Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel
| Het Kasteel | |
 |
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| Full name | Sparta Stadion |
|---|---|
| Location | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Capacity | 11,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1916 |
| Renovated | 1999 |
| Architect | J.H. de Roos and W.F. Overeynder (1916) Zwarts & Jansma (1999) |
| Tenants | |
| Sparta Rotterdam | |
The Sparta Stadion, nicknamed Het Kasteel (Dutch pronunciation: [ət kɑsˈteːl]) is a football stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is the home ground of Sparta Rotterdam. It has a capacity of 11,026.
The stadium is located in the neighbourhood of Spangen, where it was built in 1916 as Stadion Spangen based on a plan of the architects J.H. de Roos and W.F. Overeynder. The name "Het Kasteel" (The Castle) is derived from the small building with two small towers which backs onto the south-facing tribune (Kasteel Stand) of the stadium, which looks similar to a castle. This building is the only authentical remain of the original design. It was built in 1916. The castle building, which is currently located along the length of the pitch, was originally positioned behind one of the goals.
A famous incident took place at het Kasteel in November 1970, when Feyenoord goalkeeper Eddy Treijtel took a goalkick and shot a passing seagull down from the air. However, the stuffed bird has been on display in the museum at Feyenoord's De Kuip stadion and not in Sparta's museum much to the annoyance of some prominent Sparta supporters.
For the 1928 Summer Olympics in neighboring Amsterdam, the venue hosted two football games. The first was on 5 June when host nation Netherlands defeated Belgium 3-1 while the second was three days later when the Dutch team tied Chile 2-2.
Through the years, the stands of "Stadion Sparta" were often renovated and extended, but the most radical renovation took place in 1998 and 1999: the stadium was completely rebuilt according to a plan of the architects Zwarts & Jansma. During the renovation, the pitch was turned 90 degrees. At the same time, it was renamed ENECO-stadion, after its main sponsor. That name was soon replaced by the present Het Kasteel ("The Castle"), which had already been the popular nickname for the stadium ever since it was built.
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