Football in the Netherlands | |
---|---|
Country | Netherlands |
Governing body | KNVB |
National team(s) | men's national team women's national team |
First played | 1879 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, at the age of 14, he founded Haarlemsche Football Club. Over the next 30 years, football gained popularity in the Netherlands and the late 1890s and early 1900s saw the foundation of many new clubs, notably Sparta Rotterdam in 1888, which is the oldest professional football club in the country, AFC Ajax in 1900, Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1908, and PSV Eindhoven in 1913.
The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) was founded on 8 December 1889 and joined FIFA in 1904 as one of the founding members alongside the Football Associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Professional football was introduced in 1954, with the establishment of the Dutch Professional Football Association (Nederlandse Beroeps Voetbal Bond, or NBVB). The first professional game was played on 14 August 1954 between Alkmaar '54 and SC Venlo. The KNVB had opposed professional football for a long time, but eventually submitted to pressure and merged with the NBVB in November 1954 to form a new football association and a new (professional) league. [1] [2]
From 1956, the top flight of Dutch football is the Eredivisie (English: Premier Division, literally Honorary Division). The second level is the Eerste Divisie (First Division). The third level is the Tweede Divisie (Second Division). Below that are two amateur divisions: the fourth level is the Derde Divisie (Third Division), formerly Topklasse, and the fifth level the Hoofdklasse. The Topklasse was launched in 2010, before that time promotion to or relegation from the Eerste Divisie was not possible. In 2016, the Topklasse was renamed Derde Divisie and the Tweede Divisie was revived. [3]
The Netherlands national men's and women's team are usually dressed in orange and have a historic tradition of aesthetic possession football based around technical ability and attacking flair. [4] [5] They won the European Championship in 1988, and have competed in many European and World Cups. The men's team finished second in the 1974,1978 and 2010 World Cups and third in the UEFA Euro 1976 and 2014 World Cup tournament. They have reached many finals (1974 World Cup, 1978 World Cup, Euro 1988, 2010 World Cup) and semi-finals (Euro 1976, 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, Euro 2004, 2014 World Cup, Euro 2024). [6] [7] [8] [9] The women's team also managed to reach the final in its just second FIFA Women's World Cup, where they reached the 2019 Women's World Cup but failed to win. This means the Netherlands is the second country in the world where both men's and women's teams reached the final of respective gender's World Cup yet failed to win both times, the other being Sweden. The women also won the Women's Euro 2017. Only the Netherlands and Germany have won both the men's and the women's European Championship.
The following 25 European finals (club and international tournaments) took place at Dutch venues, or are scheduled to take place at them:
More woman play football than any other sport in the Netherlands.
The top division for Futsal in the Netherlands are the Futsal Eredivisie and the Futsal Eredivisie (women)
# | Stadium | Capacity | City | Province | Home Team | Opened | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Johan Cruijff ArenA | 55,600 | Amsterdam | North Holland | Ajax | 1996 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
2 | De Kuip | 51,117 | Rotterdam | South Holland | Feyenoord | 1936 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
3 | Philips Stadion | 35,000 | Eindhoven | North Brabant | PSV | 1916 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
4 | De Grolsch Veste | 30,205 | Enschede | Overijssel | FC Twente | 1998 | |
NEC Nijmegen, commonly known as NEC, is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion from the 2020–21 Eerste Divisie.
Willem II Tilburg, commonly known simply as Willem II, is a Dutch football club based in Tilburg, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion from the Eerste Divisie in the 2023–24 season. The club was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia. On 12 January 1898, the club was renamed Willem II after Dutch king William II of the Netherlands (1792–1849), who, as Prince of Orange and commander of the Dutch army, had his military headquarters in Tilburg during the Belgian uprising of 1830, spent much time in the city after becoming king, and died there.
The KNVB Beker, branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup. The tournament consists of all teams from the top four tiers of Dutch league football, as well as the 24 semi-finalists of the six KNVB District Cups. The finals of the tournament traditionally takes place in De Kuip, and has been held there every season since the 1989 final. The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruyff Shield, which acts as the curtain raiser for the following season.
The Eredivisie is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. As of the 2024–25 season, it is ranked the sixth-best league in Europe by UEFA.
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while previously it was known as Jupiler League for the same reason.
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889 and dissolved in 2010. The club won the Eredivisie in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912. Haarlem reached the second round of the 1982–83 UEFA Cup, losing to Spartak Moscow of the Soviet Union.
The 2006–07 KNVB Cup was the 89th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 88 teams contested, beginning on 26 August 2006 and ending at the final on 6 May 2007 at the Feyenoord Stadion in Rotterdam.
The 2007–08 KNVB Cup was the 90th edition of the Dutch national football annua; knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 87 teams contested, beginning on 25 August 2007 and ending at the final on 27 April 2008 at Feijenoord Stadion, in Rotterdam.
Achilles '29 is a football club from Groesbeek, Netherlands, competing in the seventh-tier Tweede Klasse.
The 2008–09 KNVB Cup was the 91st edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 88 teams contested starting on 30 August 2008 and ending on 17 May 2009.
Kozakken Boys is a Dutch football club based in Werkendam. It competes in the Derde Divisie, the fourth tier, and second highest amateur league of Dutch football.
The 2004-05 KNVB Cup was the 87th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 85 teams contested, beginning on 7 August 2004 and ending at the final on 29 May 2005.
The 1988-89 KNVB Cup was the 71st edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 64 teams contested, beginning on 1 October 1988 and ending at the final on 25 May 1989.
The 1980-81 KNVB Cup 63rd edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 46 teams contested, beginning on 6 September 1980 and ending at the final on 28 May 1981.
The 1977-78 KNVB Cup 60th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 46 teams contested, beginning on 8 October 1977 and ending at the final on 5 May 1978.
The 1975-76 KNVB Cup was the 58th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 46 teams contested, beginning on 6 September 1975 and ending at the final on 7 April 1976.
The 1970-71 KNVB Cup was the 53rd edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 51 teams contested, beginning on 15 August 1970 and ending at the final on 20 May 1971.
The 2011–12 KNVB Cup was the 94th season of the Dutch national football knockout tournament. The competition began on 24 August 2011 with the matches of Round 1 and ended with the final on 8 April 2012. FC Twente were the defending champions having won the cup the previous season. The winner PSV Eindhoven qualifies for the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
The 2012–13 KNVB Cup tournament was the 95th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament to determine the KNVB Cup. 92 teams contested in 91 matches beginning on 21 August 2012 with the matches of Round 1 and ending with the final on 9 May 2013.
The Derde Divisie, formerly known as Topklasse, is the fourth tier of football in the Netherlands, which had its inaugural season as a third tier in 2010–11 and as a fourth tier in 2016–17. The league is placed between the Tweede Divisie and the Vierde Divisie, the third and fifth tiers of Dutch football, respectively. The introduction of the then Topklasse resulted from discussions between the Royal Dutch Football Association, the Coöperatie Eerste Divisie and the Centraal Overleg Hoofdklassers.