Johan Cruyff Shield
The single-match curtain-raiser named for the architect of total football.
The Johan Cruyff Shield (Johan Cruijff Schaal) is the annual Dutch Super Cup, contested by the Eredivisie champions and the KNVB Cup winners. If one team wins both titles, the league runner-up enters as the opponent. Decided in a single match, this trophy honors legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff. First played under the current format in 1996 at the Amsterdam Arena, it replaced earlier Super Cup iterations dating back to 1949. The shield itself is a silver plate with a 60-centimetre diameter, engraved with the match date and team names.
Quick Facts
- Organiser
- Royal Dutch Football Association
- Founded
- 1949; 1991–present
- Region
- Netherlands
- Number of teams
- 2
- Current champions
- AZ (2nd title)
- Most successful club
- PSV (15 titles)
Facts from the source article.
Background
Before becoming the Johan Cruyff Shield in 1996, Dutch football featured a Super Cup starting on 25 June 1949, where league champions SVV defeated cup winners Quick 1888 2–0. The competition returned in 1991 as the PTT Telecom Cup, always played at De Kuip in Rotterdam, until the sponsor withdrew and the original name was reinstated. In 1996, the format shifted to its current setup at the Amsterdam Arena under Cruyff's name. The trophy’s design mirrors Eredivisie champion plates, featuring a border reading "Johan Cruijff Schaal X" with Roman numerals, and specific center text like "KNVB 31-7-2008." In 2003, a match between FC Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven drew only 700 of 13,000 tickets due to fan disputes over travel protocols and seating. That year’s prize money was €135,000.
Did You Know?
- When PSV won both the league and cup in 2005, the runner-up from the league (Ajax) contested the shield instead of a cup finalist.
- Starting in 2017, the match venue shifted to the home stadium of the Eredivisie champions rather than a neutral ground.
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