Ajax is also one of four teams to win the continental treble and theIntercontinental Cup orClub World Cup in the same season/calendar year;[5] this was achieved in the 1971–72 season.[6] Ajax is one of five clubs to have won all three major UEFA club competitions.[7] They have also won the Intercontinental Cup twice, the1991–92 UEFA Cup, as well as theKarl Rappan Cup, a predecessor of theUEFA Intertoto Cup in 1962.[8] Ajax plays at theJohan Cruyff Arena, which opened as the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996 and was renamed in 2018. They previously played atDe Meer Stadion and theAmsterdam Olympic Stadium (for international matches). Throughout their history, Ajax have cultivated a reputation for scouting, spotting and developing young talent, and have remained focused on developing ayouth system.[9]
Ajax was founded inAmsterdam on 18 March 1900. The club achieved promotion to the highest level of Dutch football in 1911 and had its first major success in 1917, winning theKNVB Beker, the Netherlands' national cup. Thefollowing season, Ajax becamenational champion for the first time. The club defended its title in1918–19, becoming the only team to achieve an unbeaten season in the Netherlands Football League Championship.[10]
Throughout the 1920s, Ajax was a strong regional power, winning the Eerste Klasse West division in 1921, 1927 and 1928, but could not maintain its success at the national level. This changed in the 1930s, with the club winning five national championships (1931,1932,1934,1937,1939), making it the most successful Dutch team of the decade. Ajax won its second KNVB Cup in 1942–43, and an eighth Dutch title in1946–47, the last season the club was managed by EnglishmanJack Reynolds, who, up to this point, had overseen all of its national championship successes as well as its 1917 KNVB Cup win.[11][12]
In 1956, thefirst season of the Netherlands' new professional league, theEredivisie, was played with Ajax participating as a founding member. The Amsterdam club became the first national champions under the new format and made its debut in theEuropean Champion Clubs' Cup thefollowing year, losing to Hungarian championsVasas SC 6–2 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage. The team was againEredivisie champions in1960 and won a third KNVB Cup in 1961.[13]
Johan Cruyff played at Ajax from 1959 to 1973, and from 1981 to 1983, winning 3 European Cups; his No. 14 is the only squad number Ajax has ever retired. Cruyff came back to manage the club from 1985 to 1988.AgainstPanathinaikos in the1971 European Cup Final
In 1965,Rinus Michels, who had played for the club between 1946 and 1958, was appointed manager of Ajax, implementing his philosophy ofTotal Football which was to become synonymous with both Ajax and theNetherlands national team.[14][15] A year earlier,Johan Cruyff, who would go on to become widely regarded as the greatest Dutch footballer of all time, made his debut.[16] Between them, Michels and Cruyff led Ajax through the most successful period in its history, winning sevenEredivisie titles, four KNVB Cups and threeEuropean Cups.
Ajax won the Dutch championship in1966,1967 and1968, and reached the1969 European Cup final, losing toMilan. During the 1966–67 season, Ajax scored a record 122 goals in anEredivisie season and also won the KNVB Cup to achieve its first league and cupdouble. In1969–70, Ajax won a fourth Dutch league championship and second league and cup double in five seasons, winning 27 out of 34 league matches and scoring 100 goals.[17]
In1976–77, Ajax won its first domestic championship in four seasons and recorded a double of theEredivisie andKNVB Cup two years later.
The early 1980s saw the return of Cruyff to the club, as well as the emergence of young playersMarco van Basten andFrank Rijkaard. The team won back-to-backEredivisie titles in1982 and1983, with all three playing a significant role in the latter. After Cruyff's sale to rivalsFeyenoord in 1983, van Basten became Ajax's key player, top scoring in theEredivisie for four seasons between1983–84 and1986–87.[19]
Cruijff, seen here withvan Basten andRijkaard, returned as manager in 1985.
In 1985, Cruyff returned to Ajax as manager and the team endedhis first season in charge with 120 goals from 34 matches. However, Ajax still finished as runner-up toPSV by eight points. The following season, Ajax again lost out on the Eredivisie title to PSV, but won theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup, its first continental trophy in 14 years. After this, Cruyff left the club to become manager of Barcelona and Rijkaard and van Basten were sold toSporting CP and Milan respectively. Despite these losses, Ajax reached a second consecutive Cup Winners' Cup final in1988, where they lost to Belgian clubKV Mechelen.[20]
After the sale of Bergkamp toInternazionale in 1993, van Gaal re-signed the experienced Rijkaard to complement his young Ajax team featuring academy graduatesFrank andRonald de Boer,Edwin van der Sar,Clarence Seedorf,Edgar Davids,Michael Reiziger andWinston Bogarde, as well as mercurial foreign talentsFinidi George,Nwankwo Kanu andJari Litmanen, and veteran captainDanny Blind.[22] The team regained the Dutch championship in1993–94, and won it again in1994–95 and1995–96 to become the first Ajax side to win three back-to-back championships since 1968. The height of van Gaal's success came in 1994–95, where Ajax became the first, and to date only, team to complete an entireEredivisie season unbeaten.[23] The team also won its first European Cup since its 1970s era, defeating Milan in the1995 UEFA Champions League final 1–0, with the winning goal scored by 18-year-oldPatrick Kluivert. Ajax again reachedthe final one year later, and was defeated on penalties byJuventus.
