CONTEST ENTRY -MY PASSION FOR FOOTBALL ART CONTEST : AFC Ajax

AFC Ajax

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV
Founded: 18 March 1900
Address: Postbus 12522, 1100 Amsterdam
Country: Netherlands
Ground: Johan Cruyff Arena
Capacity: 55.500
League: Eredivisie
Official club colors: Red - White
Chairman: Frank Eijken
Head coach: Erik ten Hag
UEFA Rank: 21 (29.09.2020)
WWW: https://www.ajax.nl/

HISTORY
In 1883, a group of friends including Floris Stempl, Carl Reeser and Han Dad founded a football club called Union Amsterdam, where soccer could be practiced by local, gifted youth. At the end of 1893, he was renamed the Footh-Ball Club Ajax - all three of the founding group's leaders had classical education, while being lovers of antiquity, in particular Homer's Iliad, one of the main characters of which is Ajax the Great (the bravest Greek warrior fighting at Troy after Achilles). At that time, there were already clubs in the Netherlands with names referring to antiquity, such as Sparta, Hercules, Heracles, and Xerxes. The then Ajax played and trained on the pitch in the city's Willemsa Park on Overtoom Street in Niewuwer Amster, a suburb of Amsterdam. On May 15, 1894, red and white were the official colors of the club, so the players wore long-striped uniforms in these shades. On June 3, 1894, membership cards were introduced (the oldest one has survived to this day and is kept in the club museum at Amsterdam ArenA stadium). This club survived until 1896, i.e. until the city authorities decided to allocate a square with a pitch for residential buildings, which meant the fall of the first Ajax.

Its creators, however, did not give up and on March 14, 1900, a young student, Floris Stempel, sent a letter to his friends, in which "the kind friend invited them on Sunday, March 18 at 9.45 am to a cafe to discuss the establishment of a new football club "(the place was then called" Oost-Indië ", or" East India " on Kalverstraat 2 street). There, on Sunday, March 18, 1900, three friends - Stempel, Reeser and Dade - founded their next club, which they named the Ajax Football Club. With time it was renamed Amsterdamse Voetbal Bond Ajax (AVB Ajax), and performed in the Buiksloterham district in the northern part of the city (Amsterdam Noord). On September 29, 1900, the Ajax team played their first official match, defeating the DOSB team 2: 1.
Club fees introduced. Registration fee of 50 cents, company fees paid 25 cents a year to Ajax cash desk. The fees are exceptionally high, so that Ajax has become one of the most exclusive clubs in Amsterdam. The council took the organization extremely seriously from the very beginning. The presence of club members at the matches was obligatory, who failed to meet it required a fine of 10 cents. The restrictions were severe and there were more fees.
In 1902, the club was admitted as a member of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and formally incorporated into its structures, which allowed it to join organized league games (it started competing in the then third league). In October 1902, the Amsterdam Football Association (AVB) allowed Ajax to compete for the Golden Cross (Hol. Gouden Kruis), which are still the unofficial Amsterdam amateur teams championship. In the same year, Ajax received his first medal - for the best goal difference in the competition. The first season also brought commercial success. Hertel and Geissler, proudly announced a profit of four guilders and 31 cents at the end of the season. Ajax soon became one of the most famous and organized clubs in the Netherlands. The club was promoted from second pace to the II league. In turn, in 1906, the team won the Golden Cross tournament and thus won its first trophy in history, thanks to a 4: 3 victory over the AFC team in the final.
After promotion to the first league, the official colors of the club were selected. The colors red and white were chosen.

The history of the club is long and interesting, more can be found on the club's official website:
https://www.ajax.nl/

Club successes (cup won)
Intercontinental Cup: 2
UEFA Champions League: 4
UEFA Europa League: 1
Cup Winners Cup: 1
UEFA Super Cup: 3
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2

Eredivisie 1st: 34
KNVB beker: 19
Johan Cruijff Schaal: 9

Funs
Ajax fans have long cultivated the tradition of using Jewish and Israeli symbols, even though they are not one of Jewish. At the matches, fans hang flags with the Star of David and shout Joden! Joden! ("Jews! Jews!"), Encourage your team to fight. The most die-hard group of fans is called "F-Siders" or "Joden" (Jews in Dutch). The latter nickname comes from the times of World War II, when Amsterdam was inhabited by about 140,000 Jews, and the Ajax stadium was located in the Jewish neighborhood. Most Dutch Jews were killed by the Nazis during the occupation, only a few streets remained of the district. The sympathy with the Jewish symbols will show the antipathy and anti-Semitism of the fans of Ajax's rivals, especially Feyenoord.

Players
Goalkeeper:
33 Dominik Kotarski - Croatia
24 André Onana - Cameroon
16 Kjell Scherpen - Netherlands
1 Maarten Stekelenburg - Netherlands

Defenders:
17 Daley Blind - Netherlands
28 Sergiño Dest - USA
21 Lisandro Martínez - Argentina
12 Noussair Mazraoui - Morocco
15 Devyne Rensch - Netherlands
3 Perr Schuurs - Netherlands
31 Nicolás Tagliafico - Argentina
2 Jurriën Timber - Netherlands

Midfielder:
4 Edson Álvarez - Mexico
18 Jurgen Ekkelenkamp - Netherlands
8 Ryan Gravenberch - Netherlands
20 Mohammed Kudus - Ghana
11 Quincy Promes - Netherlands
25 Kenneth Taylor - Netherlands

Forward:
39 Antony - Brazil
7 David Neres - Brazil
40 Sontje Hansen - Netherlands
9 Klaas Jan Huntelaar - Netherlands
19 Zakaria Labyad - Morocco
27 Noa Lang - Netherlands
10 Dušan Tadić - Serbia
23 Lassina Traoré - Burkina Faso

Manager:
Erik ten Hag - Netherlands
Ass. Manager:
Christian Poulsen - Denmark
Michael Reiziger - Netherlands
Richard Witschge - Netherlands
Goalkeeper-Coach:
Anton Scheutjens - Netherlands

Thanks For reading....

Source:

• https://www.ajax.nl/