Johan Cruyff Arena

Johan Cruyff Arena
	The Johan Cruyff Arena with the roof open
Earlier names
	Amsterdam Arena (1996-2018)
Data
place	Arena Boulevard 29 1100 AM Amsterdam , the Netherlands;
Coordinates	52 ° 18 '51.7 " N , 4 ° 56' 30.6" E Coordinates: 52 ° 18 '51.7 " N , 4 ° 56' 30.6" E
classification	4th
owner	Amsterdam NV Stadium
start of building	November 26, 1993
opening	August 14, 1996
First game	14 August 1996 ; Ajax Amsterdam 0-3 AC Milan
Renovations	2003, 2013, 2015, 2016–2019 (planned)
surface	Natural grass
costs	140 million euros
architect	Rob Schuurman and Sjoerd Soeters
capacity	55,500 seats
Societies)
	Ajax Amsterdam;
Events
	Amsterdam Admirals Games ( NFL Europe , 1996–2007); 1998 UEFA Champions League final ; European Football Championship 2000; World Bowl 2001; 2013 UEFA Europa League final ; European football championship 2021; Sensation (annual dance event until 2017); Amsterdam Music Festival; Concerts;

The Johan Cruyff Arena (spelling: Johan Cruijff ArenA , formerly Amsterdam Arena ) is a football stadium with a closable roof in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam . It is located in the Amsterdam Zuidoost district . With currently 55,500 it is the largest stadium in the Netherlands. The football club Ajax Amsterdam plays its home games in the stadium. On July 1, 2018, the arena was given its current name in honor of Johan Cruyff . In 2012, the Ziggo Dome event hall with 17,000 seats was opened in the immediate vicinity . It is mainly used for concerts.

history

The plans for a modern football stadium for the Ajax Amsterdam football club existed as early as the 1980s. Originally, the arena was part of the Amsterdam candidacy for the 1992 Summer Olympics , which were awarded to Barcelona . It was opened by Queen Beatrix on August 14, 1996 and had 50,820 seats and 52 boxes. The singer Tina Turner was the first artist to give a concert in the arena in 1996. For three consecutive nights, the stadium was filled with a total of more than 150,000 people. The arena was used at the European Football Championship 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands .

The arena is a UEFA category 4 stadium . As the first European stadium, the venue has a lockable roof. This roof consists of a steel and glass construction and has a total area of 33,625 m² . Of this, 26,028 m² can be opened in 20 minutes by two moving parts (each 40 × 118 m, 520 tons ). A parking garage and a street are located on different levels below the stadium. This explains the building's height of 77 meters. The footprint is 235 × 180 meters.

The stadium lawn is considered a weak point. Like all lawns that grow under a roof structure, it does not thrive and needs to be renewed regularly. The main reason for this is the insufficient light intensity. This was also the reason why the opening game or the final was not played here at the European Football Championship 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, these took place in stadiums of roughly the same size in Brussels and Rotterdam . Since 2008, a new technology has been used that stimulates the growth of the lawn with special lights. The spectators in the pure football arena without an athletics facility are separated from the playing field by a relatively wide ditch. This means there is no need for bars or fences. This trench also serves as a delivery zone and is around four meters wide.

Before Ajax Amsterdam played their home games in the arena, the club played in the club's own stadium De Meer , which has since been demolished and held a maximum of 30,000 and most recently 19,000 seats, and the then completely outdated, now renovated, 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium from 1928 .

Not only Ajax Amsterdam is at home in the arena today. There also find concerts and other large events.

On April 25, 2017, when Ajax legend Johan Cruyff would have turned 70, Ajax Amsterdam announced that the name of the stadium would be changed within the next six months in honor of Cruyff, who died in 2016. However, this schedule was not adhered to. Beginning April 2018 it was announced that the name for season 2018/19 in Johan Cruyff Arena (proper spelling Johan Cruijff ArenA ) would be amended. The new logo of the arena was presented on April 25, 2018, Cruyff's birthday.

Games at the 2000 European Football Championship

During the European Football Championship in 2000, the arena was one of eight venues in Belgium and the Netherlands . A total of three preliminary rounds, a quarter-final and a semi-final took place here.

Sun., June 11, 2000, 8:30 p.m. - Group D.
Netherlands Netherlands	-	Czech Republic Czech Republic	1: 0 (0: 0)
Sun., June 18, 2000, 3:30 p.m. - Group C
Slovenia Slovenia	-	Spain Spain	1: 2 (0: 1)
Wed., June 21, 2000, 5:00 p.m. - Group D
France France	-	Netherlands Netherlands	2: 3 (2: 1)
Sat., June 24, 2000, 6:00 p.m. - quarter-finals
Portugal Portugal	-	Turkey Turkey	2: 0 (1: 0)
Thursday, June 29, 2000, 6 p.m. - semi-finals
Italy Italy	-	Netherlands Netherlands	0: 0 n.V., 3: 1 i. E.

Games at the 2021 European Football Championship

The stadium was selected by UEFA as one of 12 venues for the 2021 European Football Championship, which will be spread across Europe. Three preliminary round matches and a round of 16 are played here.

Sun., June 13, 2021, 9:00 p.m. - Group C
Netherlands Netherlands	-	Ukraine Ukraine	-: - (- :-)
Thursday, June 17, 2021, 9:00 p.m. - Group C
Netherlands Netherlands	-	Austria Austria	-: - (- :-)
Mon., June 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. - Group C
unknown Play-off winner D or A	-	Netherlands Netherlands	-: - (- :-)
Sat., June 26, 2021, 6:00 p.m. - Round of 16
Second group A	-	Second group B	-: - (- :-)

Transport links

The arena is right next to the Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena train station . The lines M50 and M54 of the Amsterdam Metro and long-distance and regional trains of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen stop here .