"Johan Cruyff Arena" ( Dutch Johan Cruijff ArenA ), formerly known as the "Amsterdam Arena" - a football stadium in the city of Amsterdam , Netherlands . The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996, the cost of the stadium was € 140 million. The official opening of the stadium took place on August 14, 1996. The stadium is used for football and American football matches , concerts and other events. The stadium seats 54,990 during sports matches and 68,000 during concerts. Has a retractable roof.
| Johan Cruyff Arena | |
|---|---|
 UEFA Category 4 Stadium  | |
| Location |  Amsterdam |
| Built | 1993-1996 |
| Open | August 14, 1996 |
| Architect | |
| Owner | |
| Capacity | 54,990 (matches), 68,000 (concerts) [1] |
| Home team | Ajax , the Netherlands national football team |
| Field dimensions | 105 × 68 m |
| Site | |
The name in honor of the Dutch football player and coach Johan Cruyff was assigned to the stadium since the start of the football season 2018/19 [2] [3] . Ajax Football Club has been playing home games here since 1996. Sometimes the Netherlands team plays here. The football held home matches at the stadium from 1996 to 2007. The stadium also hosted matches during the 2000 European Championships . Over the years, such singers as Madonna, Andre Hazes , Michael Jackson and others, as well as The Rolling Stones , Metallica , U2 and other famous groups gave concerts at the Amsterdam Arena.
Every year, the Johan Cruyff Arena hosts a musical dance event called Sensation .
Content
History
Amsterdam was one of six cities that claimed to host the 1992 Summer Olympics . In 1986, a new Olympic stadium was designed with a football field and an athletics track around it. The construction of a new stadium was planned in the Strandvlita area, one of the districts of Amsterdam. After Amsterdam was defeated for the right to host the Olympic Games, which went to Spanish Barcelona , the city authorities decided to cancel the plan for the construction of the stadium.
In 1987, the Amsterdam Sports City Fund association was created, reviving the idea of building a stadium that would accommodate 55 thousand people.
In 1991, the design of a new stadium with a football field and an athletics track, as well as a completely closing roof over the stadium, appeared. By this time, the Ajax football club needed a new stadium, as their De Mer stadium was no longer suitable for major matches [4] .
There was also an alternative project in which the track and field was absent, the stadium capacity was reduced to 50 thousand people, and the roof was stationary.
In 1992, the government of Amsterdam preoccupied with the choice of a place with diverse transport access, and as a result, in 1993, the city authorities gave permission to build a stadium and allocated a site for its construction [4] .
The first stage of construction was the digging of a deep foundation pit on November 26, 1993. The construction took three years, the new stadium reached its highest point in height on February 24, 1995, when the roof was raised. During construction, the stadium was visited by more than 180 thousand visitors; after the construction of the stadium was completed, it was closed from July 1, 1996 until the opening ceremony.
The official opening date for the Amsterdam Arena was August 14, 1996. The opening ceremony was attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands [5] .
The opening ceremony of the new stadium began with the queen dropping a huge curtain inside the stadium. This allowed us to see the world's largest canvas De Zee ("Sea") measuring 80x126 meters. Ships located on the sea symbolized the clubs participating in the Dutch championship . Dutch singer Traintier Osterhuis sang the hymn “De zee”, written by composer John Eubank specifically for the opening ceremony.
Eight days before the opening of the stadium, a torch race started in the cities of the Netherlands, in which 375 runners participated, who had to run a distance of 1400 kilometers. The first runner was Johan Cruyff , who started from the De Mer stadium, and the last one to finish the distance was Frank Rykard , who had already finished at the new stadium.
After the lawn was laid on the stadium and the roof of the stadium was opened, the first match was held between Ajax and the Italian Milan .
Facts
About € 140 million was spent on the construction of the stadium. [6]
At first, the sliding roof created problems for the lawn - grass in the shade grew poorly and had to change the lawn four times a year.
51,600 seats are equipped to watch sporting events at the stadium, but during concerts the stadium can seat 68,000 people [6] .
