De Meer Stadion () is the former
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
of Dutch record football champions
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
. It was opened in 1934 as a result of the club's former stadium being too small. Upon completion, it could hold 22,000 spectators, but accommodating up to 29,500 at its maximum.
Over time, as Ajax's popularity and success grew, the De Meer proved to be too small. From 1928 onward, Ajax played their big European games at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
. The larger venue also hosted Ajax's midweek night games, since the De Meer was not suited for floodlights.
The De Meer was abandoned with the opening of the purpose built Amsterdam Arena in 1996, which is now called the
Johan Cruyff Arena
The Johan Cruyff Arena ( nl, Johan Cruijff Arena ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 ...
.
The
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Du ...
played five international matches at the stadium, winning all of them. The first one, on August 22, 1973 was a qualifying match for the
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...
against
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
(5-0). The last one, played on 25 March 1992, was a friendly against
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
(2-0).
The final match at De Meer was an
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
game in which Ajax hosted Willem II on 28 April 1996. The home side won 5-1 with
Finidi George
George Finidi (born 15 April 1971), known as Finidi George, is a Nigerian professional football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League club Enyimba F.C. As a player, he played as a right ...
scoring a hat trick, but the final ever goal in the stadium was scored by
Willem II striker
Jack de Gier
}
Jack de Gier (; born 6 August 1968) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the current manager of FC Den Bosch.
He was nicknamed ''Il Butre'' (The Vulture), after legendary Spain striker E ...
.
De laatste van Ajax in De Meer: de hattrick, de traan en de titel
- Voetbal International
Following the club's departure, the De Meer was demolished to make way for a housing development. However, the area is commemorated by having the new streets named after famous football stadia from around the world. The centrespot was recreated cosmetically as the real centrespot was built over.
References
External links
*
VoetbalStats
english.ajax.nl - De Meer
Architecture in the Netherlands
Defunct football venues in the Netherlands
De Meer
Sports venues in Amsterdam
Amsterdam-Oost
Sports venues completed in 1934
Sports venues demolished in 1998
Articles containing video clips
Defunct sports venues in the Netherlands
Demolished buildings and structures in the Netherlands
1934 establishments in the Netherlands
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