HOLLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com HOLLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com The Big Three of Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV have played all 63 Cars Jeans Stadion Eredivisie seasons since the professional league was founded INTRO in 1956 – and won all but six of them. The top league in the Netherlands Welcome to keeps interest alive by having four clubs liberoguide.com! play off for the fourth European place – The digital travel guide for among them possibly 2009 champions football fans, liberoguide.com AZ Alkmaar, perhaps Vitesse Arnhem is the most up-to-date resource, or ADO Den Haag, maybe Utrecht. city-by-city, club-by-club, to the game across Europe and North Usually with the exception of America. Using only original Rotterdam, each of the 18 top-tier clubs photos and first-hand research, comes from a different town – Ajax taken and undertaken over seven Amsterdam have not had a credible seasons, liberoguide.com has local rival since the 1970s. This in been put together to enhance turn means that clashes are fiercest every football weekend and Euro between Den Haag and Amsterdam, night experience. From airport Groningen and Heerenveen, Feyenoord to arena, downtown sports bar and pretty much anyone else. It gave to hotel, liberoguide.com helps rise to a shocking hooligan problem you get the best out of your visit later addressed by out-of-town, high- to football’s furthest corners and security stadia and ClubCards, limiting showcase stadiums. time of Euro 2000. Holland failed in its admission to members only. bid to co-host the 2018 World Cup but Holland 2019-20 of Ajax and PSV. But however obscure the standard of facilities remains high, CONTENTS These days, many low-risk fixtures the town, distances in the Netherlands with beer served at most grounds and 1-3 Intro 17 Eindhoven 29 Sittard have open ticket sales although, the Big are relatively short. The longest trek designated family-friendly sectors. 4, 5 Amsterdam 18 PSV Eindhoven 30 Fortuna Sittard Three excluded, stadium capacities are in 2019-20 Eredivisie, running almost 6 Ajax 19 Emmen 31 Tilburg modest. Pay-on-the-day is rare, online the entire north-south extent of the Station to stadium 7, 8 Rotterdam 20 FC Emmen 32 Willem II sales (involving registration in Dutch) country, is from Groningen to Sittard, The Netherlands has one major 9 Feyenoord 21 Enschede 33 Utrecht are the norm. a drive of three hours and just over international airport in Amsterdam, with 34 FC Utrecht 300km. The first-rate Dutch rail system direct rail nationwide connections, and a 10 Sparta 22 FC Twente The byzantine system of promotion from runs on a nationwide chip card also budget hub in Eindhoven. Flights also go 11 Alkmaar 23 Groningen 35 Venlo the second-tier Eerste Divisie means valid for public transport everywhere. to Rotterdam-The Hague and Groningen. 12 AZ Alkmaar 24 FC Groningen 36 VVV-Venlo that half the league reaches the end- Groundhopping, assuming you can get a 13 Almelo 25 The Hague 37 Waalwijk of-season promotion play offs. This, in ticket, couldn’t be easier. Trains (ns.nl/en) and local public 14 Heracles Almelo 26 ADO Den Haag 38 RKC Waalwijk turn, means that a modest club with a transport are served by one single 15 Arnhem 27 Heerenveen 39 Zwolle modest pedigree, such FC Emmen in Most clubs play at modern grounds, nationwide OV-chipkaart. It can only be 16 Vitesse Arnhem 28 SC Heerenveen 40 PEC Zwolle 2018, can be elevated to play the likes some overhauled or rebuilt around the purchased (€7.50) at Dutch stations liberoguide.com 1 HOLLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com INTRO GRONINGEN HEERENVEEN EMMEN the cup winners have already qualified ALKMAAR for Europe, their slot is passed down, with the eighth-placed league finisher ZWOLLE De Kuip making the Euro play-offs. ALMELO or sales points. Top up at machines then Tables & trophies The last-placed team from the top AMSTERDAM touch in and (don’t forget!) touch out on The Eredivisie consists of 18 teams division drops into the second-tier ENSCHEDE trams, buses and train platforms. who play each other home and Eerste Divisie. Sides finishing 16 away. For scores and tables, see and 17 take part in the play-offs (aka THE HAGUE UTRECHT Purchasing individual tickets is also voetbaluitslagen.com/eredivisie. The Nacompetitie) with eight promotion ARNHEM possible. For train tickets, except at winners enter the play-off round of the hopefuls from the Eerste. This process ROTTERDAM Amsterdam Schiphol airport, there’s a Champions League. The runners-up go involves three rounds, the relegation charge for payments with foreign credit into the CL second qualifying