Ajax Cape Town F.C.

Did You Know?

• Cape Town Spurs were formed on 11 January 1970 and won the Federation Professional League seven times between 1971 and 1984.
• The club's main rivalry is with Cape Town City FC in the iKapa Derby; Cape Town City owner John Comitis was previously involved at Ajax Cape Town.

History

Ajax Cape Town was formed in January 1999 when AFC Ajax expanded its talent-feeder network to South Africa by merging two Cape Town clubs, Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs. The club was originally founded by John Comitis and Rob Moore, with Comitis later serving as honouree life chairman before selling his shares after 14 years. Ajax played its first official match on 17 July 1999 against Kaizer Chiefs in the Iwisa Charity Spectacular, winning 1–0 with a goal from captain Sam Pam.

Gordon Igesund, the most successful club coach in South Africa, managed the team from 2002 to 2006. The club's highest league finishes were runners-up in 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2010–11. Ajax won the Rothmans Cup in 2000, the Nedbank Cup in 2007, the Telkom Knockout in 2008, and the MTN8 in 2015. In January 2007, Ajax CT beat AFC Ajax 3–1 in a friendly in Cape Town; a return friendly in Amsterdam in July 2009 ended 3–2 to the Dutch side.

Several players moved to the mother club, including Steven Pienaar in 2002, Eyong Enoh in 2008, Daylon Claasen in 2009, and Thulani Serero in 2011. In July 2013, the Comitis brothers sold their 19.6% stake to the Efstathiou family, with Ari Efstathiou becoming chairman and Muhsin Ertuğral reinstated as manager. Ajax CT were relegated to the National First Division after finishing bottom in 2017–18 due to a points deduction.

Youth Academy (The Young Warriors)

The youth academy at Cape Town Spurs, whose players are called the 'Young Warriors', is regarded as one of the most successful in Africa. The club traditionally fielded six youth teams, with the reserve side (under-23s) competing in the third tier until relegation at the end of the 2024/25 season. The reserves also played in the 2023–2024 DStv Diski Challenge. Graduates include Nazeer Allie, Granwald Scott, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Steven Pienaar, and Thulani Serero. As of 2011, the Ajax Cape Town Community Scheme operated in over 120 schools across the Western Cape, reaching more than 8,000 children. Academy graduates regularly feature in the first team and other South African top-flight sides.

Stadium

Ajax Cape Town played most of its home games at Athlone Stadium and Newlands Stadium. Newlands, a 51,900-capacity rugby stadium built in 1888, was shared with clubs Santos and Vasco da Gama, as well as rugby teams Stormers and Western Province. Athlone Stadium, with a capacity of 30,000, also hosted early matches. The club later moved to Green Point Stadium, an 18,000-seat venue that was demolished in 2007 to make way for Cape Town Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. From the 2010–11 season, Ajax played at the 55,000-capacity Cape Town Stadium, signing a three-year extension in August 2011. The first match at the new stadium was a Cape Town derby between Ajax CT and Santos on 23 January 2010. After falling into amateur ranks, the club moved to Ikamva.

Training Facilities

Cape Town Spurs' training base, Ikamva, is located in Parow and its name means 'The Future' in isiXhosa. Officially opened in 2000, the facility includes five football pitches (one artificial), a gym, fan shop, office area, studio, canteen, bar, and changing rooms. Ikamva has hosted foreign clubs such as VfB Stuttgart in 2014 and Viking FK from Norway. The Ajax Lambda Institute (ALI), also situated at Ikamva, was created to prepare young African talent for European leagues, aiming to promote 2–3 players annually to Europe and 4–5 to the first team. The ALI now serves as accommodation for senior and academy players.