Ajax Cape Town was formed in October 1998 through the merger of two well established Cape Town clubs namely; Seven Stars Football Club and Cape Town Spurs Football Club.
Rob Moore, the Chairman and owner of Seven Stars Football Club went to Ajax Amsterdam to conclude the transfer of Benni McCarthy from Seven Stars to Ajax Amsterdam. During the transfer talks the board of Ajax Amsterdam indicated that they would like to establish a Football Development Academy in South Africa where they could source and develop players with the possibility of finding another “Benni McCarthy”.
A blue print was developed for the Football Development Academy as discussed with the Ajax Amsterdam board. The blue print was accepted by the Amsterdam board and Rob Moore returned to Cape Town charged with initiating the establishment of the Academy.
After careful consideration Rob Moore invited Cape Town Spurs FC to join this exciting venture.
The establishment of Ajax Cape Town caused ripples in the proposed formation of the new club faced opposition from the National Soccer League.
Despite this opposition Ajax Cape Town played their first official game against Kaizer Chiefs in the Iwisa Charity Spectacular on the 17 July 1999. Ajax caused the upset of the year when they beat Chiefs 1-0 with Sam Pam, the Ajax Cape Town captain scoring the winning goal. Following this match the nickname of Ajact Cape Town was born as the Urban Warriors.
Ajax Cape Town identified and developed their Academy at a site of the Tygerberg Cricket Club on the corner of Frans Conradie Drive and Bertie Genade Street, Parow.
Ajax Cape Town, believes in giving children the best possible facilities in which to grow and learn with the goal of becoming future world-class players.
Ikamva, which means “The Future” in Xhosa and in Amsterdam it’s known as “Die Toekoms” the Club’s headquarters, is a facility that is on a par with the best around the world. Fans are able to watch Ajax teams practice and play youth matches in the comfort of a superb environment.
Our achievements in a short space of time – with the implementation of the new, exciting, attacking flair of Ajax philosophy football – clearly marked the beginning of some exciting days for the Club and South African football as a whole.
Ajax Cape Town has been bold in its decision to constantly promote young players into the senior professional squad and allow them to gain valuable experience. At the same time the players have shown that they are ready for the jump both technically and mentally and credit must be given to the entire technical team who train and prepare the boys so admirably.
Besides football, the Club also believes in striving to develop the academic and social qualities of its players. In the modern world players need to present themselves professionally at all times and a solid educational background is becoming increasingly essential, not only for the players but also the communities.
Ajax Cape Town ensures that all its youth players receive a good education by monitoring their progress at school. In 2015, Ajax Cape Town introduced Bruce Nadin, National Director of Sports Chaplancey, South Africa to ensure that all the players at the academy receive life skills.