(Images: Coert Metz, reproduced with permission)
The Wageningse Berg stadium in The Netherlands is a unique piece of football heritage. Abandoned for two decades, the former stadium now lies overgrown and decaying, with no set plans for its future use.
(Images: Coert Metz, reproduced with permission)
In its time, the seats of Wageningse Berg stadium were packed with fans in the green and white colours of the home team, FC Wageningen. Thousands cheered from the stands on April 26, 1992 as the team defeated rivals NAC Breda 2 – 1, unaware that this was to be the last match ever played at the stadium. One month later, the football club was declared bankrupt.
(Images: Coert Metz, reproduced with permission)
Formerly in regular use by the team, the stadium was forced to close after debts and other financial problems scuppered the up-keep of the grounds. Earnings from the team were not enough to cover the cost of running the stadium and there was little financial support from the community. The stadium now lies overgrown, covered in plants and moss.
(Images: Coert Metz, reproduced with permission)
C. van de Graaf, a long-term fan of the team and stadium, remembers hearing about the closure: “The news of the bankruptcy came as thunderbolt… Imagine: every home game, I was there. I followed all the news. And then suddenly nothing. It’s like someone with whom you’re very close suddenly dies. A miserable feeling.”
Keep reading – explore Greece’s Disused Olympic Arenas and check out 12 Haunting Abandoned Buildings and Places.
