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Eerste divisie

Eerste Divisie
Dutchjupilerleague.jpg
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Confederation UEFA
Founded 1956; 61 years ago (1956)
Number of teams 20
Level on pyramid 2
Promotion to Eredivisie
Relegation to Tweede Divisie
Domestic cup(s) KNVB Cup
Current champions Sparta Rotterdam
(2015–16)
2016–17 Eerste Divisie

The Eerste Divisie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈeːrstə diˈvizi]; English: First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Jupiler League [ʒypiˈleː ˈlik] due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium. It is now named after Jupiler Pils; previously, it was most recently known as the Gouden Gids Divisie [ˈɣʌu̯də(n) ˈɣɪdz diˈvizi] after a five-year sponsorship deal with the Dutch Yellow Pages.

The Eerste Divisie consists of 20 clubs, who play each other in a double round-robin league, with each club playing the other club home and away. Each club plays every other club once in the first half of the season before the league takes a winter break around the Christmas and New Year's holiday season. The second half of the season sees the same fixtures as the first half, with the stadiums changed, although the two halves are not played in the same order.

At the end of each season, the champion of the Eerste Divisie is automatically promoted to the Eredivisie. Eight other clubs enter the Nacompetitie [ˈnaː.kɔm.pə.ˌti.(t)si], a promotion/relegation playoff that includes the 16th- and 17th-place clubs in the Eredivisie. The following teams qualify for the Nacompetitie:


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