LIVING IN AMSTERDAM, UNITED BY SPURS!
Amsterdam Spurs members Dominic O'Reirdan and
Lloyd Ahlers on tour at our game in Nashville in 2017
It's well-documented that this Champions
League tie with Ajax sees the reunion of four
of our players with their former club, but it's
also a very special clash for our Amsterdam
Spurs Supporters' Club.
The branch are part of our global network
of Supporters'Clubs which now number200 in
total, with groups established in atlfour corners
of the globe, from USA to China, Barbados
to Ethiopia, as well as many closer to home
in the UK.
Rob Ahlers, chairman of Amsterdam Spurs
and a lifelongTottenham fan, admits he was left
pinchinghimselfafterwe defeated Manchester
City in the last round and were then paired to
face Ajaxfor a place in the Champions League
Final, the draw he had dreamed of for many
years!
We'll let Rob take up the story.
"I played football as a kid in Amsterdam,
literally in the shadow of the Ajax stadium
and loved that club. Even at my young age, I
regularly attended home games and hunted
for autographs. Players like Cruyff, Keizer,
Neeskens and Krol were budding and about
to turn Ajax into world beaters.
"Then, inig66, my granddad decided'enough
is enough! He lived in Edmonton and made
me the first overseas member of the Spurs
Supporters'Club. He wasa St John's Ambulance
attendant at White Hart Lane and smuggled
me under his big trench coat through the
turnstiles and sat me next to him on a bench
on the perimeter of the pitch. So close, I could
touch Jimmy Greaves! I was sold for life.
"Fast forward 45 years, many of them as
a season ticket holder and after witnessing
glorious cup triumphs, Spurs asked me to form
the Amsterdam Spurs. How could I refuse? I
had maintained my close ties with the Spurs
Supporters' Club and travelled to many away
games with them in the 1970s.
"Today, Amsterdam Spurs has 115 members
and are so proud to be a part of the Supporters'
Clubs network. We watch every game together
in Amsterdam and every week we get visitors
from places like UK, USA, Canada, Belarus,
Russia, Singapore, Nepal, Australia and Norway,
to name but a few. A few of us have also made
many friends on our travels, especially during
the recent ICC tournaments in the USA.
"We are so excited about arguably the biggest
game in the dub'sl37-year history takingplace
on our doorstep here in Amsterdam. Spurs
and Ajax have many things in common and
many great names have played for both clubs
in recent years. But it's the common ground in
philosophy and belief in honest and beautiful
football that unites us the most.
"That unity is also reflected in our Amsterdam
Spurs membership. About 60 per cent of our
members are Spurs fans who also have Ajax
in their hearts and frequently visit the Johan
Cruyff Arena. The rest are Ajax fans who also
love Spurs. All have been to White Hart Lane,
some very regularly. And none of us will forget
the night, just a few weeks ago, that we beat
Dortmund and Ajax demolished Real Madrid
in the Bernabeu.
"Ajax, as four-time winners, are on familiar
territory though most of their young fans will
not have witnessed those glory years. For
some of us, this is the moment we have been
waiting for, after more than 50 years. The dub
has never been in a better position to make that
last step to the summit. The new stadium, the
broad perspective and infrastructure of the
club has never been better. The current team,
both on and off the pitch, is capable of reaching
the very top.
"We can't wait for tonight's game and next
week. And whatever the outcome, we will
remain the best of friends and united in the
Amsterdam Spurs Supporters' Club"
OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
