The Eredivisie is a top league of the Netherlands, founded in 1956 and traditionally included into ten strongest leagues of Europe. The Eredivisie is one of the youngest professional leagues of the continent. Local football is developed under Italian and Spanish championships influence and characterized by high performance and speed. The Eredivisie representatives were often successful in European championships, having won the Champions League competition six times.
Football in the Netherlands had been developing at the regional level only until 1954. At the end of the season, the winners of each region held a mini-tournament, determining the hypothetical champion of the Netherlands. However, this competition was not officially recognized even by its own football association; therefore, the chronicle of Dutch football has been held since 1954.
Professional football development was induced by the flood on the coast of the North Sea in 1953. Then a charitable match between Dutch and French football players was negotiated. Initially the Royal Dutch Football Association didn’t support this match playing, however, after the win of the Netherlands over France (2-1), a growing interest in professional football was noted in the country.
On July 3, 1954 the Royal Dutch Football Association executive committee representatives met a number of incentivized club owners. Later this meeting was called “the bedroom conference”. On its completion it was decided to establish a single football league, in which semi-pro clubs could play. The new league regulations completely repeated the regulations of the amateur championship, held before: teams played at the regional level, and then winners of these tournaments competed according to the play-off system.
The Eredivisie took its current shape in the 1956/57 season only: 18 top teams of the country played two (home and away) matches each from June to March. It was at that time when Dutch football salient characteristic – the large geographical dispersion of rivals – started to be discernible. Teams from all over the country participated in the championship, and the first winner was “Ajax” from the capital.
The Eredivisie representatives in European championships
Dutch teams began to show their worth on the European scene soon. In 1969 “Ajax” reached the European Cup final, where it lost to “Milan”. A year later, “Feyenoord” revenged for “Ajax”, beating the Scottish “Celtic” in the final. “Ajax” managed to take the trophy three times in the period 1971–1973, thus in short order becoming one of the most award-winning clubs on the European stage. In 1994, “Ajax” became the winner again, this time of the newly established Champions League. Another Dutch club, having gained success in the European arena, was “PSV”, which overcame “Benfica” (Lisbon) in the 1988 final.
Three champions
Since the Netherlands top division creation only three teams have never left its borders: “Ajax”, “PSV” and “Feyenoord”. These clubs are traditionally considered to be the Dutch elite, winning 69 titles for three. These teams are regarded as the most profitable in the Netherlands Championship, having the largest support group, and able to boast of the highest attendance level.
