The Feijenoord Stadion, nicknamed de Kuip (the Tub), is a stadium in Rotterdam, completed in 1937.
Capacity at completion: 64000. Maximum capacity: 69000 (1949). Present day capacity: 52000
It is the home stadium of football club Feyenoord, one of the traditional top teams in the Netherlands. It has also long been one of the home grounds of the Dutch national team, hosting over 150 international matches. Also, a record number of 10 European finals has taken place in the Feijenoord stadium. The last one was the 2002 UEFA Cup final in which Feyenoord defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2.
In 2000, the Feijenoord stadium hosted the final of Euro 2000, played in the Netherlands and Belgium, with France beating Italy in extra time.
Leen van Zandvliet, Feyenoord's president in the 1930s came up with the idea of building an entirely new stadium, unlike any other on the continent, with two free hanging tiers and no obstacles blocking the view. The great examples at that time were Highbury, where the West and East stands had been recently built as a double deck, and Yankee Stadium in New York City. Brinkman and van de Vlugt, the famous designers of the van Nelle factories in Rotterdam were asked to design a stadium out of glass, concrete and steel, cheap materials at that time. They came up with a design that is modern even in this era. In fact, "de Kuip" acted as an example for many of the greatest stadiums we know today, eg Nou Camp.
In World War II, the stadium nearly got torn down, because the German occupiers needed the materials. Fortunately it didn't come to that. After the war the stadium got extra seats (1949) and stadium lights (1958).
In 1994 the stadium was extensively renovated to its present form. It became an all seater and the roof was extended to cover all the seats. An extra building was constructed for commercial use by Feyenoord, it also houses a restaurant and a museum.
Since the first concert in 1978, de Kuip has also been one of the most popular venues for concerts. Among those who have played there are the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U2, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Guns n' Roses.
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