Nickname: de Godenzonen
Founded: 1900
Owner: AFC Ajax NV
Chairman: Hennie Henrichs
Current Manager: Erik ten Hag
Traditional Colours: Red and White
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football.
Historically, Ajax (named after the legendary Greek hero) has been the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 34 Eredivisie titles and 19 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie, since the league's inception in 1956. It is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated that competition.
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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 the Greek hero Ajax. 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.
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 colours of the flag of Amsterdam.
When under manager Jack Kirwan, the club earned promotion to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in 1911 and Ajax were forced to change their colours because Sparta 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.
Feyenoord from Rotterdam are Ajax's archrivals. Every year both clubs play the De Klassieker ("The Classic"), a match between the teams from the two largest cities of the Netherlands. PSV are also a rival of Ajax, but in terms of tension and rivalry, these matches are not as loaded as the duels with Feyenoord.
Aside from Feyenoord and PSV, 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 being Utrecht. The same goes for ADO Den Haag, with both supporter groups often getting in conflicts. Further teams who share a rivalry with Ajax include Twente, Vitesse Arnhem, Groningenand AZ, although the latter is often regarded by Ajax supporters as the club's "little brother".
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