A is for Ajax
History
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax was founded on March 18, 1900 by Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and the brothers Han and Johan Dade at the Café Oost-Indie (now the huge Fame music store just off Dam Square). Ajax originally played in an all black uniform with a red sash tied around the players' waists, but that uniform was soon replaced by a red/white striped shirt and black shorts. Red, black and white are the three colors of the flag of Amsterdam. However, when, the club got promoted to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in 1911, Ajax were forced to change their colours, because Sparta Rotterdam already had the exact 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. Loosely inspired by the kit of Arsenal, Ajax opted for white shorts and white shirt with a broad, vertical red stripe over chest and back, which still is Ajax's outfit. Today, it is one of the most recognised football jerseys in the world.
Stadiums
The small pitch 1893 - 1900
In Ajax's so-called prehistory, before its official foundation in 1900, the club played on a small pitch at the end of Overtoom in the municipality of Nieuwer Amstel. This area lay outside the Amsterdam city borders and had been designated in 1881 as an extension for the Vondelpark.
For fifteen guilders Ajax was allowed to play on a field for a period of six months. The precise field measurements were not yet known and were different each match. Occasionally, corners had to be taken from the pavement. The players were not too happy with this at the concrete scuffed their lovely shiny cloggs. In 1896 the City of Amsterdam pushed through its building plans. The football field was incorporated into the city borders and the players had to look for another pitch. Ajax was on the brink of death.
Amsterdam North 1900 - 1907
The ambitious plans of Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and Han Dade, three of the Ajax 'founding fathers', were not reflected in the next site Ajax chose to play its matches. There was a great shortage of football fields in Amsterdam and Ajax played alongside farmers' fields in Buiksloterham, Amsterdam Noord. At the time quite a trip for the spectators: it took them a journey with a chain ferry and a quarter-hour walk to reach the football field. There was, however, a barn near the field which could be used as a dressing room, quite a luxury in those days.
The Wooden Stadium 1907 - 1934
In 1907, building plans for new housing at the location in Amsterdam Noord forced Ajax once again to move and find a new playing field. Two football fields were found at Middenweg, which was again in the middle of nowhere in a typical Dutch polder. Initially, there were no stands, no dressing rooms and water facilities. This wooden stadium soon proved too small, however. In the last league match to be played in the stadium (against Feyenoord) on 11 November 1934, the players couldn't even take corners properly as there was far too little room for the 15,000 spectators.
De Meer 1934 - 1996
The 'De Meer' stadium was to become Ajax's home base for 62 years, where legendary players such as Piet van Reenen, Wim Anderiesen, Rinus Michels, Sjaak Swart, Henk Groot, Johan Cruijff, Piet Keizer, Marco van Basten and many others built up the worldwide reputation Ajax now has.The official opening of the new Ajax stadium on 9 December 1934 was marked by a friendly match against Stade Francais. In the late eighties Ajax had grown too big and the stadium could no longer accommodate the large numbers of supporters and spectators that Ajax's games drew. Due to increasing violence between rival supports (they're not all pot-smoking tree huggers), measures were introduced which would see stadia capacity reduced.
The Amsterdam Arena 1996 - present
Initially, it was planned as the centrepiece of Amsterdam's bid for the 1992 Olympic Games. Amsterdam lost the bid to Barcelona, and the plans for the stadium were altered to involve a general sports arena in the Amsterdam area. Today, the stadium is home to Ajax, and NFL Europe franchise Amsterdam Admirals.
Its all-seated capacity is 51,628. The inaugural match was between the home team and AC Milan. Tina Turner was first singer who gave a concert in the ArenA during her Wildest Dreams European Tour, on three nights in September 1996 saw her more than 150,000 Fans.
After the death of Rinus Michels in 2005, fans tried to convince the stadium's board to rebrand the stadium as the Rinus Michels Stadium, giving it a more tradional name. The board refused, but still at every home game there is a large Banner 'Rinus Michelsstadion' and Ajax fans adopt the name increasingly.
Ajax have also, on occassion, used the Olympic Stadium to host matches
Perhaps Ajax's most memorable European Cup match to be played in the Olympic Stadium was the game against Liverpool in 1966. In a very foggy Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam the referee just managed see both goals and did not consider it necessary to abandon the game (I bet the ref was on the take). Ajax beat Liverpool 5-1 thanks to three goals by Henk Groot and two by Cees de Wolf who replaced the injured Piet Keizer. In the return at Anfield, Cruijff scored twice in a 2-2 draw.
Rivalry
Although Ajax have been vying for the championship with PSV Eindhoven in recent years. Its main rivalry is with Feyenoord of Rotterdam, culminating every year in the "Klassieker". It is a match between the two largest cities of the Netherlands, one of which identifies with artists and creativity (Amsterdam) and one with hard labour (Rotterdam). There have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk clash in 1997 was the most infamous, resulting in the murder of Ajax supporter Carlo Picornie.