Ajax's return as a European force was short-lived, as van Gaal and several members of the squad soon departed to some of the continent's biggest clubs. The 2000s was a lean decade for the club, with only twoEredivisie championships won. However, Ajax's academy continued to produce star players such asWesley Sneijder andRafael van der Vaart.
In 2010, Frank de Boer was appointed manager of Ajax and led the club to its first league title in seven years, and record 30th title overall, in the2010–11 season. This was followed by back-to-back wins in2011–12 and2012–13 to match his three consecutive titles as a player in the 1990s. In2013–14, Ajax was againEredivisie champions, winning four consecutive league titles for the first time in club history.[24] After finishing as runner-up to PSV in both2014–15 and2015–16, de Boer resigned as Ajax head coach in May 2016.[25]
Peter Bosz took over the club and led them to the2017 UEFA Europa League final, their first European final in 21 years. They lost toManchester United with a lineup that was the youngest ever in a European final, averaging an age of 22 years and 282 days.[26] For the third consecutive season, they finished runner-up in theEredivisie, this time toFeyenoord.
The2018–19 season for Ajax involved a remarkable run in theUEFA Champions League. Due to their runner-up finish in the2017–18 Eredivisie, Ajax entered the tournament in the second qualifying round. After successive victories againstSturm Graz,Standard Liège andDynamo Kyiv, they qualified for the group stage. Ajax was drawn in a group with German championsBayern Munich, Portuguese sideBenfica and Greek championsAEK Athens. Ajax finished runner-up in this group, qualifying for the knockout stages, where it was drawn against three-time defending championsReal Madrid. After losing 1–2 in the first leg, they defeated Real Madrid 4–1 in the away match, stunning the defending champions in their own stadium, theSantiago Bernabéu, with an aggregate score of 5–3.[27]Dušan Tadić was awarded a perfect score of 10 byL'Équipe following the match.[28]
Thus, Ajax progressed to the quarter-finals and was drawn with Italian championsJuventus. In the first leg in theJohan Cruyff Arena, they drew 1–1. In the second leg at theJuventus Stadium, Ajax came from behind to win 2–1 and 3–2 on aggregate.Matthijs de Ligt scored the winning goal for Ajax to help the team advance to its first Champions League semi-final since1997.[29] There, they would face English sideTottenham Hotspur.
In the first leg of the semi-final, Ajax beat Tottenham 1–0 away from home.[30] In the second leg, Ajax scored twice in the first half to generate a 3–0 lead on aggregate. However, in the second half,Lucas Moura scored three times, including in the 6th minute of added time, resulting in Ajax losing via theaway goals rule.[31]
Ajax was in first place on goal difference when theEredivisie was declared void, preventing them being Dutch champions for the 35th time, but still qualified for the2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[32]
In this, it was eliminated again, but in 2021 it reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League. It was eliminated against AS Roma. That season, it again won both the national title and the KNVB Cup.
In the2021-22 season, Ajax again became champion of the Netherlands. It had to give up the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruijff Shield to competitor PSV because it came out on the losing end in both finals. In European terms, Ajax achieved first place in the Champions League group, all six matches were won, mostly by a wide margin. After the winter break, Ajax was narrowly eliminated in the eighth finals by the Portuguese Benfica Lisboa (Lisbon) (2–2 away, 0–1 at home).[33]
As of 1 July 2022,Alfred Schreuder succeeded Erik ten Hag, who left for Manchester United, as Ajax's coach. Most of the key players from previous seasons left during the summer transfer period, but there was also a lot of reinvestment. Ajax started the 2022/23 season relatively well with six consecutive victories in the Eredivisie. But Ajax was eliminated from the Champions League quite quickly in a group with Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers. At home against Napoli on 4 October 2022, they even lost by 5 goals (1–6), Ajax's biggest defeat ever in European competition. After seven consecutive matches without a win, head coach Alfred Schreuder was dismissed.John Heitinga succeeded Schreuder as interim manager. Under Heitinga, Ajax failed to turn things around despite a good start, with seven wins in a row. Ajax finished third in the Eredivisie, behind champions Feyenoord and runners-up PSV. This was the club's lowest ranking since the 2008/09 season, in which it also finished third. After the winter break, Ajax was eliminated in the first knockout phase of the Europa League by Union Berlin (3–1). Ajax did reach the final of the KNVB Cup, but lost to PSV on penalties (3–2).
On 19 May 2023,Sven Mislintat took over as Ajax's sports director. He succeeded Marc Overmars, who left in early 2022. Mislintat appointedMaurice Steijn as head coach. Mislintat spent approximately 111 million euros on transfers. Ajax had its worst start to the season in fifty-nine years. On 29 October 2023, Ajax reached a historic low. Ajax lost 5–2 to PSV in Eindhoven. This put Ajax in last place, 18th place in the Eredivisie, for the first time since the club was founded.
The position of director Mislintat became an embarrassment after it emerged that he had arranged a transfer through a player agent who was an investor in his company. In the evening of 24 September, Mislintat was fired with immediate effect; among other things, a lack of broad support within the club was one of the reasons. A day after the loss against PSV, it was announced thatJohn van 't Schip would become the head coach until the end of the season. Under the leadership of Van 't Schip, Ajax managed to climb to fifth place in the Eredivisie. In the Europa League, Ajax finished third, which meant a place in the next season's Conference League, where it eventually lost to Aston Villa in the round of 16. In the cup, Ajax was eliminated 3–2 by the third division amateurs of USV Hercules.
