The Derde Divisie ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɛrdə diˈvizi] ; English: Third Division ), formerly known as Topklasse ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɔpklɑsə] ; English: Top Class ), is the fourth tier of football in the Netherlands , which had its inaugural season as a third tier in 2010–11 and as a fourth tier in 2016–17. The league is placed between the Tweede Divisie and the Vierde Divisie (formerly Hoofdklasse), the third and fifth tiers of Dutch football, respectively. The introduction of the then Topklasse resulted from discussions between the Royal Dutch Football Association , the Coöperatie Eerste Divisie (the clubs in the Eerste Divisie) and the Centraal Overleg Hoofdklassers (the clubs in the Hoofdklasse).
60-676: A national football competition in the Netherlands was established in 1956. Prior to that, the districts of the Dutch football association held their own competitions, and the champions of these competitions faced each other for the national title. The highest national division in the new league structure became the Eredivisie , followed by the Eerste Divisie and the Tweede Divisie . The Tweede Divisie
120-432: A "Sunday" league, a setup that was in place for 14 seasons. At the end of the season, both clubs that finished at the top of their division play each other. The winner of that tie was promoted to the Eerste Divisie , replacing the team that finished 18th. If the winner refused promotion or was ineligible for promotion, the runners-up were promoted. If both teams refused promotion, no promotion and relegation took place between
180-766: A draw in their third match would suffice for IJsselmeervogels to win the title. Eventually they won their final game 2–1. However, the overall amateur title didn't go to IJsselmeervogels. At the Westmaat, IJsselmeervogels and SV Argon drew 1–1. At Meidrecht, IJsselmeervogels lost to Argon 4–3 in extra time. The 2007/2008 season was much less successful. The selection looked stronger up front but had lost quality in midfield. Kwong-Wah Steinraht and Gijs van Manen returned after one-year adventures at HFC Haarlem and FC Utrecht and Joost Kuhlmann and Bryan Simons joined from Rijnsburgse Boys. IJsselmeervogels also signed Mattheus Hoop and Philip van der Kolk as new goalkeepers and got Frits van Putten as
240-476: A few veterans. In 1995, IJsselmeervogels won all amateur titles. The largely unchanged squad also won the Saturday titles in 1998 and 1999, after which the club slowly built a new team, which took several years. From 2003, after attracting five players from then-champions but nearly bankrupt SV Huizen, performances were improving. With Philip den Haan joining as manager, results improved further, culminating in winning
300-450: A former professional player, used his experience to guide the team and raise overall standards. First team players from Spakenburg were left-back Henri de Graaf and right-back Jan Pieter Hartog. After winning the league title, IJsselmeervogels had to play ONS Sneek and Rijnsburgse Boys. In this competition IJsselmeervogels narrowly won the title, with the match against Rijnsburgse Boys being particularly close. Eventually, penalty shootouts made
360-534: A league pyramid akin to the English football league system . The first plans for a Topklasse were rejected by the Eerste Divisie clubs in 1999. The new league structure was approved at an amateur clubs meeting on 6 June 2009. The KNVB introduced the new level for the 2010–11 season, comprising 32 clubs. After the 2009–10 season, the bottom 2 teams in the Eerste Divisie , whose size was reduced from 20 to 18 clubs, and
420-528: A place in the Erste Klasse. Rival club SV Spakenburg were also promoted to the First Class. It was then that IJsselmeervogels moved to the same complex as Spakenburg and since then only the canteens, a fence and some trees have separated the two clubs. In IJsselmeervogels' second season in the new division, 1971/72, the club became champions, repeating the feat in 72/73. IJsselmeervogels gained national fame in
480-550: A replacement for Kevin Winter, who returned to FC Lisse. Also leaving were Dogan Corneille ( BVV Barendrecht ), Jaap de Feijter ( Veensche Boys ), Tom Gesgarz ( DOVO ), Alexander de Jong, Paul Verboom, Sjoerd van der Waal (all ASWH ) and Erwin Schouten ( VV Nunspeet ). On 15 August 2007, it was announced that coach Cees Lok would make an immediate switch to FC Twente . He joined the technical staff, mainly to deal with Twente's youth squad. As