Under the stands of the stadium, 500 cars can be accommodated, and parking for another 12,000 cars is equipped next to the stadium [6] .
Amsterdam Arena is one of two stadiums in the Netherlands, which is rated at five stars by the UEFA category, the other stadium is Feyenoord in Rotterdam [7] .
The stadium houses the museum of the Ajax football club, the history of which dates back more than 100 years. [eight]
The nearest metro station is Strandvliet, and the railway station is Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.
Sporting Events
Soccer
The first match at the stadium was a friendly game between Ajax and the Italian Milan , the match ended with a score of 0-3 in favor of Milan. The first goal in the new stadium was scored by Milan footballer Dejan Savichevich .
The stadium is the home arena of the Ajax football club, which plays in the championship of the Netherlands .
Amsterdam Arena hosted the 1998 UEFA Champions League final , in which Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0 with a goal from Predrag Miyatovic and won the Champions Cup for the first time in 32 years.
In 2000, Amsterdam Arena hosted 5 matches of the European Championship . At the group stage, the Netherlands team defeated the Czech Republic (1: 0) and France (3: 2) here, and in the semifinals the hosts lost a penalty to the Italian team (the “orange” did not realize 3 of 4 penalty kicks).
After the death of Rinus Michels in 2005, the Ajax fans tried to convince the stadium management to rename it to the Rinus Michels stadium. But the leadership refused, but every Ajax home match at the stadium there is a large banner with the words “Rinus Michels Stadium”.
The 2013 UEFA Europa League final between Benfica and Chelsea was held at the Amsterdam Arena [9] .
American Football
The Amsterdam Arena was also the home stadium for the American Football Team , until the European American Football League ceased to exist in June 2007. [10] In total, the Amsterdam Admirals held more than 50 matches in the period from 1997 to 2007 [11] .
In 2001, the Amsterdam Arena hosted the final match of the ninth World Cup for American Football, in which the Barcelona Dragon players were stronger than the Berlin Thunder team.
Music Events
Singer Tina Turner was the first to ever perform at the Amsterdam Arena. In total, three concerts in the framework of the Wildest Dreams Tour, which took place in September 1996, were attended by more than 150 thousand people. Another famous singer, Michael Jackson, played five concerts in the Amsterdam arena during his "HIStory World Tour" in 1996 and 1997, and brought together more than 250 thousand people.
Despite frequent complaints about poor acoustics, concerts at the stadium are often held. Stars such as Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion , George Michael , David Bowie , Bon Jovi , Eminem , Robbie Williams , Andre Hazes , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Justin Timberlake , The Rolling Stones , gave their concerts at the Amsterdam Arena, Genesis , U2 , Metallica , Madonna , The Police .
Every year until 2005, the Sensation electronic music festival was held at the Amsterdam Arena.
Stadium Panoramas
Notes
- ↑ Het Stadion. . johancruijffarena.nl . Circulation date May 22, 2019.
- ↑ Amsterdam ArenA wordt officieel Johan Cruijff ArenA (nid.) , Ajax Club website (April 5, 2018). Date of treatment July 10, 2018.
- ↑ Ajax Stadium will be renamed in honor of Johan Cruyff (Russian) , Interfax (April 5, 2018). Date of treatment July 10, 2018.
- ↑ 1 2 Construction of the Amsterdam Arena Archived on January 30, 2009. . Amsterdam Arena. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Do you know that .... Amsterdam Arena. Retrieved September 18, 2008 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Facts and Figures Archived on April 7, 2009. . Amsterdam Arena. Retrieved September 18, 2008 .
- ↑ 5-star stadiums . Football temples of the world. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Museum Archived on June 17, 2008. . Ajax Amsterdam. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Amsterdam will host the Europa League 2013 final, and Prague the Super Bowl. Archived on June 20, 2011.
- ↑ "Admirals" cease to exist (inaccessible link) . NRC Handelsblad . Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Do you know that .... Amsterdam Arena. Retrieved September 18, 2008