Association football is the most popular sport, both in terms of participants and spectators, in Amsterdam.[ citation needed ]
Amsterdam is home of the Eredivisie football club AFC Ajax. The stadium Johan Cruyff Arena is the home of Ajax. It is located in the south-east of the city next to the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station. Before moving to their current location in 1996, Ajax played their regular matches in De Meer Stadion. [1]
Amsterdam had a time when it was home to four professional and relatively successful football clubs. AFC Ajax, Blauw-Wit Amsterdam, AFC DWS, AVV De Volewijckers and later, FC Amsterdam, each with their own relatively long and rich histories. [2]
| Club | League | Venue | Established (team) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Ajax | Eredivisie | Johan Cruyff Arena 55,000 | 1900 |
| Amsterdamsche FC | 1895 |
| Club | League | Venue | Established (team) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC DWS | 1907 | ||
| ASC De Volewijckers | 1912 |
| Club | League | Established (team) | Dissolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | Eredivisie | 1887 | 1914 |
| FC Amsterdam | Eredivisie | 1972 | 1982 |
| Blauw-Wit Amsterdam | 1902 | 2015 |
Amsterdam Derby (Stadsderby) refers to matches played between professional and amateur football clubs of Amsterdam. Such clubs include AFC, Ajax, Blauw-Wit, DWS, JOS Watergraafsmeer, Swift, De Volewijckers, VVA and Zeeburgia. An Amsterdam Derby can be an individual match or an ongoing rivalry between clubs, players and fans.