Amsterdam ArenA

Amsterdam ArenA is the largest stadium in the Netherlands, located in the south of Amsterdam. It was officially opened on August 14, 1996. Today, the Amsterdam ArenA stadium is widely used for American soccer games, soccer matches, as well as concerts and other equally important events. The peculiarity of the stadium is that it has a retractable roof, which in just 20 minutes can completely cover the spectators and participants of the match from the weather. The stadium has a total capacity of 68,000 spectators during concerts and over 51,000 during a soccer match.

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Amsterdam ArenA is one of two UEFA five-star stadiums in the Netherlands (the other is Feyenoord in Rotterdam).”

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Events at Amsterdam Arena

The Amsterdam Arena is the home arena of the famous national championship soccer club Ajax. Within the stadium premises is the Museum of Football, representing more than a century of history. It sometimes hosts matches against the Dutch national team.

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In 2005, after the death of Rinus Michels, fans of club Ajax tried their best to convince the manager of the Amsterdam ArenA to rename the stadium in honor of the footballer. Today, a huge banner reading “Rinus Michels Stadium” appears here at every home match of the club.”

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Soccer Events

The first match played at the Amsterdam ArenA stadium was a friendly between club Ajax and AC Milan (Italy). It is worth noting that the first goal was scored at the new stadium by Dejan Savicevic, a Milan player. Actually, the match ended in a 3-0 victory for the Italian team.

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History

Amsterdam was one of six cities that bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1986, a new Olympic stadium was designed with a soccer field and athletics track around it. The new stadium was planned to be built in the Strandvliet area, one of Amsterdam’s neighborhoods. After Amsterdam was defeated for the right to host the Olympic Games, which went to Spain’s Barcelona, the city authorities decided to cancel the plan to build the stadium.

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In 1987, the Amsterdam Sport City Foundation was formed, reviving the idea of building a stadium that would have seated 55,000 people.

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In 1991, the design for a new stadium with a soccer field and athletics track, as well as a fully enclosed roof over the stadium, emerged. By this time, Ajax Football Club needed a new stadium, as their De Meer Stadium was no longer suitable for major matches.

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There was also an alternative project in which the athletics track was missing, the stadium capacity was reduced to 50,000 people, and the roof was stationary.

In 1992, the Amsterdam government was concerned about the choice of a location with diverse transportation accessibility, and as a result, in 1993 the city authorities gave permission for the construction of the stadium and allocated the site for its erection.

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The first phase of construction was the digging of a deep excavation on November 26, 1993. Construction took three years, the highest point in height the new stadium reached on February 24, 1995, when the roof was raised. During construction, more than 180,000 visitors visited the stadium; after the stadium was completed, it was closed from July 1, 1996 until the opening ceremony.

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The official opening date of the Amsterdam Arena was August 14, 1996. The opening ceremony was attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

The opening ceremony of the new stadium began with Her Majesty lowering a huge curtain inside the stadium. This allowed the world’s largest canvas De Zee (“The Sea”) to be seen, measuring 80×126 meters. On the sea there were ships, which symbolized the clubs – participants of the Dutch championship. Dutch singer Treintje Oosterhuis sang the anthem “De zee”, written by composer John Eubank especially for the opening ceremony.

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Eight days before the opening of the stadium, the torch run through the cities of the Netherlands started with 375 runners who were to run a distance of 1,400 kilometers. The first runner was Johan Cruyff, who started from De Meer Stadium, and the last to complete the distance was Frank Rijkaard, who finished already at the new stadium.

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After the stadium’s turf was laid and the stadium roof was opened, the first match between Ajax and Italian side AC Milan was played.

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Soccer Events

The first match played at the Amsterdam ArenA stadium was a friendly between club Ajax and AC Milan of Italy. It is worth noting that the first goal was scored at the new stadium by Dejan Savicevic, a Milan player. Actually, the match ended in a 3-0 victory for the Italian team.

