Tweede Divisie

Tweede Divisie
Founded1956; 68 years ago (1956);
refounded in 2016; 8 years ago (2016)
CountryNetherlands
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid3
Promotion toEerste Divisie (for reserve teams)
Relegation toDerde Divisie
U21 Division 1 (for reserve teams)
Domestic cup(s)KNVB Cup
Current championsKatwijk (3rd title)
(2022–23)
Current: 2024–25 Tweede Divisie

Tweede Divisie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtʋeːdə diˈvizi]; English: Second Division) is the highest amateur (and historically the lowest professional) football league in the Netherlands. It was established in 1956, together with the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie. Between 1956 and 1960 and between 1962 and 1966, the league consisted of two divisions, Tweede Divisie A and Tweede Divisie B. The league was disbanded in 1971. Six clubs were promoted to the Eerste Divisie (De Volewijckers, FC Eindhoven, FC VVV, Fortuna Vlaardingen, PEC and Roda JC), while the other eleven teams became amateur clubs.

Plans for a new, amateur Tweede Divisie, to be made up of 4 reserve teams and 14 Topklasse clubs, were approved in a KNVB assembly in December 2014. Thus, the Topklasse, renamed the Derde Divisie (English: Third Division), and leagues below decremented by one level, and furthermore, promotion and relegation among the second to fourth divisions were implemented starting in 2016–17.[1][2] Despite its amateurism, the league obliges its clubs to have a minimum number of players under contract.[3] No first team will be promoted to the Eerste Divisie until after 2022–23, but from the end of 2020–21 at first, the highest-ranked second (i.e., reserve) team gains promotion, while the lowest-ranked reserves are relegated to a new under-21 division. An under-23 competition has been established for the Tweede Divisie's amateur clubs that are not directly eligible for its under-21 equivalent.[4] Because of the 2020–21 season's cancellation,[5] promotion or relegation was suspended for five to 10 years in June 2022.[6]

  1. ^ "Plans for a new Tweede Divisie starting 2016–17". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Vanaf seizoen 2016/17: promotie/degradatie tussen amateurvoetbal en betaald voetbal". KNVB.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2015.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Richtlijn Licentiesysteem tweede en derde divisie seizoen 2019/'20" [Licensing system guidelines - Second and Third Division Season 2019–20] (in Dutch). KNVB. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Bondsvergadering kiest voor nieuwe competitiestructuur in jeugdvoetbal" [Association assembly opts for a new league structure in youth football] (in Dutch). KNVB. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Competities senioren categorie A niet hervat" [Seniors category A competitions not resumed] (in Dutch). KNVB. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  6. ^ "6. Agenda bondsvergadering". Agenda (in Dutch). KNVB. 24 June 2023. p. 24.