0530.html

Van Damme signs three season contract with Ajax

30 May: For the first time, Ajax has reaped the fruits of its majority's stake in Belgian First Class club Germinal Beerschot Antwerp (GBA): defender Jelle Van Damme (18), who spent the past three months in Amsterdam on a try-out, has signed a three year contract with the Amsterdammers, to join the first team for the next season.

Jelle Van Damme signs his contract with Ajax. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

Jelle Van Damme (born 10-10-1983) is a product of the youth ranks of Belgian First Class side SK Beveren. He then moved to the youth of First Class side SK Lokeren, where he made his debut in the highest Belgian division under current Roda JC coach, Georges Leekens.

He joined Germinal Beerschot Antwerp at the beginning of this season, but did not get to play many matches in the first team of Ajax' purple and white sister club: seven in the First Class and one in the Belgian Cup, to be precise. However, he is a regular in Belgium's U19 national team, for which he played 9 games so far.

Van Damme came to Ajax for a try-out in late February of this year. He played a few games for Jan Olde Riekerink's Young Ajax team and made such a good impression that his Ajax-1 debut followed in the Eredivisie away game at Sparta, on 12 April 2002. Although he was already at Ajax last season, Van Damme is the first official new signing for the new season.

Remarkably, Jelle Van Damme was not always a defender. With the Beveren youth, he won the Belgian championship of 1998 as a central forward, scoring the amazing number of 101 goals. (MP)

(Source: Ajax.nl)