Ajax Cape Town

Did You Know?

• The club's main rivalry is with Cape Town City FC in the iKapa Derby.
• John Comitis, who co-founded Ajax Cape Town, later bought the PSL status of Mpumalanga Black Aces FC in 2016 to create Cape Town City.
• Vasco da Gama train across the road from Ikamva and are considered local rivals.

History

Ajax Cape Town was formed in January 1999 by John Comitis and Rob Moore, merging Cape Town Spurs and Seven Stars as part of AFC Ajax's expansion of its worldwide talent-feeder network. The club adopted the crest of the Amsterdam-based club. Ajax played its first official game 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 country's most successful club coach, managed the club from 2002 to 2006.

Ajax's highest league finishes were runners-up in 2003–04, 2007–08 and 2010–11. The club 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; Ari Efstathiou became chairman and Muhsin Ertuğral was reinstated as manager. Ajax won the 2015 MTN8 tournament 1–0 over Kaizer Chiefs. The club was 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, whose players are called the 'Young Warriors', is one of the most successful programs on the African continent. Cape Town Spurs traditionally fielded six youth teams. The reserve side (under-23s) last competed in the third tier but were relegated at the end of the 2024/25 season; they had played in the 2023–24 DStv Diski Challenge. The club also fields under-18, under-16, under-14 and under-12 teams, all successful in local youth competitions. Graduates include Nazeer Allie, Granwald Scott, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Steven Pienaar and Thulani Serero. As of 2011 the Ajax Cape Town Community Scheme reached more than 8,000 children across over 120 schools in the Western Cape.

Stadium

Cape Town Spurs played most of their games at Athlone Stadium but later moved to Ikamva after falling into the amateur ranks. From 1999 Ajax CT played home matches at Athlone Stadium and Newlands Stadium, a 51,900-capacity rugby venue built in 1888 that also hosted Santos, Vasco da Gama, the Stormers and Western Province. Athlone Stadium, with a 30,000 capacity, was also used for early home matches. Spurs later moved to Green Point Stadium, an 18,000-seat venue demolished in 2007 to make way for Cape Town Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Urban Warriors played at the 55,000-capacity Cape Town Stadium from the 2010–11 season, extending the contract through 2014. The first match at the new stadium was a Cape Town derby between Ajax CT and Santos on 23 January 2010.

Training Facilities

The club's training base, Ikamva, is located in Parow; its name means 'The Future' in isiXhosa. Ikamva has hosted foreign clubs such as VfB Stuttgart in 2014 and Viking FK from Norway. The Ajax Lambda Institute (ALI), also at Ikamva, was designed to prepare young African talent for top European leagues, aiming to promote 2–3 players annually to Europe and 4–5 to the first team; it now serves as accommodation for senior and academy players.