Netherlands First Class Champions 1890-1954

NB: Teams in bold face won the national championship that season.

Season  West              East            South               North

1890/91 H.V.V.
1891/92 R.A.P.
1892/93   not awarded
1893/94 R.A.P.
1894/95 H.F.C.
1895/96 H.V.V.
1896/97 R.A.P.            Vitesse
1897/98 R.A.P.            Vitesse
1898/99 R.A.P.            P.W.
1899/00 H.V.V.            Victoria (W)
1900/01 H.V.V.            Victoria (W)
1901/02 H.V.V.            Victoria (W)
1902/03 H.V.V.            Vitesse
        Volharding (A)
1903/04 H.B.S.            P.W.
        Velocitas (B)
1904/05 H.V.V.            P.W.
1905/06 H.B.S.            P.W.
1906/07 H.V.V.            P.W.
1907/08 Quick (H)         U.D.
1908/09 Sparta            Wilhelmina (B) 
1909/10 H.V.V.            Quick (N)
1910/11 Sparta            G.V.C.
1911/12 Sparta            G.V.C.
1912/13 Sparta            Vitesse
1913/14 H.V.V.            Vitesse         Willem II
1914/15 Sparta            Vitesse         Wilhelmina (B) [unofficial]
1915/16 Sparta            Go Ahead        Willem II
1916/17 U.V.V.            Go Ahead        Willem II          Be Quick (G)
1917/18 Ajax              Go Ahead        Willem II          Be Quick (G)
        (A.F.C.)
1918/19 Ajax              Go Ahead        N.A.C.             Be Quick (G)
        (A.F.C.)
1919/20 V.O.C.            Go Ahead        M.V.V.             Be Quick (G)
1920/21 Ajax              Go Ahead        N.A.C.             Be Quick (G)
1921/22 Blauw Wit         Go Ahead        N.A.C.             Be Quick (G)
1922/23 R.C.H.            Go Ahead        Willem II          Be Quick (G)
1923/24 Stormvogels       S.C. Enschede   N.A.C.             Be Quick (G)
        Feijenoord 
1924/25 Sparta            Go Ahead        N.A.C.             Frisia
        H.B.S.
1925/26 Stormvogels       S.C. Enschede   M.V.V.             Be Quick (G)
        Feijenoord 
1926/27 Ajax              Heracles        N.A.C.             Velocitas (G)
        Feijenoord 
1927/28 Ajax              Z.A.C.          N.O.A.D.           Velocitas (G)
        Feijenoord 
1928/29 Sparta            Go Ahead        P.S.V.             Velocitas (G)
        Feijenoord 
1929/30 Ajax              Go Ahead        Willem II          Velocitas (G)
        Blauw Wit
1930/31 Ajax              Go Ahead        P.S.V.             Velocitas (G)
        Feijenoord 
1931/32 Ajax              S.C. Enschede   P.S.V.             Veendam
        Feijenoord 
1932/33 Feijenoord         Go Ahead        P.S.V.             Velocitas (G)
        Stormvogels
1933/34 Ajax              Heracles        Willem II          Velocitas (G)
        K.F.C
1934/35 Ajax              Go Ahead        P.S.V.             Velocitas (G)
        D.W.S.
1935/36 Ajax              S.C. Enschede   N.A.C.             Be Quick (G)
        Feijenoord 
1936/37 Ajax              Go Ahead        P.S.V.             Be Quick (G)
        Feijenoord 
1937/38 D.W.S.            Heracles        P.S.V.             Be Quick (G)
        Feijenoord 
1938/39 D.W.S.            N.E.C.          Eindhoven          Achilles (A)
        Ajax
1939/40 Blauw Wit         Heracles        Juliana            G.V.A.V.
        Feijenoord 
1940/41 A.D.O.            Heracles        P.S.V.             Be Quick (G)
        V.S.V.
1941/42 A.D.O.            A.G.O.V.V.      Eindhoven          Heerenveen
        Blauw Wit
1942/43 Feijenoord         S.C. Enschede   Willem II          Heerenveen
        A.D.O.
1943/44 De Volewijckers    Heracles        L.O.N.G.A.         Heerenveen
        V.U.C.
1944/45   competition only started in south; not finished
1945/46 Haarlem           N.E.C.          N.A.C.             Heerenveen
        Ajax                              Limburgia
1946/47 Ajax              N.E.C.          B.V.V.             Heerenveen
        Blauw Wit                         M.V.V.
1947/48 E.D.O.            Go Ahead        B.V.V.             Heerenveen
        Haarlem                           P.S.V.
1948/49 V.S.V.            A.G.O.V.V.      B.V.V.             Heerenveen
        S.V.V.                            N.O.A.D.
1949/50 Ajax              Enschedese Boys Limburgia          Heerenveen
        Blauw Wit                         Maurits

After 1950, the regional division of the eerste klasses was abandoned. The six divisions of ten or eleven teams were merged into five of twelve and then four of fourteen. Distribution of teams still took geography into account, but the teams from the western division, for instance, were spread over three of the eerste klasses. Winners are still split by regional adherence below.

Check here for full final tables 1950-54.

