The Eredivisie is thriving like never before

After seventeen matchweeks, the picture for now is taking shape. PSV are winter champions for the third consecutive year, while N.E.C. Nijmegen and FC Groningen finish the calendar year impressively inside the top five. On the final matchday of the first half of the season, Telstar passed on the red lantern to NAC Breda.

Compared to previous years, the competitive balance has increased further. The points gap between the league leaders and bottom side has narrowed from 37 points in 2023 and 38 points in 2024 to 33 points this season.

Feyenoord collected 35 points in the first half of the campaign. The lowest total ever for a team in second place since the 2013/14 season (Ajax: 34).

The battle for third place is also exceptionally tight. Only twice this century has the team in third had no more than 29 points after seventeen matches: sc Heerenveen in 2001/02 and PEC Zwolle in 2014/15.

The mid-table is more congested than ever as well. Sparta Rotterdam sit tenth with 23 points: a tally that in previous seasons was often enough for a place in the top half or even the top six (2023).

Even at the bottom of the table, teams are picking up points at a relatively high rate. The last time the team in 18th place reached the winter break with 13 points or more was in the 2013/14 season (N.E.C. with 15 points).

The increased competitiveness is also clearly reflected on the pitch. Matches in the Eredivisie are more entertaining than ever. With an average of 28.4 shots per match (including 10.5 on target), this season is recording the highest shot count since the 2011/12 season.

The majority of those efforts are finding the target. With an average of 3.26 goals per game, only the 2018/19 season (3.47) has been more prolific. Compared to Europe’s other top leagues, nowhere is more goalscoring this season than in the Netherlands.

The flip side of this attacking approach is a decline in the number of clean sheets. On average, a clean sheet is recorded just 0.39 times per match, whereas in previous seasons that figure hovered around 50%.

Notably, all three clubs currently in the top three have already conceded more than 20 goals: a first in the competition’s history. The last time even two teams from the top three had conceded 20 or more goals after seventeen matches was back in the 1987/88 season.

A 0–0 draw has been a rarity this season. The first - and so far only - goalless draw did not occur until 100 matches had been played (FC Twente vs Telstar on 7 November). Over the previous fifteen seasons, an average of 14.5 matches per season ended without a goal.

As a result, the record for the fewest 0–0 draws in a single season is now within reach. In 1962/63, just eight of the 240 matches finished goalless. Despite the higher number of fixtures in the current competition format (306 matches), a new record remains a realistic possibility.

The growing excitement and appeal of the competition are also clearly reflected in the stands. During the first half of the season, stadiums across the eighteen clubs were filled to an average of 96% capacity. The highest occupancy rate of the past ten seasons.

With this level of attendance, the Eredivisie, alongside the Bundesliga and Premier League, ranks among the best-attended leagues in Europe. This upward trend has been building for some time: where stadium occupancy stood at 89% in 2022/23, it rose to 93% last season and has now reached a new peak this year.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, such figures were not achieved. In the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, average occupancy rates stood at 88% and 86% respectively.

The average attendance per match this season is 19,897, representing an increase of more than 8% compared to recent years. In 2022/23, the average was 18,486, followed by 18,192 in 2023/24, and 19,361 last season.

This growth is partly explained by the fact that many clubs have sold out all season tickets, with single-match tickets often available only via secondary ticketing platforms. In addition, clubs such as NAC Breda and Telstar have expanded their stadium capacities in response to rising demand.

Interest continues to grow not only inside the stadiums, but also in front of the television. While an average of 1.5 million viewers per weekend tuned in to ESPN during the 2018/19 season, that figure has risen to over 1.7 million football fans this season. An increase of nearly 8.5%. Only the season played without spectators (2020/21) came close to these numbers.

Attention on the Dutch public broadcaster NOS is also on the rise again. In the first half of last season, just over 2.1 million viewers tuned in, compared to more than 2.3 million so far this year.

Since the 2019/20 season, pitch measurements have been carried out across the Eredivisie. Using specialised equipment, factors such as surface hardness, ball bounce, ball roll and grip are analysed. Clubs that meet the required standards receive an annual financial contribution from European revenues. Compared to five years ago, clubs are now scoring an average of 11% higher across these measurements.

While the competition is thriving on many fronts, there is one challenge affecting all clubs. The Netherlands currently sit sixth in the UEFA Country Ranking, but based on the coefficients collected so far, the situation has become increasingly precarious. The probability of retaining sixth place is now estimated at 34%, down from 54% at the start of the season.

As a result, Dutch clubs face a clear objective in the second half of the season: delivering results in Europe.

Jan de Jong, CEO of Eredivisie: “Things are simply going very well for the Eredivisie. When you look at the figures, there’s no other conclusion you can draw. We count ourselves fortunate, especially when you see what’s currently happening in countries like Belgium and France, where media rights are proving to be worth very little. Here, they certainly are not.”

“Football may not always be perfect or spectacular, but it is often exciting, entertaining and full of drama. That’s what football was created for in the first place. And thankfully, that’s exactly how fans in the stadiums and viewers at home experience it too. The biggest entertainment industry in the Netherlands continues to perform strongly. The magic of the Eredivisie is very much alive.”