The Eredivisie

The Eredivisie (the Honour League) is the highest league in Dutch football. Professional football in Holland came about in 1954, and by 1956 the Eredivisie was born. At the end of the 2012-2013 season, UEFA ranked the league as the ninth best in Europe. That season also saw the league's attendance figures grow by 0.62%, to an average 19,636 fans per game.

The format is similar to most European leagues. There are 18 clubs who play one another both home and away. The top two places warrant Champions League football and there are a further three Europa League spots available. 

However, the relegation system used by the Eredivisie differs to normal football procedures. There are three relegation spots in the Eredivisie; if you finish bottom then you are automatically relegated, but if you finish in the other two spots you are entered into a play-off system. The play-off tournament has three rounds. The first round involves teams placed from 6-9 in the Dutch Second Division. The winners of the two-leg knock-out progress through, and the second round sees the two bottom sides of the Eredivisie join the victors of round one as well the teams that finished 2-5 in the Eerste Divisie. Four teams progress from this and the two victorious teams in the final round win a place in the Eredivisie. There is a similar procedure in place for Europa League places.

Despite the league being 58 years old, there have only been six winners: Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, AZ, FC Utrecht and FC Twente. Having added their 24th Eredivisie title in 2013, Ajax are the most successful side in Holland. In second place is PSV, who have 18 titles but haven't won one since 2008. However, they are the only team to have won the league in four consecutive seasons, a feat they have achieved twice. As for Rotterdam club Feyenoord, they have nine titles but their fans haven't seen any league success since 1999.

The marque match in the league is the De Klassieker, a tie between Feyenoord and Ajax. The clash is a battle between Holland's two biggest cities: Amsterdam and Rotterdam. It's just as much a battle between the two cities as it is the clubs. 

The league has often been used as a feeder league for prestigious talent. Brazilian Ronaldo started his European career in Holland, as did Romario and Luis Suarez. The Ajax academy, meanwhile, is world renowned, producing players such as Patrick Kluivert, Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp and current captain Siem de Jong.

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