Not always white with a red stripe
Have Ajax always played in the famous white shirt with the broad red stripe? The answer is no. During the club's first decade, Ajax wore different shirts. In a team photo from the 1900/1901 season, the very first Ajax side posed in black kits with red details. The red mainly appeared in ribbons, tied around the waist by some players and around the neck by others. The black and red colours referred to the coat of arms of Amsterdam. The club's earliest footballers were proud to represent their city.
Red and white from 1901
By the time Ajax celebrated its first anniversary on March 18, 1901, the players were already wearing red and white. It was not yet the version we know today. The red-and-white striped shirt worn at the time is now more commonly associated with Sparta Rotterdam. Red and white remained Ajax's club colours, but the design would change.
1911: the birth of the Ajax shirt
When Ajax were promoted to the Eerste Klasse West in 1911, the club had to find a new home shirt. Sparta had become one of Ajax's opponents at the highest level and, as the older club, held the rights to the red-and-white striped design. It simply wasn't permitted for two clubs to compete in identical shirts.
Ajax therefore adopted the design that has become synonymous with the club: a white shirt with a broad red central stripe. It has been the club's home shirt ever since the 1911/1912 season.
Ajax in Arsenal shirts
From the 1911/1912 season onwards, several changes - both subtle and more significant - were made to the home shirt. The width of the red stripe, for example, varied over the years.
Towards the end of the 1940s, Ajax wore shirts that looked remarkably similar to those of Arsenal. And for good reason. Goalkeeper Gerrit Keizer had played for both Ajax and the London club during the early 1930s. Nicknamed the 'Flying Goalkeeper', Keizer travelled by plane between Amsterdam and London and had maintained good contacts at Arsenal.
After visiting his former club, Keizer returned to Ajax with a batch of Arsenal shirts. The red shirts with white sleeves were not particularly popular with either the players or the supporters. However, throwing them away was considered wasteful and saving money was important in the years after the Second World War. As a result, Ajax continued to wear them for three seasons. Between 1946 and 1949, Ajax played in Arsenal shirts.
Brand logo and Ajax crest
The next small but significant change followed in 1972. From the European Cup final against Internazionale - Ajax's second consecutive European Cup final - the manufacturer's logo appeared on the shirt for the first time.
A season later, in 1972/1973, the Ajax crest was also added. The image of the Greek hero Ajax featured on the shirts for the first time, printed centrally on the chest. From then on, Ajax were recognisable not only by their famous colours, but also by the club crest.
Shirt sponsorship from 1982/1983
Exactly ten years later came a change that divided opinion. Shirt sponsorship had already become common in several other countries and was introduced in Dutch football as well. From the 1982/1983 season, Ajax also featured a shirt sponsor. TDK, the manufacturer of cassette tapes and videotapes, became the club's first principal partner.
The Japanese company remained Ajax's main sponsor until the summer of 1991. That same year, the club introduced a newly designed, more modern Ajax crest, while a new principal sponsor also appeared on the shirt. During the 1991/1992 season, the new Ajax logo returned to the centre of the shirt, while ABN AMRO's name was displayed vertically - another first.
Player names and squad numbers
With the bank as principal sponsor, Ajax players began wearing their names on the back of their shirts in European matches from the 1996/1997 season onwards. A year later, from 1997/1998, every player was also assigned a fixed squad number.
An interesting piece of trivia: clubs were only required to wear shirt numbers from the 1954/1955 season onwards. During the first half-century of Ajax's existence, players took to the pitch without numbers on their backs.
Ziggo and adidas
The arrival of adidas as kit supplier in 2000/2001 and the current main sponsor Ziggo in January 2015 brought two of the most recent changes to the Ajax shirt. The adidas and Ziggo logos - both featuring on the shirt for the final time in the 2026/2027 season - have become a familiar sight over the past decade.
Ajax have also worn championship stars above the crest since the 2007/2008 season, with each star representing ten Dutch league titles. After the club secured its third star in 2011, another small but meaningful adjustment was made to the shirt. It may have been subtle, but it remains something every Ajax supporter is immensely proud of.
Last season also saw the return of the club's classic Ajax crest. As a result, it once again proudly features on the shirts worn by Ajax. For many supporters, the return of the traditional logo fulfilled a long-held wish.
Adidas and Ziggo remain familiar names on Ajax's home shirt in the 2026/2027 season. A shirt that Ajax have proudly worn since 1911, and one that has every right to be called historic.
