Special Report: Over 30,000 'feel Ajax' during Open Day
05 August: For the second year in a row it was hot
during Ajax's traditional Open Day at the
Amsterdam ArenA, De Toekomst and the adjacent P2 parking lot.
Last year, in fact, the heat was too much for some of the
40,000+ Ajax fans, who needed treatment, overcome by the heat.
Maybe that's why the public turnout was slightly lower this
year. But still: well over 30,000 Ajax supporters from all
over The Netherlands and beyond came to
Amsterdam South-East to live, feel and breathe Ajax for a
day.
The gates of the Amsterdam ArenA opened at 9:00 AM and the
first 10,000 or so supporters quickly took their (free) seats
in the stadium for the game between the infamous 'Lucky Ajax'
team, the club's 'demonstration team' of former greats, and a
special team of Ajax sponsors. The latter side was assisted by
a number of famous Dutch athletes, such as speed-skater Bart
Veldkamp, volleyball international Bas van de Goor and
tennis player (and devoted Ajax fan) Jan Siemerink. Lucky Ajax
fielded club such as Simon Tahamata, Dick Schoenaker, the
immortal Sjakie Swart, 'rookie' Richard Witschge
and... one Ronald Koeman. It was no surprise that Lucky Ajax
were slightly better than the sponsor outfit: 8-2.
Rob Witschge confers with Sjaak
Swart
during the Open Day friendly. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
The reward for the players was a cool shower. That is: for
all players, except one: poor Ronald Koeman, who had to stay on
the pitch for a 'demonstration training session' of the first
team. Equipped with a head-set microphone Koeman provided the
spectators with live comments about the various exercises and
tactical games.
After training the red and white walked around the stadium
and crossed the pedestrians' bridge across the highway,
headed for the P2 parking lot right next to De Toekomst, where
a stage was put up for the presentation of the players. Quite
obviously, captain Rafaël van der Vaart had brought
last season's championship shield. The predominantly
young Ajax supporters at 'P2' partied and sang along to the
Ajax Marsch as if the Dutch title was grabbed today,
rather than in May. Every player was welcomed with a roar
of enthusiasm.
Young fans watch the action on
Open Day. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
For the youngest fans, who were soon bored of standing in
the sun, there was the 'Ajax Kiddie Village', where
numerous games could be played, such as 'human table football',
or 'balloon soccer' in an inflatbale Ajax castle. The
slightly older fans could test their skill by giving it a
try at the Adidas 'dribbling track', they could go on a
free tour of the Amsterdam ArenA, or have their picture taken
with the 'big one': the European Champions Cup. The first
team players, meanwhile, were sustaining writer's cramp at P2,
where they signed hundreds, no: thousands of
autographs. The crowd was larger than 30,000 by that time,
according to official police estimations.
The program ended around 4:00 PM.
As usual, not too many season ticket holders, let alone
supporters of the fanatical 'cores', visited the Open Day, an
event that mainly focuses on young kids and their parents, plus
teenage fans from all over the country who don't get to go to
Ajax home games too frequently. For those categories of Ajax
supporters, the Open Day is a perfect opportunity to really
'feel' the club for a day: to take a peek inside the ArenA, to
see the players practice, to 'feel' what it's like when the
captain lifts a championship shield and to actually touch
their idols, to see them in person and to ask
them for their autograph. The Open Day wasn't designed for
the active Ajax supporter. But with this well-organized event
the club is making sure that the visiting school kids and
teenagers are, indeed, the supporters of the future. (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl
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