# AFC Ajax
**AFC Ajax** (Amsterdamsche Football Club "Ajax") is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, founded on 18 March 1900 by Floris Stempel, Han Dade, and Carl Bruno Reeser in Café Oost-Indië on the Kalverstraat in the city center.[1](https://www.ajax.nl/artikelen/ontstaan-op-kalverstraat-2/) It is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 national championships, a record no other Dutch club has matched, and four European Champion Clubs' Cups.[2](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0eaadf5cfb61-444b65b2aa25-1000--masters-of-total-football/) The club pioneered the playing style known as total football in the early 1970s and operates a well-known youth academy.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0eaadf5cfb61-444b65b2aa25-1000--masters-of-total-football/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 18 March 1900, Café Oost-Indië, Kalverstraat 2, Amsterdam, by Stempel, Reeser, and Dade[1](https://www.ajax.nl/artikelen/ontstaan-op-kalverstraat-2/) |
| League titles | 36 Dutch championships, most recently in 2022, a Dutch record; three stars on the shirt, each for ten titles[2](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/) |
| European honors | European Cup/Champions League 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995; Cup Winners' Cup 1987; UEFA Cup 1992; European Super Cup 1973 and 1974; Intercontinental Cup 1972 and 1995[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) |
| Stadium | Johan Cruijff ArenA (opened 1996 as Amsterdam ArenA, renamed 2018), capacity about 55,000[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) • [5](https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/M76VkK/ajax-tvingas-flytta-pa-grund-av-harry-styles) |
| 2025/26 season | Fifth in the Eredivisie; 32nd of 36 in the Champions League league phase; Conference League second qualifying round reached via play-offs[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/) |
| Finances 2025/26 | Net profit €2.0 million after a €37.3 million loss the previous year; net revenue €188.3 million, up 6%[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/) |
| Structure | Vereniging AFC Ajax holds 73% of the shares in the listed company Ajax NV[7](https://www.ajax.nl/blik-op-de-toekomst/de-vereniging/) |
## History
**Founding and early decades.** A first attempt to found the club dates to 1894; the definitive founding came on 18 March 1900, when Stempel, Reeser, and Dade formally established the Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, named after the Greek hero of mythology.[1](https://www.ajax.nl/artikelen/ontstaan-op-kalverstraat-2/) • [8](https://as.com/futbol/2019/02/13/champions/1550027803_439701.html) Ajax spent ten seasons in the Dutch second division before earning promotion for the 1911 season, and was relegated again three seasons later, the only relegation in its history.[9](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history) The white-red-white kit with a central red stripe dates from 10 September 1911, adopted because Sparta already used the striped red-and-white shirt.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
The club's fortunes changed with the English trainer Jack Reynolds, who over three separate periods spent a total of 33 years at the helm and won eight national titles and a cup.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) • [2](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/) Under Reynolds Ajax won its first national championship in 1918, and its first national trophy, the NVB Cup, in 1917.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) In the 1930s Ajax won five league titles (1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1939), and in December 1934 it opened Stadion De Meer, its home for the next 62 years.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) The club's all-time top scorer, Piet van Reenen, scored 273 goals, most of them in that decade.[2](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/)
**Total football and the 1970s.** Johan Cruijff, widely regarded as the greatest player in the club's history, debuted for Ajax 1 on 15 November 1964, and [Rinus Michels](https://www.edgepedia.org/rinus-michels) took over as coach in January 1965.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) Under Michels and Cruijff the team won the European Cup I in 1971 (2-0 against Panathinaikos at Wembley), 1972 (2-0 against Internazionale in [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam)), and 1973 (1-0 against Juventus), and in 1972 it beat Argentina's Independiente to take the Intercontinental Cup.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) • [2](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/) The 1971-72 season, in which Ajax won the league, the Dutch cup, the European Cup, and the World Cup, is described by the club as one of the best seasons ever by a professional football team.[9](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history) The side's fluid, position-swapping 4-3-3 system became known as total football, and every Ajax youth team still plays a 4-3-3 with the short-passing, triangle-building style derived from it.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0eaadf5cfb61-444b65b2aa25-1000--masters-of-total-football/)
**Later European success.** Under coach Johan Cruijff, Ajax won the European Cup II in 1987, with [Marco van Basten](https://www.edgepedia.org/marco-van-basten) scoring the winning header in the final in Athens against Lokomotiv Leipzig.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) Under Louis van Gaal the club won the 1992 UEFA Cup against Torino on away goals, completing the set of major European trophies, and then the 1995 Champions League, beating [AC Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ac-milan) 1-0 in Vienna with a goal from the homegrown [Patrick Kluivert](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-kluivert); six months later Ajax beat Grêmio on penalties in Tokyo for the Intercontinental Cup.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) In 2017 the club reached the Europa League final, losing 2-0 to Manchester United in Stockholm, and in 2019 an Erik ten Hag side reached the Champions League semi-finals after eliminating Real Madrid and Juventus, while also winning the domestic cup and the club's 34th league title.