From Harry Styles to sc Heerenveen: The 24/7 job of field manager Roy

As the Ajax stadium celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend, we take a seat in the stands alongside Van Dijk. For a moment, he swaps the pitch for the grandstand. Looking out across the field, he reflects on his work, and that of his team, with satisfaction. In just a few days, they, together with countless colleagues at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, transformed the venue from a concert arena back into a football cathedral.

Van Dijk has hardly had a quiet summer. While major British and American artists brought thousands of music fans to Amsterdam, the Ajax stadium's field manager travelled to the United States. During the World Cup, he was one of the lead figures responsible for the pitch at Houston’s stadium, where the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 this summer.

Hi Roy, great to speak to you during such a busy period. As we sit here in the stands and you look at the pitch, what goes through your mind?

"This is the best view you can have. I love the Johan Cruijff ArenA."

The concert summer is over. The grey flooring has been replaced by a green pitch once again.

"For us, there are two seasons: the concert summer and the football season. As a groundsman, this is the period that really excites me. The concert summer brings many opportunities, but I love the smell of grass. This is one of the most challenging stadiums in Europe for us groundsmen when it comes to growing a living product."

"Once the mowing patterns are back, the pitch markings are in place and the nets are attached to the goals, I know that the season has begun."

Does your season begin the moment the final artist sings their last note?

"As soon as the concert infrastructure is dismantled, our work begins. It's immediately all hands on deck. Planning and preparation start straight away. We already know which pitch we'll be using next year. The logistical planning is always excellent as well, no matter how quickly a new pitch needs to be installed. It's a huge team effort, together with the Johan Cruijff ArenA."

You start early in the morning after the concert summer ends?

"We began at 08:00 on Monday morning after the final concerts. Six days later, Ajax played Burnley FC. From that Monday onwards, it became a process that continued 24/7. We had to deliver the pitch by 11:30 on the Sunday of the Burnley match. At 11:28, we handed it over."

"Nothing can go wrong. That means we have to perform every single time. The pitch has to be perfect. That's what makes it challenging. This is my fourteenth season, so we have complete confidence in the process by now."

Grass is a living product, which means your work never really stops?

"That's right, we never switch off. Whether I'm having a beer with my friends or standing on the pitch at my local amateur club, I'm thinking about the turf in the Johan Cruijff ArenA."

"We use a huge amount of data. There are sensors throughout the soil, in the lighting systems and even in the roof. If I check the dashboard on a Saturday evening and see that one corner is becoming dry, I'll irrigate it. It has to be done there and then. If Ajax are playing the next day, I can't wait until Sunday. That would be too late."

The Johan Cruijff ArenA celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. In its early years, the pitch was a frequent topic of discussion. Not anymore.

"When I go to birthday parties, people still ask me how many pitches we lay each year. It's a great feeling to have been able to say for years now that we only install one."

So if nobody is talking about the pitch, you've done your job properly?

"Exactly. We're not looking for compliments. We simply want to do things well. Good is the standard. That's the level we work at, and fortunately we have the resources, knowledge and manpower to achieve it. We're grateful to have all of that at our disposal."

To me, grass is just grass. Is there really a whole world behind it?

"Absolutely. In the past, clubs bought a pitch and that was that. There was no data and no technology. The industry is booming. Players and coaches have high demands. There's a lot involved."

A few years ago you travelled to Australia to expand your knowledge. How valuable was that?

"Enormously valuable. I started out as an intern at fifteen and knew straight away that this was what I wanted to do. I realised that working in the Johan Cruijff ArenA couldn't be learned from books alone because of the stadium's complexity."

"In the summer of 2023, I flew to Australia. I wanted to learn more about different grass types, stadiums and products. I visited Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. During that time, I worked at the World Cup and made contact with FIFA."

That eventually took you to the World Cup in the United States this summer. What was that like?

"The World Cup was unique. I had one objective: to make sure the Houston pitch was perfect. The Netherlands played Sweden there and won 5-1. It was an indoor stadium with air conditioning. I spent eight or nine weeks there every day, making sure everything was right."

I imagine your expertise was particularly valuable because you also work in a covered stadium here?

"That's correct. Houston already had a pitch manager, but they couldn't be there every day. FIFA therefore looked for someone else. The same type of grass used in the Johan Cruijff ArenA was used there, and they worked with identical machinery and lighting systems. That's how they found me."

"I'm very grateful that the Johan Cruijff ArenA trusted me enough to spend eight weeks in America. It was the right moment for me to do it."

And once back in the Netherlands, it was straight back to work?

"Absolutely. I'm incredibly proud of my team. Even now, the lads are out there mowing the pitch so it's ready for Ajax against sc Heerenveen. We work 24/7. The coach at my amateur club knows that too. If something needs attention on the pitch on a Tuesday, then that's where I'll be. Work comes first."

"The team consists of four full-time staff, including myself. Everyone is flexible and understands what's required. When you see the pitch looking fantastic on television during UEFA Conference League qualifiers after such a busy period, it brings enormous satisfaction. Then you mow and mark the pitch with a smile."

"I'm also extremely pleased with the communication between the Johan Cruijff ArenA and Ajax. The stadium's facilities manager understands exactly what is needed for a top-quality pitch. That relationship is very important. This is where players have to perform."

How do you maintain the pitch during the current warm conditions?

"The roof is currently closed, leaving a ten-metre gap. That helps keep the heat out. If the sun shines directly onto the pitch, temperatures can rise by five to eight degrees and the grass can burn. By leaving the roof partially open, it may become slightly more humid, but direct sunlight is prevented from reaching the grass, keeping soil temperatures consistent across the entire pitch."

"The longest day of the year has already passed. Every day, the sun sits slightly lower on the horizon, which makes things a little more challenging. Fortunately, the grow lights we use here work brilliantly."

Finally, how does it work when a new coach arrives and perhaps has different preferences regarding the pitch?

"Not much changes for us when it comes to maintenance, because we're always striving to meet a certain quality standard. We know what we can offer Ajax. Coaches don't come to us asking to cut the grass longer or shorter because of a particular opponent. However, good communication with players and coaches remains important. We always want to know how they experience the pitch."

This Sunday, we'll simply be watching Ajax versus sc Heerenveen on a beautifully prepared playing surface. We now know just how much work goes into getting it ready for a new season.

"Visitors don't always realise everything that happens between two matches. And that doesn't just apply to me, but to the entire Johan Cruijff ArenA and Ajax organisation."

"Even after Ajax's final home match against FC Utrecht last season, the pitch was immediately covered. I was still so switched on after the season that it took me two weeks to get used to the fact that there was nothing for me to do because the concert season had started."

"Out of habit, I kept opening the dashboard to check whether any areas needed watering. We can monitor and control so much here. I have enormous respect for all the field managers across the Netherlands who don't have access to the same facilities we enjoy at the Johan Cruijff ArenA."