ADO Den Haag promoted to the Eredivisie

For many people in The Hague, the recent seasons in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie are still painfully fresh. With the exception of the 2022/23 season, ADO were in the mix for a top finish every single year, only to fall short in the promotion/relegation play-offs each time. 

The absolute low point came in their very first season in the second tier, when they let a golden opportunity to return to the Eredivisie at the first attempt slip through their fingers against Excelsior in the play-off final. ADO were leading 3-0 going into the final quarter of the match — locally known as the 'Haags Kwartiertje' (The Hague's Quarter) — only to completely surrender the lead and lose on penalties. Those years have taught the people of The Hague not to celebrate too soon.

That made the achievement all the more impressive, given the club had endured a turbulent summer. Manager Robin Peter was appointed late in pre-season, and on the administrative side, technical director Joris Mathijsen departed. The new German head coach made the best of the situation and hit the ground running straight away. Remarkably, he achieved that excellent start largely with the same group of players as the previous season. Of the nineteen ADO players with at least ten Keuken Kampioen Divisie appearances this season, only five were not at the club last year.

In December and January, ADO fans did have a few nervous moments, as the side went five matches without a win, losing four of them. The chasing pack failed to capitalise on those stumbles, though, and the team quickly found their footing again. By March, the club from The Hague had already achieved the ultimate goal: direct promotion to the Eredivisie. On top of that, ADO are locked in a fierce battle with SC Cambuur for the Keuken Kampioen Divisie title. It would be the first championship for the club from The Hague since the 2002/03 season.

Despite not going through the season unbeaten, Robin Peter's side have dominated the division on both ends of the pitch. The team presses high and looks to impose themselves through possession, building their way to chances. The engine room of that approach is an outstanding midfield, built around captain Jari Vlak, who is having his best ever season at this level with 10 goals and 6 assists, and the quietly influential Juho Kilo. The Finn leads the entire division in successful passes (2,140) and successful passes into the final third (468), while also providing the defensive balance in midfield. Only four players have won the ball back more often than ADO's motor (160).

Ultimately, promotion has been a team effort from The Hague. They scored seven more goals than any other side and had sixteen different goalscorers. Only the reserve teams of AZ (20) and Ajax (19) had more. ADO also won the ball back 318 times from open play in the final forty metres of the pitch, generating more shots (64) and goals (10) from those situations than any other team in the division. Perhaps the clearest illustration of the suffocating pressure applied by Robin Peter's side is that they allowed opponents an average of just eight passes before making a defensive intervention. That is the lowest PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action) figure of any team in Dutch professional football.

Despite a turbulent pre-season, Robin Peter has stamped his authority on ADO Den Haag remarkably quickly. In his first full season in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the result is immediate promotion to the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie. a return to the top flight the city of The Hague has been waiting five seasons for. At 38, the German becomes the third-youngest manager to secure promotion to the top flight this century, behind Ruben den Uil (34) last year and Robert Maaskant (33) in 2002. ADO also still have a chance to break their own points record at this level, currently standing at 88 points (converted to three points per win), set by the team that won the title unbeaten in 1985/86.