The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. Founded in 1956, it is organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association, and like many other leagues in Europe and around the world, operates on a relegation-promotion format.
At the end of each season, the top two teams are promoted to the Eredivisie, while a set number of teams are demoted to the Tweede Divisie (third division). The league operates on a double round robin system, in which each team plays one another twice.
Teams in the Eerste Divisie are also eligible to take part in the annual KNVB Cup. Volendam and Heracles Almelo are among the most successful teams in the league’s history.
In terms of media coverage, public broadcaster NOS held media rights to the Eerste Divisie from the mid-1950s through the latter part of the 2000s. Starting from around 2008, TV broadcast rights then shifted to a series of paid-TV providers, including Eredivisie Live and Fox Sports Eredivisie. In 2023, ESPN secured TV broadcast and live-streaming rights for the Dutch Super Cup in a multi-year deal to cover games starring higher-ranked clubs in the division.
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