Ajax shirt history: where the broad red stripe came from

The Corner · 27 October 2026

A white shirt with a single broad red stripe down the middle is Ajax's calling card. The design is more than a century old, and it was born out of a very practical problem: when Ajax won promotion to the top division, the shirt they were wearing already belonged to someone else. This is how the club ended up in white and red, the three seasons it spent in borrowed Arsenal shirts, and what happened to the kit in the 1990s, the decade our away shirt comes from.

Black first, then stripes

Ajax was founded in Amsterdam in March 1900. The first team played in black with red touches, mostly red ribbons tied around the waist or the neck, a nod to the colours of the Amsterdam coat of arms. The club soon moved to vertical red and white stripes, a look that today belongs to a different club altogether.

1911: promotion and a forced change

In 1911 Ajax went up to the top flight and ran straight into Sparta Rotterdam. Sparta were the older club, had been wearing red and white stripes for years, and two teams in the same league could not turn out in identical shirts. Ajax had to give way.

The answer was a white shirt with one wide red stripe through the centre. It has been the home shirt since the 1911/12 season. The width of the stripe has changed over the years, the idea never has, and more than a hundred years on it is one of the most recognisable club shirts in the Netherlands.

Three seasons in Arsenal's colours

The strangest chapter comes right after the Second World War. From 1946 to 1949 Ajax played in red shirts with white sleeves, borrowed from Arsenal through goalkeeper Gerrit Keizer, who had kept goal in London before the war. The fans never warmed to them, but the shirts were worn out rather than thrown away before the white and red returned.

From the first maker's logo to fixed numbers

Change came slowly, because the club protected its white. A manufacturer's logo first appeared in 1972, in the European Cup final against Inter, and a season later the crest moved to the centre of the chest. The first shirt sponsor was TDK in 1982/83, a decision that split the supporters.

In 1991 Ajax introduced a new, more modern crest, and the bank ABN AMRO arrived as main sponsor. From 1991/92 the bank's name ran vertically along the shirt, which is still one of the most recognisable Ajax details of the decade. In 1997/98 every player was given a fixed squad number for the whole season. adidas has made the shirts since 2000/01.

Navy instead of white: the 1997/98 away shirt

Away from home Ajax did not have to stick to white, and Umbro made the most of it in the 1990s. Our 1997/98 away shirt is navy with a band of overlapping Ajax crests across the chest. ABN AMRO runs vertically just like on the home shirt, the polo collar has a button stamped with the crest, the shoulders carry red and white stripes, and red side panels spell out AJAX. The label says Made in England.

It was a good year in Amsterdam. Morten Olsen's side won the league by 17 points and lifted the Dutch Cup with a 5-0 final win over PSV. If you are wondering why orange means the Netherlands while Ajax stays white and red, we explained that in Why the Netherlands wear orange: the story behind the shirt.

From our rail

• Ajax 1997/98 away shirt by Umbro: navy, crests across the chest, vertical ABN AMRO, from a league and cup double season.

All our Ajax shirts are in the Ajax shirts category, and more from the same decade under 90s football shirts.

FAQ

Why do Ajax have a red stripe on their shirt?

Because after promotion in 1911 they could no longer wear vertical red and white stripes, which Sparta Rotterdam already used. Ajax switched to a white shirt with one broad red stripe and have kept it ever since.

What did Ajax wear before the red stripe?

At the very start, black with red ribbons, then vertical red and white stripes. After the war, from 1946 to 1949, they wore red shirts with white sleeves borrowed from Arsenal.

When did Ajax get a shirt sponsor?

In 1982/83, with TDK. ABN AMRO took over in 1991, and from 1991/92 its name ran vertically along the shirt.

← All posts in The Corner