AZ Alkmaar

Dutch football team.

AZ Alkmaar is a professional football club based in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Founded on May 10, 1967, AZ Alkmaar has quickly established itself as one of the prominent teams in Dutch football history. The club plays its home matches at AFAS Stadion, which has a capacity of approximately 17,000 spectators. AZ Alkmaar is known for its red and white colors and has developed a reputation for playing attractive attacking football.

The journey of AZ Alkmaar began when it was formed through a merger between two local clubs: Alkmaar '54 and FC Zaanstreek. Initially competing at lower levels of Dutch football, AZ quickly rose through the ranks to establish itself within professional leagues. The club achieved promotion to the Eredivisie for the first time in 1970.

AZ experienced significant success during the late 1980s under manager Louis van Gaal when they won their first major trophy—the KNVB Cup—in 1981. However, it was not until later that they would achieve their most notable triumphs on both domestic and international stages.

In terms of league success, AZ Alkmaar secured its first Eredivisie title during the 1980-81 season but faced challenges maintaining consistency over subsequent decades. The club returned to prominence when they won their second league title during the historic season of 2008-09 under manager Ronald Koeman.

AZ Alkmaar also made headlines during their successful run in European competitions. In addition to domestic achievements, they reached the semi-finals of UEFA Europa League during the 2009-10 season after finishing third in their group stage behind Manchester United and Valencia.

AZ Alkmaar has maintained stability within Dutch football’s top tier since securing promotion back into Eredivisie after spending just one season outside it during late '90s.