In the summer of 2024, a rebuild began, with a new board of directors andAlex Kroes andMarijn Beuker as Technical Director and Director of Football. They hiredFrancesco Farioli as new head coach, the first foreign coach since 1998. Under his leadership, Ajax reached the league phase of the Europa League, where it finished eleventh. On 9 February 2025, Ajax finished the weekend on the first place for the first time since November 2022. Ajax would end the season second to PSV, despite being nine points clear of their rivals with five matches to go.[34] Due to the late collapse that cost them the title and escalating tensions over transfers, tactics and finances, Farioli decided to leave Ajax on 19 May 2025.[35]
Due to mutual agreements with foreign clubs, the youth academy has also signed foreign players as teenagers before making first team debuts, such as Belgian defensive trioJan Vertonghen,Toby Alderweireld andThomas Vermaelen along with wingerTom De Mul, all of whom are full internationals, as well as Dutch internationalVurnon Anita andJavier Martina, representingCuraçao.
Ajax has also expanded its talent searching programme toSouth Africa withAjax Cape Town. Ajax Cape Town was set up with the help of Rob Moore. Ajax has also had a satellite club in the United States under the nameAjax America, until it filed for bankruptcy. There are some youth players from Ajax Cape Town that have been drafted into theEredivisie squad, such as South African internationalsSteven Pienaar andThulani Serero and Cameroonian internationalEyong Enoh.
In 1995, the year Ajax won theUEFA Champions League, the Netherlands national team was almost entirely composed of Ajax players, with van der Sar in goal; players such as Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer and Danny Blind in defence; Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield; and Patrick Kluivert andMarc Overmars in attack.[37]
In 2011, Ajax opened its first youth academies outside the Netherlands when the club partnered up with George Kazianis and All Star Consultancy in Greece to open theAjax Hellas Youth Academy. The offices are based inNea Smyrni,Attica, with the main training facility located on the island ofCorfu, hosting a total of 15 football youth academies throughout Greece and Cyprus. Eddie van Schaik heads the organization as coach and consultant, introducing the Ajax football philosophy at the various Greek football training camps.[38][39]
In 2016, Ajax launched the ACA (Ajax Coaching Academy) with the intention of sharing knowledge, and setting up a variety of camps and clinics for both players and coaches.[40]
Ajax's first stadium was built in 1911 out of wood and was calledHet Houten Stadion (English: The Wooden Stadium). Ajax later also played in theOlympic Stadium built for the1928 Summer Olympics hosted inAmsterdam. This stadium, designed byJan Wils, is known in Dutch ashet Olympisch Stadion. In 1934, Ajax moved toDe Meer Stadion in east Amsterdam, close to the location of Het Houten Stadion. It was designed by architect and Ajax-memberDaan Roodenburgh, who had also designed the club's first stadium. It could accommodate 29,500 spectators and Ajax continued to play there until 1996. For big European and national fixtures, the club would often play at the Olympic Stadium, which could accommodate about twice the number of spectators.
In 1996, Ajax moved to a new home ground in the southeast of the city known as the Amsterdam Arena, since 2018 known as theJohan Cruyff Arena. This stadium was built by the Amsterdam city authority at a cost of $134 million. The stadium is capable of holding 55,865 spectators. The Arena has a retractable roof and set a trend for other modern stadiums built in Europe in the following years. In the Netherlands, the Arena earned a reputation for a terrible grass pitch caused by the removable roof that, even when open, takes away too much sunlight and fresh air. During the 2008–09 season, ground staff introduced an artificial lighting system that finally reduced this problem considerably.
The much-loved former stadium, De Meer Stadion, was torn down in 1996 and the land was sold to the city council. A residential neighbourhood now occupies the area. The only thing left of the old stadium are the letters "AJAX", which nowadays is in place on the façade of the entrance at the Johan Cruyff Arena. A replica of the same letters are atDe Toekomst, near the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Crest and colours
Crest
In 1900, when the club was founded, the emblem of Ajax was just a picture of an Ajax player. The crest was slightly altered following the club's promotion to the top division in 1911 to match the club's new outfits. In 1928, the club logo was introduced with the head of theGreek heroAjax. The logo was once again changed in 1990 into an abstract version of the previous one. The new logo still sports the portrait of Ajax, but drawn with just 11 lines, symbolizing the 11 players of a football team.[41] On 17 November 2024, Ajax announced on its official website that the classic logo of 1928 will return for the 2025–26 season, making a comeback after 34 years.[42]
Crest of Ajax (1928–1991, 2021–2022, 2025–present)
Ajax originally played in an all-black strip with a red sash tied around the players' waists, but that strip was soon replaced by a red/white striped shirt and black shorts. Red, black and white are the three colours of theflag of Amsterdam. Under managerJack Kirwan, however, the club earned promotion to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in 1911 (then theEerste Klasse or 'First Class', later named theEredivisie), Ajax was forced to change its colours becauseSparta Rotterdam already had exactly the same outfit. Special kits for away fixtures did not exist at the time and according to football association regulations the newcomers had to change their colours if two teams in the same league had identical uniforms. Ajax opted for white shorts and white shirt with a broad, vertical red stripe over chest and back, which still is Ajax's outfit.
