Description
Philips Stadion is a soccer stadium located in the city of Eindhoven, Netherlands. It serves as the home arena for the PSV team and can seat up to 35,000 spectators. The stadium is located in an area called Philipsdorp, which is part of the city district of Streip and is close to the center of Eindhoven.
Philips Stadium was officially opened on August 31, 1913. At that time, its capacity was only 300 people. However, the stadium was expanded to 18,000 seats in 1941.
The stadium suffered damage during World War II, and after renovations in 1958, its capacity was increased to 22,000 spectators. Works to increase capacity were carried out in the following years, including the extension of the North Stand in 1995 and the completion of the corner sectors in 2002 and 2004. As a result of these measures, the stadium has reached its current capacity. Further expansion of the arena to 40000 seats is planned.
Phillips Stadium sometimes hosts matches of the Dutch national team. An important event was the qualifying match of the European Championship-1972, which took place on November 17, 1971, in which the Netherlands defeated the Luxembourg national team with a score of 8:0. The official stadium attendance record was set on October 23, 2005 in the Dutch championship match between PSV and Ajax, when 34,700 spectators gathered at the stadium.
Philips Stadium was one of four Dutch stadiums to host matches at the 2000 European Championship. UEFA recognized it as a four-star category, which allowed it to host the UEFA Cup finals. The stadium was selected to host the UEFA Cup final in 2006.
In the summer of 2005, the club's board of directors decided to replace the high bars around the pitch with a 90-centimeter fence separating spectators from the pitch. Unauthorized access to the pitch is punishable by a fine of 15,000 euros and a ten-year ban on visiting the arena.