AJAX have quite literally decided to share their 35th Eredivisie Championship with their fans by melting down the trophy and turning it into silver stars.
All 42,930 season ticket holders will be presented with a small champions star as a gift for being unable to attend the majority of home matches.
The Dutch side played all but four of their home games at the Johan Cruyff Arena without their supporters due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And Ajax have brilliantly made the choice to share their triumph with their passionate fanbase.
The Amsterdam outfit posted a video on social media on Wednesday showing their shield going through the melting process, before being converted into stars.
Captioning the post, they said: “Piece of victory, piece of history, piece of Ajax. Literally. For you.”
The clip – which included star players Dusan Tadic, Ryan Gravenberch and Lisandro Martinez – shows the club’s director of football Marc Overmars carrying the trophy before it is melted.
He is then seen walking through the streets of the city with two briefcases containing the stars ready to be sent out to their fans.
Each of the stars weighs 3.45g, with 0.06g of the material coming directly from the championship title.
Speaking of the heartwarming gesture, Ajax general director Edwin van der Sar told the club’s website: “This season, we have largely had to play without our fans.
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“Well, without them sitting in the stands, at least. Despite this, we have felt their support every week.
“On the way to the stadium, on social media and in our personal contacts.
“Previously, when we said ‘this title is for you’, we were expressing how we were doing it for the fans. However, sharing the trophy is the ultimate proof that we really are.’
“After a turbulent year, we are ensuring our fans feel part of our championship.”
Skipper Tadic added: “Playing in an empty stadium doesn’t compare with an atmospheric Johan Cruyff Arena.
“We have really missed our supporters over the past season here in Amsterdam and during all our matches.
“We therefore want to dedicate this title to our fans and can’t wait to play in front of them again.”
Due to the season being played behind doors, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has given Ajax a second trophy as an exception, ensuring the shield a place in their trophy cabinet.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