AFC Ajax is the only Dutch club with aninitial public offering (IPO). The club is registered as aNaamloze vennootschap (N.V.) listed on the stock exchangeEuronext Amsterdam, since 17 May 1998. With a launch price of ƒ25,- (Guilders) the club managed to a bring its total revenue up to €54 million (converted) in its first year on the market.[43] After short-lived success, however, the rate dropped, at one point as low as €3.50. Criticism was brought forth that the legal grid for a naamloze vennootschap would not be suitable for a Football club, and that the sports related ambitions would suffer from the new commercial interests of the now listed Ajax. Shares of the company in the year 2008 were valued at approximately €5.90 per share.[44]
In 2008, a Commission under guidance of honorary member Uri Coronel concluded that theIPO was of no value to the club, and that measures should be taken to exit the stock exchange by purchasing back all public shares.[45] Ajax remain on the stock exchange.[46]
Sponsorship
2011 AFC Ajax team wearing its home kit by adidas with the AEGON sponsor across the chest, ahead of its UEFA Champions League match against Olympique Lyonnais.
Ajax's shirts have beensponsored byTDK from 1982 to 1991, and byABN AMRO from 1991 to 2008.AEGON then replaced ABN AMRO as the new head sponsor for a period of seven years.[47] On 1 April 2007, Ajax wore a different sponsor for the match againstHeracles Almelo,Florius. Florius is a banking programme launched by ABN AMRO who wanted it to be the shirt sponsor for one match.
The shirts have been manufactured byLe Coq Sportif (1973–1977),Puma (1977–1979),[48] Cor du Buy (1979–1980), Le Coq Sportif (1980–1984),[49]Kappa (1985–1989)[50] andUmbro (1989–2000) in the past, and byAdidas since 2000 (until at least 2025).[51][52]
At the conclusion of the2013–14 season, Ajax won the Football shirt of the Year award for its black and rose colored away shirt by Adidas. The annual award was presented by Subside Sports, which had previously given the award toInternazionale, Juventus and theBelgium national team. It was Ajax's first time winning the award.[53]
On 7 November 2014, it was announced that Ajax had agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract worth €8 million annually with Dutch cable operating companyZiggo as the new shirt sponsor for the club.[54] Having extended its contract with AEGON for half a season until December, the club featuredFonds Gehandicaptensport, a charitable fund for handicapped sports on its away shirts for a six-month period before transitioning to Ziggo in 2015.[55]
Jong Ajax (formerly more commonly known as Ajax 2) is the reserve team of AFC Ajax. The team is composed mostly of professional footballers, who are often recent graduates from the highest youth level (Ajax A1) serving their first professional contract as a reserve, or players who are otherwise unable to play in the first team.[58]
Since 1992, Jong Ajax has competed in theBeloften Eredivisie, competing against other reserve teams such asJong PSV,Jong Groningen orJong AZ. They have won the BeloftenEredivisie title a record eight times, as well as theKNVB Reserve Cup three times, making them the most successful reserve squad in the Netherlands. By winning the Beloften Eredivisie title, Jong Ajax was able to qualify for the actual KNVB Cup, even advancing to the semi-finals on three occasions. Its best result in the Dutch Cup was under managerJan Olde Riekerink in 2001–02, when a semi-final loss toUtrecht in aPenalty shoot-out after extra time, which saw Utrecht advance, and thus preventing an Ajax–Jong Ajax Dutch Cup final.[59]
The 2013–14 season marked theJupiler League debut of the Ajax reserves' squad, Jong Ajax.[60] Previously playing in the Beloften Eredivisie (a separate league for reserve teams, not included in the Dutch professional or amateur league structure), players were allowed to move around freely between the reserve team and the first team during the season.[61] This is no longer the case as Jong Ajax now registers and fields a separate squad from that of Ajax first team for the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of professional football in the Netherlands. Its home matches are played at Sportpark De Toekomst, except for the occasional match in the Johan Cruyff Arena. Now regarded a semi-professional team in its own respect, the only period in which players are able to move between squads are during the transfer windows, unless the player has made less than 15 appearances for the first team, then he is still eligible to appear in both first team and second team matches during the season.[62] Furthermore, the team is not eligible for promotion to theEredivisie or to participate in the KNVB Cup. Jong Ajax was joined in the Eerste Divisie byJong Twente and Jong PSV, reserve teams who have also moved from the BeloftenEredivisie to the Eerste Divisie, in place ofVV Katwijk,SC Veendam andAGOVV Apeldoorn, increasing the total number of teams in the Jupiler League from 18 to 20.[63]
Ajax reserve squad Jong Ajax left the Beloften Eredivisie in 2013, having held a 21-year tenure in the reserves league, having also won the league title a record eight times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009).[64]
Ajax Vrouwen (English: Ajax Women) is the women's team of Ajax, competing in thewomen's eredivisie, the highest level of women's football in the Netherlands. Founded on 18 May 2012, the women's team saw Ajax attracting many of the Netherlands top talents, with International players such asAnouk Hoogendijk,Daphne Koster andPetra Hogewoning joining the Amsterdam club in its maiden season in women's professional football.[65] The team won its first piece of silverware when they defeatedPSV/FC Eindhoven 2–1 in the final of theKNVB Women's Cup.
