The stadium is rising and ten years ago the first American baseball players would be on display for 25,000 spectators. But the big boys never came baseball in the polder. Years later, a first MLB match came to Europe: in a converted O2 Arena in London. Hoofddorp had it checked.
The stadium story therefore ends in a financial fiasco. The alderman spends 3.8 million euros too much for the project alone without the permission of the city council. The MLB requirements would have cost at least 3.5 million. But the ‘considerable additional costs’ can never be traced again, a council committee concluded in 2016. For example, many tons have been spent on external advisers during the entire MLB process.
Maintenance costs 225,000 euros per year
After a council survey with public interrogations, that committee stipulates, among other things, that ‘irresponsible was dealt with’ with money from the municipality. The committee also called it ‘shocking’ how financial resources had to sanctify the goal.
So far it is mainly an expensive flater, but another nasty legacy is that the annual maintenance costs are still rising. At the old baseball complex of Pioniers, maintenance cost, more than ten years ago, 70,000 euros. At the new place that is 225,000 euros per year.
‘Most beautiful stadium in the Netherlands’
The painful situation is now that the club can hardly cough up the high rent of the stadium. And that while the baseball club itself was never in favor of such a rigged stadium. Now the first team plays for a few dozen spectators in a further empty stadium. Outside, a whopper of a parking lot is mainly empty.
There is even a chance that pioneers, with three weeks to go for the competition, will have to move to Nieuw-Vennep because of the excess rent to play there. Then from now on the stadium is unemployed.
But what if the Major League ever comes around again? “Then we will have to make adjustments to meet the MLB requirements again. Because this does not play now, we do not know what the current requirements are and whether these requirements can be realized. The complex is not currently lends itself to playing MLB matches, “said the municipality.
Haarlemmermeer is also no longer in contact with MLB to lobby for a competition of world top players in the polder. The municipality is proud of having the ‘most beautiful baseball stadium in the Netherlands.’ But thanks to the three musketeers at a high price.