diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index f4681a6..74af831 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ app/storage/latex/*
 
 # Database dumps
 *.sql
+!deploy/mysql/init.sql
 backup/
 
 # Temporary files
diff --git a/deploy/mysql/init.sql b/deploy/mysql/init.sql
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7a01fb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/mysql/init.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+-- ProostenKrant Database Schema
+-- Dutch Family Newspaper System
+
+CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS proostenkrant;
+USE proostenkrant;
+
+-- Users table (family members)
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
+    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    username VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+    display_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
+    profile_image VARCHAR(255),
+    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE,
+    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);
+
+-- Seasons table
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS seasons (
+    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
+    description TEXT,
+    start_date DATE NOT NULL,
+    end_date DATE NOT NULL,
+    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE,
+    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);
+
+-- Articles table
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS articles (
+    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
+    content TEXT NOT NULL,
+    author_id INT NOT NULL,
+    participants TEXT, -- Comma-separated list of user IDs
+    event_date DATE NOT NULL,
+    season_id INT,
+    article_image VARCHAR(255),
+    status ENUM('draft', 'published', 'archived') DEFAULT 'draft',
+    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+    FOREIGN KEY (author_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    FOREIGN KEY (season_id) REFERENCES seasons(id) ON DELETE SET NULL
+);
+
+-- System settings table
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS settings (
+    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+    key_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+    value TEXT,
+    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);
+
+-- Insert default seasons
+INSERT INTO seasons (name, description, start_date, end_date) VALUES
+('Lente', 'Lente editie - Voorjaar', '2026-03-20', '2026-06-20'),
+('Zomer', 'Zomer editie', '2026-06-21', '2026-09-22'),
+('Herfst', 'Herfst editie', '2026-09-23', '2026-12-20'),
+('Winter', 'Winter editie', '2026-12-21', '2026-03-19');
+
+-- Insert default users (family members)
+INSERT INTO users (username, display_name, profile_image) VALUES
+('douwe', 'Douwe', NULL),
+('pauline', 'Pauline', NULL),
+('diede', 'Diede', NULL),
+('dien', 'Dien', NULL),
+('chris', 'Chris', NULL),
+('geert', 'Geert', NULL),
+('annick', 'Annick', NULL),
+('cedric', 'Cedric', NULL),
+('gunter', 'Gunter', NULL),
+('daan', 'Daan', NULL),
+('kyala', 'Kyala', NULL),
+('michel', 'Michel', NULL),
+('dries', 'Dries', NULL),
+('pieter', 'Pieter', NULL),
+('mathilde', 'Mathilde', NULL),
+('kevin', 'Kevin', NULL),
+('luc', 'Luc', NULL),
+('tilde', 'Tilde', NULL);
+
+-- Insert universal password setting
+INSERT INTO settings (key_name, value) VALUES
+('universal_password', 'ProostenKrant2024!');
+
+-- Create indexes for better performance
+CREATE INDEX idx_articles_author ON articles(author_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_articles_season ON articles(season_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_articles_date ON articles(event_date);
+CREATE INDEX idx_articles_status ON articles(status);