Alkmaar take 'drastic steps'

AZ Alkmaar have announced a series of measures designed to alleviate their debt and ensure they secure a playing licence from the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) for next season.

'Drastic steps'
The KNVB's licensing committee recently gave Alkmaar a temporary conditional licence for next season, which will be withdrawn should the club fail to meet certain criteria by 6 June. In order to guarantee that they reach the targets, the club have taken what they call three "drastic steps" to cut the budget to the minimum required to play top-flight football.

Salary cut
The first is to ask their current sponsors to increase their contributions by €500,000; the second is to get the players to accept a 30 per cent reduction in their salaries; and the final one is to ask the City of Alkmaar for a temporary loan, although no figure was mentioned.

Hearings and appeals
Alkmaar's financial troubles stem from continuing problems with their new Kooimeerplaza stadium. They hoped to have the venue ready for the start of next season but a series of hearings and appeals - which are finally over - means that they will have to wait until at least the 2005/06 campaign to move home.

Title success
The club are the only team outside the traditional big three of AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV Eindhoven to have won the Dutch title in the last 40 years, having done so in 1981.