Former Ajax chairman Jan Melchers dies at 97
28 February: Ajax.nl, the official Ajax
website, has confirmed the death of Jan
Melchers, chairman of the club from 1958 to 1964. Mr
Melchers, who was a member of Ajax for 84 years, passed
away after a brief sickbed at age 97. The 'Melchers
era' is known as a period in which the club was in
disarray and he stepped back due to a vote of
no-confidence from the Board of Members. However,
Ajax also won its first ever international
trophy under Melchers' reign: the Intertoto
Cup (1962).
Jan L. Melchers (born 24 December 1906) joined Ajax on
the day of the club's 20th anniversary: 18 March 1920. He
played for youth teams in all age categories and several
lower 'senior' selections, but never made it to the
first team. Melchers was a striker, who was regularly provided
with crosses from right winger Jaap van Praag, the man who
would become his successor as Ajax's chairman in 1964. Writing
under the pen name 'James' he was also an editor
of Ajax Nieuws, the official Ajax club magazine,
from 1932 to 1948.
Mr Melchers became the club's 8th chairman in 1958, as the
club was going through a difficult period. The club was in
financial trouble and De Meer needed renovation. Melchers
took strict measures in order to cure the club. This was
not appreciated by everyone, to say the least: after six
years as the club chairman he had to resign in unpleasant
circumstances. However, Mr Melchers was also the man to hire
coach Vic Buckingham, who turned Ajax into an offensive team
again and led the Amsterdammmers to the Dutch
championship of 1960.
Melchers' main success, however, was the winning of the
first international trophy in Ajax history: the lucrative
Intertoto Cup of 1962. The Intertoto still exists today, but at
the time was an independent, lucrative tournament. Ajax won it
by beating Feyenoord in the final: 2-4.
After his departure as Ajax's chairman and in spite of the
conflicts he had within the club, he served in the club's Board
of Members for three more years and remained member of the
club until his death on Monday 23 February, at the respectable
age of 97 years. (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl
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