DUTCH EREDIVISIE
KYOCERA STADIUM
SUNDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER 2012
ATTENDANCE: 14,000
It may well be fair to label ADO Den Haag as the Millwall of Dutch football. This association comes through fans from the Hague being involved in various episodes of hooliganism during the 1970’s and 1980’s, a period that also included supporters setting fire to sections of the Zuiderpark stadium. This was a club which had a reputation for serious fan troubles especially when playing rivals from Ajax and Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Even today the fan base of the club feels that little bit more rough edged, a feature unusual for a classy city that is home to international justice courts, modern museums and pleasant side streets. The home support are intense and aggressive in support of the home team. This robustness is surprisingly given the club have never been too successful. Moreover, the club has had huge problems including suffering relegation and financial issues.
In 2007 the club moved to a new out of town stadium that has subsequently been labelled the Kyocera Stadium thanks to a corporate naming agreement with a Japanese multinational. Previously the club had played at the Zuiderparkstadion, a small tidy ground known for its Middle North (Midden Noord) terracing section where the clubs most notorious fans stood.
Due to the reputation of Dutch fans the municipality of the Hague has been at the forefront of the Dutch fan card entry system. The Zuiderpark had a computerised turnstile system installed during the 1980’s and the current stadium is said to be one of the most secure stadiums in Europe.
The new Kyocera Stadium is modern in feel and look but the choice of location outside the main city centre is unpopular. Its location is in contrast to the former Zuiderpark home which was west of the historical centre. The Kyocera is located 3 or 4 metro stops out of the centre and is cramped in next to a soulless industrial estate named Forepark.
Completed in 2007 and built at a cost of only 28 million euros, the stadium only has capacity for 15,000 people but this is adequate for the current number of season ticket holders.
The stadium has security cameras installed that record images of every audience member as they enter the stadium. Indeed, the modern Eredivisie still has some of the most strict away fan regulations in Europe. Local Mayors can call objections to travelling fans visiting a city and have the right to ban visiting fans if they see the potential for trouble. Where away fans are allowed to travel they are almost always ushered in on special trains, transported through concrete tunnels and often find themselves high up inside the stadium surrounded by reinforced perspex glass, police and netting.
The ‘ADO’ bit at the start of the Den Haag club name translates into ‘Alles Door Oefening’. In English this equates to ‘Everything and all through Practice’. The green and yellow colours of the club are a reference to the municipal city flag which is in the same colours. The club badge is complemented by a stork and as far back as the 16th century this has been a symbol of The Hague.
The make up of the Den Haag side was wholly Dutch with just one Hungarian and a Dutch born Philippino international player making up the squad. Today it is a far more stable club than it has been in recent seasons but many are insecure about the future financial prospects of the club. The crowds have been low due to a lack of success on the field and it’s some time since any sustained success was enjoyed. Younger generations of football fans have drifted to the larger more successful Ajax. Moreover the low the income streams from Dutch domestic football make it almost impossible for the club to compete with the giants from Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord.
Den Haag’s last attempt at European football ended in defeat to the Cypriot team Omonia Nicosia.
The Match
During the summer of 2012 Ajax fans again witnessed a period of internal argument and disruption but the high profile managerial partnership of Denis Bergkamp and Frank De Boer remains in place. Back on board was former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel and with a core of Danish players like Eriksen, Schone and Poulson they have international quality in the squad.
Moreover the previous season’s title win also means that Ajax have guaranteed revenue streams from the UEFA Champions League . This season they have landed games against Real Madrid, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
Watching this game it was not exactly on par with an Ajax v Feyenoord ‘De Klassieker’. The edge between the two sides had also been taken off due to the early kick off time of 12.30pm and no Ajax fans were allowed to travel.
Similar to the Liverpool against Manchester United fixture that occurs in England the Den Haag v Ajax fixture has long been regarded as Category A in terms of the threat of trouble. But while Liverpool fans can travel to Manchester on mass generally Ajax fans are not allowed to make the trip to the Hague due to security rules.
ADO Den Haag took the lead in the 14th minute through a goal from the defender Beugelsdijk. This lasted until the 64th minute when Babel silenced the home crowd to secure a draw for Ajax. In the closing period there were numerous chances for the home team but the draw was a fair result. The home fans in the 14,000 crowd seemed happy at the end with a draw.
If football in Holland was decided in terms of city size then Den Haag would quite possibly be in with a serious chance of winning the league. With a population of 515,880 and more than one million inhabitants when you include the suburbs it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. However ADO are not well supported and the club is most commonly associated with episodes of football hooliganism rather than domestic trophy success. The posh side streets, international court rooms and art galleries in the city feel some way off from the working class culture evident amongst football fans at the Kyocera.
With the move to the newer Kyocera ADO Den Haag have made steps towards moving away from the shackles of its past. But financial problems are supposedly not that far away. Despite the new build Kyocera this still remains a very traditional club and the traditions of old (both good and bad) still linger visually both inside and outside the stadium.
See images from the match here.
This match report was amongst a series of 97 reports that first appeared during 2012 in voicesinfootball.com