School presentation

Did you know that...

STADIUM

• The Johan Cruijff ArenA was opened by Queen Beatrix on 14 August 1996. Trijntje Oosterhuis sang the opening song ‘De Zee’ and Ajax played a match against AC Milan.
• The Amsterdam ArenA was renamed the Johan Cruijff ArenA on 25 April 2018 in honour of the former Ajax player and coach, who was born in Amsterdam and passed away in March 2016.
• The Johan Cruijff ArenA welcomes more than two million visitors every year.
• Princess Beatrix has visited the Johan Cruijff ArenA three times.
• The stadium has over 55,000 seats, including 144 spaces for disabled people and their carers
• Since 2006, the Johan Cruijff ArenA has had 15 escalators that take visitors safely and quickly to the first and second tiers
• The highest point of the stadium is 78 metres
• There are 4,200 solar panels on the roof
• The stadium has a 3 MW mega battery in which we can store sustainably generated energy, which we then use when we need it
• The Johan Cruijff ArenA weighs 150,000 tonnes and stands on 1,650 underground piles
• The stadium has a floor area of 35,000 m²; that is equivalent to 4 football pitches
• It takes 10 litres of chalk paint to mark out the pitch
• In summer, the grass is mown to a height of 2.3 cm before a match; in winter, to between 2.5 and 2.7 cm
• The lawnmower covers 14 kilometres to mow the pitch
• The pitch is situated at a height of 10.5 metres
• The Royal Box measures 49 m²
• There are 76 skyboxes in the ArenA
• The ArenA holds one gold Green Key certificate
• Cold water from the nearby Ouderkerkerplas lake is used via a smart system to cool the offices and changing rooms in the stadium
• Johan Cruyff Foundation ambassador Frank Rijkaard opened a Cruyff Court at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in November 2019
• In honour of Johan Cruyff, there is a bust in the stadium’s main entrance and a life-size statue at the entrance to the Ajax fan shop

STAND

The stands are particularly steep, so spectators are very close to the pitch. The designers wanted everyone to be able to see the whole of the touchline. That is why the rows were given a specific angle.

• Second tier, all rows = 36.9 degrees
• First tier, rows 16 to 28 = 28.8 degrees
• First tier, rows 6 to 15 = 25.4 degrees
• First tier, rows 1 to 5 = 21.8 degrees

MATCHES

• On 17 September 2015, Ajax played their 500th league match at the ArenA. The Netherlands national team first took to the pitch at the ArenA on 29 March 1997 for a World Cup qualifier against San Marino.
• In 1996, Ajax moved from the De Meer stadium to the Amsterdam ArenA (later renamed the Johan Cruijff ArenA)
• In the 2018–2019 season, Ajax were once again highly successful and were crowned champions for the 34th time! The 34th league title in the club’s history was celebrated in style with a ceremony on the Museumplein
• In the 2018–2019 season, Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 22 years. Unfortunately, they narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the last minute
• Frank de Boer is the first Ajax manager to lead the club to four consecutive league titles. Ajax has been the Netherlands’ record champion for many seasons
• On 15 May 2013, the Johan Cruijff ArenA hosted the Europa League Final between Benfica and Chelsea. The English side won 2–1
• The UEFA Champions League Final was played at the ArenA in 1998, with Real Madrid defeating Juventus
• The ArenA hosted five matches during UEFA EURO 2000, including the Netherlands’ semi-final shoot-out defeat by Italy
• Between 1997 and 2007, the Amsterdam Admirals played more than 50 American football matches at the ArenA

CONCERTS

• Since the stadium opened in 1996, a huge number of national and international artists and sporting heroes have performed at the ArenA. You can view the highlights of the past 25 years in the history section
• On 6 September 1996, Tina Turner was the first pop artist to perform at the ArenA
• The Rolling Stones have performed at the ArenA eight times
• The Toppers have given the most ‘Toppers in Concert’ performances at the ArenA, attracting a total of over 3 million visitors
• During the song ‘Freedom’, Beyoncé and her dancers performed on a 4m³ stage filled with water
• During Coldplay’s concerts, more than 100,000 confetti birds in every colour flew through the air