An Ode to Sjakie
From the desk of the Editor
Menno Pot
August 8, 2003
Arie van Eijden dropped the brief announcement during a
press-conference on the day of Ajax's first training: Sjaak
Wolfs will retire as Ajax's equipment manager and
jack-of-all-trades. The good man is 71 years old now
and, according to Van Eijden, could understand the decision of
the club, "although he wasn't all too pleased with it". Board
and directors will think of a proper way for club and
supporters to say goodbye to their beloved Sjakie. Van
Eijden then moved on to other subjects.
Anyone who ever attended an Ajax training session can not
possibly have overlooked the bent, small-statured figure
pottering about on the sideline. He would drag cones and
hurdles for running exercises, large ball-bags, player boots
and other equipment. Walking through the gate to the training
pitch he would mutter "mornin'" to the fans. Walking off the
pitch after training he would usually be talking to one of the
players, gesturing with one arm while the other would be
tightly wrapped around the player's shoulders. In such a
personal conversation Sjaak would do the talking and the player
the listening and silent nodding. Sometimes the player must
have had no idea what Sjaak was on about. Sjaak talked to
players of all nationalities, but only spoke Dutch. It did not
matter. They all adored him.
Sjakie (pronounced 'Shah-kee') was a life-long and
passionate Ajax fan when he first met a few players
(Johan Neeskens, Barry Hulshoff and the Mühren brothers)
during the summer vacation of 1972. They kicked some ball and
when the season started the players invited him for a day at De
Meer. Wolfs volunteered to polish the players' boots and was
offered a part-time job in 1975, although he usually spent
the whole day at the club. Remarkably he didn't have a
full-time contract until Louis van Gaal offered him one in
December 1995. At that point Sjakie was already a hero to all
Ajax fans. "That's the magic of Ajax", Sjaak said, "everyone
within the club is always regarded as equally important. We're
doing it as a family. As a team."
Now he's retiring. After 31 years of service. Nothing too
remarkable for a man of almost 70, but it was rather shocking
when I realized that Sjakie was the only man on the 2002 team
picture who was already there on the very first Ajax team
poster on my bedroom wall (1984). He was my 'last Mohican',
since Bobby Haarms called it quits as the first team's
coach-assistant (2000).
Sjakie on his way to the ArenA
pitch, chatting as always.
[Photo: Bobby Haarms Site]
I met him a couple of times. The first time I shook his hand
was in 1997. I did a work placement the weekly arts &
culture program on Amsterdam's regional TV station, AT5. Being
an Ajax fan I was very much on speaking terms with the editors
of the weekly Ajax program, which at the time used to have a
weekly feature named Sjakie Wolfs' Minute. The camera
crew would go to the ArenA every week and hand the microphone
to Sjakie, who would then discuss the week with himself in his
own inimitable, though not always coherent way. His monologue
was shown integrally, with a clock ticking in the top corner of
the screen. The camera would fade to black after exactly one
minute, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. I asked the
sports editors if I could join them to the ArenA for the
shooting of Sjakie's minute. I was more than welcome.
In the car Mark Keizer, chief-editor of the program, told
me: "It's a one minute item, taped in one take, but it usually
takes us over an hour to get it done." I soon found out what he
meant. Sjakie was nowhere to be found. The people from the Ajax
offices helpfully answered our question before we'd even asked
it: "No idea, guys. He must be around here somewhere."
We found him after half an hour in the home dressing room,
snoozing in the bath wearing his swimming trunks.
"Ah, right, there you are. How's it goin', alright? Good.
So, let's get started then, shall we? It was quite a week, I'll
tell ya. Hang on a minute, I'll get dressed and we'll tape the
thing right here. Right here in the dressing room, so the
people at home can take a peek while I'm talking. I mean: it's
not just yer average dressing room, but the Ajax
dressing room. That's right. Not many people get to look around
in here. Strictly forbidden. The coach doesn't want it. You
want coffee? Won't be a minute. Will be right back."
And off he went. We'd had absolutely no chance to say a
single word.
Another 15 minutes ticked away. He returned with five cups
of coffee on a tray. He sat down, the camera started spinning
and Mark asked his standard question: "So, Sjaak, tell us: what
happened this week?" That's all it took. Sjaak grabbed the mic
and pushed off. He'd already recorded dozens of 'Minutes' for
AT5, but still seemed totally unaware that only the first sixty
seconds of his monologue were going to be used. He rattled on
for at least a minute or four.
"Right. Thanks Sjaak.
That will be enough, I guess."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, pretty sure. Thank you."
As we sat down, drinking our coffee and talking
some more, Sjaak turned to me and said: "Excellent idea of
those AT5 chaps to have me presenting my own TV show. Excellent
idea. You see, I'm extremely popular in town, of course."
Of course.
Our second meeting was in April 2002, during Ajax USA's
first ever trip to Amsterdam. After having watched training I
told the group we just had to take some pictures with
The Phenomenon Himself. "Sjakie, got a minute for some
pictures?" I asked. Of course he had. Any time. Ajax people,
good people. "These guys are from America", I told him, "they
travelled all the way here to see Ajax."
Sjaak lined up with us for a 'team picture', meanwhile
talking non-stop to the Americans:
"Afternoon Sir. So, let's have some nice pictures. You over
here. You, the tall one, right there. Do you guys play
football? Any other sports? Any exercising? Probably not, eh,
looking at you. Well, let's go. Smile, folks. Here we go."
I can still see the faces of Jim, Ben, Bob and the others
staring at Sjaak like a young child stares at Santa Claus. That
morning I'd tried to explain them a few things about Sjakie and
why the fans love him. Now I could rest my case. They knew
exactly what I meant, even though Sjaak's entire
monologue was in Dutch and they might not have understood a few
tiny bits of it. But they knew it somehow made sense. In a
Sjakie way.
Coach Co Adriaanse once decided he was no longer welcome on
the bench and in the dressing room. An unforgiveable mistake.
It led to furious yells from the stands ("Sjakie on the
bench!") and the foundation of the 'Sjakie On The Bench
Committee'. The end of the story: Sjakie returned to the bench,
Adriaanse got fired.
This time it's for real and I must face reality: it had to
happen one day. Sjakie's successor, Fred Hek (quite a character
himself, by the way) assisted him throughout the 2002-2003
season. The large ball-bags were becoming too heavy for the old
Amsterdammer, the old knees were giving in. Two hours of
standing and walking on a training pitch were becoming too
exhausting for Sjakie. From August 2003 onwards Sjakie will not
be on the bench anymore. He will no longer sit next to the team
in the dressing room during the half-time break, listening to
the coach with balled fists and a grim, determined expression
about his mouth, as if he had to play the second half himself.
He accepted the seat Ajax offered him. On the main stand,
directly behind the Ajax dug-out. His dug-out.
His inevitable retirement makes me more sentimental than I
could ever have thought back in 1984, when I first put him up
on my bedroom wall in 1984. And I want to urge the Ajax board
to make sure that all doors in the Amsterdam ArenA are
open for him at any time. The man's only home is where
he can feel and smell Ajax. He has the right to stroll through
the stadium hallways for the rest of his life, until the day he
dies. If he ever goes it has to be in his ball and boot
basement at the ArenA, which I hereby officially christen the
Sjakie Wolfs Room.
Banner distributed at Sjakie's
tribute game.
Here's to you, Sjakie. Thank you. May you live forever. And
we'll see you at Ajax.
-
Menno
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