HOLLAND 2018-19 www.liberoguide.com HOLLAND 2018-19 www.liberoguide.com Cars Jeans Stadion De Kuip I N TR O Station to stadium The Netherlands has one major international airport in Amsterdam, with direct rail nationwide connections, and a budget hub in Eindhoven. Flights also go to Rotterdam-The Hague and Groningen. Trains (ns.nl/en) and local public transport are served by one single The Big Three of Ajax, Feyenoord clubs comes from a different town sales (involving registration in Dutch) nationwide OV-chipkaart. It can only be and PSV have played all 62 Eredivisie – Ajax Amsterdam have not had a are the norm. purchased (€7.50) at Dutch stations or seasons since the professional league credible local rival since the 1970s. This to Sittard, a drive of three hours and sales points. Top up at machines then was founded in 1956 – and won all but in turn means that clashes are fiercest The byzantine system of promotion just over 300km. The first-rate Dutch touch in and (don’t forget!) touch out on six of them. between Den Haag and Amsterdam, from the second-tier Eerste Divisie rail system runs on a nationwide chip trams, buses and train platforms. Groningen and Heerenveen, Feyenoord means that half the league reaches card also valid for public transport The top league in the Netherlands and pretty much anyone else. It gave the end-of-season promotion play offs. everywhere. Groundhopping, assuming Purchasing individual tickets is also keeps interest alive by having four rise to a shocking hooligan problem This, in turn, means that a modest you can get a ticket, couldn’t be easier. possible. For train tickets, except at clubs play off for the fourth European later addressed by out-of-town, high- club with a modest pedigree, such Amsterdam Schiphol airport, there’s a place – among them possibly 2009 security stadia and ClubCards, limiting FC Emmen in 2018, can be elevated Most clubs play at modern grounds, charge for payments with foreign credit champions AZ Alkmaar, perhaps admission to members only. to play the likes of Ajax and PSV. But some overhauled or rebuilt around the cards and not in cash. Vitesse Arnhem or ADO Den Haag, however obscure the town, distances time of Euro 2000. Holland failed in its maybe Utrecht. These days, many low-risk fixtures in the Netherlands are relatively short. bid to co-host the 2018 World Cup but Much of Holland is rural – Fortuna have open ticket sales although, the Big The longest trek in 2018-19 Eredivisie, the standard of facilities remains high, Sittard, say, feels like the middle of Usually with the exception of Three excluded, stadium capacities are running almost the entire north-south with beer served at most grounds and nowhere. Most clubs encourage cyclists Rotterdam, each of the 18 top-tier modest. Pay-on-the-day is rare, online extent of the country, is from Groningen designated family-friendly sectors. and provide suitable facilities. liberoguide.com 1 HOLLAND 2018-19 www.liberoguide.com Major roads and motorways do not involves three rounds, the relegation require toll payments. Parking in battlers joining at round two. Again, I many cities is limited although most away goals, extra-time and penalties N have park & ride schemes (P+R- count. TR locaties). On Sundays, street parking is often free. The Eerste Divisie consists of 20 O teams, including the youth sides of GRONINGEN Tables & trophies Ajax, PSV, Utrecht and AZ, who cannot The Eredivisie consists of 18 teams be promoted to the Eredivisie. In who play each other home and away. 2018, Jong Ajax won the league but HEERENVEEN At present, the winners do not gain automatic promotion went to runners- automatic admission to the group stage up Fortuna Sittard. of the Champions League but enter the EMMEN third qualifying round. The runners-up The Eerste Divisie operates a period team league drop down to the amateur ALKMAAR go into the second qualifying round and system. The season is divided into four Derde (‘Third’) fourth tier. Those third-place finishers into the second quarters – the best team in each period finishing 15 and 16 play off with the ZWOLLE qualifying round of the Europa League. qualifies for the promotion play-offs. clubs finishing 2-4 in each of two Derde The four highest-placed finishers in leagues, Saturday and Sunday, whose ALMELO For another berth in that same round, the overall season table, excluding champions go up to the Tweede. AMsterdaM the four teams finishing 4-7 play off in period champions, also qualify. This two two-legged semi-finals and one creates the eight play-off participants Below the Derde is a six-layer amateur two-legged