wear orange whilst playing football

The Netherlands always look splendid in orange (Picture: Getty)

The Netherlands football team’s iconic orange strip is one of the most iconic in world football.

The likes of Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit have all established themselves as greats of the game in the legendary orange looks.

And the legendary Dutch team of the 1970s, famed for their brand of ‘Total Football’, looked even better in their signature orange attire.

But whilst we all associate Netherlands with orange, it’s not immediately obvious as to why Holland wear orange when they are playing football.

Here’s the story behind the Netherlands’ love story with the colour orange as their Euro 2024 campaign continues.

Why do Netherlands wear orange?

Orange has been regarded as the national colour of the Netherlands for hundreds of years.

Netherlands games are often a sea of orange (Picture: Getty)

This is because orange is the colour of the Dutch royal family – the House of Orange-Nassau.

It all started when William of Orange, an influential figure in the House of Nassau, spearheaded a revolt against the Spanish occupiers of the Netherlands in the 16th century.

William of Orange became a symbol of Dutch resistance and fought under an orange flag, which later morphed into the national flag.

The prominence of orange was also further ingrained in Dutch culture when, in the 17th century, the Netherlands witnessed a rise in the cultivation of orange carrots, which resulted in an economic boom for the country.

The tradition of wearing orange is not restricted to football, either, with Dutch teams in the likes of cricket, hockey and rugby also wearing orange.

So synonymous is the colour with the football team that the team is nicknamed ‘Oranje’ as a tribute to its looks.