540-402: A replacement the experienced Harry van den Ham signed for a year. On 22 September 2007, a record from the 1970s was equalled. IJsselmeervogels went 29 League matches undefeated after beating Bennekom. The last time IJsselmeervogels lost at home during the regular season was 2 April 2005, against SV Deltasport from Vlaardingen. On 24 December, van den Ham was fired and a few days later Roy Wesseling
600-685: The Eerste Divisie are automatically promoted to the Eredivisie. The club finishing third from the bottom of the Eredivisie goes to separate promotion/relegation play-offs with six high-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie . The winner of the Eredivisie claims the Dutch national championship . Ajax have won the most titles with 36. PSV Eindhoven are next with 25, and Feyenoord follow with 16. Since 1965, these three clubs have won all but three Eredivisie titles (the 1981 and 2009 titles went to AZ and Twente won in 2010). Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord are known as
660-415: The " Big Three " or "Traditional Top Three" of Dutch football. They are the only clubs in their current form to have never been relegated out of the Eredivisie. A fourth club, Utrecht , is the product of a 1970 merger between three of that city's clubs, one of which, VV DOS , had also never been relegated out of the Eredivisie. From 1990 to 1999, the official name of the league was PTT Telecompetitie (after
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#1732855629109720-439: The 15th time, and the club won its 6th national amateur title by beating VV Gemert twice (0–1 and 4–0). In the summer of 2008, the supporters club NAS was established. NAS stands for Na Arbeid Sport ( Sport After Labour ), a former name of IJsselmeervogels. The Supporters club has over 500 members. NAS provides atmosphere at IJsselmeervogels matches, and arranges darts evenings, parties and a wide range of other activities. From
780-450: The 1974/75 season for their excellent run in KNVB Cup , starting with wins over SV Limburgia and SC Amersfoort (the former professional club from the nearby large town). Subsequently, IJsselmeervogels won their match against FC Groningen , then leaders of the Eerste Divisie , 2–1, and reached the quarter-finals. In March 1975, IJsselmeervogels played away in against AZ Alkmaar , then 5th in
840-745: The 2010/2011 season IJsselmeervogels played in the Saturday Topklasse , which in 2016 was renamed the Derde Divisie . IJsselmeervogels got their first silverware of the season by winning the Super Cup against VV Dongen, winner of the national amateur KNVB Cup. This was the second time the club had won the amateur Super Cup. In the first year of the Topklasse Zaterdag, the title was won with a 5–0 victory over SC Genemuiden on 7 May 2011. Three weeks later, IJsselmeervogels were crowned amateur champions of
900-526: The Dutch province of Utrecht , on the shores of the former IJsselmeer lake. The club has a long-standing rivalry with SV Spakenburg . Currently, IJsselmeervogels play in the Derde Divisie after relegation from the Tweede Divisie. The club was formed in 1932. In its early days, it had a number of different names, including VVIJV, V.V. IJsselmeer and n.a.s. (Na Arbeid Sport, Sport after Labour ) and soon
960-461: The Eerste Divisie and Topklasse. In January 2010, the exclusion of bankrupt HFC Haarlem from the Eerste Divisie reduced the number of scheduled relegations to one only, and led the KNVB to announce that this vacancy would be filled by an additional Hoofdklasse club. On 12 May 2010, it was announced that BV Veendam had declared bankruptcy, possibly giving (otherwise relegated) FC Oss a chance to stay in
1020-435: The Eerste Divisie was not mandatory for the champion of the former Topklasse. After 2016, however, promotion to the Tweede Divisie is required. Eredivisie The Eredivisie ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈeːrədiˌvizi] ; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands . The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in
1080-474: The Eerste Divisie, with the extra slot filled by another Hoofdklasse club. Veendam's bankruptcy was then reversed on appeal, thus confirming FC Oss' relegation into the Topklasse. After the 2015–16 season promotion to the reintroduced Tweede Divisie , placed between the Eerste Divisie and the Topklasse, renamed Derde Divisie, was implemented. Thus, the Derde Divisie and lower leagues were decremented by one step in
1140-522: The Eredivisie (as VV DOS and USV Elinkwijk ) Please note that the table below totals all winners of the Dutch top division, which included the Netherlands Football League Championship that preceded the Eredivisie. The Eredivisie was only founded in 1956 so many of these teams did not win the Eredivisie title. As Rapid JC. Since the beginning of the league, there have been three clubs with an attendance much higher than
