Zuiderpark Stadion
Encyclopedia
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for Southern Park Stadium) was an 11,000-seat stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It was the home of football club ADO Den Haag
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
.
For many years after the club's inauguration in 1905, they played football in many different temporary venues, eventually settling in the 'Zuiderpark' in 1925. The stadium was temporarily abandoned on 21 February 1945, near the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The War left the club with a lacking funds with which to maintain the ground. Reportedly, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s were allowed to graze on the abandoned field.
The cold winter conditions of 1946-47 left the stadium in a deplorable state, with the covered tribune the only stand left in a serviceable condition. Nevertheless, plans were afoot to renovate the stadium and to expand its capacity; these were completed in 1949 and the first game played was on 9 August 1949 between ADO Den Haag
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
and Feyenoord Rotterdam
Feyenoord Rotterdam
Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division...
.
In 1957, the capacity of the renovated stadium was expanded still further to 25,000 spectators. Later, on 8 March 1973, the stadium entered its modern age with a new club building housing a restaurant, among several other modern amenities catering to the players and club members. On 7 November 1993, the North Tribune was renamed 'Aad Mansveldtribune'. In 1994, the municipality of The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
decided to develop the 'Zuiderpark' as a 'football theatre' and the West Tribune 'Jan Knijnenburg Gezinstribune' was inaugurated at around this time. It was renamed the 'Hyundaitribune' in 2001.
On 22 April 2007 ADO played their last home game in the Zuiderpark Stadium. The following season they moved to the Den Haag Stadion
Den Haag Stadion
Kyocera Stadion is a multi-use stadium in The Hague, the Netherlands, designed by Zwarts & Jansma Architects. Completed in 2007, the stadium is used mostly for football of ADO Den Haag. It has a capacity of 15,000 people, and replaced ADO's former stadium Zuiderpark which was considerably smaller...
.