1950/51 Blauw Wit                         Willem II          Heerenveen
        D.W.S.                            P.S.V.
1951/52 Hermes/D.V.S.                     Willem II
        Haarlem
        Ajax
1952/53 R.C.H.            Vitesse         Eindhoven
        Sparta
1953/54 D.W.S.                            P.S.V.
        D.O.S.                            Eindhoven

In 1954, professionalism was introduced. The K.N.V.B. teams, which had already played about ten rounds, were redistributed, together with some of the rival N.B.V.B. teams (and after some mergers took place). The four winners still played out the national championship in a playoff. In the 1955/56 season, two hoofdklasses were formed, the top two of which qualified for the national championship playoff. After 1956, the eredivisie was introduced.

1954/55                                   N.A.C.
                                          Willem II
                                          P.S.V.
                                          Eindhoven
1955/56 Sparta                            N.A.C.
        Elinkwijk                          Rapid J.C.

Top Champions 1890-1954 (229 titles)

17 Ajax (Amsterdam)

16 Go Ahead (Deventer)

13 Be Quick (Groningen)
13 Feijenoord (Rotterdam)

11 P.S.V. (Eindhoven)

10 H.V.V. (Den Haag)
10 Willem II (Tilburg)

 9 Heerenveen
 9 Sparta (Rotterdam)

 8 N.A.C. (Breda)
 8 Velocitas (Groningen)

 7 Blauw Wit (Amsterdam)
 7 Vitesse (Arnhem)

 6 Heracles (Almelo)

 5 D.W.S. (Amsterdam)
 5 P.W. (Enschede)
 5 R.A.P. (Amsterdam)
 5 S.C. Enschede

 4 Eindhoven

 3 A.D.O. (Den Haag)
 3 B.V.V. (Den Bosch)
 3 Haarlem
 3 H.B.S. (Den Haag)
 3 M.V.V. (Maastricht)
 3 N.E.C. (Nijmegen)
 3 Stormvogels (IJmuiden)
 3 Victoria (Wageningen)

 2 A.G.O.V.V. (Apeldoorn)
 2 G.V.C. (Wageningen)
 2 Limburgia (Brunssum)
 2 N.O.A.D. (Tilburg)
 2 R.C.H. (Haarlem/Heemstede)
 2 V.S.V. (Velsen)

 1 Achilles (Assen)
 1 D.O.S. (Utrecht)
 1 E.D.O. (Haarlem)
 1 Enschedese Boys
 1 Frisia (Leeuwarden)
 1 G.V.A.V. (Groningen)
 1 Hermes/D.V.S. (Schiedam)
 1 H.F.C. (Haarlem)
 1 Juliana (Spekholzerheide)
 1 K.F.C. (Koog aan de Zaan)
 1 L.O.N.G.A. (Tilburg)
 1 Maurits (Geleen)
 1 Quick (Den Haag)
 1 Quick (Nijmegen)
 1 S.V.V. (Schiedam)
 1 U.D. (Deventer)
 1 U.V.V. (Utrecht)
 1 Veendam
 1 Velocitas (Breda)
 1 V.O.C. (Rotterdam)
 1 De Volewijckers (Amsterdam)
 1 Volharding (Amsterdam)
 1 V.U.C. (Den Haag)
 1 Wilhelmina (Den Bosch)
 1 Z.A.C. (Zwolle)

Notes and Trivia:

From the official introduction of the Eerste Klasse in 1890/91 until the introduction of professionalism in 1954, 63 seasons of Eerste Klasse were played (including the unfinished 1892/93 season).

Most present was Sparta (58 seasons), followed by H.B.S. (57, and not relegated until the last season, 1953/54), Haarlem (51), D.F.C. and Vitesse (44), H.V.V. (42), Go Ahead (Deventer) (41), H.F.C. and Quick (Nijmegen) (40), Ajax and M.V.V. (39, M.V.V. were never relegated during the amateur days), N.A.C. (38, never relegated), Be Quick (Groningen), S.C. Enschede and Willem II (37 each; Be Quick and S.C. Enschede never relegated), Achilles (Assen) (36), Blauw Wit, N.O.A.D. and Velocitas (Groningen) (35 each, N.O.A.D. never relegated), B.V.V. (33, never relegated), Feijenoord (32, never relegated; they are the only club to have kept this record in professional football, and in 2022/23 are playing their 101st season at the highest level since their first appearance there in 1921/22), Eindhoven, Heracles, P.S.V. and Veendam (all 31; Eindhoven never relegated).

Citywise, the following cities have been present longest at the highest level, until 1953/54: Den Haag, Haarlem and Rotterdam (63 seasons, respectively with 5, 4, and 16 different representatives), Amsterdam and Enschede (55, 12 and 4 different representatives resp.), Breda and Wageningen (52, 5 and 4 different clubs resp.), Den Bosch and Dordrecht (48, 2 and 4 different clubs resp.), Nijmegen (45, 2 clubs), Arnhem (44, 1 club), Utrecht (41, 4 clubs), Maastricht and Tilburg (39, 2 and 4 clubs resp.), Groningen and Leeuwarden (37, 6 and 3 clubs resp.), Assen and Hengelo (36, 1 and 2 clubs resp.), Zwolle (33, 3 clubs), Apeldoorn and Eindhoven (32, 2 and 4 clubs), and Almelo and Veendam (31, 1 club each).


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Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 29 Dec 2023

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