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The stadium hosted the final match of the 1998 UEFA Champions League between Juventus (Italy) and Real Madrid (Spain). The Spanish soccer club won that season. In 2000, the stadium hosted matches of the European Championship. At the Amsterdam Arena in 2013, the final game of the Europa League was also held, where Chelsea (England) and Benfica (Portugal) met. The English team won.

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American soccer events

The Amsterdam ArenA was the home stadium of the famous Amsterdam Admirals team from 1996 to 2007. In total, the team has played over 50 matches since 1997. The team’s history ended with the discontinuation of the European American Football League in June 2007.

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In 2001, the stadium hosted the final match of the IX World Cup, where the Berlin Thunder and Barcelona Dragons faced off. The team from Spain proved to be the stronger team.

Musical events

The first to perform at the new stadium in Amsterdam was singer Tina Turner with her “Wildest Dreams Tour” concert program. At three concerts in September 1996, there were more than 150 thousand spectators. No less popular were the concerts of the famous Michael Jackson. He performed at the Amsterdam Arena 5 times in 1996 and 1997 as part of the “HIStory World Tour”. It is estimated that over 250,000 people attended his concerts.

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Although, in the direction of the stadium and there are complaints about the terrible acoustics, this does not deter famous and popular performers to give concerts here. Such stars as Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Robbie Williams, as well as Andre Hazes, Eminem, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and others have performed at the Amsterdam Arena.

Every year, the stadium brings fans together for the music and dance event Sensation, which translates to “The Sensation.”

The stadium is also the site of the Sensation.

Ajax Museum

The Ajax Football Club Museum is a circular hall with a glass tent in the center. It displays the cups of international tournaments that have been won by the club throughout its long history. All around the perimeter of the hall are computers, separated from each other by the jerseys of various defeated teams. On them, the goals of the club’s players are relentlessly displayed.

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It is worth noting that the museum also shows a movie about Ajax Amsterdam. Its duration is only 30 minutes. The movie is about the training of the children’s school, “Talent Day”, the history of the first team, as well as a story about the careers of Litmanen and van Basten. All this is accompanied by light and pleasant music, short biographical notes, as well as a selection of great goals.

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In the Ajax museum you can see Blind’s captain’s armband, Cruyff’s golden boot, as well as valuable exhibits belonging to Marco van Basten. At the stadium you can also visit the company store and eat in the club’s restaurant, whose dishes are named after players’ surnames and soccer terms.

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The stadium offers tours lasting 1.5 hours. Tourists are guided through the interior of the Amsterdam Arena, the sectors and other places where fans are not allowed during matches.

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The Amsterdam Arena holds the proud title of “the first aristocratic soccer stadium”. And even today, many years after its opening, it is considered one of the best elite stadiums in the world.

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How to get to Amsterdam Arena

The stadium is most easily reached by metro lines 50 and 54, the nearest station is Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.

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Amsterdam Arena schedule

Excursion tours to the Amsterdam Arena fall into 4 categories. The first one is designed for children from 5 to 12 years old. It is held three days a week – on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On these days there is an opportunity to attend 4 activities of 45 minutes each. The first visit starts at 13:30 local time, the last at 16:15.

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Every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm local time, there are group tours to the Amsterdam Arena. At the same time, there are also guided tours for groups of students and pupils from the school.

There are special tours on match days. They last 2 hours and include not only watching the match in comfortable conditions, but also taking part in a quiz with valuable prizes.

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Cost of attendance

For children, one tour of the stadium costs 13 Euros. Their parents or guardians pay 8 Euros each. Discounts apply to members of the Ajax Children’s and Youth Sports School, the price for such children is equal to the cost of an adult pass for the children’s tour – 8 Euros.

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The adult tour costs €13.50 per person and is for 1.5 hours. For children the cost of the arena in the adult tour is 11 euros. If the group consists of more than 20 people, each person pays a lower rate of 8 euros.

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The cost of the school tour is 8 euros per person. But the adult chaperone has to shell out an amount of 13.50 euros.

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The price of the tour on match days varies and is determined individually depending on the importance of the match. In 2014, the amount ranged from €52 to €79.50.

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