Innovation

A new scientific research project headed by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) focusing on aerosols and COVID-19 should provide fundamental knowledge leading to the safe reopening of sports accommodations during pandemics. The Johan Cruijff ArenA is one of the test venues.

A new scientific research project headed by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) focusing on aerosols and COVID-19 should provide fundamental knowledge leading to the safe reopening of sports accommodations during pandemics. The Johan Cruijff ArenA is one of the test venues. The project investigates how aerosols, possibly carrying the corona virus, spread inside sports accommodations.

The Municipality of Amsterdam and Johan Cruijff ArenA have agreed to continue to develop all kinds of technological innovations and solutions in the areas of energy, mobility, crowd management, sustainability and digital security in the coming years. This will enable visitors to safely attend an event, for example, even during the corona crisis.

Leading European football organizations, including UEFA, Royal Netherlands Football Association, City Football Group, AFC Ajax, and the Johan Cruijff ArenA, have joined forces to tackle the challenges this global pandemic brings for football.

Through Reimagine Football, we have challenged companies worldwide, ranging from start-ups to big corporates to come with smart innovations to reimagine football in the context of COVID-19: How to keep fans engaged while they cannot visit football stadiums, how to create a safe and engaging environment for fans, players and other personnel in the stadiums and how to enable youth and amateurs to keep playing and enjoying football.

The Football Innovation Platform is happy to announce that we have made a final selection of the most promising submissions in Reimagine Football.

The Municipality of Amsterdam has selected the Johan Cruijff ArenA as a testing location for the coronavirus. Smart technology is being used to conduct research into how larger groups of people can gather at busy locations and public events. The municipality has set up test beds in and around event locations as part of a public-private partnership with TNO, the Johan Cruijff ArenA, the Rijksmuseum and theatre and musical producer Stage Entertainment.

KPMG and Johan Cruijff ArenA are expanding their collaboration with a new five-year commitment. The agreement is aimed, among others, at strengthening the ArenA in the further development of its innovation capability. In addition, KPMG and Johan Cruijff ArenA will develop innovation concepts in a field lab to make stadiums and cities worldwide smarter and more sustainable. For a number of years, Johan Cruijff ArenA has served as a successful living lab, where ideas and technologies are developed and tested together with partners such as the Municipality of Amsterdam. This has led to innovative smart stadium and smart city solutions in the areas of mobility, accessibility, crowd management, livability, inclusiveness and sustainability, but also in the field of security and digitalization.

Together with EBTC and commissioned by the Indian Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, the Johan Cruijff ArenA will be establishing a Living Lab for IIIT on the university campus in Hyderabad. This was announced during the trade mission, parallel to the state visit by King Willem-Alexander and Máxima of the Netherlands.

The Johan Cruijff ArenA and the KNVB, the Royal Dutch Football Association, are investigating whether the high-tech system that monitors the turf of the ArenA is suitable to serve as a basis for other clubs in Dutch professional football. The KNVB has already deployed the monitoring system on the training fields of the Dutch national team in Zeist. The smart turf monitoring system in the Johan Cruijff ArenA is unique in the world. With data produced by special sensors in the turf and measurements taken by the grass team, the system monitors the health and quality of the pitch 24/7. A dashboard shows the experts exactly when the turf needs feeding, light or water.