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Players representing the Dutch national team reiterate time and again that they prefer to play their home games at De Kuip. It’s not just that Feyenoord’s stadium traditionally has the best pitch: the Rotterdam football temple is brimming with history too. It’s played host to so many legendary matches, including European Cup finals, key international games and the final of Euro 2000. But the most famous thing about De Kuip is the club that plays its home games there: Feyenoord.
The Feijenoord Stadium – to give it its proper name – has been the scene of the greatest triumphs of Rotterdam’s club of the people. That is due in part to the atmosphere and the aura of De Kuip. When every seat is filled, those inside the stadium can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer massiveness of the place. It’s suddenly hard to believe that there are ‘only’ 51,177 seats. That certainly goes for big concerts, for which De Kuip has gained a national and international reputation.
The final of the domestic cup competition is traditionally played in Rotterdam every year, but UEFA too has known for a decades that De Kuip is the finest stadium in the Netherlands. De Kuip has been awarded five-star status, which means it fulfils the highest quality criteria of football’s governing body in Europe. Unsurprising then that De Kuip often plays host to top matches – it has been awarded eleven European finals down the years. The latest will never be forgotten by the club’s supporters. On 8 May 2002 Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup by defeating Borussia Dortmund in a real rollercoaster final.
The stadium underwent something of a facelift last summer. The old main building and other facilities on the railway station side were renovated. The work completed the refurbishment that was started back in 1994 when the whole stadium was given a roof and the new Maas building was completed. The exterior of the stadium has remained pretty much in shape, as the facelift extends no further than the interiors, such as the floors and the changing rooms.
While De Kuip has an iconic place in the history of Dutch football, its attraction as a concert venue cannot be ignored either. Many Dutch and international stars have graced De Kuip, including the Rolling Stones, Madonna, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Homegrown legend Marco Borsato once sold out six nights at the stadium. The atmosphere was something you just have to have experienced first hand.
www.DeKuip.nl
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