The Nederlandse Handbal Eredivisie is the top

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

professional

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

league. The winners of the Eredivisie are recognised as the Dutch handball champions.

Competition Format

In the first phase of the season, the top 6 teams of the previous season participate in the BENE-League competition. They are joined by the top 6 teams from Belgium. At the same time, the remaining 12 teams, participate in a national competition. In the second phase, the 4 best ranking Dutch teams of the BENE-League, who automatically qualified for next season's BENE-League, compete in a 2-round system for the national title. The first round is a full competition among those 4. In the second round the 2 teams which ended on top, decide in a best-of-three who wins the title. In the final ranking, these teams end up on ranks 1 to 4. The 2 lowest ranking Dutch teams of the BENE-League, together with the 2 best ranking teams of the national competition, compete in full competition, for 2 spots in next season's BENE-League. In the final ranking, these teams end up on ranks 5 to 8. The teams which ended 3 to 10 in the national competition play a 3-round system to decide their final ranking (ranks 9 to 16). Something like a knock-out system with the major difference that losing a match doesn't mean you get eliminated but you continue for the lower ranks, where winning means you continue for the better ranks. So the teams winning in the first round continue for the final ranks 9 to 12 and those losing for the ranks 13 to 16. The same principle is repeated in the second round and final ranks are decided in the third round. Last but not least, the 2 teams who ended at the bottom of the national competition, together with 4-period winners of the Eerste Divisie compete in a 2-round system for 1 spot in next season's Eredivisie. In the first round, the 6 teams are split into 2 groups of 3 in such a way that the 2 Eredivisie teams are never in the same group. In each group, the 3 teams play a full competition. The winners of both groups decide in a best-of-two who plays next season in the Eredivisie. The final spot in the Eredivisie is taken by the champions of the Eerste Divisie.

2020–21 season

The following 16 clubs compete in the Eredivisie during the 2020–21 season.

Eredivisie previous champions

* 1954 :

Aalsmeer Aalsmeer () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its name is derived from the Dutch for eel (''aal'') and lake (''meer''). Aalsmeer is bordered by the Westeinderplassen lake, the largest open water of ...

* 1955 : PSV Handbal * 1956 : Olympia Hengelo * 1957 : Olympia Hengelo (2) * 1958 : Olympia Hengelo (3) * 1959:

(2) * 1960 :

NILOC Amsterdam Nederlands Instituut Lichamelijke Opvoedkunde Club, a.k.a. NILOC Amsterdam, was a sports club from Amsterdam best known for its team handball, handball section. The women's team won seven Eredivisie (women's handball), national championships betwe ...

* 1961 :

(2) * 1962 : Operatie '55 * 1963 : Operatie '55 (2) * 1964 : Operatie '55 (3) * 1965 : Operatie '55 (4) * 1966 :

Sittardia HV Sittardia is a Dutch handball club in Sittard. The club was founded in 1949. Sittardia is one of the most successful handball teams in Dutch handball history. They won the Dutch National Championship in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1 ...

* 1967 : ESCA Arnhem * 1968 :

(2) * 1969 :

(3) * 1970 :

(4) * 1971 :

(5) * 1972 :

(6) * 1973 :

(7) * 1974 :

(8) * 1975 :

(9) * 1976 :

(10) * 1977 :

(11) * 1978 : Duyvestein/Hermes * 1979 :

(12) * 1980 : NCR/Blauw-Wit * 1981 : NCR/Blauw-Wit (2) * 1982 :

Vlug en Lenig Vlug en Lenig is a Dutch handball club in Geleen. The club was founded on 1 September 1949. The men's team of V&L won the Dutch National Championship in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986 and 2002. The club has participated in European club team tournament ...

* 1983 :

(2) * 1984 :

(3) * 1985 :

(3) * 1986 : Herschi/V&L (4) * 1987 :

(13) * 1988 : NCR/Blauw-Wit (3) * 1989 : HAKA/E&O * 1990 : VGZ/Sittardia (14) * 1991 : HAKA/E&O (2) * 1992 : HAKA/E&O (3) * 1993 : VGZ/Sittardia (15) * 1994 : VGZ/Sittardia (16) * 1995 : Thrifty/Aalsmeer (4) * 1996 : ANOVA/E&O (4) * 1997 : Horn/Sittardia (17) * 1998 : ANOVA/E&O (5) * 1999 : Horn/Sittardia (18) * 2000 : ShowBizCity/Aalsmeer (5) * 2001 : ShowBizCity/Aalsmeer (6) * 2002 : Wealer/V&L (5) * 2003 : FIQAS/Aalsmeer (7) * 2004 : FIQAS/Aalsmeer (8) * 2005 : KRAS/Volendam * 2006 : KRAS/Volendam (2) * 2007 : KRAS/Volendam (3) * 2008 : Hellas Den Haag * 2009 : FIQAS/Aalsmeer (9) * 2010 : KRAS/Volendam (4) * 2011 : KRAS/Volendam (5) * 2012 : KRAS/Volendam (6) * 2013 : KRAS/Volendam (7) * 2014 : Eurotech/Bevo HC * 2015 : OCI-LIONS * 2016 : OCI-LIONS (2) * 2017 : OCI-LIONS (3) * 2018 : FIQAS/Aalsmeer (10) * 2019 : Green Park/Aalsmeer (11) * 2020 : ''No champion'' * 2021: Green Park/Aalsmeer (12) * 2022: Green Park/Aalsmeer (13)

EHF coefficient ranking

For season 2017/2018, see footnote
(

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European Handball Federation The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the umbrella organisation for European handball. Founded on 17 November 1991, it is made of 50 member federations and two associated federations (England and Scotland), and is headquartered in Vienna, ...

. *24.

(''23'') Eerste Nationele *25. (''28'')

Sales Lentz League The Luxembourg Sales Lentz League is the name of the professional handball league of Luxembourg. Competition format The season begins with a tournament between the eights teams. The first six teams qualify for the play-offs, while the last t ...

*26. (''32'') Eredivisie *27. RedDownArrow

(''26'') Extraliga *28. RedDownArrow

(''22'') Handball Premier

References

External links

Official website
{{EHF leagues

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Handball in the Netherlands Professional sports leagues in the Netherlands