Frans Heesen Stadion is a multi-use

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 ...

in the city of Oss,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is currently used mostly for

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

matches and is the home stadium of

TOP Oss TOP Oss (), is a professional association football club based in the town of Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. Founded in 1928 as T.O.P., a Dutch abbreviati ...

. The stadium is able to hold 4,561 spectators.

History

Founded in 1928,

was given its own sports park for the first time in 1930, namely on Molenstraat. In 1946, the club moved to the Heescheweg. Since then, TOP has been playing at the same ground. Due to municipal redevelopment of the area, the address later became the Mondriaanlaan and is now located on the Nelson Mandelaboulevard. As the club achieved increasing success, so did public interest also grow. As a result, the main ground was gradually expanded with stands. For example, during the club's first professional adventure in the 1950s, TOP attracted an average of more than 5,000 spectators. Before the first major renovation, the club had a covered main grandstand as well as terracing which was covered on the sides. At the late 1990s, a major renovation project started, which first replaced the main stand and later two other stands. During this period, the stadium became known as first TOP Oss Stadion and later Heesen Yachts Stadion. From 1 August 2011, it was named after Frans Heesen, the founder of the former main sponsor Heesen Yachts, as a tribute to the company, who at their own request no longer wanted to tie their name to the TOP Oss Stadion. In 2010, a new renovation plan was started under the name ''Talentencampus Oss''. This project was finalised in 2016. The result of this was that a school was built on the site of the "missing" grandstand. In addition, the main building and the surrounding sports park were thoroughly renovated. The natural grass of the pitch was also replaced by an artificial turf surface during this renovation.

Structure and facilities

The stadium consists of three stands, with one part behind the goal being "open". The site of a secondary school, ''Hooghuis Stadion'', is located on this spot. The stadium has undergone several changes over the years. This makes has made it a multi-functional complex with a swimming pool, fitness center, indoor sports arena, restaurant and hotel, a business club, and 6 sky boxes. Under the stand on the short side is also the supporter home ''Dikke Piet''. This grandstand also houses the club building of the amateur branch of TOP Oss (SV TOP), which was completed in 2016.

Matches

Frans Heesen Stadion has once been used as home ground for the Netherlands national under-21 team:

References

{{Football venues in the Netherlands Football venues in the Netherlands Sports venues in North Brabant TOP Oss