Ajax Amateurs, better known asAjax Zaterdag, is a Dutch amateur football club founded 18 March 1900. It is the amateur team of the professional club AFC Ajax, playing its home matches at theSportpark De Toekomst training grounds to a capacity of 5,000. The team was promoted from theEerste Klasse to theHoofdklasse ahead of the 2011–12 season, the league in which it is currently competing. The team has won the Eerste Klasse title twice, as well as the *KNVB District Cup West I on two occasions as well.[66]
Furthermore, Ajax Zaterdag has also managed to qualify for the KNVB Cup on its own accord on three occasions, namely in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2021. They even advanced to the second round, before bowing out toVitesse on 24 September 2008.
Ajax HVA (1922–1972) was thebaseball team of Ajax founded in 1922, and competed as founding members of theHonkbal Hoofdklasse, the top flight of professional baseball in the Netherlands.[citation needed] Ajax won the national baseball title a total of four times (1924, 1928, 1942, 1948) before the club opted to no longer field a baseball team, and to focus solely on football in 1972.[67] Ajax spent a total of 50 years at the top flight of Baseball in the Netherlands from 1922 to 1972. The dissolution of Ajax baseball club resulted in the players finding a new sponsor in amustard manufacturing company called Luycks, while merging with the Diemen Giants to become the Luycks Giants, thus replacing both former clubs.[68]
In 2016, Ajax launched an esports team, with Koen Weijland as the club's first signing, making its debut on the Global stage ofprofessional gaming. They have since signed the likes of Dani Hagebeuk, Lev Vinken, Joey Calabro and Bob van Uden, the latter spent his first season on loan to the esports team of Japanese clubSagan Tosu.[69][70][71]
As one of the traditionalbig three clubs in the Netherlands, Ajax have amassed a number of intense rivalries over the years. Listed below are the most significant of the rivalries involving Ajax.
Feyenoord fromRotterdam is Ajax's archrival. Every year both clubs play theDe Klassieker ("The Classic"), a match between the teams from the two largest cities of the Netherlands.[92] Till the 1973/74-season, Ajax and Feyenoord were the only two clubs in the Netherlands who were able to clinch national titles, as well as achieve continental and even global success. From the 1974/75-season on, PSV (Eindhoven) and AZ (Alkmaar) too, competed with Ajax and Feyenoord.[93] A meeting between the two clubs became the measure for who was truly the best club in the Netherlands. TheKlassieker is the most famous of all the rivalries in the Netherlands and the matches are always sold out.[94] The fixture is seen in the public eye as "the graceful and elegant football of Ajax, against the indomitable fighting spirit of Feyenoord"; the confidence of the capital city versus the blue collar mentality of Rotterdam.[95] Matches are known for their tension and violence, both on and off the pitch. Over the years, several violent incidents have taken place involving rival supporters, leading to the current prohibition of away supporters in both stadiums.[96] The lowest point was reached on 23 March 1997, when supporters of both clubs met on a field nearBeverwijk, where Ajax-supporter Carlo Picornie was fatally injured, the incident is commonly referred to as the "Battle of Beverwijk".[97]
PSV is also a rival of Ajax, but in terms of tension and rivalry, these matches are not as loaded as the duels with Feyenoord. The rivalry has existed for some time with PSV and stems from various causes, such as the different interpretations of whether current national and international successes of both clubs correlates and the supposed opposition between theRandstad and the province. The matches between these two teams is commonly referred to as "De Topper" ("The Topper"), and involves the two most trophy-laden sides in Dutch football and is essentially a clash of two competing schools of thought in Dutch football. Historically, PSV compete with a workmanlike ethic, preferring a more robust 4–3–1–2 or 4–2–3–1, typically shunning the frivolous 4–3–3 approach favoured in Amsterdam. WhileRinus Michels andJohan Cruyff helped to innovateTotal Football in the sixties and seventies, a different philosophy was honed inEindhoven byKees Rijvers andGuus Hiddink in the late 1970s and '80s.[98] This in turn has created one of the more philosophical rivalries in football, an ideological battleground, which is gradually becoming as heated and intense as the matches Ajax and Feyenoord partake in.[99]
Rivalry with AZ
A more recent rivalry has developed withAZ from nearbyAlkmaar. Since both Ajax and AZ are situated inNorth Holland province, the fixture is often referred to as "De Noord-Hollandse derby" ("The North Holland derby"). Although the clubs first met in the 1960s, the rivalry intensified when AZ won the Dutch championship in 2009. The derby has since become a key clash in the Dutch football season, often with high stakes and impact on the league.[100] Although many Ajax supporters regard AZ as their "little brother", it remains a competitive and emotionally charged fixture.[101][102] The supporters have clashed several times since 2009. In December 2024, for example, Ajax supporters attacked an AZ pub in Alkmaar during a derby match.[103] A notable incident occurred on 21 December 2011 during a KNVB Cup match. An Ajax supporter ran onto the pitch and attacked AZ goalkeeperEsteban Alvarado, who defended himself by kicking the pitch invader twice and received a straight red card from referee Bas Nijhuis. AZ coachGertjan Verbeek took his players off the pitch in protest, following which the match was definitively abandoned.[103] The sides furthermore compete for staff and youth prospects in the North Holland region. When technical directorMartin van Geel left AZ for Ajax in 2006, AZ director Dirk Scheringa banned him from the club's stadium.[104]
