On 10 May 1967 two clubs from North Holland joined forces and created AZ '67. On 10 May 2027 AZ Alkmaar turns 60. In that time it has reached a European final, won two league titles and once even ended up with no roof over its stadium.

The Molenaar brothers' idea

Behind the club's birth were the brothers Cees and Klaas Molenaar, local businessmen and former players. They pushed for the merger of Alkmaar '54 with FC Zaanstreek, the successor of Zaandam's KFC, which had been playing since 1910.

The name is simple: Alkmaar Zaanstreek, the city of Alkmaar and the Zaanstreek region, plus the founding year. In 1986 the "'67" was dropped and the club became plain AZ.

The Molenaars were not just the masterminds. In 1972 they rescued the club financially, and Klaas stayed involved until 1985.

Red, white and the city of cheese

AZ traditionally wears red and white, with a red shirt and white shorts. The sources we found do not say for certain where the colours came from, but its shirts often tie them to the city.

Under Armour's 2019-20 shirt was inspired by Alkmaar. Its all-over pattern used the castle from the city's coat of arms, with the Alkmaar flag on the collar, white shorts and hooped socks.

The players also have a tasty nickname: "de Kaasboeren", "the cheese farmers". It is a nod to the city's famous cheese market.

The year of 101 goals

The big moment came in 1980-81. AZ '67 won its first Dutch title with 101 goals, a club record.

The same season it reached the UEFA Cup final against Ipswich Town. It lost 5-4 on aggregate over the two legs, with John Metgod among the scorers.

The hero of the era was Kees Kist, the club's all-time top scorer with 212 goals and the first Dutchman to win the European Golden Shoe. Alongside him played Hugo Hovenkamp, Jan Peters and the Norwegian Kristen Nygaard.

Van Gaal and 2009

It took 28 years for the second title. In 2008-09, with Louis van Gaal in charge, AZ were Dutch champions again.

Straight afterwards van Gaal left for Bayern Munich. But the 2009 title remains one of the loveliest stories in Dutch football, because it came from outside the country's big three.

A stadium without a roof and a new cup

On 10 August 2019 part of the roof of the AFAS Stadion collapsed, luckily with no one hurt. The team played in The Hague for months and returned home on 15 December 2019.

The saga had a happy ending. After the 2021 works, the stadium's capacity reached 19,500.

In 2025 AZ lost the cup final on penalties to Go Ahead Eagles. A year later, on 19 April 2026, it took revenge in the best way: it beat NEC 5-1 at De Kuip and lifted the fifth cup in its history.

Celebrate with us

AZ's red shirt unites two clubs, a whole region and a city with a castle on its coat of arms. From Kist to van Gaal and the 2026 cup, it is a shirt worth wearing with pride.

Happy birthday, AZ! Sixty years in red, and many more to come.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Kees Kist has just scored for AZ '67 against NAC, 1981 – Hans van Dijk / Anefo, Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC0.