1200-614: The Eredivisie was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic . From the foundation of the Dutch national football championship in 1898 until 1954, the title was decided through play-offs by a handful of clubs who had previously won their regional league. The competition was purely an amateur one; the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) rejected any form of payment and suspended players who were caught receiving salary or transfer fees. The call for professional football grew in
1260-461: The Eredivisie. AZ fielded celebrated players like Kees Kist and Hugo Hovenkamp , but Jan Vedder and Jaan de Graaf gave the amateurs a 0–2 lead. AZ came back to equalise, but neither side could find the net during extra time, so the match had to be decided on penalty kicks. Thanks to saves by goalkeeper Jos de Feyter, IJsselmeervogels reached the semi-finals. Singer Peter Koelewijn of 'Peter en zijn Rockets' composed songs for IJsselmeervogels, sung by
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#17328556291091320-552: The IJsselmeervogels board decided to terminate the manager's contract with five matches to go. Three days after this decision, IJsselmeervogels appointed Gert Kruys as their new head coach. In the 2013/2014 season Kruys appointed Maikel de Harder, a local boy, as captain of IJsselmeervogels. On Saturday 5 May IJsselmeervogels secured themselves a place in the Topklasse Zaterdag, where it also played in 2013/14. IJsselmeervogels ended another disappointing season in twelfth position. At
1380-520: The KNVB, but after the assembled Dutch players defeated the French (2–1), the Dutch public witnessed the heights that could be achieved through professional football. To serve the growing interest, a dissident professional football association (the NBVB) and league were founded for the 1954–55 season . On 3 July 1954, the KNVB met with a group of concerned amateur club chairmen, who feared the best players would join
1440-489: The Netherlands for the seventh time in their history, with two 2-0 wins over FC Oss (who used their right to be promoted straight to the First Division (Jupiler League). The 2011/2012 season started with a match against KNVB Cup winners Achilles '29 from Groesbeek . IJsselmeervogels lost 1–2. At the end of the season Achilles '29 became Dutch champions by defeating Saturday champions SV Spakenburg. IJsselmeervogels ended
1500-527: The Netherlands. As of the 2024–25 season, it is ranked the sixth-best league in Europe by UEFA . The Eredivisie consists of 18 clubs. Each club meets every other club twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of each season, the two clubs at the bottom are relegated to the second level of the Dutch league system, the Eerste Divisie (First Division), while the champion and runner-up of
1560-439: The Saturday league championship. ASWH and Excelsior '31 were, however, too strong, with the former becoming overall champions. In the 2005–2006 season, IJsselmeervogels became the overall amateur champions for the fifth time in their history. Under the guidance of coach Willem Leushuis they won the amateur title again, finishing far ahead of competitors ASWH, VV SHO and GVVV . Dogan Corneille , their leader in midfield and
1620-500: The club colors of red and white were adopted. The kit consists of a white shirt with deep red centre (reminiscent of Ajax ) and red shorts. The socks were initially red with a white stripe, but in recent years have gradually changed to become all-white. IJsselmeervogels first played in a regional federation in Utrecht, but always played in the highest possible class in the district, and not without success; nearly every year they competed for
1680-399: The country. There was a change in policy around 1988. IJsselmeervogels started to pay their previously unpaid players, as some other amateur clubs already did. This lack of success in this period caused discontent among supporters, even leading to riots on occasion. In the mid-1990s the board appointed Erik Assink as coach. He inherited a team with some young home grown players supplemented by
1740-521: The derby for years. Since 2002, peace has returned and IJsselmeervogels and Spakenburg once again contest the derby. It is estimated that 16 April 2011 fixture was attended by almost 9,000 people. The media pay considerable attention to the derby, which is covered in sports magazines like Voetbal International and by Dutch national broadcaster NOS. Besides Spakenburg, IJsselmeervogels have other significant rivals, including SV Urk, VV Sparta Nijker, VV DOVO, SV Huizen and especially Quick Boys of Katwijk. During
