Ajax Does Not Use Streamlined Eredivisie Ball
Feb 13, 2024, by Chris
- Ajax Ball Usage: Ajax does not use the league-mandated Derbystar ball for home games, instead using the latest Adidas ball due to a separate contract with Adidas.
- Ball Switching: Ajax must switch between Adidas balls for home games and Derbystar balls for away games each week.
- Away Team Costs: Away teams visiting Ajax are required to purchase Adidas balls for training and warm-up.
The Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga: every major league has a brand of match ball that all clubs are obliged to play with. But in the Netherlands, things are different, at least for one team.
Adidas Ajax Contract Overrides League-Wide Derbystar Deal - Ajax Plays With Latest Adidas Soccer Balls at Home
As visible in the images, Ajax does not use the official Derbystar ball in Eredivisie matches at home - they play with the latest Adidas ball, which is currently the Fussballliebe Euro ball. This is because a contract between Adidas and Ajax overrides the league-wide Derbystar contract.
Ajax's ball features Euro 2024 graphics and the German stadiums
Oddly, the current ball used by Ajax features the host stadiums of the Euro 2024. Ajax should usually opt for the Conext 24 ball, which is actually intended to be Adidas' streamlined high-end ball.
Ajax has to switch between Adidas and Derbystar balls every week
However, at away games, Ajax plays with the league-wide Derbystar football, so Ajax has to switch between Adidas and Derbystar balls every week.
Feyenoord also used to play with Adidas balls at home but now uses the streamlined Derbystar ball after signing a contract with Castore. So Ajax is the last team not to use the streamlined Eredivisie ball at home.
Away teams have to buy Adidas balls for themselves
Back in 2017, PSV team manager Mart van den Heuvel says in Algemeen Dagblad that he buys balls separately from Adidas every season when his club has to go to Ajax stadium, the Johan Cruijff Arena.
"You get a discount if you order 20 or 30 balls at once, but you still have to pay," says Van den Heuvel in the AD. The PSV team manager does not think about picking up the Adidas balls from Ajax and Feyenoord and returning them a week later. "To be honest, that's too much for me. As a competitor, it's a disgrace to my reputation."
Could you imagine this being possible in a major league like La Liga or the Premier League? Do you think Eredivisie will anytime force Ajax to use the streamlined Derbystar football? Let us know in the comments below.
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