final, away goals, extra- from the Eerste. One team winning pyramid, from Hoofdklasse to Eerste THE HAGUE UTRECHT time and penalties deciding factors. two or more periods passes a play- Klasse and way down to Vijfde Klasse. ARNHEM DOETINCHEM The winners of the Dutch Cup qualify off berth down the overall table. With These, too, are divided into Saturday RotterdaM for the third qualifying round of the youth teams from major clubs excluded and Sunday leagues, and regionally. Europa League – and the Johan Cruyff from promotion, in practice this means Shield, the Dutch Super Cup curtain- teams finishing tenth usually reach the Each match in the KNVB Beker, the BREDA raiser, against the league champions. If play-offs. Dutch Cup, is settled on the day, after TILBURG the cup winners have already qualified extra-time and penalties if necessary. for Europe, their slot is passed down, Relegation from the Eerste is easy to The First Preliminary Round in EINDHOVEN with the eighth-placed league finisher figure out – there isn’t any. The Dutch August involves 58 amateur teams venlo making the Euro play-offs. FA decided to keep the professional from the Derde Divisie and district Eerste and third-tier, semi-pro Tweede cup tournaments. Bizarrely, 32 play The last-placed team from the top (‘Second’) Divisie, separate. Tweede each other, but 26 receive byes to the division drops into the second-tier champions, in 2019 potentially historic Second Preliminary Round a few Eerste Divisie. Sides finishing 16 Amsterdamsche FC, do not go up. days later. This brings together the 16 SITTARD and 17 take part in the play-offs (aka winners, those 26 given free passage Nacompetitie) with eight promotion Tweede teams can, however, be and 12 clubs from the semi-pro Tweede hopefuls from the Eerste. This process relegated. The bottom two of the 18- Divisie. This produces 27 winners. liberoguide.com 2 HOLLAND 2018-19 www.liberoguide.com CONTENTS The main tournament starts with the ADO Den Haag First Round in September: those 27 I 4–5 Amsterdam N winners, all 34 professional clubs, the PSVs of this world always drawn 6 Ajax TR away, plus three also-rans from the 7–8 Rotterdam Tweede. 9 Excelsior O 10 Feyenoord From there, it’s a straight knock-out 11 Alkmaar (no seeding) up to the final in May, at 12 AZ Alkmaar Feyenoord’s De Kuip in Rotterdam. 13 Almelo 14 Heracles Almelo Season’s dealings 15 Arnhem The Eredivisie starts in mid-August 16 Vitesse Arnhem and takes a winter break just before 17 Breda Christmas. It restarts the third week 18 NAC Breda of January then runs up to mid-May. 19 Doetinchem 20 De Graafschap A typical weekend would involve a Friday evening game at 8pm, 21 Eindhoven Saturday ones at 6.30pm, 7.45pm 22 PSV Eindhoven and 8.45pm, then Sunday ones 23 Emmen at 12.15pm, 2.30pm and 4.45pm. 24 FC Emmen The last two league rounds are 25 Groningen synchronised at 2.30pm on each 26 FC Groningen Sunday. 27 The Hague 28 ADO Den Haag Saturday afternoon games are rare. 29 Heerenveen Occasional midweek games take Entry level a Dutch address. Pay-on-the-day is to-date resource, city-by-city, club- 30 SC Heerenveen place at 6.30pm, 7.45pm and 8.45pm. Despite the ClubCard system, most rare. Tickets are around €20, slightly by-club, to the game across Europe 31 Sittard On the plus side, match times are set clubs make low-risk home matches, less behind the goals, more along and North America. Using only original 32 Fortuna Sittard in stone until season’s end. perhaps a dozen league fixtures of the sidelines. Prices increase by 20% photos and first-hand research, taken 33 Tilburg the 17, open to all. Apart from the for a visit by the Big Three and local and undertaken over five seasons, The Eerste Divisie kicks off, breaks Big Three and Heerenveen, stadium rival. A stand is a tribune, a sector, vak. liberoguide.com has been put together 34 Willem II and restarts at the same time, capacities hover around 20,000, some Uitvak is the away sector for bezoekers, to enhance every football weekend and 35 Utrecht finishing earlier in May to allow for even lower than 10,000. As the average visitors. Euro night experience. From airport to 36 FC Utrecht the play-offs. Games are played at Eredivisie gate is 18,000, this means arena, downtown sports bar to hotel, 37 Venlo 8pm on Fridays, with one at 8pm on that ticket availability is often at a Welcome to liberoguide.com! liberoguide.com helps you get the best 38 VVV-Venlo Mondays, and occasional Saturday premium. Online sales require Dutch- The digital travel guide for football out of your visit to football’s furthest 39 Zwolle evening/Sunday afternoon fixtures.