Dutch football league system

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.

Promotion and relegation

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]

Men
LevelLevel nameLeague(s)/division(s)
Professional football
1EredivisieEredivisie
18 clubs
2Eerste DivisieEerste Divisie
20 clubs
Amateur football (nationwide)
3Tweede DivisieTweede Divisie
18 clubs
4Derde DivisieGroup A
18 clubs		Group B
18 clubs
5Vierde DivisieGroup A
16 clubs		Group B
16 clubs		 Group C
16 clubs		Group B
16 clubs
Amateur football (regional)
West IWest IISouth I South IIEastNorth
6Eerste 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 GroupsSunday Groups
West IWest IISouth IEastNorth West ISouth ISouth IIEastNorth
7Tweede 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
8Derde 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
9Vierde 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
10Vijfde 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

Professional leagues
  • 18 teams in the Eredivisie (English: Honorary Division)
  • 20 teams (of which 4 are reserve teams of Eredivisie teams) in the Eerste Divisie (English: First Division). The champion of the Eerste Divisie is promoted directly to the Eredivisie, the team finishing lowest in the Eredivisie is relegated to the Eerste Divisie. the teams finishing 16th and 17th in the Eredivisie compete in promotion and relegation play-offs with 8 teams from the Eerste Divisie, in which the teams from the Eredivisie and the four best teams from the Eerste Divisie play two rounds, and the other four teams play three rounds.

Amateur leagues

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]

  • The second highest is the Derde Divisie (English: Third Division), formerly Topklasse (Top Class). Since the 2017–18 season, 36 teams compete in the Derde Divisie., divided into two leagues, each containing 18 teams. After the season the A and B champions compete for the overall championship. The Derde Divisie champion promotes to the Tweede Divisie (Eerste Divisie until 2016); if they refuse promotion or don't meet necessary criteria, the runners-up will replace them. If also the runners-up refuse promotion or don't meet necessary criteria, no team is relegated from the Tweede Divisie.
  • The third league is called Vierde Divisie (English: Fourth Division), formerly Hoofdklasse (Main Class), which is then followed by six numbered amateur leagues. It is divided into four divisions each, with 16 clubs in each division.
  • The next league is called Eerste Klasse (English: First Class), with ten league divisions, with 14 clubs each.
  • Tweede Klasse (English: Second Class), with 11 Saturday league divisions and nine Sunday league divisions, with 14 clubs each.
  • The next level, Derde Klasse (English: Third Class), is additionally divided into regional groups. The Saturday and Sunday leagues are divided into five regional groups each with four divisions in every Saturday league. Sunday is divided into three or four divisions each. Each division has between 11 and 14 clubs.
  • In the Vierde Klasse (English: Fourth Class), the number of divisions varies from four to nine. Again, each division contains between 11 and 14 clubs. This is the lowest amateur league in the South 1 region.
  • The lowest amateur league overall, in all regions except for the South 1 region, is the Vijfde Klasse (English: Fifth Class). The Saturday league has four regional groups and the Sunday league is divided into five regions. The number of divisions varies from four to seven, with each division having between 11 and 14 clubs.
  • Until 2015, Zesde Klasse (English: Sixth Class) had no regional groupings for the Saturday league (all teams were from the North-region), but four for the Sunday league. The number of divisions was between three and seven, with 10 to 14 clubs participating in each division.
  • Until 2010, Zevende Klasse (English: Seventh Class) only existed in Sunday football in the North region. There was a total of three divisions, with 10 to 14 clubs participating in each division.
  • Until 2001, Achtste Klasse (English: Eighth Class) only existed in Sunday football in the West 1 region. There was only one division.

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]

Women

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

Eredivisie
12 clubs

2

Topklasse

Topklasse
12 clubs

3

Hoofdklasse

Hoofdklasse A Saturday
12 clubs

Hoofdklasse B Sunday
12 clubs

4

Eerste Klasse

Eerste Klasse
Group A, Saturday 12 clubs

Eerste Klasse
Group B, Saturday 12 clubs

Eerste Klasse
Group C, Sunday 12 clubs

Eerste Klasse
Group D, Sunday 12 clubs

5

Tweede Klasse

2 A
Saturday, West 1

2 B
Saturday, West 2

2 C
Saturday, East 1

2 D
Saturday, East 2

2 E
Sunday, West

2 F
Sunday, South 1

2 G
Sunday, South 2

2 H
Sunday, South 1

6

Derde Klasse

Sat 3A
West

Sat 3B
West

Sat 3C
South

Sat 3D
West

Sat 3E
East

Sat 3F
East

Sat 3G
East

Sat 3H
East

Sun 3A
West

Sun 3B
West

Sun 3C
West

Sun 3D
South

Sun 3E
South

Sun 3F
South

Sun 3G
East

Sun 3H
East

References
  1. "Optimaliseren voetbalpiramide" [Optimizing the football system]. KNVB.nl (in Dutch). 16 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  2. "6. Agenda bondsvergadering". Agenda (in Dutch). KNVB. 24 June 2023. p. 24.
  3. "Plannen tweede divisie gaan door" [Plans for a new Tweede Divisie starting 2016/2017]. NOS.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  4. "Bondsvergadering kiest voor nieuwe competitiestructuur in jeugdvoetbal" [Association assembly opts for a new league structure in youth football] (in Dutch). KNVB. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. "Ledenraad stemt in met aanpassing voetbalpiramide". KNVB. 18 June 2022.
  • League321.com – Dutch football league tables, records & statistics database. (in English)
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