AFC Ajax NV is mostly known as a football club. Since 17 May 1998 the club is registered as a Naamloze vennootschap (N.V.) listed on the stock exchange Euronext Amsterdam. As a company the club strives to make a profit through ticket sales, as well as through income accumulated by competing in national, continental and global football. Half of the revenue is generated through club merchandise, advertising, and income from selling broadcasting rights.[2]
Ajax is the only Dutch club with an initial public offering (IPO). Outside the Netherlands in countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy or Turkey there are more football clubs with IPOs, including Manchester United, who are accredited with advising Ajax Amsterdam to enter the stock market. Several members of Ajax Board of Commissioners have a financial background in trade. For example, former treasurer of the club Arie van Os was a famous stockbroker from Amsterdam, who had worked for Van der Moolen.[3]
Only a limited amount of the shares in AFC Ajax NV are publicly traded on the Stock Market. The "Vereniging AFC Ajax" (English: AFC Ajax Association) retain 73% of the shares. The following majority share holders are Insurance company Delta Lloyd Group with 9.95%, followed by former stockbroker Adri Strating with 8.65%.[4]
In 1911, Ajax moved into its first stadium Het Houten Stadion playing to the max capacity of 15,000. The funding for the stadium came from Wim Eggerman, a local businessman, and president of the club at the time.[5]
In 1922, Ajax expanded into baseball as one of the founding clubs of the newly formed Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the team won the national title four times, before the club shut down its baseball division exactly 50 years later.
In 1934, Ajax relocated to a new stadium De Meer Stadion, playing to an increased capacity of 22,000. The stadium was designed and funded by Architect and Ajax CommissionerJordanus Roodenburgh, who had designed and completed the first stadium for Ajax as well. Ajax also played their International fixtures at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam to an increased capacity of 64,000.[6]
In 1964, Jaap van Praag was made the new chairman of the club, a position he held until 1978. The period during his tenure is widely considered Ajax most glorious, with the club winning the intercontinental title, as well as the continental title three years in a row from 1971 to 1973.
In 1972, Ajax won the Eredivisie league title, the Dutch Cup, the European Cup, the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup all in the same calendar year, also completing the European Cup treble the following year.
In 1989, Michael van Praag, the son of Jaap, became the new chairman of Ajax, a position he held until 2003. The club won the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 1995, winning the Intercontinental Cup once more the same year under his guidance.
In 1996, construction was completed of a new soccer specific stadium, the Amsterdam ArenA to an increased capacity of 53,052. AFC AJax NV own 13% of the new stadium, which includes a training facility Sportpark De Toekomst, itself with a capacity of 5,000. The remaining proprietorship of the stadium is held by the Government of Amsterdam.
In 1998, AFC Ajax NV was created as the club registered as a Naamloze vennootschap company and were listed on the stock exchange Euronext Amsterdam on May 17 of that year.[7]
In 1999, AFC Ajax NV acquired 51% proprietorship of newly founded Ajax Cape Town F.C., through a merger of previous clubs Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs, as AFC Ajax NV expanded their operations to South Africa. The remaining shares of the club were divvied between the Comitis family and the minority share holders the Efstathiou family. That same year on 18 June 1999, AFC Ajax NV acquired 51% shares of Ashanti Gold S.C., a West-African football club from Ghana, with Ashanti Goldfields Corporation retained 49% proprietorship of the club.[8]
In 2000, AFC Ajax NV acquired 72,5% of the shares of Belgian club Germinal Beerschot with whom Ajax had formed a partnership a year earlier.[9]
In 2003, AFC Ajax NV sold all of its shares in Germinal Beerschot back to Belgian businessman Jos Verhaegen for the symbolic price of €1, ending the fusion of both clubs and their joint operations.[10] Ajax also sold their shares of Ashanti Gold S.C. back to Ashanti Goldfields.[11] Instead Ajax expanded operations to Orlando, Florida, in the United States, forming Ajax America, as well as the Ajax Orlando Prospects competing in the USL Pro league, before the North American club folded in 2007.
In 2011, AFC Ajax NV opened the Ajax Hellas Youth Academy in Greece, in conjunction with George Kazianis and All Star Consultancy forming the first Ajax youth academy outside the Netherlands. Together they opened a total of 15 youth teams in Greece and Cyprus.[12]
In 2020, AFC Ajax NV sold their 51% share in Ajax Cape Town, ending their 21-year partnership with the South African club. They cited that Ajax Cape Town have failed to produce enough talent at the level they strive for as the major reason behind the sale, with the club also failing to gain promotion to the ABSA Premiership twice, South Africa's premier football competition after being relegated in 2018[13]
In 2023 American investor group Citibank bought 4% of the shares with 763.181 in total.[14]
Locations
AFC Ajax manufacture and market their products worldwide.
