Of the 36,500 seats available at the Philips Stadium, one is always left unoccupied. Seat 43, row 22 in section D is reserved for the late Frits Philips. Although this is a comfortable VIP box seat, Mr. Philips himself preferred to stand amongst the 'normal' supporters to watch his beloved PSV Eindhoven football team. Diehard fans even gave nicknamed him 'The King of Eindhoven'. The football royal passed away on December 5, 2005, two months after his 100th birthday. A statue of the local celebrity was erected at the Markt in downtown Eindhoven in 2007.