The Jewish Connection
The Ajax fans have the very remarkable tradition of using Jewish and Israeli symbols to express their allegiance. Regularly, the supporters wave large Star of David flags and scream Joden! Joden! ("Jews! Jews!"
to fire up their team. Die-hard Ajax supporters call themselves "F-Siders" or "Joden" -- Dutch for "Jews" -- a nickname that reflects the team's and Amsterdam's Jewish roots. The nickname for Ajax fans dates back to before World War II, when Amsterdam was home to many of the Netherlands' 140,000 Jews and the Ajax stadium was located near a Jewish neighbourhood. Most Dutch Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and little remains of Amsterdam's old Jewish quarter. But the tradition survived. Ajax currently has no Jewish players, the last player with Jewish roots being Daniël de Ridder.
The problem is that in an increasingly bizarre way, opposing supporters use anti-Semitism to express their antipathy towards Ajax. This is expressed in slogans such as Hamas, Hamas, Jews into the gas or producing hissing sounds that imitate the flow of gas. This however, does not withhold the 'Jewish' supporters from celebrating the Bombing of Rotterdam by Nazi Germany when facing Feyenoord with songs like Rotterdam, fucking town, in the war they rightly bombed it down! Songs like this (using the melody of ´Tulips from Amsterdam´) were sung from the stage, i.e. organised, at the celebration of the winning of the Dutch Cup in 2006.
The hardcore Ajax fans however, are proud of their outsider image as "Jews" and feel encouraged to show more Israeli/ Jewish signs.
Honours
Eredivisie: 29
KNVB Cup: 16
Dutch Super Cup: 6
Intercontinental Cup: 2
European Champions Club Cup/Champions League: 4
European Cup Winners Cup: 1
UEFA Cup: 1
European Super Cup: 3
Intertoto Cup: 1
The British and Irish Connection
Frank Stapleton (Republic of Ireland) 1987-1988
4 appearances 0 goals
Not much to say really! Hardly Frank’s finest hour.
Sonny Pike (England)
*
Sonny - the nephew of ex-Tottenham striker Mark Falco, became semi-famous after was invited to join Ajax's Academy of Excellence at the age of seven. However, his dreams of a professional career ended a couple of years ago. Sonny is currently living near Dundee, and is studying psychology at Dundee University. He found the pressures of top-class football too much, and in 2003 decided to pursue a more regular career - having been privy to sports psychologists, he decided to follow that path.
*Editor’s note: This is not a true image of Sonny Pike. Unfortunately, semi-stardom does not entitle you to an image on Google.
Coming soon......A Club that begins with "B".
History
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax was founded on March 18, 1900 by Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and the brothers Han and Johan Dade at the Café Oost-Indie (now the huge Fame music store just off Dam Square). Ajax originally played in an all black uniform with a red sash tied around the players' waists, but that uniform was soon replaced by a red/white striped shirt and black shorts. Red, black and white are the three colors of the flag of Amsterdam. However, when, the club got promoted to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in 1911, Ajax were forced to change their colours, because Sparta Rotterdam already had the exact 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. Loosely inspired by the kit of Arsenal, Ajax opted for white shorts and white shirt with a broad, vertical red stripe over chest and back, which still is Ajax's outfit. Today, it is one of the most recognised football jerseys in the world.
Stadiums
The small pitch 1893 - 1900
In Ajax's so-called prehistory, before its official foundation in 1900, the club played on a small pitch at the end of Overtoom in the municipality of Nieuwer Amstel. This area lay outside the Amsterdam city borders and had been designated in 1881 as an extension for the Vondelpark.
For fifteen guilders Ajax was allowed to play on a field for a period of six months. The precise field measurements were not yet known and were different each match. Occasionally, corners had to be taken from the pavement. The players were not too happy with this at the concrete scuffed their lovely shiny cloggs. In 1896 the City of Amsterdam pushed through its building plans. The football field was incorporated into the city borders and the players had to look for another pitch. Ajax was on the brink of death.
Amsterdam North 1900 - 1907
The ambitious plans of Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and Han Dade, three of the Ajax 'founding fathers', were not reflected in the next site Ajax chose to play its matches. There was a great shortage of football fields in Amsterdam and Ajax played alongside farmers' fields in Buiksloterham, Amsterdam Noord. At the time quite a trip for the spectators: it took them a journey with a chain ferry and a quarter-hour walk to reach the football field. There was, however, a barn near the field which could be used as a dressing room, quite a luxury in those days.
The Wooden Stadium 1907 - 1934
In 1907, building plans for new housing at the location in Amsterdam Noord forced Ajax once again to move and find a new playing field. Two football fields were found at Middenweg, which was again in the middle of nowhere in a typical Dutch polder. Initially, there were no stands, no dressing rooms and water facilities. This wooden stadium soon proved too small, however. In the last league match to be played in the stadium (against Feyenoord) on 11 November 1934, the players couldn't even take corners properly as there was far too little room for the 15,000 spectators.
