Gemeentelijk Sportpark Kaalheide

Juliana ( Kerkrade, 1952-1954 ) Rapid'54 ( Heerlen, 1954) Rapid JC ( Heerlen, 1954-1962 ) Roda JC ( Kerkrade, 1962-2000 )

The Municipal Sports Park Kerkrade ( ' Kaalheide ') ( in Dutch: Gemeentelijk Sports Park Kerkrade [' Kaalheide ']) is a football stadium with track and field facility in the district Spekholzerheide the Dutch town of Kerkrade. It was commissioned in the early 1950s and reached up to 21,500 spectators.

History

Construction of the stadium began in 1946. Former members of the NSB were committed as prisoners after the war for the removal of the former garbage dump and excavation of the site. The crews of the sports club Juliana from Spekholzerheide were from 1952, the first users of the sports park. As the club fell into arrears two years later with the rents, the city administration of the site and the newly established professional club Rapid'54 from Heerlen referred him moved into the Sports Park Kaalheide. After the merger of the KNVB with the professional association NBVB Rapid'54 merged with Juliana Juliana for Rapid Combinatie shortly Rapid JC, which was established as a top-flight club in Kaalheide to 1962 and in the 1955/56 season won the Dutch championship.

After re- merger in 1962 - from Rapid JC and Roda Sport Roda JC was born - the club was first in the Eerste Divisie and until 1971 in the third league match at home. Even after the uprisings in 1971 and 1973 in the Eerste Divisie Eredivisie Roda JC here wore its home games - on August 8, 1975 for the first time under the lights, which with a friendly match against Liverpool Rodas before 17,000 spectators ( Result: 1-1) was put into operation. From the late 1970s, the seating capacity of 650 originally was extended to 2000.

In the season 1999/2000 Roda JC took leave of Kaalheide, where the club had played twice quarter-finals in the European Cup Winners' Cup. The last match was on 14 May 2000, the 3-2 league victory against AZ Alkmaar. Roda JC played since then in the newly built Parkstad Limburg Stadium. The sports park Kaalheide initially served as a training ground for the further Roda professionals and for football matches of other teams of the Association; besides, he was home for the athletes of Achilles top. The main stand was renovated in 2004; the covered standing terrace was demolished in 2005 due to the poor condition of the roof.