NB: Teams in bold face won the national championship that season.
Season West East South North
1890/91 H.V.V.
1891/92 R.A.P.
1892/93 not awarded
1893/94 R.A.P.
1894/95 H.F.C.
1895/96 H.V.V.
1896/97 R.A.P. Vitesse
1897/98 R.A.P. Vitesse
1898/99 R.A.P. P.W.
1899/00 H.V.V. Victoria (W)
1900/01 H.V.V. Victoria (W)
1901/02 H.V.V. Victoria (W)
1902/03 H.V.V. Vitesse
Volharding (A)
1903/04 H.B.S. P.W.
Velocitas (B)
1904/05 H.V.V. P.W.
1905/06 H.B.S. P.W.
1906/07 H.V.V. P.W.
1907/08 Quick (H) U.D.
1908/09 Sparta Wilhelmina (B)
1909/10 H.V.V. Quick (N)
1910/11 Sparta G.V.C.
1911/12 Sparta G.V.C.
1912/13 Sparta Vitesse
1913/14 H.V.V. Vitesse Willem II
1914/15 Sparta Vitesse Wilhelmina (B) [unofficial]
1915/16 Sparta Go Ahead Willem II
1916/17 U.V.V. Go Ahead Willem II Be Quick (G)
1917/18 Ajax Go Ahead Willem II Be Quick (G)
(A.F.C.)
1918/19 Ajax Go Ahead N.A.C. Be Quick (G)
(A.F.C.)
1919/20 V.O.C. Go Ahead M.V.V. Be Quick (G)
1920/21 Ajax Go Ahead N.A.C. Be Quick (G)
1921/22 Blauw-Wit Go Ahead N.A.C. Be Quick (G)
1922/23 R.C.H. Go Ahead Willem II Be Quick (G)
1923/24 Stormvogels S.C. Enschede N.A.C. Be Quick (G)
Feijenoord
1924/25 Sparta Go Ahead N.A.C. Frisia
H.B.S.
1925/26 Stormvogels S.C. Enschede M.V.V. Be Quick (G)
Feijenoord
1926/27 Ajax Heracles N.A.C. Velocitas (G)
Feijenoord
1927/28 Ajax Z.A.C. N.O.A.D. Velocitas (G)
Feijenoord
1928/29 Sparta Go Ahead P.S.V. Velocitas (G)
Feijenoord
1929/30 Ajax Go Ahead Willem II Velocitas (G)
Blauw-Wit
1930/31 Ajax Go Ahead P.S.V. Velocitas (G)
Feijenoord
1931/32 Ajax S.C. Enschede P.S.V. Veendam
Feijenoord
1932/33 Feijenoord Go Ahead P.S.V. Velocitas (G)
Stormvogels
1933/34 Ajax Heracles Willem II Velocitas (G)
K.F.C
1934/35 Ajax Go Ahead P.S.V. Velocitas (G)
D.W.S.
1935/36 Ajax S.C. Enschede N.A.C. Be Quick (G)
Feijenoord
1936/37 Ajax Go Ahead P.S.V. Be Quick (G)
Feijenoord
1937/38 D.W.S. Heracles P.S.V. Be Quick (G)
Feijenoord
1938/39 D.W.S. N.E.C. Eindhoven Achilles (A)
Ajax
1939/40 Blauw-Wit Heracles Juliana G.V.A.V.
Feijenoord
1940/41 A.D.O. Heracles P.S.V. Be Quick (G)
V.S.V.
1941/42 A.D.O. A.G.O.V.V. Eindhoven Heerenveen
Blauw-Wit
1942/43 Feijenoord S.C. Enschede Willem II Heerenveen
A.D.O.
1943/44 De Volewijckers Heracles L.O.N.G.A. Heerenveen
V.U.C.
1944/45 competition only started in south; not finished
1945/46 Haarlem N.E.C. N.A.C. Heerenveen
Ajax Limburgia
1946/47 Ajax N.E.C. B.V.V. Heerenveen
Blauw-Wit M.V.V.
1947/48 E.D.O. Go Ahead B.V.V. Heerenveen
Haarlem P.S.V.
1948/49 V.S.V. A.G.O.V.V. B.V.V. Heerenveen
S.V.V. N.O.A.D.
1949/50 Ajax Enschedese Boys Limburgia Heerenveen
Blauw-Wit Maurits
After 1950, the regional division of the eerste klasses was abandoned. The six divisions of ten or eleven teams were merged into five of twelve and then four of fourteen. Distribution of teams still took geography into account, but the teams from the western division, for instance, were spread over three of the eerste klasses. Winners are still split by regional adherence below.
Check here for full final tables 1950-54.
1950/51 Blauw-Wit Willem II Heerenveen
D.W.S. P.S.V.
1951/52 Hermes/D.V.S. Willem II
Haarlem
Ajax
1952/53 R.C.H. Vitesse Eindhoven
Sparta
1953/54 D.W.S. P.S.V.
