AZ, an acronym for Alkmaar Zaanstreek, is a football club from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. They are the current Dutch Eredivisie champions.
It was founded on 10 May 1967 as AZ '67, the result of a merger of Alkmaar '54 and FC Zaanstreek. The name was changed into AZ in July 1986; internationally, Alkmaar is often tautologously added.
Owing to the commitment of businessmen Cees and Klaas Molenaar, AZ '67 were successful in the late seventies and ear...
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AZ, an acronym for Alkmaar Zaanstreek, is a football club from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. They are the current Dutch Eredivisie champions.
It was founded on 10 May 1967 as AZ '67, the result of a merger of Alkmaar '54 and FC Zaanstreek. The name was changed into AZ in July 1986; internationally, Alkmaar is often tautologously added.
Owing to the commitment of businessmen Cees and Klaas Molenaar, AZ '67 were successful in the late seventies and early eighties. In 1981 they became Dutch champions and UEFA Cup finalists. Things went downhill after the Molenaar brothers left the club. In 1988 AZ were relegated from the Eredivisie.
The involvement of businessman Dirk Scheringa in the mid-nineties marked the revival of the club. AZ returned to the Eredivisie in 1998. In 2004-05 they reappeared in the UEFA Cup tournament, advancing to the semi-finals. They also finished third in the Eredivisie that season, again qualifying for the UEFA Cup, after spending most of the season in the top two...
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