Amsterdam Arena

 

Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the country and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996.

Great for sports fans, the Arena is the home of Ajax, the legendary Amsterdam football team.  

 

Key facts

Club: AFC Ajax | Opening: 1996 | Capacity: 53,052 seats

 

History and description

The Amsterdam ArenA was built between 1993 and 1996. It replaced Ajax’s previous home De Meer, which, with a capacity of 19,000 seats, had become too small for the club.

The Amsterdam ArenA officially opened on the 14th of August 1996 with a match between Ajax and AC Milan (0-3). The first goal in the new arena was scored by Dejan Savicevic. Total construction costs had amounted to €96 million.

The Amsterdam ArenA was the first football stadium in Europe with a retractable roof. It takes about 20 minutes to open or close the roof.

Shortly after the opening, it turned out that the stadium design had not accounted for good grass growing conditions, and as a result the pitch had to get renewed up to 5 times a year. These problems were later resolved with the installation of innovative grass growing technology, consisting of a combination of lamps, wind turbines, and water sprinklers.

The Amsterdam ArenA counts with a total of 2,229 business seats and a further 820 seats in sky boxes. The stands are among the steepest in Europe, with the second tier having an angle of 37 degrees.

In 1998, the stadium hosted the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus (1-0), and in 2013 the Europa League final between Chelsea and Benfica (2-1).

The Amsterdam ArenA was one of the playing venues of the Euro 2000 championships, hosting three group match, a quarter-final, and the semi-final between Holland and Italy (0-0).

The stadium has been chosen to be one of the playing venues of the Euro 2020 tournament, which is played across different countries. For this, the stadium will be refurbished resulting in larger concourses and a new facade.

 

How to get to the Amsterdam ArenA

The Amsterdam ArenA is located in a modern office park in the south-east of Amsterdam, approximately 10 kilometres from the city centre.

The stadium is best reached by train or metro. Train station Bijlmer ArenA lies next to the stadium and can be reached in 15 minutes from Amsterdam Central Station. There is very regular service.

The metro takes only little longer and stops at the same station as well as station Strandvliet/ArenA that lies on the north side of the stadium. Take metro 54 from Amsterdam Central Station, or any of the stops in Amsterdam city centre. Metro 50 connects the stadium with southern and western parts of the city (e.g. Amsterdam Zuid station).

Address:      ArenA Boulevard 1, Amsterdam, 1101 | 020 311 1333, Netherlands

 

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Amsterdam ArenA

The Amsterdam ArenA is part of an entertainment and shopping complex, which includes a large cinema and two of Holland’s principal concert venues (the Ziggo Dome and Heineken Music Hall). There are also a few places to get some (fast) food or have a drink, though options remain rather limited.

Recently, a few new hotels have opened near the Amsterdam ArenA, which include a Hampton by Hilton, the futuristically shaped Fletcher Hotel, and the Jaz Hotel. If arriving by car, the road-side and affordable Bastion Deluxe Hotel is a decent option, though you do need to catch a metro to get to the arena. Click here for an overview of hotels near the Amsterdam ArenA.

Of course, most will prefer to stay closer to Amsterdam’s lively city centre.