Ajax have several other rivalries, although in most cases the sentiment is mostly felt by the opposition and is more directed towards Ajax, with one of them beingUtrecht.[105] Although the rivalry is more felt on the Utrecht side than with Ajax, matchups between the two sides are often quite intense.[106] Both teams have fanatic supporters, and clashes off the pitch are more often the rule than the exception. The same goes forADO Den Haag, with both supporter groups often getting in conflicts, when ADO-Hooligans set fire to the supporters home of Ajax, and Ajax hooligans subsequently broke into the supporters home of ADO, tensions between the two clubs rose. In 2006, supporters from both clubs were banned from attending away matches for five years due to frequent violent outbreaks and clashes.[107]
Further teams who share a rivalry with Ajax includeTwente,Vitesse andGroningen. Past rivalries include localAmsterdam derbies between Ajax and clubs such asBlauw-Wit,DWS andDe Volewijckers (which later merged to becomeFC Amsterdam in 1972).[108] However, the tension between the local sides lessened as the division of the clubs through playing in different leagues over time became greater. Years of not competing in the same league resulted in less frequent match-ups, until tensions finally settled between the Amsterdam clubs.[109] The last Amsterdam derby to take place in an official league match was when Ajax defeated FC Amsterdam 5–1 on 19 March 1978.[110]
Ajax is known for having fanatic core supporter-groups, of whichF-Side andVAK410 are the most famous. The F-Side was founded on 3 October 1976, and is situated right behind the goal in the Johan Cruyff Arena, on the southern end of the stadium in rows 125–129. Its name is derived from the group's former location on the F-side of the oldDe Meer Stadion.[111] The F-side supporters are responsible for a big part of the atmosphere in the stadium, and are also known for rioting during and after matches. If in any match Ajax should win the coin toss, the second half of the match Ajax always play towards the south-end of the stadium.[112] VAK410 (English: Row 410) was founded in 2001 and is situated in the Zuidhoek (South corner) of the stadium on the upper ring in rows 424–425. The group was originally situated on the North-West side of the stadium in row 410, from where it derives its name, until relocating to their current place in the stands in 2008.[113] Members of VAK410 are known to perform various stunts, which include massive banners, to enhance the atmosphere in the stadium. Neither F-Side or VAK410 have seats in their sections of the stadium, and both groups stand for the duration of the match.[114]
Through the officialFootball Top 20 of Dutch sports research groupSPORT+MARKT, it was revealed in 2010 that Ajax had approximately 7.1 million supporters throughout Europe.[115] This is significantly more than rivals Feyenoord and PSV (each 1.6 and 1.3 million, respectively), which puts Ajax as the club with the 15th-most supporters across Europe. The study also revealed that approximately 39% of the Netherlands were Ajax supporters.[116] Not only does Ajax have many supporters, but several fans attend their matches in European competition, with an average attendance of 48,677 spectators for every international match Ajax played, putting the team at 12th place in Europe for highest attendance, ahead of high-profile clubs such as Milan andChelsea. It is noteworthy that not all stadiums share the capacity of the Johan Cruyff Arena.[117]
Ajax supporters celebrating the club's 30th Dutch national championship in 2011
TheSupporters Club Ajax (Dutch:Supportersvereniging Ajax) is officially the largest supporters club in the Netherlands with 94,000 members.[118] Founded on 7 May 1992, the supporters club organize big monthly events throughout the Netherlands, and particularly around the official Ajax Open Training Day, which attracts thousands of supporters each year.[119] Furthermore, the supporters group is responsible for theAjax Life website, as well as thefanzine which is issued 20 times a year.[120]
In 2006, theAFCA Supportersclub was introduced as the club's second official supporters' association, through the merger of the Onafhankelijke Fanclub Ajax (OFA) and the Ajax Supporters Delegatie (ASD).[121] The AFCA Supportersclub has a reported 42,000 members, as well as a former member on the Board of Administration of Ajax, in Ronald Pieloor.[122]
The third official supporters club is theAjax Business Associates (ABA). Founded in 1991 the ABA is the Business club of Ajax. Members occupy the skyboxes in the Stadium and can make use of the clubs' amenities and luxury suites including the ABA club and lounge.[123] The ABA is also responsible for hosting the annualAjax Business Golf Trophy, an amateur golf tournament where several active and former Ajax players, as well as prominent people and members of the ABA, participate.[124]
Average attendance
This graph displays the average attendance for home matches of Ajax from 1988 to 2018, whereby the difference in capacity of the De Meer Stadion and the Johan Cruyff Arena (est. 1996) is clearly visible.
