The people from Alkmaar are proud of their club. Top coaches, attractive football, a rich history, big transfers, a thriving youth academy and a modern business approach. What is not to love? The AFAS Stadium is starting to become a reflection of AZ.
Since their recent renovations, AZ’s AFAS Stadium is becoming one of the country's best modern stadiums. When their roof collapsed during a storm in 2019, the club changed the entire roof construction. The delicate bow they added on top of the main stand is great. The stadium now reminds us of Sunderland's Stadium of Light and Southampton's St. Mary's.
The new roof is helping the club in its battle against its biggest enemy: The wind. Given the meadows and highways surrounding the stadium (capacity of 19.500) the wind can become very strong. Club director Robert Eenhoorn has made it his mission to eliminate all the wind in AZ’s home ground. The next step is closing off the corners.
The days of salmon-coloured walls in the AFAS stadium are gone. It used to be Dirk Scheringa’s, former chairman, favourite colour. So much so that he wanted to have his beloved pink colour all over the players' tunnel. Nowadays, the players’ tunnel is fiery red, with added graffiti of artists Boye Wognum and Pim de Jongh. The cosy players-home with its bar, wooden chairs and tables did, however, not change. This is also the place where AZ’s squad witnessed a very special day in the club’s history. On the 19th of April 2009, they watched Ajax lose 6-2 to PSV, which meant they could celebrate AZ's second-ever league title.
AZ appears as a very modern club. However, Az played in the cosy, decrepitated, Alkmaarderhout for decades. The former stadium was next to the eponymous park with its trotting track. Floodlights, a narrow players’ tunnel, a café for the players and reeking urinals. It was all part of ‘De Hout’.
Former coaches Louis van Gaal, Willem van Hanegem and Co Adriaanse had to plan their strategies in adjacent temporary buildings because of insufficient space within the stadium itself.
Nowadays, the area has turned into a calm neighbourhood with retirement homes. If you look really hard, you will still find an almost unreadable plaque as a memento of the former ground.
A beloved pub amongst AZ fans is the Gunnery’s Irish Pub at Verdronkenoord 123. In 2016, the pub experienced its best-ever night when AZ played a European match against the Irish club Dundalk.
AZ was founded in café Het Gulden Vlies at the Koorstraat 30. This is where the first league title in 1981 was celebrated with performances of Dutch artists Willeke Alberti and André Hazes. Nowadays, the place has been refurbished and is called Mooij. But on the edge of the city centre, next to the car park Karperton, you can still find a fan café named Amstelhoek. When Willem van Hanegem played for AZ, he spent hours in this café playing the slot machine, a game of pool or drinking with his teammates Hugo Hovenkamp and Henk van Rijnsoever.
Even though the old stadium has been demolished, Snackbar Danny is still shining bright on the Kennemerstraatweg. A proper snack bar where you can eat typical Dutch snacks such as a ‘kroket’ and a ‘frikandel’. Broodje AZ, a hamburger with salad, egg, onions and the snack bar’s homemade Danny sauce (which is obviously red and white), is still the most popular snack. AZ’s former players Barry van Galen and Henk Timmer used to buy one after every home match. Van Galen, who played at AZ for nine years between 1997 and 2006, gave his last-ever match shirt to the snack bar, which is proudly displayed on the wall.
Most training sessions of AZ are open to the public. However, if you want to go to one, you will need to drive to Wijdewormer (Zuiderweg 74A), near the North of Amsterdam.
Near the former stadium, Alkmaarderhout, you can find the pitches of the amateur football club Jong Holland. On one of these pitches, the first-ever professional football match was played in The Netherlands between Alkmaar ’54 and Venlo. On the 14th of August 1954 at six o’clock in the evening to be precise. In front of a crowd of 13,000 people. According to the newspapers, it was a poor game, but the party in the city afterwards turned it into a great night. Venlo’s squad partied until the early hours.
Tickets for a game at the AFAS Stadium can be bought through the official website of AZ.
AZ’s home ground is quite difficult to reach by public transport. Luckily though, on match days there are free busses which can take you from Alkmaar’s central train station to the AFAS Stadium. The first one leaves two hours before kick-off. The bus leaves from the back of the train station on the Kruseman van Eltenweg.
Images: Marco Magielse, ANP
