“We are making a serious effort,” says Christiaan Peetoom from the spot where the new KNVB campus should be built if it were up to the municipality of Alkmaar. 25 hectares are available in Alkmaar-West along the N9. “The KNVB will select five municipalities and if we are among them, we will talk to each other.”
The football association is looking for a location to build the ‘campus of the future’. “To achieve our national and international ambitions, growth and space are necessary,” the KNVB states on its site. At the moment everything is in Zeist, but it was not possible to agree with the municipality there on the necessary expansion.
Peetoom: “If all those world-class players come to us, even more people will come to our city. This will also provide benefits in terms of employment and collaborations with, for example, the Northwest Hospital Group.”
In addition to Alkmaar, Almere and Rotterdam also seem to be serious candidates. In January, the KNVB will announce which five municipalities it will enter into discussions with.