1800-412: The difference and gave IJsselmeervogels their thirteenth Saturday title. On 17 June 2006, IJsselmeervogels was crowned the best amateur club in the Netherlands for the first time in 11 years, securing the overall amateur title with a 0–3 win away at Türkiyemspor following a 1–2 defeat in the first leg. After this success, some players were picked up by professional clubs. Kwong-Wah Steinrath, the top scorer,
1860-608: The early fifties after many national team members left to play abroad in search for financial benefits. The KNVB would usually suspend these players, preventing them from appearing for the Dutch national team . After the North Sea flood of 1953 , the Dutch players abroad (mainly playing in the French league ) organised a charity match against the France national team in Paris. The match was boycotted by
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1920-399: The end of the 2015/16 season, the club did not qualify for the newly formed Tweede Divisie , the highest amateur level of the Dutch football pyramid. After one season in the Derde Divisie , IJsselmeervogels entered the Tweede Divisie by winning the Saturday championship of the Derde Divisie. In the 2022–23 season , IJsselmeervogels finished in 16th place, resulting in their participation in
1980-544: The largest (52,987) and Excelsior having the smallest (4,223). Ajax's figures however differ from those provided by the Johan Cruyff Arena , since the club counts all tickets sold instead of the number of people going through the turnstiles. The top goalscorer of the league season is awarded the Willy van der Kuijlen Trophy . The following sixteen international tournaments were won by Eredivisie teams: The UEFA Super Cup
2040-616: The league from beginning till end. Eventually, the title was won in the away match against SV Geinoord, who thereafter were relegated to the Eerste Klasse. The Saturday amateur Championship was less successful for IJsselmeervogels: in a competition with Rijnsburgse Boys and Harkemase Boys , IJsselmeervogels had to settle for second place. In the first half of the season 2009/2010, results were not as good. Certain players and coach Roy Wesseling failed to gel. The IJsselmeervogels board fired Wesseling on 22 December 2009. His successor, Jan Zoutman,
2100-440: The only amateur club ever to win this prize. During the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s, IJsselmeervogels were crowned champions a number of times. In 1976, 1977 and 1983, playing largely against teams from the own village, IJsselmeervogels won three national titles. At the end of the 1980s, the club went through a difficult period. The club veered between using players from their own town and drafting in players from other parts of
2160-401: The others: Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord . Clubs like Heerenveen , Utrecht and Groningen also have fairly large fanbases. The regular season average league attendance was just over 7,000 in 1990, but this figure has risen sharply over the years thanks to the opening of new stadiums and the expansion of existing ones nationwide. Average attendance for the 2018–19 season was 18,010, with Ajax having
2220-452: The players: Vogels van het IJsselmeer (Birds of the IJsselmeer) "Alle Vogels vliegen" ("All Birds fly"). This victory is considered the high point in the club's history and was celebrated in the village. In the semi-finals, FC Twente proved far too strong, winning 6–0. Following this improbable cup run, IJsselmeervogels received the 'Dutch Sports team of the year' award. IJsselmeervogels are
2280-502: The professional teams. The meeting, dubbed the slaapkamerconferentie ('bedroom conference'), led to the Association reluctantly accepting semi-professionalism. Meanwhile, both the KNVB and the NBVB started their separate competition. The first professional football match was contested between Alkmaar and Venlo . The leagues went on for eleven rounds, before a merger was negotiated between
2340-521: The professionalization of amateur football clubs in the Netherlands in recent years, in the sense that many Hoofdklasse club players now receive a salary. This has closed the gap between the top of the Hoofdklasse and the bottom of the Eerste Divisie. Chairman of the Dutch football association Henk Kesler had therefore repeatedly called for the creation of the Topklasse to establish promotion and relegation between professional and amateur football, creating
