Dutch Eredivisie

Everything you need to know about the Dutch Eredivisie

The Eredivisie or “Honour Division” has been acting as the first division in the Netherlands, since the league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands.

Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord who are considered as the “Big Three” or “Traditional Top Three” of Dutch football, have dominated the European stage in the 1970s and 1980s. During the period the league nurtured the Golden generation of Dutch football, who with their total football wreaked havoc on the international stage.

Over the past few years, however; the league has evolved as the breeding ground for young footballers from across the nation and beyond who go on to become few of the topmost stars in the world of football.

With such an abundance of talent, the division produces some of the most entertaining football staying true to the nation’s football heritage.

The league is consistently among the best leagues in the world in terms of overall quality, including aspects like the number of goals, best discipline, best pass-completion rates, most accurate finishing, competitive balance and attendance figures.

As a result, the Eredivisie is now ranked the 7th best league in Europe by UEFA in terms of coefficient that determines the number of clubs from a league that will participate in the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

With the winner of the Eredivisie title at the end of the season qualifying for the group stages of the UCL, the runners up make it to the 3rd qualifying round of the tournament.

While the teams that finish in positions between 3rd and 8th make it to a playoff to decide a spot in the qualifiers of Europa League and two spots in the Conference League.

Furthermore, the teams that finish in the bottom two places are directly relegated to the Eerste Divisie, the 2nd flight of Dutch football who is replaced with the top two teams of the second division. Meanwhile the team that finishes 16th goes into play-offs against teams from Eerste Divisie to fight for survival.

The Competitive Landscape of the Dutch football

The reason for the widespread success of the league along with the love and acclaim by fans and experts alike is the various aspects on and off the field the league excels in.

Firstly, the league ranks first in average goals per game among the top 10 leagues in the world along with the best shot accuracy in the list.

Secondly, the average attendance record of the league, despite the comparatively modest population of the nation, is just behind the top five leagues and comparable to that of Ligue 1.

However, the most distinguishing factor in the division is that the league, despite producing just three champions over the last decade, has the least variation of points, with a standard deviation coefficient of 12.15. Which implies the mean number of points between a team and the league’s average points.

The Big Three of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord have been passing around the league title since 2010 when FC Twente won the title. They mark the only three teams who have never been relegated since the inception of the league along with Utrecht since their formation in 1970.

These three teams regularly compete in the UEFA competitions and with the formation of the Conference League, they are expected to make bigger impacts.

How to pick the best bets for Eredivisie?

Contrary to the earlier days of the division where huge winning margins were a common occurrence, the league has become closely competed in recent times, with giant killings a common occurrence more than most leagues in Europe and beyond.

Netherlands is a nation known for its attacking football. However, Dutch teams over the years including the current Ajax side have given emphasis to defense and have been rewarded with success in the process.

As a result, there is always an intense race for the league’s top goalscorer, along with a highly profitable market for clean sheets when done right.

With the constant upcoming of new talents from the youth academies of the clubs every season, the level of competition increases or at the least manages to remain unharmed with the outflow of talents.

Despite not being backed with investments in the scale of top flights from other nations, the league has remained highly competitive and unpredictable over the years and would need meticulous care and effort to be successful in the betting market.

However, with the quality of football and excitement the league produces, it is certainly fruitful when done right. We here at LeagueLane do exactly that so you can enjoy the action and bear the fruits of the labor our team of experts put in.

When do I get my hands on the Eredivisie Tips posted by LeagueLane?

We ensure the previews are published at least two days before the match so you can cash in on the best prices ahead of the league action over the weekend.