Who are yer? NAC Breda
NAC Breda are one of the mainstays of the Dutch top flight. They've had the odd flirtation with the second division but more often than not they have been competing with the big boys.
Despite this, success has been few and far between. It's back to the 1920s for a league title, while a solitary cup victory dates back to 1973. However, there have been forays into Europe after high finishes and one of these saw them play Newcastle in the early noughties.
Although the success hasn't always been there, the NAC Breda fans are famous for their passionate support, named the Rats, and a trip to Breda is always a lively affair. It dates back to the seventies when the club decided to play on Saturday evenings, and it proved a big hit.
Flying the flag: And yes, one is upside down!
Where do you come from? Rat Verlegh Stadion
On the walk up, the stadium looks pretty big. It's fairly open around it – with a dual carriageway one side, and various business park offices a long goal kick away so it's quite an impressive block on the landscape.
Inside, however, it's more compact than you would imagine. And that's a good thing, as it means a tight, close to the pitch feel which created a cracking atmosphere on my visit there.
Inside there are four stands, with the corners blocked to enhance the enclosed feel. The main stand is to one side (furthest from you when you approach the stadium from the city) and that is th eonly two tier affair in the stadium, with a small upper section.
To the left of the main stand is what is the main home end, with seats down both sides and a strip of terracing in the middle.
The main man: The main stand.
It's the same at the other end, with seats and terracing for home fans while the visitors are boxed in at the back right hand corner of the stand, watching the game through perspex glass. There are no half measures on security – huge metal barriers outside the stadium ensure rival supporters never get the chance to know each other.
It holds 19,000 and is on the way to being full for most games.
We're on our way: Getting to the stadium
The stadium is around a 30 minute walk from the main train station. Your best option if you're going from the station is to hop on a bus. Buses 2 and 12 make the journey to the stadium, it takes ten minutes or so. Buses leave to the left of the station as you exit, not the bus station on the right.
You can buy tickets at the bus ticket office inside the train station (it's next to the train ticket office). If that's shut, you can pay on board although the drivers don't seem too fussed about this.
If you are in the city centre it is a 20 minute walk from the old town so you may opt to put your best foot forward. You need to leave the main centre by the Haven (Harbour). Cross the canal, the bear right along the canal along Nieuwe Prinsenkade. Before you cross another canal turn left along Nijverheidssingel until you reach the next river crossing. Go over that, and follow the road Lunetstraat straight ahead. The stadium is 800 yards ahead on the left hand side.
There it is: The stadium as you approach it from the city centre.
After the game, I found buses few and far between (maybe because it was a Sunday) so I walked. Head right along the dual carriageway to the end, then cross straight over, over the canal, bear left and at the end turn right. You will soon see the Haven and centre ahead of you.
If you are walking from the station, it may be marginally quicker to avoid the city centre. Exit the station, turn right and walk to the end of Spoorstraat when you meet the main ring road. Turn right, and follow this round until you reach Lunetstraat – turn right. In reverse, go left at the end of Lunetstraat and you won't go far wrong.
Who ate all the pies? Eating and drinking
There is a supporters bar at the stadium but there is precious little else in the vicinity.
There was no beer on sale inside the stadium on my visit – although it was deemed a 'high risk' game and the shutters come down on alcohol mighty hard for those games. There's the usual selection on offer. Be aware that the stadium has a card payment system – look out for the people in white selling and topping up cards on the concourses.
Further away there is one small home fans bar 400 yards down Lunetstraat towards the town. I saw another lively place on the number 2 bus route. But frankly you are probably better off in the city centre where there are no shortage of options (see Breda guide).
O'Mearas is the town's Irish bar, a very cosy and friendly place just underneath the cathedral at one end of the main square. Live sport is shown there, although not always.
Bag a souvenir: Club store
The main club shop is on the side of the stadium adjacent to the dual carriageway, and there's a reasonable amount of yellow and black merchandise to lay your hands on. If you want to take a peek, here's the online store here: www.nacbredastore.nl
Get buying: The club shop, with the information desk to the right.
Bag a seat: Buying a ticket
The stadium isn't always full, but that is often nearly the case so you need to make arrangements in advance. Even more so if the game has been deemed high-risk, as there are no tickets on sale on the day (as the two international visitors in the queue in front of me found to their cost) and no amount of pleading will get you in.
If you contact the club they can reserve a seat for you which you need to collect from the Information Desk next to the club shop before the game. Note it can get busy in the hour before kick off so allow some time for this, and make sure you take your passport as they will want to see it. You must pay in cash too.
I bagged a ticket in the 'i' section, which is below the away supporters and next to some lively home fans. So pretty good really! That is based on the other side of the ground, so go uo and round to get to it.
As ever, getting tickets in the Netherlands can be a slightly fiddly business so check out the packages available from our official provider below.