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 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 Vrouwen Eredivisie due to a sponsorship contract, 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 Netherlands and Belgium merged their leagues into a single combined league, the BeNe League. After three seasons, the BeNe League folded, and the Eredivisie restarted in the 2015–16 season. The top two Eredivisie teams each year qualify for 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 tournament was the 97th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. They contested beginning on 27 August 2014 with the matches of Round 1 and ending with the final on 3 May 2015.
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 tournament was the 98th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament to determine the winner of the KNVB Cup.
The 2016–17 KNVB Cup was the 99th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 63 teams contested, beginning 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 edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 64 teams contested, beginning on 19 September 2017 with the first of six rounds and ending on 22 April 2018 at the final at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
The 2018–19 season was Feyenoord's 111th season of play, the club's 63rd season in the Eredivisie and its 97th consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. It was the fourth season with manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Feyenoord entered the 2018–19 KNVB Cup in the first round and the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League in the third preliminary round.
The 2018–19 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Cup, was the 101st edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 64 teams contested, beginning on 18 August 2018 with the first of two preliminary rounds and ending on 5 May 2019 at the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
During the 2017–18 season AZ competed in the Eredivisie for the 20th consecutive season and the KNVB Cup.
The 2019–20 Eredivisie was the 64th season of the Dutch football league Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. The season began on 2 August 2019 and was suspended on 12 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The season was abandoned on 24 April.
The 2019–20 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Beker, was the 102nd edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 64 teams contested, beginning on 17 August 2019 with the first of two preliminary rounds and was scheduled to conclude on 19 April 2020, with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
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 ADO Den Haag season was the club's 116th season in existence and the 13th consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. In addition to the domestic league, ADO Den Haag 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.
The 2021–22 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Beker, was the 104th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 59 teams contested, beginning 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 edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 110 teams contested, beginning in August with the first of two preliminary rounds, and ending in April 2024 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam. They 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.
The 2024–25 KNVB Cup, for sponsoring reasons officially called the TOTO KNVB Beker, is the 107th edition of the Dutch national football annual knockout tournament for the KNVB Cup. 110 teams will contest, beginning in September with the first of two preliminary rounds, and ending in April 2024 with the final played at De Kuip in Rotterdam. The winners will qualify for the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League league stage. Feyenoord are the defending champions, having defeated NEC Nijmegen 1–0 in the previous season's final.