Netherlands
Amsterdam ArenA
The Amsterdam ArenA is home of former European champions AFC Ajax. The nearest train
station is Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA. The stadium, which opened in 1996, is
one of the first in the world to combine a retractable roof with a grass
surface. This caused some problems in the beginning: the grass rolls would
not grow in the shade of the open roof and had to be replaced up to four
times a year. Its all-seated capacity is 51 000. The estimated cost of the
stadium is around € 96 million. The inaugural match was between the home
team AFC Ajax and AC Milan which ended in a 0-3 win by AC Milan. The first
goal was scored by Dejan Savićević. Tina Turner was the first singer who
gave a concert in the Amsterdam ArenA during her Wildest Dreams World Tour.
After the death of AFC Ajax legend Rinus Michels in 2005, fans tried to
convince the stadium's board to rebrand the stadium as the Rinus Michels
Stadion. The board refused, however at every AFC Ajax home game fans bring a
large banner displaying the words Rinus Michels Stadion.