round and battlers joining at round two. Again, WAALWIJK cards and not in cash. third-placed side the third qualifying away goals, extra-time and penalties round of the Europa League. count. TILBURG Much of Holland is rural – Fortuna Sittard, say, feels like the middle of For another berth in that same round, The Eerste Divisie consists of 20 EINDHOVEN nowhere. Most clubs encourage cyclists the four teams finishing 4-7 play off in teams, including the youth sides of VENLO and provide suitable facilities. two two-legged semi-finals and one Ajax, PSV, Utrecht and AZ, who cannot two-legged final, away goals, extra- be promoted to the Eredivisie. In Major roads and motorways do not time and penalties deciding factors. 2018, Jong Ajax won the league but require toll payments. Parking in The winners of the Dutch Cup qualify automatic promotion went to runners- many cities is limited although most for the third qualifying round of the up Fortuna Sittard. SITTARD have park & ride schemes (P+R- Europa League – and the Johan Cruyff locaties). On Sundays, street parking is Shield, the Dutch Super Cup curtain- The Eerste Divisie operates a period often free. raiser, against the league champions. If system. The season is divided into four liberoguide.com 2 HOLLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com ADO Den Haag at 12.15pm, 2.30pm and 4.45pm. The last two league rounds are INTRO synchronised at 2.30pm on each Sunday. Saturday afternoon games are rare. Occasional midweek games take place at 6.30pm, 7.45pm and 8.45pm. On the plus side, match times are set in stone until season’s end. quarters – the best team in each period qualifies for the promotion play-offs. The Eerste Divisie kicks off, breaks The four highest-placed finishers in the and restarts at the same time, overall season table, excluding period finishing earlier in May to allow for champions, also qualify. This creates the play-offs. Games are played at the eight play-off participants from the 8pm on Fridays, with one at 8pm on Eerste. One team winning two or more Mondays, and occasional Saturday periods passes a play-off berth down evening/Sunday afternoon fixtures. the overall table. With youth teams from major clubs excluded from promotion, Entry level in practice this means teams finishing Despite the ClubCard system, most tenth usually reach the play-offs. clubs make low-risk home matches, perhaps a dozen league fixtures of Relegation from the Eerste is easy to the 17, open to all. Apart from the figure out – there isn’t any. The Dutch Big Three and Heerenveen, stadium FA decided to keep the professional Below the Derde is a six-layer each other, but 26 receive byes to From there, it’s a straight knock-out capacities hover around 20,000, Eerste and third-tier, semi-pro Tweede amateur pyramid, from Hoofdklasse the Second Preliminary Round a (no seeding) up to the final in May, at some even lower than 10,000. As the (‘Second’) Divisie, separate. Tweede to Eerste Klasse and way down to few days later. This brings together Feyenoord’s De Kuip in Rotterdam. average Eredivisie gate is 18,000, champions, in 2019 potentially historic Vijfde Klasse. These, too, are divided the 16 winners, those 26 given free this means that ticket availability Amsterdamsche FC, do not go up. into Saturday and Sunday leagues, passage and 12 clubs from the semi- Season’s dealings is often at a premium. Online sales and regionally. pro Tweede Divisie. This produces 27 The Eredivisie starts in mid-August require Dutch-language registration Tweede teams can, however, be winners. and takes a winter break just before and, sometimes, a Dutch address. relegated. The bottom two of the 18- Each match in the KNVB Beker, the Christmas. It restarts the third week Pay-on-the-day is rare. Tickets are team league drop down to the amateur Dutch Cup, is settled on the day, after The main tournament starts with the of January then runs up to mid-May. around €20, slightly less behind Derde (‘Third’) fourth tier. Those extra-time and penalties if necessary. First Round in September: those 27 the goals, more along the sidelines. finishing 15 and 16 play off with the The First Preliminary Round in winners, all 34 professional clubs, A typical weekend would involve Prices increase by 20% for a visit by clubs finishing 2-4 in each of two Derde August involves 58 amateur teams the PSVs of this world always drawn a Friday evening game at 8pm, the Big Three and local rival. A stand leagues, Saturday and Sunday, whose from the Derde Divisie and district away, plus three also-rans from the Saturday ones at 6.30pm, 7.45pm is a tribune, a sector, vak. Uitvak is the champions go up to the Tweede. cup tournaments. Bizarrely, 32 play Tweede.