The Dutch Football League is organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB, Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond).The most successful teams are Ajax (36), PSV (24) and Feyenoord (16). Important teams of the past are HVV (10 titles), Sparta Rotterdam (6 titles) and Willem II (3 titles). [1]
The annual match that marks the beginning of the season is called the Johan Cruijff Schaal (Johan Cruyff Shield). Contenders are the champions and the cup winners of the previous 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 2023–24 season, it is ranked the 6th-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.
The Dutch Eerste Divisie in the 1971–72 season was contested by 21 teams, five more than in the previous year. Due to the disbandment of the Tweede Divisie, six teams were promoted to the Eerste Divisie; the rest of the teams returned to amateur football. As a result of the disbandment, teams no longer could relegate to lower leagues. HFC Haarlem won the championship.
The Vrouwen Eredivisie, also known as the Azerion Eredivisie Vrouwen due to a three-year sponsor contract beginning in the 2022–2023 season, is the highest women's football league in the Netherlands. Organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), it was established in 2007 as a professional league and played for five seasons until 2012, when the leagues of the Netherlands and Belgium merged forming a single combined league. The BeNe League folded after three seasons, and the Eredivisie was restarted in the 2015–16 season. The top two teams receive a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
The 2013–14 Eredivisie was the 58th season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began on 2 August 2013 with the first match of the season and ended on 18 May 2014 with the returns of the finals of the European competition and relegation playoffs.
The 2014–15 KNVB Cup was the 97th season of the Dutch national football knockout tournament. The competition began on 27 August 2014 with the matches of Round 1 and ended with the final on 3 May 2015. The winner qualified for the group stage of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.
The 2015–16 season was Feyenoord's 108th season of play, it marked its 60th season in the Eredivisie and its 94th consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. It was the first season with manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a former player who played seven seasons for Feyenoord and who played 106 times for Dutch national team. The club started the season relatively well alternating between the second and third place until the halfway point of the season. They then hit a seven-game losing streak among a nine-game stretch without a win and dropped to seventh place. They followed this up with a six-game winning streak to get back to the third position for the final stretch of the season. They ended the season third in the league. Feyenoord entered the KNVB Cup in the second round. They started their campaign by beating both finalist of the 2013–14 edition. They were coupled to past cup winners in all their cup matches and beat FC Utrecht 2–1 in the final. The cup win qualified them to the group stage of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.
The 2015–16 KNVB Cup is the 98th season of the Dutch national football knockout tournament. The winner qualifies for the group stage of the Europa League the following season and the Johan Cruyff Shield, the Dutch Supercup match between the Cup winner and the champions of the Eredivisie.
The 2016–17 KNVB Cup was the 99th season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition. It started on 6 September 2016 with the first of six rounds, and ended on 30 April 2017 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
The 2017–18 KNVB Cup was the 100th season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition. It commenced on 19 September 2017 with the first of six rounds and concluded on 22 April 2018 with the final at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
Thomas Buitink is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle.
The 2018–19 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Cup, was the 101st season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition. It commenced on 18 August 2018 with the first of two preliminary rounds and concluded on 5 May 2019 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
During the 2019–20 season, ADO Den Haag participated in the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Eredivisie season was abandoned with ADO Den Haag in 17th place. They were knocked out in the first round of the KNVB Cup, losing in the first round at Fortuna Sittard.
The 2019–20 season was PEC Zwolle's 109th season of play, it marked its 18th season in the Eredivisie and its 8th consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. They ended the season fifteenth in the league. PEC Zwolle entered the KNVB Cup in the second round. The lost in the second round against Fortuna Sittard (0–2).
The 2020–21 AZ Alkmaar season was the club's 54th season in existence and the 23rd consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. In addition to the domestic league, AZ participated in this season's editions of the KNVB Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The season covered the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.
The 2020–21 season was the 128th season in existence of SBV Vitesse and the club's 31st consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. In addition to the domestic league, Vitesse participated in this season's edition of the KNVB Cup. The season covered the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.
The 2020–21 season was the 53rd season in existence of Fortuna Sittard and the club's third consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. In addition to the domestic league, Fortuna Sittard participated in this season's edition of the KNVB Cup. The season covered the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.
This is a list of the main association football rivalries in the Netherlands.
The 2021–22 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Beker, was the 104th season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition. It began in August with the first of two preliminary rounds, and concluded on 17 April 2022 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
The 2023–24 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Beker, was the 106th season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition. It began in August with the first of two preliminary rounds, and concluded in April 2024 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam. The winners qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage. PSV were the two-time defending champions, having defeated Ajax 3–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the previous season's final.