De Meer 1934 - 1996
The 'De Meer' stadium was to become Ajax's home base for 62 years, where legendary players such as Piet van Reenen, Wim Anderiesen, Rinus Michels, Sjaak Swart, Henk Groot, Johan Cruijff, Piet Keizer, Marco van Basten and many others built up the worldwide reputation Ajax now has.The official opening of the new Ajax stadium on 9 December 1934 was marked by a friendly match against Stade Francais. In the late eighties Ajax had grown too big and the stadium could no longer accommodate the large numbers of supporters and spectators that Ajax's games drew. Due to increasing violence between rival supports (they're not all pot-smoking tree huggers), measures were introduced which would see stadia capacity reduced.
The Amsterdam Arena 1996 - present
Initially, it was planned as the centrepiece of Amsterdam's bid for the 1992 Olympic Games. Amsterdam lost the bid to Barcelona, and the plans for the stadium were altered to involve a general sports arena in the Amsterdam area. Today, the stadium is home to Ajax, and NFL Europe franchise Amsterdam Admirals.
Its all-seated capacity is 51,628. The inaugural match was between the home team and AC Milan. Tina Turner was first singer who gave a concert in the ArenA during her Wildest Dreams European Tour, on three nights in September 1996 saw her more than 150,000 Fans.
After the death of Rinus Michels in 2005, fans tried to convince the stadium's board to rebrand the stadium as the Rinus Michels Stadium, giving it a more tradional name. The board refused, but still at every home game there is a large Banner 'Rinus Michelsstadion' and Ajax fans adopt the name increasingly.
Ajax have also, on occassion, used the Olympic Stadium to host matches
Perhaps Ajax's most memorable European Cup match to be played in the Olympic Stadium was the game against Liverpool in 1966. In a very foggy Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam the referee just managed see both goals and did not consider it necessary to abandon the game (I bet the ref was on the take). Ajax beat Liverpool 5-1 thanks to three goals by Henk Groot and two by Cees de Wolf who replaced the injured Piet Keizer. In the return at Anfield, Cruijff scored twice in a 2-2 draw.
Rivalry
Although Ajax have been vying for the championship with PSV Eindhoven in recent years. Its main rivalry is with Feyenoord of Rotterdam, culminating every year in the "Klassieker". It is a match between the two largest cities of the Netherlands, one of which identifies with artists and creativity (Amsterdam) and one with hard labour (Rotterdam). There have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk clash in 1997 was the most infamous, resulting in the murder of Ajax supporter Carlo Picornie.
The Jewish Connection
The Ajax fans have the very remarkable tradition of using Jewish and Israeli symbols to express their allegiance. Regularly, the supporters wave large Star of David flags and scream Joden! Joden! ("Jews! Jews!"
to fire up their team. Die-hard Ajax supporters call themselves "F-Siders" or "Joden" -- Dutch for "Jews" -- a nickname that reflects the team's and Amsterdam's Jewish roots. The nickname for Ajax fans dates back to before World War II, when Amsterdam was home to many of the Netherlands' 140,000 Jews and the Ajax stadium was located near a Jewish neighbourhood. Most Dutch Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and little remains of Amsterdam's old Jewish quarter. But the tradition survived. Ajax currently has no Jewish players, the last player with Jewish roots being Daniël de Ridder.The problem is that in an increasingly bizarre way, opposing supporters use anti-Semitism to express their antipathy towards Ajax. This is expressed in slogans such as Hamas, Hamas, Jews into the gas or producing hissing sounds that imitate the flow of gas. This however, does not withhold the 'Jewish' supporters from celebrating the Bombing of Rotterdam by Nazi Germany when facing Feyenoord with songs like Rotterdam, fucking town, in the war they rightly bombed it down! Songs like this (using the melody of ´Tulips from Amsterdam´) were sung from the stage, i.e. organised, at the celebration of the winning of the Dutch Cup in 2006.
The hardcore Ajax fans however, are proud of their outsider image as "Jews" and feel encouraged to show more Israeli/ Jewish signs.
Honours
Eredivisie: 29
KNVB Cup: 16
Dutch Super Cup: 6
Intercontinental Cup: 2
European Champions Club Cup/Champions League: 4
European Cup Winners Cup: 1
UEFA Cup: 1
European Super Cup: 3
Intertoto Cup: 1
The British and Irish Connection
Frank Stapleton (Republic of Ireland) 1987-1988
4 appearances 0 goals
Not much to say really! Hardly Frank’s finest hour.
Sonny Pike (England)
Sonny - the nephew of ex-Tottenham striker Mark Falco, became semi-famous after was invited to join Ajax's Academy of Excellence at the age of seven. However, his dreams of a professional career ended a couple of years ago. Sonny is currently living near Dundee, and is studying psychology at Dundee University. He found the pressures of top-class football too much, and in 2003 decided to pursue a more regular career - having been privy to sports psychologists, he decided to follow that path.
*Editor’s note: This is not a true image of Sonny Pike. Unfortunately, semi-stardom does not entitle you to an image on Google.
Coming soon......A Club that begins with "B".
