Amsterdam Arena (, officially stylised as Amsterdam ArenA) is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the country 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. The stadium has a retractable roof combined with a grass surface. It has a capacity of 52,342 seats during football matches and 68,000 places during concerts if a centre-stage setup is used (the stage in the middle of the pitch); for end-stage concerts, the capacity is 50,000, and for concerts where the stage is located in the east side of the stadium, the capacity is 35,000. It held UEFA five-star stadium status which was superseded by a new system of classification. It has been announced that the Amsterdam Arena will host the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final.
The stadium is the home of the association football club AFC Ajax (1996–present) and was the home of the now-defunct American football club Amsterdam Admirals (1996–2007). It was one of the stadiums used during Euro 2000. Both international and Dutch artists gave concerts in the ArenA, including Celine Dion, Madonna, Michael Jackson, André Hazes and The Rolling Stones. Dance event Sensation is held in the stadium every year.
Read more about Amsterdam Arena: History, Building and Facilities, Music Events
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