Last updated : Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Introduction
The Premier League is an amateur football league in the Netherlands. It is the highest level of amateur football in the country, and is governed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).
The league was founded in 1956, and currently consists of 100 teams divided into 10 regional divisions. The top two teams from each division are promoted to the Premier League, while the bottom two teams are relegated to the regional divisions.
The Premier League season runs from September to May, and each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. The team with the most points at the end of the season is the champion.
History
The Premier League was founded in 1956 as the Hoofdklasse, and was originally a regional league for amateur clubs in the western part of the Netherlands. The league was expanded in 1971 to include clubs from the rest of the country, and was renamed the Eerste Divisie.
In 1990, the Eerste Divisie was renamed the Premier League. The league has been sponsored by a number of companies over the years, including the Dutch Beer Company (1990-1994), the Dutch lottery (1994-2004), and the Dutch bank ING (2004-present).
Current season
The current season of the Premier League is the 2023-2024 season. The defending champions are ADO Den Haag.
The top three teams in the league at the end of the season will qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the Eerste Divisie.