D.O.S. Eindhoven
In 1954, professionalism was introduced. The K.N.V.B. teams, which had already played about ten rounds, were redistributed, together with some of the rival N.B.V.B. teams (and after some mergers took place). The four winners still played out the national championship in a playoff. In the 1955/56 season, two hoofdklasses were formed, the top two of which qualified for the national championship playoff. After 1956, the eredivisie was introduced.
1954/55 N.A.C.
Willem II
P.S.V.
Eindhoven
1955/56 Sparta N.A.C.
Elinkwijk Rapid J.C.
Top Champions 1890-1954 (229 titles) 17 Ajax (Amsterdam) 16 Go Ahead (Deventer) 13 Be Quick (Groningen) 13 Feijenoord (Rotterdam) 11 P.S.V. (Eindhoven) 10 H.V.V. (Den Haag) 10 Willem II (Tilburg) 9 Heerenveen 9 Sparta (Rotterdam) 8 N.A.C. (Breda) 8 Velocitas (Groningen) 7 Blauw-Wit (Amsterdam) 7 Vitesse (Arnhem) 6 Heracles (Almelo) 5 D.W.S. (Amsterdam) 5 P.W. (Enschede) 5 R.A.P. (Amsterdam) 5 S.C. Enschede 4 Eindhoven 3 A.D.O. (Den Haag) 3 B.V.V. (Den Bosch) 3 Haarlem 3 H.B.S. (Den Haag) 3 M.V.V. (Maastricht) 3 N.E.C. (Nijmegen) 3 Stormvogels (IJmuiden) 3 Victoria (Wageningen) 2 A.G.O.V.V. (Apeldoorn) 2 G.V.C. (Wageningen) 2 Limburgia (Brunssum) 2 N.O.A.D. (Tilburg) 2 R.C.H. (Haarlem/Heemstede) 2 V.S.V. (Velsen) 1 Achilles (Assen) 1 D.O.S. (Utrecht) 1 E.D.O. (Haarlem) 1 Enschedese Boys 1 Frisia (Leeuwarden) 1 G.V.A.V. (Groningen) 1 Hermes/D.V.S. (Schiedam) 1 H.F.C. (Haarlem) 1 Juliana (Spekholzerheide) 1 K.F.C. (Koog aan de Zaan) 1 L.O.N.G.A. (Tilburg) 1 Maurits (Geleen) 1 Quick (Den Haag) 1 Quick (Nijmegen) 1 S.V.V. (Schiedam) 1 U.D. (Deventer) 1 U.V.V. (Utrecht) 1 Veendam 1 Velocitas (Breda) 1 V.O.C. (Rotterdam) 1 De Volewijckers (Amsterdam) 1 Volharding (Amsterdam) 1 V.U.C. (Den Haag) 1 Wilhelmina (Den Bosch) 1 Z.A.C. (Zwolle)
From the official introduction of the Eerste Klasse in 1890/91 until the introduction of professionalism in 1954, 63 seasons of Eerste Klasse were played (including the unfinished 1892/93 season).
Most present was Sparta (58 seasons), followed by H.B.S. (57, and not relegated until the last season, 1953/54), Haarlem (51), D.F.C. and Vitesse (44), H.V.V. (42), Go Ahead (Deventer) (41), H.F.C. and Quick (Nijmegen) (40), Ajax and M.V.V. (39, M.V.V. were never relegated during the amateur days), N.A.C. (38, never relegated), Be Quick (Groningen), S.C. Enschede and Willem II (37 each; Be Quick and S.C. Enschede never relegated), Achilles (Assen) (36), Blauw-Wit, N.O.A.D. and Velocitas (Groningen) (35 each, N.O.A.D. never relegated), B.V.V. (33, never relegated), Feijenoord (32, never relegated; they are the only club to have kept this record in professional football, and in 2022/23 are playing their 101st season at the highest level since their first appearance there in 1921/22), Eindhoven, Heracles, P.S.V. and Veendam (all 31; Eindhoven never relegated).
Citywise, the following cities have been present longest at the highest level, until 1953/54: Den Haag, Haarlem and Rotterdam (63 seasons, respectively with 5, 4, and 16 different representatives), Amsterdam and Enschede (55, 12 and 4 different representatives resp.), Breda and Wageningen (52, 5 and 4 different clubs resp.), Den Bosch and Dordrecht (48, 2 and 4 different clubs resp.), Nijmegen (45, 2 clubs), Arnhem (44, 1 club), Utrecht (41, 4 clubs), Maastricht and Tilburg (39, 2 and 4 clubs resp.), Groningen and Leeuwarden (37, 6 and 3 clubs resp.), Assen and Hengelo (36, 1 and 2 clubs resp.), Zwolle (33, 3 clubs), Apeldoorn and Eindhoven (32, 2 and 4 clubs), and Almelo and Veendam (31, 1 club each).
Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Karel Stokkermans
(karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 15 Oct 2024
(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 1999/2024
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