My son is a huge soccer fan. He has been for quite a while, and now he lives in the land of football. It should come as no surprise that we visited the biggest stadium in the Netherlands for a tour. The season hadn't officially started, and this was as good as it was going to get. No doubt he will be at a game there as soon as possible. The Ajax football club is one of the three clubs that dominate the Dutch national league, and it is one of the premier clubs in Europe.
The arena itself is relatively new. Amsterdam is proud of their team's history, and the fact that they are one of only five teams to win the European Cup three times and earned the fact to keep it by doing so.
We were able to see every corner of the huge arena. Although not quite as big as many college football stadiums here in the United States, they pack it for almost every occasion. They hold many different kinds of events. Formerly, Amsterdam had a team called the Admirals that played in the NFL Europe league. The venue is used for concerts, olympic-type track meets and kickboxing, which is huge in the Netherlands.
A somewhat modest dressing room. You should have seen the visitors' room -- benches and white walls. I had always heard that a visitor dressing room had bright pink walls.
See that section with the 20 foot fence in front of it? It also has bullet-proof glass 12-15 feet high on the sides and the front. These are the 2,500 seats that you are required to provide for the visiting team. After the recent incident in Brazil where a referee fatally stabbed a player during a match, then the crowd stormed the field and took the life of the referee in a terrible way, I know now that some people are ridiculous about their "football." It makes me think bullet-proof glass is not overkill.
Here is a close up look at the glass. Yes, it is three layers. This is all the way around the upper levels of the stadium. Unbelievable.
We visited one of the skyboxes. They go for a cool 500,000 to 700,000 Euros a year. Hey, that entitles you to every event held there. The Rolling Stones concert? Yep. Elton John the following week? Of course.
And it's pretty cold in Amsterdam most of the year. Good thing those skybox seats are heated. You can step inside if you must. Same amenities as a suite here at home.
This was a wide view of the stadium.
It had a huge retractable roof. Jerry isn't the only one who has a large roof that can open and close. Very interesting that the turf was real grass.
Because I am more than familiar with irrigation practices here at home, this was amazing to me. Those long white metal devices roll across the grass, and they provide artificial light as well as water to every corner of the field. The opening in the roof does not provide enough sunlight to grow the grass. Evidently, they use these irrigation machines for all the different types of crops they grow in the Netherlands. You know, like tulips and all.
Check your privacy at the door. This is only a partial look at the security room for the whole stadium. The guide told us that every centimeter of every room is monitored. Even the water closets. Yikes.
If I didn't know it before, I am fully aware now; true football fans are crazy about their sport.
