Vittese Arnhem FC
Gelredrome
Batavierenweg 25
6841 HN Arnhem
Netherlands
+31268807888
Ground Number: 1120
Sunday 9th October 2022Vitesse Arnhem 1-2 Fortuna Sittard
Eredivisie
VITESSE ARNHEM - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was established in 1892 but the Vitesse name has history five years before that, mainly with cricket being played. The youngsters who founded the club did not want a Dutch or English word so they chose the French word Vitesse which translates as 'speed'. Back in the early days of Dutch football, the league was split into two regional divisions - East & West. Vitesse won the East title five times but failed in the playoffs against the West champion on five occasions. Further regional honours followed in the 50s before the league was nationalised. The mid-60s were a low point with the club dropping down to the third-tier Tweede Divisie. They won that league in 1966 and have remained in the top two tiers ever since. They've been members of the Eredivisie since 1989 with a high of third place in 1997. The last few seasons have been difficult though and the club found itself in the relegation zone before today's game.
Domestically, Vitesse won the KNVB Cup in 2017, beating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 at the De Kuip in Rotterdam. This was their only success in five attempts in the Dutch Cup final. The club have done well enough to get into Europe several times. They've never got beyond the last 16 though. The last time was last season in the Europa League. They overcame Dundalk and Anderlecht in the Qualifiers before coming through a group where their opponents were Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes & Mura. They then beat Rapid Vienna in the Round of 32 but narrowly lost to Roma in the round of 16.
MY VISIT
For the final game of my Dutch weekend, it was off to Vitesse Arnhem for the Eredivisie Sunday evening game. This was by far the easiest and most pleasant ticket to book. It was also exceptional value at €15 or around £12 for a top-flight game. Looking at the Untappd app for places to drink, Arnhem seemed to have a lot less than the previous day at Nijmegen although there would still be plenty to buy. The hotels were better value in Arnhem though, perhaps as it was on Sunday night.
From my game at SML Arnhem, I walked to my hotel, listening to the Non-League show on BBC Sounds along the way. I was at my hotel by 4.45 and it was a real treat for £46 a night. It was a lovely room and had a microwave and fridge which could be very useful with pre-planning. I had time to kill and so took a very welcome shower and change of clothes before heading out to the game. There were not a huge amount of decent drinking places in Arnhem but the DAVO bar looked decent and I had a bottle of Bear Cider, another Dutch one. It was pretty decent, although it was the usual annoying small bottle that seems commonplace over here. In search of food, I fancied a Taco Bell which was back up near my hotel. This was good value and very tasty at around 5 Euros. It was typical of the stuff that I eat whilst away, I go with good intentions but always revert to junk food.I also got a bottle of Smirnoff Ice and a soft drink to have on the 45-minute walk to the ground. I was there half an hour before kickoff and got a lovely pennant that worked out to around £6.50 from the shop. In common with NEC, the shop range was quite limited compared to back home and nothing was priced up. However, just with the ticket, the merchandise was far cheaper at Vitesse. Getting into the ground was quick and easy and it really was an impressive ground. It was not very full, perhaps because of the Sunday 8 PM kickoff, something that the fans did not seem keen about.
Vitesse were having an unhappy time in the Eredivisie, they'd won just once, 1-0 away at Groningen. Draws against Volendam and Waalwijk had provided some respite but they'd lost the other five games. Fortuna Sittard had started the season with five straight defeats. However, a draw at NEC Nijmegen had stopped the rot and the last two games had seen wins over Excelsior Rotterdam and FC Volendam. The game started fairly aimlessly with Sittard on top but not creating many clear-cut chances. However, it was the hosts that took the lead on 32 minutes, Bartosz Bialek slotted home a low cross to give the Vitesse the lead. However, Fortuna hit back. On 41 minutes Arianit Ferati capped a great run with a shot into the bottom corner although the defending was lacklustre. It was an impressive run and shot though but after halftime, the chances dried up. It was a goal on the break by defender Remy Vita that gave Fortuna the lead. Despite a late rally by Vitesse, including a shot off the post that rebounded into the keeper's arms, they'd have to face the disappointment of defeat.
It was a 40-minute walk back to my hotel on a far pleasanter route than that had taken me there. Bizarrely, I found someone's handbag behind the curtains when I went to close them. It had a woman's credit card in it and 40 Euros in cash which would have been useful but I was far too honest to be tempted. I took it down to reception and then watched YouTube for half an hour before going to sleep around 11. It was a great night's sleep, with me waking at 8.30 and having a shower and freshen up before leaving at 10.30. I'd liked to have got another blog done, but time was not on my side. In fact, I'd not even started researching Vitesse, a shame as I like to have an understanding of a club before I visit. I grabbed a drink from the shop next to my hotel and headed for the station. The ticket was 18 Euros and after a change at S'Hertgenbosch where I had an 18-minute wait.
I was at Eindhoven by 12.45. There were a few places of note, but most of them were closed. I've found Nijmegen to be the best place for pubs so far in the Netherlands. Anyway, I had to make do with what was on offer and so headed to Stadcafe Spijker. It had a reasonable selection of drinks and I had a Wittekerke Rose. I also fancied some food and went for the melted cheeseburger with fries. This was superb, the best food that I'd had whilst away although it was pricey at 22 Euros with the drink. I had a wander around Eindhoven, looking in various places before getting the bus to the airport. It was a long old security queue, well over an hour but eventually, we were through. I had an hour or so on the other side but air side didn't have a huge amount to offer. What was nice though were tables and chairs and this allowed me to type up and upload my SML Arnhem blog using the free WiFi. Soon enough, it was time to board the plane which took off on time. I was back on English soil within an hour and after a swift trip through passport control and a drive, I was home by 8PM.
THE GROUND
The GELREDROME is an excellent stadium with several innovative features. It has a retractable roof and the pitch can also slide out to make room for concerts etc. As a football stadium, it's not bad either. Rather than a bowl, it is four separate stands with the corners filled in. There are several nice aesthetic touches. The capacity is around 22,000 and views and legroom are decent. The food and drink appear to be on their own payment system, which is even less convenient than having to use a Dutch bank account or buy tokens such as in Belgium. The ground is around 40 minutes walk from Arnhem centre and there are also buses. For other food options, there is a Mcdonald's outside the ground as well as a few other chains nearby.
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