A former player for Ajax and Genoa, and as a coach, he has been part of the club’s youth team, has been an assistant in the first team and the national team of the Netherlands, and has coached teams such as Melbourne City, Mexican team Guadalajara, Zwolle, and the choice of Greece. He will be coach until July 1, 2024, and from there, until June 30, 2025, he will serve as technical director.
Winner of a Cup Winners’ Cup, a UEFA Cup, four leagues, and three cups with Ajax, he took over from Hedwiges Maduro, who served as interim coach after the departure of Maurice Steijn.
Van’t Schip will coach his first game next Thursday against Volendam, third from bottom. His assistants will be Australian Michael Valkanis, head coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv until Monday, and Maduro himself.
“I’m happy that the signing is over, and I’m looking forward to starting at the club where it all started for me. From the conversations I had with everyone involved about it, I have a very good feeling. It should be easy to get Ajax on the upward path of sports, and I am happy to contribute to it,” commented the new coach of the historic Dutch club.
On the other hand, Jan van Halst, general affairs director of the Ajax board of directors, assured that Van’t Schip is “the right person to give a positive turn” to the team and announced that “he has worked well with Michael Valkanis as coach and assistant, and his addition to the technical team is good.
The coach has already been through Guadalajara in 2012, when he took the team to the Apertura, the only tournament he managed. He managed the Flock in a total of 23 games in all competitions and had 8 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses.
