UEFA Europa Conference League - Alkmaar, Legia and Zrinjski

[DeKuip]

So some advice on transport etc. for Alkmaar. I have booked two nights in Amsterdam, hotel in Dam square, and planning to train to match and back after. Those of you familiar with transport in that region please tell me this is ok?

Yes, I expect most Villa fans will do similar.
It’s a good train service from Amsterdam Central Station to Alkmaar and back… and there will be buses laid on to get to the ground and then back to the station after. Trains back to Amsterdam run until half past midnight and you can book tickets in advance on Trainline.

Is that buses to and from the ground info definite DeKuip? As I said yesterday the stadium is a pain in the arse to get to if you’re not in a coach or driving. I agree with Ads as well that if we get treated like the Poles did we’ll be picking tickets up in The Hague and trying to get to Alkmaar after that. Anyone heard anything from the club on whether it’ll be a Hibs style ticket pick up or Warsaw style send you a pdf?

It’s what they’ve done for other European games and makes sense that it’s much easier for the Dutch police to do that too, rather than having to monitor/escort a thousand foreigners on a long walk from the centre. From what I read for the Legia game there was some big anniversary event going on in the town centre that day so they made the meeting point at Den Haag’s ground and bussed the Legia fans in from there - the problem was that a lot of the polish fans ignored that and made their way directly to the ground.
West Ham fans six months ago were given a fanzone type meeting point 10 mins walk from Alkmaar Station and the free busses took them to the ground from there and then back to the station after.
The Dutch police will keep rivals fans away from each other from the moment they arrive in Alkmaar. If you go to Ajax as an away fan you get off the train straight into a cage for the away end.

[VillaTim]

If you go to Ajax as an away fan you get off the train straight into a cage for the away end.

always nice to have a little TLC . Jesus

[LeeB]

I travelled around the Netherlands in the summer and used a public transport app called 9292 on my phone. Very useful for planning all public transport journeys. I never bought tickets once for trains, trams or buses as you can use a contactless card (even for inter city journeys). Remember to swipe off though.

I've been over to Amsterdam the last couple of years, the ease of transport and variety makes me weep as a Brummie.

Absolutely. Me and my daughter had a lovely day out in Brum yesterday, because as well as looking at the university we went around the city centre as well. I obviously love the place, but it's one of the most difficult places to get around. Badly designed buildings blocking everywhere, tunnels and crap roads make it a nightmare to traverse.

I've been up to the uni every year with one of the kids as their primary school run a 'university' scheme based on them doing hours of extra curricular activities and then getting certificates in a big ceremony in the Great Hall. It's is lovely and  everything but the bloody journey over from where I am is an absolute nightmare, it used to be quicker for me to get to my old office on the other side of Coventry.

[pauliewalnuts]

I went to school opposite the university, and had my first job there, I love the campus, there can't be many other universities with such a lovely green location, so close to a city centre.

re travel, Brum is particularly bad, but most european cities tend to be more densely populated (and thus cover less geographical area) than their British counterparts which makes it hard to compare.

[Lucky Eddie]

So some advice on transport etc. for Alkmaar. I have booked two nights in Amsterdam, hotel in Dam square, and planning to train to match and back after. Those of you familiar with transport in that region please tell me this is ok?

Yes, I expect most Villa fans will do similar.
It’s a good train service from Amsterdam Central Station to Alkmaar and back… and there will be buses laid on to get to the ground and then back to the station after. Trains back to Amsterdam run until half past midnight and you can book tickets in advance on Trainline.

Is that buses to and from the ground info definite DeKuip? As I said yesterday the stadium is a pain in the arse to get to if you’re not in a coach or driving. I agree with Ads as well that if we get treated like the Poles did we’ll be picking tickets up in The Hague and trying to get to Alkmaar after that. Anyone heard anything from the club on whether it’ll be a Hibs style ticket pick up or Warsaw style send you a pdf?

It’s what they’ve done for other European games and makes sense that it’s much easier for the Dutch police to do that too, rather than having to monitor/escort a thousand foreigners on a long walk from the centre. From what I read for the Legia game there was some big anniversary event going on in the town centre that day so they made the meeting point at Den Haag’s ground and bussed the Legia fans in from there - the problem was that a lot of the polish fans ignored that and made their way directly to the ground.
West Ham fans six months ago were given a fanzone type meeting point 10 mins walk from Alkmaar Station and the free busses took them to the ground from there and then back to the station after.
The Dutch police will keep rivals fans away from each other from the moment they arrive in Alkmaar. If you go to Ajax as an away fan you get off the train straight into a cage for the away end.

