AJAX
Roel van Dalen, Netherlands, 2000
Monday 29 September 2003 10.20pm-11.35pm
A candid behind-the-scenes look at the Dutch football club's tubulent 1999/2000 centenary season, from the plucky youth side to the the superstar first team.
GODS OF BRAZIL September 2003
Wonderful archive footage of Pele and Garrincha
Ajax: Official Site
Huge site with results, history and pictures on the club
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Commissioner's
Comment Nick Fraser
Storyville Series Editor
It is notoriously hard to film behind the scenes at football clubs - because football has become such big business that too much money is riding on the outcome of a film to permit much real disclosure. But the Dutch team Ajax was rash enough to allow documentary-maker Roel van Dalen behind the scenes for a whole year. The result is an extremely candid look at how business values have indeed taken over the game.
Most revealing are the scenes in which Ajax scouts go to collect teenagers in Africa in order to train them. The Ajax team performs extremely badly during the year in question, and because failure makes for a better story the film is accordingly enriched.
I make a point of watching every single behind-the-scenes football film I can lay my hands on, and this one is the best so far.