Eerste Klasse

The Eerste Klasse (English: First Class) is the fifth tier of football in the Netherlands, and the second tier of amateur football. The league is divided into eleven divisions, five for Saturday clubs and six for Sunday clubs. These divisions correspond to the six districts of the Royal Dutch Football Association: each district organises a Saturday competition and a Sunday competition, except for South II, which only has a Sunday competition.

Each division consists of 12 teams. The champion of the Eerste Klasse divisions are promoted to the Hoofdklasse. Furthermore, a season is divided into 2 periods (Dutch: periodes) of eight matches each. The winners of these periods qualify for promotion playoffs, provided they finish in the top nine overall in the season. The numbers 10 and 11 in the final rankings play relegation playoffs, and the number 12 is relegated to the Tweede Klasse.