Eerste Divisie 2008–09

Infobox sports league
sport=Football
logo=
pixels=250px
founded=1956
teams=20
country=NED
champion=FC VolendamThe 2008-09 season of the Dutch Eerste Divisie will begin in August 2008 and will end in May 2009. The champions will be promoted to the Eredivisie, the highest tier of football in the Netherlands, while eight other teams will compete in a playoff with two Eredivisie sides for two Eredivisie tickets. The team finishing last will be relegated to the Hoofdklasse, while the national Hoofdklasse champion gains a right to promotion to the Eerste Divisie. [If the national Hoofdklasse champion chooses not to be promoted, any of the five other champions of the Hoofdklasse divisions can be promoted instead. If an Eerste Divisie side doesn't get a licence for the following season, it will be relegated to the Hoofdklasse instead, and the team finishing last will not be relegated.] This is the first time relegation from the Eerste Divisie is possible since the disestablishment of the Tweede Divisie in 1971.

Clubs

Twenty clubs will play in the 2008-09 season. Excelsior and VVV-Venlo were relegated after the 2007-08 Eredivisie season.

The clubs in the Eerste Divisie 2008-09 are:

* AGOVV Apeldoorn
* SC Cambuur
* FC Den Bosch
* FC Dordrecht
* FC Eindhoven
* FC Emmen
* Excelsior "(relegated)"
* Fortuna Sittard
* Go Ahead Eagles
* Haarlem
* Helmond Sport
* MVV
* FC Omniworld
* RBC Roosendaal
* RKC Waalwijk
* Telstar
* TOP Oss
* BV Veendam
* VVV-Venlo "(relegated)"
* FC Zwolle

tandings

Period winners

The competition is divided into six periods ( _nl. periode) of six matches each. The winner of each period ( _nl. periodekampioen) qualifies for the playoffs at the end of the season. If the winner of a period has already won a prior period in the season, the second placed team in the period is awarded the playoff slot. If the second placed team has also won a prior period, no winner is called, and the playoff slot is decided by league standing at the end of the season.

References

External links

* [http://www.jupilerleague.nl/ JupilerLeague.nl - Official website Eerste Divisie] nl icon