11926
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22382
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Mascot
Lucky Lynx, is the official team mascot.[125] (2000–present)
Historically, Ajax was popularly seen as having "Jewish roots". While it had fewer Jewish players thanWV-HEDW, Ajax has had a Jewish image since the 1930s when the home stadium was located next to a Jewish neighbourhood ofAmsterdam-Oost and opponents saw many supporters walking through the Nieuwmarkt/Waterloopleinbuurt (de Jodenhoek—the "Jews' corner") to get to the stadium.[126] The city of Amsterdam was historically referred to as aMokum city,[citation needed] Mokum (מקום) being theYiddish word for "place" or "safe haven",[127] though 75% of the Jewish citizens were killed during theHolocaust.[128] Asanti-Semitic chants and name calling developed and intensified at the oldDe Meer Stadion from frustrated supporters of opposing clubs, Ajax fans (few of whom are Jewish)[129] responded by embracing Ajax's "Jewish" identity: calling themselves "super Jews", chanting "Jews, Jews" ("Joden, Joden") at games, and adopting Jewish symbols such as theStar of David and theIsraeli flag, similar to what supporters of the EnglishPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur did with the term "yid"[129][130][131]
This Jewish imagery eventually became a central part of Ajax fans' culture.[130] At one point, ringtones of "Hava Nagila", aHebrewfolk song, could be downloaded from the club's official website.[129] Beginning in the 1980s, fans of Ajax's rivals escalated their anti-Semitic rhetoric, chanting slogans like "Hamas, Hamas/Jews to thegas" ("Hamas, hamas, joden aan het gas"), hissing to imitate the flow of gas, givingNazi salutes, and other things.[129][132] The eventual result was that many genuinely Jewish Ajax fans stopped going to games.[129]
In the 2000s, the club began trying to persuade fans to drop its Jewish image.[133] In 2013, a documentary titledSuperjews was released byNTR and Viewpoint Productions which premiered at theInternational Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). The film was directed by Nirit Peled, an Israeli living in Amsterdam, and an independent film maker who offers a very personal view into the game, the lore of Ajax and its relation toJudaism from both the supporters as well as from a Jewish perspective.[134]
Before and after a UEFA Europa League game between theIsraeli teamMaccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax on Thursday 7 November 2024 in the Johan Cruyff Arena, tensions surrounding theGaza war erupted into violence.[135][136]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^Number 34 has not been reissued sinceAbdelhak Nouri (who played for Ajax from 2015 to 2017) suffered extremecardiac arrhythmia in a friendly match againstWerder Bremen,[139] but the number is not officially retired.
Ajax also won in 1972, however UEFA only sanctioned the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in 1973 so the 1972 edition was an unofficial one. Played againstRangers, winners of the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup, it went ahead as 'a celebration of the Centenary of Rangers F.C.' (see below) because Rangers was serving a one-year ban at the time, imposed by UEFA for the misbehaviour of its fans. That victory meant Ajax had won every tournament (5 in total) they entered that year, a featCeltic achieved in 1967 (with 6 trophies),Barcelona in 2009 (6 trophies), andBayern in 2020 (also 6 trophies).
Ajax have a total of 50 honorary club members, from people who have been invested within the club's administrative engagements, to committed players who have excelled in the athletic department. Of those 50 members 41 have since died. Nine members still remain, includingLouis van Gaal. He was made honorary member in 2024.[147]
The Club van 100 is the official list offootball players who have appeared in one hundred or more official matches for AFC Ajax. The club currently has a total of over 150 members.[149] The record for league appearances is held byMr. Ajax himselfSjaak Swart, who appeared in 463 league matches for Ajax.[150] There is a beneficiary team called Lucky Ajax, which was initiated by Sjaak Swart. Lucky Ajax participate in at least one match a year, usually in the name of charity, and commonly at football ceremonies to bid farewell to retiring players. One of the prerequisites for playing on Lucky Ajax, which is invitational only, is that you are a member of the Club van 100, having made at least 100 official match appearances for Ajax in the first team of the club.[151]
Lucky Ajax
Lucky Ajax is a beneficiary team that was initiated by Sjaak Swart in the seventies, competing in at least one match a year, usually in the name of charity and/or to bid farewell to retiring former Ajax players. The team is made up of various members of theClub van 100 of Ajax who will come out of retirement for this match to face the Ajax squad that is current of that year.[152] Past participants have includedBarry Hulshoff,Sonny Silooy,Simon Tahamata,Ronald Koeman,Tscheu La Ling,Gerrie Mühren,John van 't Schip,Brian Roy,Stanley Menzo,Peter van Vossen andFred Grim.[153] The name Lucky Ajax is derived from the famous "Lucky Ajax" nickname from how people used to refer to the club when Ajax would either win a match by chance, by a decision of a referee, or by coincidence such as was said to be the case during the infamousMistwedstrijd ("Fog Match").[154]
As of the2007–08 season, no player could wear the number 14 shirt at Ajax after the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for Johan Cruyff,[155] "the legendary number fourteen".[156] Cruyff himself laughed off the tribute, saying the club had to let its best player play with number 14.[157] Spanish midfielderRoger was the last player to wear the number.Marvin Zeegelaar wore the shirt number in preparation for the2011–12 season in one preseason match, whileAras Özbiliz wore the number 14 shirt in one pre-season match ahead of the 2011–12 season as well. The club stated that this was, in fact, not done in error.[158]
Below is a list of all players to wear the number 14 shirt since Johan Cruyff's departure.[159]
Established in 1975 as theAmsterdam 700 Tournament to celebrate 700 years of history in the city.[160] The tournament was hosted annually each summer by Ajax until 1992, when the last edition of the original tournament was played. It returned in 1999 with the backing of the International Event Partnership (IEP).[161] Four teams participated in the competition, played in a league format since 1986.[160] Since its return,[162] the tournament used an unusual point scoring system. As with most league competitions, three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. An additional point, however, was awarded for each goal scored.[163] The system was designed to reward teams that adopted a more attacking style of play.[164] Each entrant played two matches, with the winner being the club that finished at the top of the table.[165] The original competition was held at Het Olympisch Stadion where Ajax played the bigget games until 1996.[166] The Amsterdam Arena (now Johan Cruyff Arena) played host to the event since its return until the last edition was played in 2009. Ajax is the most successful team of the tournament, having won it a record ten times, whileBenfica fromPortugal was the last team to win the tournament, in 2009.