2400-479: The pyramid, with the latter expanding to 36 clubs, 18 in each division. The division winners are promoted and no longer compete for the amateur championship which was made redundant. The separation between Saturday and Sunday football was abolished in the Derde Divisie before the 2023–24 season. Amateur clubs are asked before the season whether they want to play their home games on Saturday or Sunday. This rule may be deviated from by principled Saturday clubs that retain
2460-415: The regional league system. The Eredivisie was founded, in which the eighteen best clubs nationwide directly played for the league title without play-offs. The inaugural members of the Eredivisie in 1956 were Ajax , BVC , BVV , DOS , EVV , Elinkwijk , SC Enschede , Feijenoord , Fortuna '54, GVAV , MVV , NAC , NOAD , PSV, Rapid J.C., Sparta , VVV '03 and Willem II. Ajax was the first team to claim
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2520-475: The relegation playoffs. After losing 6–0 to USV Hercules in the first leg of the first round, IJsselmeervogels lost 5–0 at home in the return leg, resulting in an 11–0 aggregate defeat. Consequently, IJsselmeervogels were relegated back to the Derde Divisie. As of 20 March 2024 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. IJsselmeervogels and SV Spakenburg have played at
2580-495: The right to play on their day. There were several reforms from the 2016–17 season. The league was reformed as follows: A proposal to split the two divisions determined by region and not by playing date has been rejected. IJsselmeervogels , one of the most successful amateur football clubs in the Netherlands, was a strong opponent of the plans; chief Arian van de Vuurst has stated that "professional football does not fit in with our culture." Because of these objections, promotion to
2640-471: The same level since they were founded. Over the years, an atmosphere has emerged around derby matches which is unique in amateur football. The derby is often depicted as a clash between the club of "the people and the fishermen" (IJsselmeervogels, also known as "The Reds") and the club of "farmers and clerks" (SV spakenburg, "the Blues"). Their rivalry reached boiling point in 1987, when during the penultimate match of
2700-454: The season in a disappointing sixth place. The 2012/2013 season also began badly. Coach Jan Zoutman received a red card in the opening match against CVV de Jodan Boys (a 2–1 defeat) for knocking over a linesman. Zoutman was later suspended for three months. Despite poor results, Zoutman's contract was renewed for one year in December. Considering the bad results after the winter holiday, however,
2760-463: The season, a bomb made by an IJsselmeervogels supporter exploded and injured a linesman. The clubs did not play each other again until the mid-1990s. In 1999, however, relations worsened considerably when Spakenburg offered a large sum of money to sign two star players from the Reds' championship team (Gérard van der Nooij and Pascal de Bruijn). The affair became so controversial that the local government banned
2820-503: The season, in February, the new all-seater covered stand, seating up to 1,050 spectators, was opened. On 21 April 2007 at home, IJsselmeervogels won the league title for the third time in a row, beating neighbours Spakenburg were with goals from Dennis van der Steen and Jeffrey Winter. The Saturday title also fell to IJsselmeervogels. With a great display of power, the first 2 games against Rijnsburgse Boys and HHC Hardenberg were won, which meant
2880-539: The sponsor, PTT Telecom), which was changed to KPN Telecompetitie (because PTT Telecom changed its name to KPN Telecom) in 1999 and to KPN Eredivisie in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, the league was called the Holland Casino Eredivisie. Since the 2005–06 season, the league has been sponsored by the Vriendenloterij (lottery), but for legal reasons its name could not be attached to the league (the Dutch government
2940-475: The title against local rivals SV Spakenburg and regional clubs like HSV De Zuidvogels and SV Huizen . IJsselmeervogels won several titles and cups in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Championship. After the sixties, the KNVB created a national amateur competition, the First Class (Eerste Klasse). Promotion proved more difficult than expected, but after a play-off with VRC and VV Rijsoord, IJsselmeervogels secured
