Michael van Praag, chairman of the Supervisory Board: "Jan temporarily stepped in as director during a very difficult period. We have great respect for the way he did his job, during a very intense time. Despite the negative sentiment surrounding the club, Jan always maintained a positive and dignified attitude. And with warmth. That is a huge achievement and we as the SB are very grateful to him for that."
"It's nice that Alex is finally with us. I welcome him very warmly on behalf of the SB. He faces a busy time, he knows. Naturally, we wish him every success and, as part of 'Together Ajax', we will assist and advise him where necessary."
Career of Kroes
Kroes (Utrecht, 23 September 1974) is a business economics graduate and co-founder of Sports Entertainment Group, a large international firm of business agents: mainly in football, but also in other sports.
From February 2019 to August 2022, Kroes was active as a (major) shareholder of Go Ahead Eagles. From 1 December 2022 to 1 September 2023, he worked at AZ as director of International Football Strategy.
Kroes himself went through Ajax's youth training from the age of nine to 19. He has since been a member of the Ajax club for more than 30 years and is still active as a footballer with Ajax's Saturday league.
Alex Kroes: "It is about 40 years since I started here as a youth player and now I get to work as general manager. I am very much looking forward to it. It is my goal, together with my colleagues, to start enjoying great times with our club again. The coming period will be about establishing a clear structure, giving direction and creating calm. It's about training, developing and winning together. But also about having fun and making an impact."
Date of start of work Alex Kroes known
It became clear on Tuesday that Alex Kroes will begin his duties as general manager and chairman of the board at Ajax from 15 March 2024.