Eredevisie side Ajax's Amsterdam ArenA, which will host four Euro 2020 matches, has unveiled a major €50M ($56M) renovation project "that will radically alter the look of the stadium and upgrade spectator facilities," according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. The upgrade program -- titled Plan 2020 -- will see the shape of ArenA change from "concave to convex, while the upper tier concourse will be widened by more than three times its current width allowing for more concessions in what is currently a very tight space for spectators." The 28,000-seat upper tier will also be "served by more escalators and toilet facilities as well as increased natural light and a 'climatised' environment." The ArenA capacity is just over 53,000 and "that is not going to change." In a press release ArenA said, "The project is designed to introduce as many extra sustainable and innovative measures as possible." Planning approval sand work certificates are "expected to be completed by the end of 2015 with the three-phase renovation starting in the first quarter of 2016, starting with the east side of the stadium, followed by the south and north sides." Each phase is expected to "take a year" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 10/2). DUTCH NEWS reported the arena, in Amsterdam's Zuidoost district, was completed in '95. The work "involves giving the stadium a new facade, making it easier for supporters to enter and leave, and adding lifts, toilet facilities, escalators and catering" (DUTCH NEWS, 10/1).
