The second-highest level of football in the Netherlands is the Eerste Divisie. It is connected to the top Eredivisie and to the third level towed DVC through the propagation/relocation system. It is also known as the Kuiken Kampion Divisie because of its sponsorship, formerly known as the Jupilla League.
History: There are 20 clubs in the Eerste Divisie, who play each other in a double round-robin league, and each club moves from house to house in another club. Each club will play once each club in the first half of the season before the league takes the winter break into Christmas and New Year's holiday season. Although the two halves do not play in the same order, the second half of the season sees the same fixtures as the first half, the stadiums vary.
At the end of each season, the champion of the Eerste Divisie is automatically promoted to Eredivisie. The other eight clubs enter Nacompetti, a promotion/release play-off that includes 16th and 17th ranked clubs in Ardivisi.
Eerste Divisie has had its sixty-third season since its founding in 1955 - the Eerste Divisie was established in 1955 because of sponsorship due to sponsorship. - The 16th and 17th ranked teams from the 19th Eredivisie are also involved.
A total of 20 teams are participating in the league. Fortuna Sittard was promoted to Eredivisie and replaced FC Twenge, who was bottom 2017–18 at Eredivisie. FC Emmen and De Graafchap won the next play-off of the season and replaced Rhoda Jesse and Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie, 2018–19.
At an extraordinary KNVB Federation meeting on June 7, 2018, representatives of amateur and professional football reached an agreement to renew the football pyramid for the 2019-20 season. Part of the deal was that no promotions/releases will be held between Eraste and Toveed Divisi this season.
Between 1971/1972 and the season 2007/2009, the teams were unable to return to the Eerste Divisie. A team has been releasing Hoofdklasse from the Divisie at Eerstet since the 2009/2010 season. KNVB introduced the third and highest amateur level from 2010/2011 to 2015/2016, and Huffdclass clubs have been able to step into that new category.
The Hoofdklasse clubs can promote by obtaining a professional license before the 2008/2009 season. However, clubs can leave professional football if only one club goes bankrupt or loses their license.
The third tier, semi-professional tweed Divisie has automatic releases since the 2016/2017 season. Tweed Divisie clubs had to announce mid-season if they wanted to be eligible for the promotion. If only one of those clubs won the Tweed Divisie Championship, Eerste is a team returning from Divisie.
