Seacon Stadion – de Koel –
Stadion de Koel, one of the smallest stadiums in the Dutch Eredivisie, is the home of VVV Venlo. It has a capacity of 8,000, of which 1,500 standing places.
The stadium opened on the 19th of March 1972. First match played at the ground was between VVV and Cambuur (1-1). The stadium was last renovated in 2007 when VVV got promoted to the Dutch Eredivisie.
De Koel is one of the most authentic stadiums in the Netherlands as most other clubs have built brand-new stadiums in the last decade. The stadium lies in a den, which translates to Koel in the Dutch dialect that is locally spoken. Before the match the players have to go down an open-air flight of stairs to reach the pitch as their dressing rooms are located above the stands. Since 2005 the stadium carries de sponsor name Seacon Stadion.
In the last few years VVV has been studying the options to move to a new stadium. The project is currently in an advanced planning stage, and the club hopes to start construction in the middle of 2012 so that they can move to the new stadium late 2013. The new stadium is planned to have between 15,000 and 20,000 seats.
Getting there
Stadion de Koel is located on the southern edge of the city of Venlo. As Venlo is rather small this means that it is no further than 2 kilometres from the city centre and even less from the main railway station. Driving further south it’s only 1.5 kilometres to the German border.
The stadium lies on the Kaldenkerkerweg, which starts in the city centre and continues to Germany. The stadium is easily reached by car from one of the motorways passing the city by making your way to the city centre and taking the Kaldenkerkerweg south.
Bus line 5 takes you from the train station to the stadium. A bus leaves every half-an-hour for the 5-minute journey. Take a bus in the direction of Veegtes and get off at Marianum College.
Address: Kaldenkerkerweg 182, 5915 AH Venlo
Tickets
Tickets for VVV Venlo games can be bought online (in Dutch) or at the ticket office at the stadium. If tickets remain they may get sold at the gates of the stadium on the day of the match. For many matches the possession of a VVV Club Card is required.
Ticket prices range from €20.00 to €32.50. For more information contact ticketing@vvv-venlo.nl.
Related Internet links:
VVV-Venlo.nl – Official website of VVV Venlo.
Vvvvenlo.nl – Website of the Venlo area tourist office.
9292ov.nl – Journey planner for public transport.
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