Now that Ajax is the leader again in the Eredivisie after two disastrous seasons, the scripts for a possible ceremony can be taken out of the cupboard again.
The mayor himself is still hitting when the ceremony is mentioned: “We have to knock it off,” Halsema replies to the question whether Ajax can be honored again on Museumplein this year. “We’re just going to take a look at it, but Ajax first has to go through the competition.”
Museumplein or not
At Ajax championships it is always uncertain where they are honored. In recent years this has happened more often at or in the Arena, because that place is easier to secure. The last ceremony of Ajax on Museumplein was visited by 100,000 fans in 2019.
In 2022 Ajax became champion for the last time. When the municipality bumped into a ceremony on the Museumplein Due to a lack of security guards. To the great disappointment of supporters. Ajax finally celebrated that championship in the Arena.
“I hope that this year is going well,” says Halsema, “of course I can’t say too much about it, but we are aware that we need sufficient security if the Museumplein is discussed.” When asked whether that place is her preference, she answers with ‘yes, absolutely’.
Busy summer
Amsterdam will have a busy period in terms of events in the coming summer. In addition to Pride and a new edition of Sail, there are also festivities around the city’s 750 birthday.
The municipality also has to take into account the NATO top, which will be organized in The Hague on 24 and 25 June and requires a lot of capacity from the national police. “It will indeed be a busy year,” says Halsema.
“Everything has been scheduled by us well in advance,” says Halsema. “So the National Police takes into account that the party on the ring is just before the NATO summit. I assume that people behave festively at the festivities, so that we can get rid of relatively few police.”