DeKuip
Are ticketless fans likely to be allowed to travel from Amsterdam to Alkmaar?

I've read a statement supposedly from the Dutch Police saying not but didn't know if this was true.

Seems strange that a club/town enjoying their last twenty years in European Football are deemed not suitable to accommodate away fans wanting to enjoy the experience of European football.

[artvandelay]

Based on West Ham, anyone was allowed to travel to Alkmaar, however the bars in the city weren't allowed to show the game so they asked all West Ham fans to stay in Amsterdam and watch the game there.

Separately, it also appears that they sold beer in the away end which could be drank in view of the pitch.

[VillaTim]

it did end in a mad brawl you know

[AV82EC]

So some advice on transport etc. for Alkmaar. I have booked two nights in Amsterdam, hotel in Dam square, and planning to train to match and back after. Those of you familiar with transport in that region please tell me this is ok?

Yes, I expect most Villa fans will do similar.
It’s a good train service from Amsterdam Central Station to Alkmaar and back… and there will be buses laid on to get to the ground and then back to the station after. Trains back to Amsterdam run until half past midnight and you can book tickets in advance on Trainline.

Is that buses to and from the ground info definite DeKuip? As I said yesterday the stadium is a pain in the arse to get to if you’re not in a coach or driving. I agree with Ads as well that if we get treated like the Poles did we’ll be picking tickets up in The Hague and trying to get to Alkmaar after that. Anyone heard anything from the club on whether it’ll be a Hibs style ticket pick up or Warsaw style send you a pdf?

It’s what they’ve done for other European games and makes sense that it’s much easier for the Dutch police to do that too, rather than having to monitor/escort a thousand foreigners on a long walk from the centre. From what I read for the Legia game there was some big anniversary event going on in the town centre that day so they made the meeting point at Den Haag’s ground and bussed the Legia fans in from there - the problem was that a lot of the polish fans ignored that and made their way directly to the ground.
West Ham fans six months ago were given a fanzone type meeting point 10 mins walk from Alkmaar Station and the free busses took them to the ground from there and then back to the station after.
The Dutch police will keep rivals fans away from each other from the moment they arrive in Alkmaar. If you go to Ajax as an away fan you get off the train straight into a cage for the away end.

That’s great DeKuip thanks for the info much appreciated.

[Somniloquism]

Things to do in Mostar. Pack your trunks.

Wow…well done, brave girl.

She does it for a living so not really. Noticeable she changed from head-first to feet first right before landing which is the preferred when not sure of what is under the water. But Redbull sponsor her to free dive from around places and as Redbull seemed to have sponsored the bridge diving setup, she probably was assured it was "safe".

[Brazilian Villain]

She does it for a living so not really. Noticeable she changed from head-first to feet first right before landing which is the preferred when not sure of what is under the water. But Redbull sponsor her to free dive from around places and as Redbull seemed to have sponsored the bridge diving setup, she probably was assured it was "safe".

Do they sponsor her to free dive, or dive off bridges?

[Somniloquism]

Well she is/was a regular on their free diving channel including the same mostar jump so yes, I suspect some money did change hands for her to be filmed doing multiple jumps.

[NeilH]

I travelled around the Netherlands in the summer and used a public transport app called 9292 on my phone. Very useful for planning all public transport journeys. I never bought tickets once for trains, trams or buses as you can use a contactless card (even for inter city journeys). Remember to swipe off though.

Yep, 9292 is the standard app for travel, you can also use the ns app for the trains. It's a bloody long walk from the station to the stadium so jump on a No2 bus which will drop you a couple of minutes walk from the AFAS.
There is no need to pre-order tickets as you can tap in and out ''contactloos'' - Just don't forget the tap-out!

[kippaxvilla2]

Congratulations to Super John McGinn Scotland national team qualified for Euros in Germany.

[DeKuip]

DeKuip
Are ticketless fans likely to be allowed to travel from Amsterdam to Alkmaar?

Luckie Eddie - I don’t know the answer to that but would be surprised if anyone was checking match tickets in Amsterdam. They might even have to be collected at a meeting point in Alkmaar anyway.

[Bad English]

Noticeable she changed from head-first to feet first right before landing which is the preferred when not sure of what is under the water.

I used to share a house with a Swiss high-diver who  would dive off a 35 m platform into an above -ground pool. Entry was always feet first for safety reasons (risk of neck injuries etc ).