Go Ahead Eagles enhances professional standards.

Go Ahead Eagles enhances professional standards. With a modest role for Ed Controls.

Go Ahead Eagles, the Deventer football club with a rich history and loyal fan base, is elevating its professional standards. Various construction projects within De Adelaarshorst, the glorious stadium, bring new opportunities for the footballers, the spectators, the press and all other parties involved. In these projects, Ed Controls also plays a role. A modest role, but an important one nevertheless. 

On the eve of the 2024 European Championship, Go Ahead Eagles can already celebrate all the completed and upcoming construction projects. About the various construction projects within the stadium, we speak to Willem Jan Huisman, who handled the construction management. ‘With the realised improvements, the club offers people even more value for money,’ he says.

Expansion

The development of the infrastructure at Adelaarshorst has been underway for quite some time. For instance, the expansion of the main stand was already completed in April 2024. ‘This has now been completed in more detail,’ explains Willem Jan. "A business lounge has been built on the right side and on the other side the seating capacity has been increased, and a command centre has been realised. This is where the various emergency services such as police, fire brigade and the municipality can optimally supervise during the matches for safe proceedings. This space becomes the eye of the match, so to speak. In addition, a multifunctional players’ room has been built on the first floor. Here, the board and players of both sides can be received during matches. When there are no matches, the Go Ahead players can enjoy the same facilities. A new room on the ground floor serves as a museum, while during the week players and coaches meet here to analyse the matches. Around matches, press conferences and post-match interviews are held here."

Complex project

The main contractor for the renovation and new construction was Van Wijnen, while Willem Jan supervised the project. "We started in September last year and delivered this phase on 30 April. I mainly used Ed Controls to record a lot of things at the beginning and during the project. This is particularly useful because we were working with different parties and the elaboration of the plan was quite complicated in practice. It is, of course, a special project and not a standard residential house. That means that some improvisations had to be made here and there during the project. In those situations, it is very nice that I can record certain details with Ed Controls during the various phases. In a way, I did my own quality assurance with the app".

Advantage

Willem Jan has been using Ed Controls since 2014. "In projects, I am often involved at the beginning in things like feasibility and plan development. If I have a drawing, I upload it into Ed Controls, and then I walk on site. The photos I then take of the existing situation are great to use in that preliminary process. For example, it was very useful when I did the construction management of the construction of 285 flats in Harderwijk. Main contractor Nijenhuis Bouw also uses Ed Controls, so it was very easy to coordinate with each other. Last year I also used it on a project, where the investment company was my direct client. It was important for them to regularly report the state of affairs to the bank in connection with financing requirements. Then it's just super handy to walk past some points with Ed Controls, shoot some pictures of the status and then send them on. You can use Ed Controls in a lot of ways."

‘You can use Ed Controls in lots of ways’

A celebration

At the Deventer football stadium, Van Wijnen did about 80 per cent of all the work and the rest was carried out by various business partners. Willem Jan explains that he has a list of items during pre-delivery. "For example, I record parts of the work done by Van Wijnen. If another party then damages something, for example, I can very easily prove that this was not done by Van Wijnen. And prior to the final delivery, I go through all the points again. That way, we only have to walk through them, and we can have a nice cup of coffee. Delivery should be a party, right?"

To the top

Meanwhile, the further upgrade of Go Ahead Eagles continues. ‘We have just started the next plan,’ says Willem Jan. ‘This includes converting the old players’ lounge into rooms for the trainers, where they can hold professional meetings and consultations. Plans are also in the works, including new stands on the long and short sides, with extra seating. This is a multi-year project, so that the club and its loyal supporters can aim even better at the top of the Eredivisie."