Amsterdam ready for double final: 'Atmosphere has increased enormously'

The Wagener Stadium will not only be the setting for the first leg of the women's National Championship final on Saturday, but also for the men's. From supporters fanatically waving red flags and lighting torches, to a brass band and a DJ: the double final battle in Amstelveen promises to be a great hockey party. 'Last season was the start of our Red Army.'

In total, Amsterdam has room for almost 5,500 spectators in the finals against Den Bosch (f) and Rotterdam (m). This means that the Wagener Stadium will be packed again on Saturday for what is now regarded as one of the most atmospheric days of the season in Dutch hockey. “Matches in the play-offs can no longer be compared to those in the regular competition,” says Amsterdam chairman Alexandra Oswald. 'That atmosphere is really unique in the play-offs.' Last Thursday, on Ascension Day, the two semi-finals in the Wagener Stadium were also played in a wonderful atmosphere, just as it was full house at all other clubs in the play-offs. In Amstelveen the atmosphere was mainly due to the Red Army, the home crowd that made itself heard, fanatically waved red flags and, to top it all off, lit red torches. The musical entertainment was also neatly arranged, with a brass band and a DJ. Next Saturday at the finals, the atmosphere in the Wagener Stadium will be lifted one step further, Oswald expects. 'We had the two temporary stands that were already there during the semi-finals, on the other side of the covered main stand, expanded. As a result, the capacity has increased by about nine hundred places, which should only further improve the atmosphere.'

The time when the play-offs were played in Amsterdam in a tame and somewhat colorless setting is now a thing of the past. The turning point came last season, when Amsterdam's men qualified for the play-offs and eventually won the national title for the first time in thirteen years. Oswald, who has been chairman for a year and a half: 'Last year someone on the board said: everyone at Kampong is always in blue. Isn't it time that we also have our own color? This is how the idea arose to call on the home crowd to come to the play-offs in red. This was responded to en masse. In retrospect, that was the beginning of our Red Army.' Within the club, we have worked hard on several fronts to strengthen the bond between the members and the top teams. “As a board, we are consciously working to involve all members in the club as much as possible,” says Oswald. 'For example, the players of Ladies and Men 1 occasionally coach a youth team. They also went bowling with the youth last year. They did that again this year. In this way, they really become their idols for children, which only increases the desire among young people to see them in action in the final. We have also set up all kinds of communities within Amsterdam, for example with former players from Ladies and Men 1. Last season, many of those former Amsterdammers came to watch the play-offs. All these kinds of efforts have led to an enormous increase in the atmosphere.' Just like with other major league clubs, the play-offs in Amsterdam are now much more than just a hockey match. It has become a full-fledged event, with everything that comes with it. “Of course you have to manage it in the right direction,” says Oswald. 'We have at least 65 volunteers working on it. There are traffic controllers, cleaners, technicians, but also fan shop employees, first aiders and speakers. While the matches are going on, they are all working. As a result, most of them do not see the matches or only see part of them. I think it's really fantastic that so many people are willing to do that for their club.'