NEC Nijmegen are the tenants of the 12,470-capacity venue.
On 19 October 1983 NEC played a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup match against FC Barcelona, still seen as the most important match ever played in the Goffert stadium.
The stadium was rebuilt into a modern facility with all seats covered and heated; the catering facilities were also updated. The first home match in the new stadium took place in September 1999. The grand re-opening was on 25 January 2000.
One of the main changes was situating the spectators closer to the playing ground. The goal was to give the renovated stadium an improved atmosphere and the players a better interaction with the crowd.
The playing ground and the rest of the stadium are separated from each other by a promenade which is situated under the spectators’ seats. This promenade has a double function: It prevents supporters from entering the playing ground while at the same time containing food and beverage outlets as well as bathrooms.
A specially constructed space under the playing ground can store heat to warm up the playing ground, so that matches can still take place during winter.
In November 2007 the board of NEC and the city of Nijmegen presented new plans for De Goffert. The capacity is intended to be increased to 20,000 and the stadium will be placed largely underground inside a large hill.[1] This hill will also serve as a home for basketball (Matrixx Magixx), judo and other sports, creating a 'House of Topsports'. The strange, but innovative, design is needed because the city will not allow the stadium to grow in height because of the Goffert Park, which is a protected nature-site.
^"Nieuwe Goffert wordt een 'Topsport- en Innovatiepark'". De Gelderlander. 12 January 2009. De bouw van een nieuw Goffertstadion moet vanaf nu in een stroomversnelling komen. Burgemeester en wethouders van Nijmegen buigen zich binnenkort over de zogenaamde intentieverklaring voor de bouw van een 'Topsport- en Innovatiepark'