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie since the league's inception in 1956, and along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated that competition.
Feyenoord Rotterdam is a Dutch professional association football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its neighbourhood in 1912 as SC Feijenoord, updated in 1974 to SC Feyenoord, and then to Feyenoord in 1978, when it split from the amateur club under its wing, SC Feyenoord. Since 1937, Feyenoord's home ground has been the Stadion Feijenoord, nicknamed De Kuip, the second largest stadium in The Netherlands.
The Johan Cruyff Arena is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost equivalent to €140 million, it is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium was previously known as the Amsterdam Arena until the 2018–19 football season, when it was officially renamed in honour of Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff (1947–2016) who died in March 2016.
Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Club, simply known as Beerschot AC, was a Belgian football club based in southern Antwerp. Beerschot played in the Belgian Pro League from 1999–2000 until 2012–13, when they were relegated not only through their league position, but also lost their professional licence through financial issues, being officially declared bankrupt on 21 May 2013 – one week after the season had ended.
The Olympic Stadium is a sporting venue which was used as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The venue is currently used mostly for athletics, other sports events and music concerts.
Daniel Alberto Cruz Castro is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
De Klassieker is the main football rivalry of the Netherlands, between Ajax and Feyenoord. The record attendance was on 9 January 1966, when 65,562 watched in Rotterdam.
Jong Ajax, also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2, is a Dutch association football team. It is based in Amsterdam and competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie.
The 1972 European Super Cup was a football match played over two legs between the winner of the 1971–72 European Cup and the winner of the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup. The match was proposed by Anton Witkamp of De Telegraaf to decide who was the best club in Europe.
Mats Rits is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for RSC Anderlecht. He made his professional debut at age 16 at Germinal Beerschot, where he was formed. He then moved to the famed Ajax academy system before moving back to his native Belgium to play in the Belgian First Division A.
Sportcomplex De Toekomst is a sporting complex in Ouder-Amstel, Netherlands, owned by AFC Ajax N.V. The complex comprises nine football fields and is located close to the Johan Cruyff Arena and on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Its main field has seating capacity for 2,250 people.
Ajax Hellas Youth Academy or Ajax Hellas for short was a football youth academy based in Corfu, Greece, from where the organization managed a total of 15 teams throughout Greece and Cyprus. The academy was established in 2011 by Dutch footballing giants Ajax Amsterdam.
AFC Ajax Amateurs or Ajax Zaterdag is a Dutch amateur football club and the amateur team of the professional club AFC Ajax from Amsterdam. They compete in the Vierde Divisie since 2022–23, playing their home matches at the Sportpark De Toekomst training grounds.
The Future Cup is an annual friendly international youth tournament which is organized by the Dutch football club AFC Ajax. The tournament is created for under-17 youth teams, and is held at De Toekomst, every year during the Easter weekend. The tournament has been contested by some of the strongest under-17 teams in football, with FC Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich amongst the participating clubs. The first five editions of the tournament were named after its main sponsor, the insurance company AEGON, before the Dutch state-owned bank ABN AMRO took over as the main sponsor of the event. The tournament is broadcast on television in over 59 countries via Eredivisie Live, Eurosport and Fox Sports.
Jacob (Jaap) van Praag was a Dutch football administrator and chairman for local football club Ajax.
Michael van Praag is a Dutch football administrator and former referee. He was the President of the Royal Dutch Football Association from 27 August 2008 to December 2019 and a Vice President of the UEFA since 30 June 2015. Van Praag previously served as Chairman of Ajax from 1989 until 2003.
The Copa Amsterdam, formerly known as the Gestion Copa Amsterdam, is an annual youth football tournament, organized and hosted by AFC Ajax for under-19 youth teams which takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The tournament has been contested by some of the strongest under-19 teams in football, with FC Barcelona, Chelsea and Cruzeiro amongst the participating clubs. The tournament is named after its main sponsor, the insurance company AEGON and was formerly named after the publishing company Gestion, and is broadcast online in over 59 countries via Eredivisie Live, Eurosport and Fox Sports.
AFC Ajax is one of the most successful clubs in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 34 Eredivisie titles, 19 KNVB Cups and 9 Johan Cruyff Shields
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€ 118 million (2017) [1] 
