The Kuip

Many people don’t know that Feyenoord’s stadium is officially named Stadion Feijenoord. However, the stadium is commonly known as the Kuip. Feyenoord plays all its home matches in the stadium and the national team also makes use of the Kuip.

The Kuip's background

The Kuip opened in 1937 and Feyenoord was established in 1908. This means that the club played elsewhere first. They played on several pitches in Rotterdam until they found a stadium in 1917. This stadium was destroyed quickly afterwards because it had to make room for the construction of a park and of Rotterdam Ahoy, a large and important location where events are hosted today. The idea of building the Kuip was already created in the thirties of the twentieth century, but many preparations were needed before the construction of the stadium could start.

The story behind the idea of the Kuip is an interesting one. The club’s chairman at the time had an epiphany in a dream. He awoke and yelled: “I have it, I have it!” and he drew the idea quickly on a slip of paper before he would forget again. The chairman invited an architect several months later, who would later design the stadium from the chairman’s dreams. The chairman made a few trips to visit stadiums that resembled the one they were going to build. The trips went excellent because he got many more ideas and the construction finally started in 1935. The stadium almost got demolished several times, but, fortunately, the destructions didn’t pull through and the Stadion Feijenoord is still standing!

The Kuip: an unforgettable experience

The stadium is still there, and not without success. For years, top matches, concerts and business meetings have been played here. The football matches in particular are remembered forever by many a fan. De Kuip is also nicknamed 'Witches' Cauldron', because the chants of the Feyenoord fans can swirl through the stadium. The Feyenoord fans are also called 'The Legion', or the Twelfth Man, for this reason. The hard-core fans can make themselves well heard in this stadium, managing to take all the home crowd with them in enthusiasm. When you experience a top match at De Kuip for the first time, you automatically become a bit of a 'fan'. The club and the fans take you along in football enthusiasm without you even noticing. Banners, torches and loud chants are used to encourage the team. A deafening sound and an unforgettable experience!

Visit the Kuip?

There’s only one way to travel from Rotterdam’s central station to the stadium and that way is through tram. Tram 23 towards Beverwaard departs at Rotterdam’s central station to Stadion Feyenoord. It takes a little longer than 20 minutes to get there and you only need to walk for another three minutes to the stadium. Make sure you leave well in advance because traffic usually is a little hectic in Rotterdam and this is even worse on a matchday of Feyenoord. Would you like to stand amongst the Legion at the Kuip? Then you should book your football trip to Feyenoord quickly and have a great time at the Kuip!