Netherlands First Class East Champions 1897-1950

NB: prior to the establishment of a separate first class for what was at first
    called "Afdeeling 2" (encompassing the clubs from the three provinces
    Overĳssel, Gelderland and (sometimes) Utrecht), one might consider that
    Go Ahead (Wageningen) were eastern champions in all seasons before 1896/97 
    (between 1890/91 and 1892/93 as the best second class club from the region;
     between 1893/94 and 1895/96 as the only first class club from the region).

Eerste Klasse Oost
1896/97 Vitesse
1897/98 Vitesse
1898/99 P.W.
1899/00 Victoria (W)
1900/01 Victoria (W)
1901/02 Victoria (W)
1902/03 Vitesse
1903/04 P.W.
1904/05 P.W.
1905/06 P.W.
1906/07 P.W.
1907/08 U.D.
1908/09 Wilhelmina (B) 
1909/10 Quick (N)
1910/11 G.V.C.
1911/12 G.V.C.
1912/13 Vitesse
1913/14 Vitesse  
1914/15 Vitesse 
1915/16 Go Ahead (D)
1916/17 Go Ahead (D)
1917/18 Go Ahead (D)
1918/19 Go Ahead (D)
1919/20 Go Ahead (D)
1920/21 Go Ahead (D)
1921/22 Go Ahead (D)
1922/23 Go Ahead (D)
1923/24 S.C. Enschede  
1924/25 Go Ahead (D)      
1925/26 S.C. Enschede
1926/27 Heracles    
1927/28 Z.A.C.     
1928/29 Go Ahead (D)
1929/30 Go Ahead (D) 
1930/31 Go Ahead (D)
1931/32 S.C. Enschede  
1932/33 Go Ahead (D)      
1933/34 Heracles     
1934/35 Go Ahead (D)   
1935/36 S.C. Enschede   
1936/37 Go Ahead (D)       
1937/38 Heracles      
1938/39 N.E.C.       
1939/40 Heracles   
1940/41 Heracles   
1941/42 A.G.O.V.V.
1942/43 S.C. Enschede
1943/44 Heracles    
1944/45   no competition 
1945/46 N.E.C.     
1946/47 N.E.C.    
1947/48 Go Ahead (D)
1948/49 A.G.O.V.V. 
1949/50 Enschedese Boys

Top Champions (53 titles)

16 Go Ahead (Deventer)

 6 Heracles (Almelo)
 6 Vitesse (Arnhem)

 5 P.W. (Enschede)
 5 S.C. Enschede

 3 N.E.C. (Nĳmegen)
 3 Victoria (Wageningen)      [merged 1903 into G.V.C.]
 
 2 A.G.O.V.V. (Apeldoorn)
 2 G.V.C. (Wageningen)        [1903 merger of Go Ahead and Victoria]

 1 Enschedese Boys
 1 Quick (Nĳmegen)
 1 U.D. (Deventer)
 1 Wilhelmina (Den Bosch)
 1 Z.A.C. (Zwolle)

Notes and Trivia:

Most often present in the Eerste Klasse was Vitesse, in 40 of the 53 seasons. They are followed by Quick (39), Go Ahead (Deventer, 37), S.C. Enschede (33, never relegated), Heracles (28, never relegated), Tubantia (Hengelo) and U.D. (27), Wageningen (25, never relegated), A.G.O.V.V. and Enschedese Boys (22, A.G.O.V.V. never relegated), P.W. (21), and Z.A.C. (Zwolle, 20).

During the existence of the Eerste Klasse Oost, Wageningen was represented by 4 teams, Go Ahead, Victoria, G.V.C. (merger of the two previous ones), and Wageningen. Deventer (apart from the two mentioned, D.O.T.O.), Enschede (all mentioned above) and Zwolle (P.E.C., Z.A.C., and Zwolsche Boys) each had 3 different teams in the Eerste Klasse, Apeldoorn (A.G.O.V.V. and Robur Velocitas), Hengelo (Hengelo and Tubantia), and Nĳmegen (N.E.C. and Quick) each had 2. All these towns had at least one season with a derby at the highest level.

Go Ahead won 8 consecutive titles. They were also the first team from "Oost" to win the national championship (1916/17), and won it 4 times in all (also 1921/22, 1929/30, 1932/33). Two other teams from Oost won the national championship: Heracles won 2 titles, in 1926/27 (their first participation in the playoff) and 1940/41, and S.C. Enschede won 1 (1925/26).

In the four seasons of redistributed eerste klasses before the introduction of professionalism, eight teams from Oost managed to retain their eerste klasse status throughout: A.G.O.V.V., Enschedese Boys, Go Ahead, N.E.C., S.C. Enschede, Vitesse, Wageningen and Zwolsche Boys. The town of Tiel enjoyed one season with 2 eerste klassers: apart from Theole, who had been there before 1950 as well, T.E.C. were promoted. The teams were placed into different divisions, however, so the derby was never played, and both teams were relegated at the end of the season (1951/52). The city of Enschede earned a 4th team to play at the highest level, Rigtersbleek.

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 29 Nov 2025