Ajax Amsterdam

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax ({{Euronext|AJAX}}) also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced Ah-yahx), is a football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. The club is historically one of the top-10 football clubs in the world, and one of the 'Big Three' clubs that dominate Dutch football, the other two being Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven. Ajax is one of only four clubs to have won all three major European trophies at least once (the European Champions Cup, the European Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Cup).

Stadia

Ajax's first stadium was built in 1911 out of wood and was simply called The Stadium. Ajax later played in the stadium that was built for the 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam. This stadium, designed by Jan Wils, is simply known as the Olympic Stadium. In 1934, Ajax moved to De Meer Stadion in east Amsterdam, where they would play untill 1996. De Meer stadium was an unusually small stadium for such a large club, but the small stadium also created a cozy atmosphere. During big European fixtures the club would often play at the Olympic Stadium, where the capacity was higher.

Related Topics:
1911 - 1928 Summer Olympics - Olympic Stadium - De Meer Stadion

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1996, Ajax moved to a new home ground in the southeast of the city known as the Amsterdam ArenA, that was built at the cost of $134 million. The stadium is capable of holding approximately 52,000 people. The Arena has a retractable roof and was the example for other modern stadiums built in Europe in the following years. In the Netherlands, the Arena has earned a reputation for having a terrible grass pitch. The condition of the grass is caused by the roof that, even when open, takes away too much sunlight and ventilation from the ground.

Related Topics:
1996 - Amsterdam ArenA

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The much loved De Meer stadium was torn down and the land was sold to the city council.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~