3000-573: The title that season. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history; Willem II finished first and PEC Zwolle finished second in the 2023–24 Eerste Divisie . NAC finished 8th and defeated Rotterdam in the playoff final. Founding member of the Eredivisie Never been relegated from the Eredivisie Founding member of the Eredivisie (as Sportclub Enschede ) Founding member of
3060-403: The top four clubs from each of the six Hoofdklasse divisions – a total of 26 clubs – automatically joined the new level. These clubs were joined by six playoff winners from a pool of 12 clubs that finished in 5th or 6th place in their group within the Hoofdklasse. The 32 clubs within the Topklasse were divided into two leagues comprising 16 clubs. One league was a "Saturday" league and the other
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#17328556291093120-464: The two federations in November. Both leagues were cancelled and a new, combined competition emerged immediately. De Graafschap , Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Fortuna '54 from the NBVB were accepted to the new league. Other clubs merged, which led to new names like Rapid J.C. , Holland Sport and Roda Sport. The first (semi-)professional league was won by Willem II . For the 1956–57 season , the KNVB abandoned
3180-449: Was against the name, because the Eredivisie would, after Holland Casino's sponsorship, yet again be sponsored by a company providing games of chance). In August 2012, it was made public that tycoon Rupert Murdoch had secured the rights to the Eredivisie for 12 years at the expense of one billion euros, beginning in the 2013–14 season. Within this deal, the five largest Eredivisie clubs were to receive five million euros per year. In 2020,
3240-485: Was announced as the new coach. IJsselmeervogels eventually ended in a disappointing fifth position with twelve wins, six draws and eight losses. 2008/2009 brought a thirtieth league title to IJsselmeervogels. With an almost completely new team, including a number of former professional players, led by Roy Wesseling, IJsselmeervogels dominated the Saturday Hoofdklasse B from the first round. The reds were on top of
3300-419: Was disbanded in 1971; six clubs were promoted to the Eerste Divisie (champions De Volewijckers along with FC Eindhoven , VVV , Fortuna Vlaardingen , PEC and Roda JC ), while the remaining ten clubs became amateur clubs. The Eerste Divisie subsequently became the lowest league in professional football in the Netherlands. The amateur football clubs had a separate league system, the highest league of which
3360-519: Was founded by a Dutch reporter named Anton Witkamp and Ajax's 1973 win was the first time the tournament was contested officially. IJsselmeervogels IJsselmeervogels ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɛisəlˈmeːrˌvoːɣəls] ) is a Dutch amateur football club. With seven national amateur titles, IJsselmeervogels is one of the most successful amateur clubs in the Netherlands. VV Katwijk also has seven national amateur titles. The Reds, as they are nicknamed, come from Bunschoten – Spakenburg , in
3420-403: Was officially announced on 29 December. Under Zoutman's leadership, performances improved drastically, and in the second half of the season IJsselmeervogels dropped points in only one game. On Saturday 8 May IJsselmeervogels became league champions for the 31st time and celebrated the 50th championship in the history of the club. Three weeks later, IJsselmeervogels won the overall Saturday title for
3480-400: Was replaced by Kevin Winter, and his brother Jeffrey Winter replaced Steinraht as a striker. He scored no fewer than 26 goals in 25 League matches. In mid-November coach Willem Leushuis suddenly announced his retirement, having received an offer he could not refuse from Kuwait. His successor, Cees Lok, came at the right time. His first League game was a 1–2 win against rivals Spakenburg. Later in
3540-409: Was signed by Haarlem and defender Stanley Tailor left IJsselmeervogels for FC Emmen . The most notable transfer was that of left winger Gijs van Manen, who had mostly been on the bench only a year earlier at SDV Barneveld. He went on to play in the reserves of FC Utrecht. In 2006–2007 IJsselmeervogels again had a strong squad. Dogan Corneille, who had been so important for the team the previous season,
3600-473: Was the Eerste Klasse (later: Hoofdklasse ). There was no promotion and relegation between professional football and amateur football; a professional football club could only drop to the amateur leagues if its licence for professional football was revoked, while an amateur football club could only be promoted after application and meeting a number of criteria. The calls for a Topklasse largely stemmed from
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