The Dutch football league system consists of two fully professional leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie) and eight levels of amateur football leagues. The three highest amateur leagues, the Tweede, Derde and Vierde Divisie play in nationwide leagues and the five levels below are regional leagues.
All the leagues are connected by a promotion and relegation system, but in order to be promoted to the Eerste Divisie a club has to submit a solid business plan to be approved by the Royal Dutch Football Association, as well as meet certain stadium demands, and some other demands that the association stated for all the teams in the top two leagues.
Before 2010 there was no promotion and relegation (based on league result) between the highest amateur level (back then the Hoofdklasse) and the professional leagues. In the 2010–11 season the Topklasse was introduced as an intermediate level between the professional and amateur leagues. Promotion was optional, so it was possible that the IJsselmeervogels who won the 2010–11 Topklasse, was not promoted because they did not want to be bound to the demands for playing in the Eerste Divisie.
In 2016 the Tweede Divisie was (re)introduced between the Topklasse (renamed to Derde Divisie) and Eerste Divisie to further work on stimulating promotion and relegation between the amateur and professional leagues. However, due to resistance from the amateur clubs to meet the demands for the professional leagues and worries from the professional clubs to face bankruptcy after relegation, mandatory promotion and relegation was suspended for five to 10 years in June 2022.[1][2]
| Level | Level name | League(s)/division(s) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional football | |||||||||||
| 1 | Eredivisie | Eredivisie 18 clubs | |||||||||
| 2 | Eerste Divisie | Eerste Divisie 20 clubs | |||||||||
| Amateur football (nationwide) | |||||||||||
| 3 | Tweede Divisie | Tweede Divisie 18 clubs | |||||||||
| 4 | Derde Divisie | Group A 18 clubs |
Group B 18 clubs | ||||||||
| 5 | Vierde Divisie | Group A 16 clubs |
Group B 16 clubs |
Group C 16 clubs |
Group B 16 clubs | ||||||
| Amateur football (regional) | |||||||||||
| West I | West II | South I | South II | East | North | ||||||
| 6 | Eerste Klasse | 1A 1 Group |
1B 1 Group |
1C 1 Group |
1D 1 Group |
1E 1 Group |
1F 1 Group |
1G 1 Group |
1H 1 Group |
1I 1 Group |
1J 1 Group |
| Saturday Groups | Sunday Groups | ||||||||||
| West I | West II | South I | East | North | West I | South I | South II | East | North | ||
| 7 | Tweede Klasse | Sat 2A - 2B 2 Groups |
Sat 2C - 2D 2 Groups |
Sat 2E - 2G 3 Groups |
Sat 2H - 2I 2 Groups |
Sat 2J - 2K 2 Groups |
Sun 2A - 2B 2 Groups |
Sun 2C - 2D 2 Groups |
Sun 2E - 2F 2 Groups |
Sun 2G 1 Group |
Sun 2H - 2I 2 Groups |
| 8 | Derde Klasse | Sat 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sat 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sat 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sat 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sat 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sun 3A - 3C 3 Groups |
Sun 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sun 3A - 3D 4 Groups |
Sun 3A - 3C 3 Groups |
Sun 3A - 3C 3 Groups |
| 9 | Vierde Klasse | Sat 4A - 4E 5 Groups |
Sat 4A - 4F 6 Groups |
Sat 4A - 4H 6 Groups |
Sat 4A - 4D 4 Groups |
Sat 4A - 4F 6 Groups |
Sun 4A - 4C 3 Groups |
Sun 4A - 4E 5 Groups |
Sun 4A - 4I 9 Groups |
Sun 4A - 4E 5 Groups |
Sun 4A - 4D 4 Groups |
| 10 | Vijfde Klasse | Sat 5A - 5D 4 Groups |
Sat 5A - 5D 4 Groups |
Sat 5A - 5D 4 Groups |
Sat 5A - 5G 7 Groups |
Sun 5A - 5B 2 Groups |
Sun 5A - 5E 5 Groups |
Sun 5A - 5E 5 Groups |
Sun 5A - 5F 6 Groups |
Sun 5A - 5D 4 Groups | |
The highest league is called Tweede Divisie (English: Second Division). Until 1971, when the division was discontinued, it was comparable to the former Topklasse. The Tweede Divisie was reintroduced in 2016, decrementing the Topklasse and lower leagues by a level in the pyramid.[3]
Since 2020–21, under-19 teams of professional or amateur clubs in the Tweede Divisie or higher no longer participate in the Derde Divisie, as they have been placed in the newly formed under-21 league. The new under-23 competition is for Tweede or Derde amateur clubs that are not directly eligible for under-21.[4] Until 2022–23, clubs from Derde Divisie down to the Eerste Klasse were divided into Saturday and Sunday groups. The separation between Saturday and Sunday football was abolished in the Derde and Vierde Divisie as well as in the Eerste Klasse from 2023–24. Amateur clubs are asked before the season whether they want to play their home games on Saturday or Sunday. This rule may be deviated from by principled Saturday clubs that retain the right to play on their day.[5]
Until 2007 the Hoofdklasse was the top division. From 2007 the Eredivisie was the top division until 2011 when the BeNe League was created. In 2011–12 the Topklasse was created above the Hoofklasse. Since 2015 the Eredivisie again is the top-level league, as the BeNe League was ended. The Hoofdklasse plays its matches on two different days per division.
|
Level |
Level name |
League(s)/division(s) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Eredivisie | ||||||||||||||||
|
2 |
Topklasse | ||||||||||||||||
|
3 |
Hoofdklasse A Saturday |
Hoofdklasse B Sunday | |||||||||||||||
|
4 |
Eerste Klasse |
Eerste Klasse |
Eerste Klasse |
Eerste Klasse | |||||||||||||
|
5 |
2 A |
2 B |
2 C |
2 D |
2 E |
2 F |
2 G |
2 H | |||||||||
|
6 |
Sat 3A |
Sat 3B |
Sat 3C |
Sat 3D |
Sat 3E |
Sat 3F |
Sat 3G |
Sat 3H |
Sun 3A |
Sun 3B |
Sun 3C |
Sun 3D |
Sun 3E |
Sun 3F |
Sun 3G |
Sun 3H | |
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