Eerste Divisie (Netherlands)

Eerste Divisie (Netherlands, founded in 1956) - the second tier of professional club football in the Netherlands under the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), below the Eredivisie. Regulations: the competition is typically contested by 20 clubs in a double round-robin format, with each team playing 38 league matches home and away. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Teams are ranked by points, then goal difference, then goals scored, then by head-to-head criteria for the season (head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals scored and head-to-head away goals). If these criteria do not decide the order or cannot decide it, alphabetical order may be used for non-decisive positions, but where final places must be decided a deciding match or a deciding series can be arranged, and in a deciding match extra time is played after 90 minutes and, if still level, a penalty shoot-out follows. For play-off qualification during the season, the league is split into four periods, with period winners earning places, and if the same club wins more than one period or a reserve side wins a period the place passes to the next eligible team, with any remaining places allocated via the final standings if required. At the end of the season the champion (if it is a first team) and the best next placed first team are promoted automatically to the Eredivisie, while reserve teams are not eligible for promotion. One additional Eredivisie place is decided via a three-round knock-out play-off, with each round played over two legs home and away, involving the third-bottom Eredivisie club, the four period winners and the two highest placed eligible first teams without a period title. If teams are level on points over two legs, goal difference is used, and if still level extra time is played in the second leg followed by penalties if necessary.