Established in 2005, theCopa Amsterdam is an international friendly football tournament for Under-19 youth teams, that is organized by Ajax and theAmsterdam city council, which takes place at theOlympic Stadium as part of the annual Amsterdam Sports Weekend, a citywide sponsored initiative to promote 'sports and recreation' within the city of Amsterdam.[167] Each Summer the city of Amsterdam and Ajax invite U-19 teams from various top clubs from around the World to participate in the tournament. Seven teams are invited and play in the competition every year. Over the years, clubs such asBarcelona,Juventus,Chelsea andReal Madrid have had their senior youth teams participate in the tournament.[168]Cruzeiro fromBrazil is the most successful club in the history of the tournament, having won it three times in total.
Established in 2010, theAEGON Future Cup is an international friendly tournament for Under-17 youth teams, which is organized by AFC Ajax and their main sponsor, the insurance companyAEGON. The tournament is held each year at the Johan Cruyff Arena and at theSportpark De Toekomst, the team's training ground, which also inspired the name of the competition, sinceDe Toekomst in Dutch means The Future.[169] Every year during theEaster weekend, six U-17 teams are invited to participate in the competition, while the seventh place for the contesters is reserved for the winners of the "Craques Mongeral AEGON Future Cup" in Brazil, the sister competition of the tournament inSouth America.[170] Youth teams from top clubs such asManchester United,Bayern Munich,Milan and many more have participated in the competition over the years.[171] Ajax is the most successful club of the tournament, having won the trophy a total of five times.
(in Dutch) Jan Baltus Kok,Naar Ajax. Mobiliteitspatronen van bezoekers bij vier thuiswedstrijden van Ajax,University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1992,ISSN0922-5625
Simon Kuper,Ajax, The Dutch, The War. Football in Europe during the Second World War,Orion Books, London (Translation of: Ajax, de Joden en Nederland ("Ajax, the Jews, The Netherlands)",[172] 2003,ISBN0-7528-4274-9
(in Dutch) Evert Vermeer,95 jaar Ajax. 1900–1995, Luitingh-Sijthoff, Amsterdam, 1996,ISBN90-245-2364-8
^"Europe's Club of the Century". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 11 September 2009. Archived fromthe original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved12 September 2009.
Generally pro-Jewish/anti-Arab news coverage includes:
Deutsch, Anthony; Meijer, Bart H. (8 November 2024)."Amsterdam bans protests after 'antisemitic squads' attack Israeli soccer fans". World | Israel and Hamas at War.Reuters.Reporting by Enas Alashray in Cairo, Ahmed Elimam in Dubai; Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; additional reporting by Emily Rose and Jonathan Saul in Jerusalem, Michelle Nicols in New York and Mahezabin Syed in Bangalore; Writing by Michael Georgy and Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Lincoln Feast, Michael Perry and Kevin Liffey. Amsterdam. Retrieved9 November 2024.
Yosef, Eugenia; Szekeres, Edward; Kent, Lauren; Tanno, Sophie (8 November 2024)."Amsterdam bans protests for three days following violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans" [This story and headline have been updated with additional details.]. World / Europe.CNN. CNN’s Matthew Chance, Kareem Khadder, Niamh Kennedy and Lauren Izso contributed to this report. Retrieved9 November 2024.
"Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans Boo Silence for DANA Victims". News > Football; Related topics: Ajax, Maccabi Tel Aviv, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League.footboom1.com. 8 November 2024. Retrieved11 November 2024.
^abVeronese, Andrea; Stokkermans, Karel (9 July 2009)."Amsterdam Tournament". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 25 June 2003. Retrieved28 August 2010.
1914–15 Koninklijke HFC (3/3) 1915–16 Quick Den Haag (4/4) 1916–17 Ajax (1/19) 1917–18 RHC (1/2) 1918–19 not played 1919–20 CVV 1920–21 Schoten 1921–22 not played 1922–23 not played 1923–24 not played 1924–25 ZFC 1925–26 LONGA 1926–27 VUC Den Haag 1927–28 RHC (2/2) 1928–29 not played 1929–30 Feyenoord (1/14)
1930–31 not played 1931–32 DFC (2/2) 1932–33 not played 1933–34 Velocitas 1897 1934–35 Feyenoord (2/14) 1935–36 Roermond 1936–37 EVV 1937–38 VSV 1938–39 FC Wageningen (1/2) 1939–40 not played 1940–41 not played 1941–42 not played 1942–43 Ajax (2/19) 1943–44 Willem II (1/2) 1944–45 not played
1945–46 not played 1946–47 not played 1947–48 FC Wageningen (2/2) 1948–49 Quick 1888 1949–50 PSV (1/11) 1950–51 not played 1951–52 not played 1952–53 not played 1953–54 not played 1954–55 not played 1955–56 not played 1956–57 Fortuna '54 (1/2) 1957–58 Sparta (1/3) 1958–59 VVV 1959–60 not played
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