Derde Divisie

"Topklasse" redirects here. For other uses, see Topklasse (disambiguation).

Derde Divisie

Founded	2010 as Topklasse
Country	Netherlands
Confederation	UEFA
Divisions	2
Number of clubs	36
Level on pyramid	4
Promotion to	Tweede Divisie
Relegation to	Vierde Divisie
Domestic cup(s)	KNVB Cup
Current champions	Saturday: ACV Sunday: ADO '20 (2022–23)
Most championships	SV Spakenburg (3 Saturday titles)
Current: 2024–25 Derde Divisie

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.^[1] 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).

Background

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 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 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football; a professional football club could only drop to the amateur leagues if its licence for professional football was revoked, while an amateur football club could only be promoted after application and meeting a number of criteria.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 the professionalization of amateur football clubs in the Netherlands in recent years, in the sense that many Hoofdklasse club players now receive a salary.^[2] 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 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.^[3]

Confirmed structure

Former Topklasse logo.

The new league structure was approved at an amateur clubs meeting on 6 June 2009.^[4] 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 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 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 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 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 the pyramid, with the latter expanding to 36 clubs, 18 in each division.^[1][5] The division winners are promoted and no longer compete for the amateur championship which was made redundant.^[6]

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 the right to play on their day.^[7]

Reforms from the 2016–17 season

There were several reforms from the 2016–17 season. The league was reformed as follows:

Situation until the 2015–16 season	Situation from the 2016–17 season
The name of the league was Topklasse.	The name of the league is Derde Divisie (English: Third Division)
Promotion to the Eerste Divisie was optional.	Promotion to the Tweede Divisie is mandatory.
There were no reserve teams in the league.	Two reserve teams of professional clubs, determined by a ranking, gained entry.
Situation until the 2019–20 season	Situation from the 2020–21 season
There were two reserve teams.	No more reserve teams in this division; they play in an under-21 or 23 league.[8]

A proposal to split the two divisions determined by region and not by playing date has been rejected.^[9]

Perception among amateur clubs

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."^[2] Because of these objections, promotion to the Eerste Divisie was not mandatory for the champion of the former Topklasse. After 2016, however, promotion to the Tweede Divisie is required.

Current teams (2023–24)

A league

Club	Location	Venue	Capacity
DEM	Beverwijk	Sportpark Adrichem	01,500
DOVO	Veenendaal	Sportpark Panhuis	03,200
DVS '33	Ermelo	Sportlaan	05,500
Eemdijk	Bunschoten	Sportpark De Vinken	0600
Genemuiden	Genemuiden	Sportpark de Wetering	03,500
Harkemase Boys	Harkema	Sportpark De Bosk	05,000
USV Hercules	Utrecht	Sportpark Voordorp	01,800
Hoogeveen	Hoogeveen	Sportpark Bentinckspark	06,000
HSC '21	Haaksbergen	Groot Scholtenhagen	04,500
IJsselmeervogels	Spakenburg	Sportpark De Westmaat	06,000
Kampong	Utrecht	Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd	0
ODIN '59	Heemskerk	Sportpark Assumburg	03,000
Rijnvogels	Katwijk aan den Rijn	Sportpark De Kooltuin	01,500
Sparta Nijkerk	Nijkerk	Sportpark De Ebbenhorst	05,000
Staphorst	Staphorst	Sportpark Het Noorderslag	03,500
Urk	Urk	Sportpark De Vormt	04,500
RKAV Volendam	Volendam	Kwabo Stadion	06,500
VVSB	Noordwijkerhout	Sportpark De Boekhorst	02,500

B league

Club	Location	Stadium	Capacity
AWC	Wijchen	Sportpark De Wijchert	0700
Barendrecht	Barendrecht	Sportpark De Bongerd	01,800
Baronie	Breda	De Blauwe Kei	07,000
Blauw Geel '38	Veghel	PWA Sportpark	02,500
Gemert	Gemert	Sportpark Molenbroek	04,000
Groene Ster	Heerlerheide	Sportpark Pronsebroek	02,500
HSV Hoek	Hoek	Sportpark Denoek	02,500
Kloetinge	Kloetinge	Sportpark Wesselopark	01,000
Meerssen	Meerssen	Sportpark Marsana	0
OJC Rosmalen	Rosmalen	Sportpark De Groote Wielen	03,000
OSS '20	Oss	Sportpark De Rusheuvel	01,800
Quick (H)	Den Haag	Sportpark Nieuw Hanenburg	01,500
Sportlust '46	Woerden	Sportpark Cromwijck	02,000
SteDoCo	Hoornaar	Sportpark SteDoCo	01,700
TEC	Tiel	Sportpark De Lok	02,500
TOGB	Berkel en Rodenrijs	Sportpark Het Hoge Land	01,500
VV UNA	Veldhoven	Sportpark Zeelst	02,000
Unitas	Gorinchem	Sportpark Molenvliet	03,000

Champions

Topklasse
Season	Saturday champions	Sunday champions	Overall champions	Promotion
2010–11	IJsselmeervogels	FC Oss	IJsselmeervogels	FC Oss
2011–12	Spakenburg	Achilles '29	Achilles '29	None
2012–13	Katwijk	Achilles '29	Katwijk	Achilles '29
2013–14	Spakenburg	AFC	Spakenburg	None
2014–15	Kozakken Boys	FC Lienden	FC Lienden	None
2015–16	Excelsior Maassluis	FC Lienden	Excelsior Maassluis	14 clubs

Derde Divisie
Season	Saturday champions	Sunday champions
2016–17	IJsselmeervogels	ASV De Dijk
2017–18	Spakenburg	Jong Vitesse
2018–19	VV Noordwijk	Jong Volendam
2019–20	No champions[10][11]
2020–21
2021–22	Lisse	OFC
2022–23	ACV	ADO '20

References

1. "Plannen tweede divisie gaan door". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
2. Robert Missèt (18 June 2007). "'Kesler heeft geen idee wat amateurvoetbal inhoudt'" (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. p. 17. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
3. Erik Oudshoorn (1 June 1999). "Clubs eerste divisie dwarsbomen Topklasse" (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. p. 11. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
4. "Topklasse in amateurvoetbal krijgt groen licht". Voetbalzone. 6 June 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
5. "Vanaf seizoen 2016/17: promotie/degradatie tussen amateurvoetbal en betaald voetbal". KNVB.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
6. "Last amateur championship". knvb.nl (in Dutch). 19 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
7. "Ledenraad stemt in met aanpassing voetbalpiramide". KNVB. 18 June 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
8. "Bondsvergadering kiest voor nieuwe competitiestructuur in jeugdvoetbal" [Association assembly opts for a new league structure in youth football] (in Dutch). KNVB. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
9. "Topklasse gaat volgend seizoen verder als Derde Divisie". KNVB.nl (in Dutch). 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
10. "Competities amateurvoetbal niet hervat" [Amateur competitions not resumed] (in Dutch). KNVB. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
11. "Competities senioren categorie A niet hervat" [Seniors category A competitions not resumed] (in Dutch). KNVB. 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

External links

• derdedivisie.org Archived 2017-06-14 at the Wayback Machine - Latest news from and about the Derde Divisie. (in Dutch)
• League321.com - Dutch football league tables, records & statistics database. (in English)