Abe Lenstra Stadion
Encyclopedia
Abe Lenstra Stadion is a football stadium
in Heerenveen
, Netherlands
. It is currently used mostly for the home matches of Eredivisie
club Heerenveen.The current capacity is 26,000.
, the greatest Heerenveen player in the history of the club. Abe was born on November 27, 1920 in Heerenveen. He joined the club at the age of 15 years. After almost 17 years at Heerenveen, he joined SC Enschede in 1954. He left this club in 1960 to joins SC Enschede's archrival Enschedese Boys. In 1963 he stopped playing football at the age of 42. In totall he scored 700 goals in about 730 matches. Abe died on the 2nd of September 1985, he was 64 years old, at the eve of what was to become the only international match to be played in the community sportspark that was to become the (old) Abe Lenstrastadium.
On the 20th of August, 1994 the stadium was officially opened by prince Willem-Alexander of the royal Dutch family. He made the symbolic first kick-off in this stadium. After the opening the first match started between sc Heerenveen and PSV Eindhoven. At the time Ronaldo
played at PSV, this match was his first one in Europe
In 2011 there will be another expansion of the stadium, taking the capacity to 32,000. The construction should be ready for the start of the 2012/2013 Eredivisie
season. The reason for the expansion is the ever growing waiting list for the club's season tickets. Along with that, more people in the stadium means more income which leads to a bigger budget for the club to work with.
, the stadium is one of five stadiums in the Netherlands selected by the KNVB
to host games. This would mean that the stadium capacity needs to be expended to the minimum required seating of 44,000 http://www.sc-heerenveen.nl/pageid=1038/Abe_Lenstra_stadion.html. In the beginning of December 2010 FIFA
announced that the 2018 World Cup would be awarded to Russia. Just before the announcement of the World Cup the club announced that the next expansion would be postponed.
The other four selected host cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam
(Amsterdam Arena
and Olympisch Stadion
), Rotterdam
(Feijenoord Stadion
De Kuip and De Nieuwe Kuip), Eindhoven (Philips Stadion
) and Enschede
(De Grolsch Veste).
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Heerenveen
Heerenveen
Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is currently used mostly for the home matches of Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
club Heerenveen.The current capacity is 26,000.
The name Abe Lenstra Stadion
The stadium is named after Abe LenstraAbe Lenstra
Abe Lenstra was a Dutch football player and national football icon in the 1950s. He was also a Frisian legend, most notably with the club where he made his name as a football player, SC Heerenveen....
, the greatest Heerenveen player in the history of the club. Abe was born on November 27, 1920 in Heerenveen. He joined the club at the age of 15 years. After almost 17 years at Heerenveen, he joined SC Enschede in 1954. He left this club in 1960 to joins SC Enschede's archrival Enschedese Boys. In 1963 he stopped playing football at the age of 42. In totall he scored 700 goals in about 730 matches. Abe died on the 2nd of September 1985, he was 64 years old, at the eve of what was to become the only international match to be played in the community sportspark that was to become the (old) Abe Lenstrastadium.
Construction of the stadium
The construction of the stadium started in 1993. The plan was to build a stadium with open corners, but when the construction was well underway the club decided to close the gaps. At the time the building was finished, it had an maximum capacity of 14,500.On the 20th of August, 1994 the stadium was officially opened by prince Willem-Alexander of the royal Dutch family. He made the symbolic first kick-off in this stadium. After the opening the first match started between sc Heerenveen and PSV Eindhoven. At the time Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
played at PSV, this match was his first one in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
Expansions
Because sc Heerenveen kept growing and the results were getting better every year, the club planned the first expansion of the stadium in 2002. The capacity of the stadium was almost doubled to 26,100 seats. Throughout the years empty spots in the stadium were filled with seats. Together with some other changes in the stadium the number of seats increased to the current 26.800.In 2011 there will be another expansion of the stadium, taking the capacity to 32,000. The construction should be ready for the start of the 2012/2013 Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
season. The reason for the expansion is the ever growing waiting list for the club's season tickets. Along with that, more people in the stadium means more income which leads to a bigger budget for the club to work with.
The Netherlands and Belgium World Cup bid
As part of the combined Netherlands and Belgium bid http://www.thebid.org/?lang=nl to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, the stadium is one of five stadiums in the Netherlands selected by the KNVB
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
to host games. This would mean that the stadium capacity needs to be expended to the minimum required seating of 44,000 http://www.sc-heerenveen.nl/pageid=1038/Abe_Lenstra_stadion.html. In the beginning of December 2010 FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
announced that the 2018 World Cup would be awarded to Russia. Just before the announcement of the World Cup the club announced that the next expansion would be postponed.
The other four selected host cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
and Olympisch Stadion
Olympisch Stadion
Olympisch Stadion can refer to at least two stadia:* Olympisch Stadion * Olympisch Stadion...
), Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(Feijenoord Stadion
Feijenoord Stadion
The Feijenoord Stadion, better known by its nickname De Kuip , is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the area "Feijenoord" in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same name .Capacity at completion: 64,000. Maximum capacity: 69,000...
De Kuip and De Nieuwe Kuip), Eindhoven (Philips Stadion
Philips Stadion
Philips Stadion is the 35,000 seater stadium of football club, PSV Eindhoven. It was first inaugurated on 31 August 1913. The stadium is located in the Philipsdorp part of the Eindhoven borough of Strijp, close to Eindhoven's city centre....
) and Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
(De Grolsch Veste).