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) The 36th title followed in 2022, in ten Hag's final home game, a 5-0 win over SC Heerenveen.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
## Stadium
Ajax left De Meer one year after the 1995 Champions League win, moving to the much larger Amsterdam ArenA, officially opened on 14 August 1996; the stadium was renamed Johan Cruijff ArenA in 2018.[4](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) The move was difficult for many supporters after 62 years at De Meer.[9](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history) The arena holds about 55,000 spectators and is owned by the city of Amsterdam.[5](https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/M76VkK/ajax-tvingas-flytta-pa-grund-av-harry-styles) • [10](https://as.com/futbol/2019/02/13/champions/1550026296_915940.html) Its roof carries more than 4,200 solar panels which, together with a wind turbine and a large stadium battery, help power the venue.[11](https://time.com/6692813/sustainable-sports-stadiums/)
## Youth academy
The youth training program traces its foundation to Reynolds's training methods, and the academy, known as De Toekomst ("The Future"), moved to a complex next to the ArenA when the club changed stadiums.[9](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history) [Wesley Sneijder](https://www.edgepedia.org/wesley-sneijder), Urby Emanuelson, Rafael van der Vaart, Maarten Stekelenburg, and [Gregory van der Wiel](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregory-van-der-wiel) are among the players trained there.[9](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history) The academy is not a boarding school, and its program evaluates players across areas including technique, tactics, and know-how, with young players trained to play in different positions.[12](https://www.ecaeurope.com/media/2730/eca-report-on-youth-academies.pdf) • [13](https://assets.website-files.com/5dd4c04754722082d4777179/5e3cb6c07a1cb745c38627f6_The_Ajax_Youth_Development_Scheme.pdf) In the 2021/22 season Ajax ranked fourth among clubs in the Big Five leagues plus the [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) for the share of club-trained players in its squad, at 40%.[14](https://footballbenchmark.com/documents/d/guest/football-benchmark-the-european-champions-report-2023)
## Recent seasons and finances
The 2025/26 season was a poor one on the pitch. Ajax finished fifth in the Eredivisie, and in the Champions League league phase it ended 32nd, missing the knockout stage.[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/) The club used three head coaches during the season: Heitinga, Fred Grim, and Óscar García.[15](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/europa-llora-por-el-ajax-f202605-n/) Through the play-offs it qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League for 2026/27, a competition the club's annual report says will put pressure on revenue compared with the Champions League participation of 2025/26.[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/) The Ajax Women finished second in the Eredivisie and qualified for the [UEFA Women's Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-womens-champions-league) preliminary rounds.[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/)
**Financial results.** For fiscal year 2025/26 Ajax reported a net profit of €2.0 million, against a loss of €37.3 million the previous year, an improvement of €39.3 million driven mainly by a better transfer result and improved operating result.[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/) Net revenue rose €10.2 million, or 6%, to €188.3 million, chiefly because of higher European prize money from Champions League participation compared with the Europa League the season before.[6](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/)
## Organization
The club consists of two parts: the Vereniging AFC Ajax, the association founded in 1900, and the listed company Ajax NV. The association holds 73% of the shares and is therefore the majority shareholder in the NV.[7](https://www.ajax.nl/blik-op-de-toekomst/de-vereniging/)
## References
1. [Ajax werd opgericht op Kalverstraat 2, Ajax.nl](https://www.ajax.nl/artikelen/ontstaan-op-kalverstraat-2/)
2. [Bekijk de rijke historie van Ajax, Ajax.nl](https://www.ajax.nl/club/historie/)
3. [Masters of total football, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0eaadf5cfb61-444b65b2aa25-1000--masters-of-total-football/)
4. [125 Years of Ajax | White-red-white history from start to finish, Ajax.nl](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
5. [Tvingas spela hemmamatch på bortaplan, Aftonbladet](https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/M76VkK/ajax-tvingas-flytta-pa-grund-av-harry-styles)
6. [Jaarcijfers AFC Ajax NV 2025/2026, Ajax.nl](https://www.ajax.nl/club/pers/persberichten/jaarcijfers-afc-ajax-nv-20252026/)
7. [De Vereniging, Ajax.nl](https://www.ajax.nl/blik-op-de-toekomst/de-vereniging/)
8. [Ajax: un club de sagas, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/2019/02/13/champions/1550027803_439701.html)
9. [Explore the rich history of Ajax, Ajax.nl](https://english.ajax.nl/club/history)
10. ["Ámsterdam es Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Johan Cruyff...", AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/2019/02/13/champions/1550026296_915940.html)
11. [How Sports Stadiums Are Going Green, TIME](https://time.com/6692813/sustainable-sports-stadiums/)
12. [ECA Report on Youth Academies in Europe](https://www.ecaeurope.com/media/2730/eca-report-on-youth-academies.pdf)
13. [The Ajax Youth Development Scheme](https://assets.website-files.com/5dd4c04754722082d4777179/5e3cb6c07a1cb745c38627f6_The_Ajax_Youth_Development_Scheme.pdf)
14. [The European Champions Report 2023, Football Benchmark](https://footballbenchmark.com/documents/d/guest/football-benchmark-the-european-champions-report-2023)
15. [Europa llora por el Ajax, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/europa-llora-por-el-ajax-f202605-n/)
16. [Ajax Organization: Association and company, Ajax.nl](https://english.ajax.nl/club/organization/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of continental Europe and Israel › Dutch and Belgian football clubs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license