Eerste Divisie Jerseys

The Eerste Divisie is the professional second division of Dutch football, sitting directly beneath the Eredivisie in the Netherlands football pyramid. Founded in 1955 and currently known under its commercial name Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the league typically features around twenty clubs competing across a full autumn-to-spring season for promotion places to the top flight and to avoid the drop into the semi-professional ranks. For supporters, the Eerste Divisie represents authentic, hard-fought Dutch football at its most competitive beneath the elite level, with passionate local fanbases, storied club histories and genuine promotion drama every season.

Because individual team pages for Eerste Divisie clubs are still being added to this site, the best way to find a specific jersey right now is to head to our Netherlands soccer jerseys page for an overview of Dutch football, or search directly on Amazon using the club’s name alongside terms like “soccer jersey,” “football shirt” or “kit.” Amazon typically carries a wide selection of replica and authentic shirts for well-known Dutch clubs across all divisions.

History and Format of the Eerste Divisie

Dutch football adopted a fully professional second tier in 1955, when the Eerste Divisie was formalised as a structured competition beneath what would become the Eredivisie. For decades the league served as the direct proving ground for clubs aiming at the top flight, and it has fulfilled that role ever since. Clubs relegated from the Eredivisie typically arrive with large fanbases and ambitions of an immediate return, creating fierce competition across the table at both ends of the season.

The current format typically sees the league champion earn automatic promotion to the Eredivisie, while a group of other high-finishing sides enters a play-off system contested with lower-placed Eredivisie clubs for additional promotion and relegation spots. At the bottom, the weakest sides face play-offs against amateur clubs from the Derde Divisie to retain their professional status. This structure means that tension rarely disappears at any point during the campaign, and supporters of clubs at every point in the table have genuine stakes deep into the spring.

In recent years the competition has been branded as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie after its title sponsor, though fans and media often still use the traditional name Eerste Divisie interchangeably. The league typically draws solid crowds, particularly for clubs from major cities or with longstanding rivalries, and matches are broadcast domestically, giving the competition genuine national visibility.

Clubs to Look For in the Eerste Divisie

Several clubs have either spent significant time in the Eerste Divisie or move regularly between the top two divisions, making their jerseys some of the most searched in Dutch football:

• NAC Breda — Based in Breda, NAC are one of the most recognisable clubs in the Eerste Divisie, known for their striking yellow and black home kit and the passionate atmosphere inside the Rat Verlegh Stadion.
• FC Eindhoven — Not to be confused with PSV Eindhoven, FC Eindhoven is the city’s second club and typically play in blue and white. Their derby matches and long history give them a loyal following well beyond the Brabant region.
• Jong Ajax — Ajax’s reserve side competes in the Eerste Divisie and wears the famous red-and-white vertical stripes of the Amsterdam parent club. Shopping for a Jong Ajax jersey is a popular entry point for supporters who love the Ajax identity.
• Jong PSV — PSV Eindhoven’s reserve team also participates at this level, offering red-and-white striped kits closely related to the parent club’s design.
• FC Volendam — The fishing-town club from north of Amsterdam is celebrated for its bold black and yellow vertical-stripe shirt, one of the most distinctive designs in Dutch football at any level.
• Roda JC Kerkrade — Based in the Limburg mining town of Kerkrade, Roda are a historic Dutch club who have competed at the top level and are known for their yellow and black colours.
• Almere City FC — One of the newer clubs in Dutch professional football, Almere have built a strong identity and attract supporters from the rapidly growing city near Amsterdam.
• SC Telstar — A club from Velsen-Zuid with a long history in the Dutch football pyramid, often wearing distinctive white kits with black trim.

Biggest Rivalries in the Eerste Divisie

Some of the Eerste Divisie’s most anticipated fixtures are rooted in deep regional identities. The Brabant derby between NAC Breda and FC Eindhoven is one of the most charged encounters in the second tier, drawing large crowds and intense local media coverage whenever the two sides share a division. Both clubs have loyal, geographically concentrated fanbases that give the match a genuine local-pride dimension that goes well beyond league points.

Roda JC bring a Limburg identity to the competition, and their encounters with other southern clubs typically carry regional weight. Jong Ajax and Jong PSV, meanwhile, arrive in the Eerste Divisie with the shadow of one of Dutch football’s oldest and fiercest rivalries behind them. While a Jong Ajax versus Jong PSV match is technically a reserve-team fixture, it attracts significant attention because it mirrors the parent clubs’ own history and the shirts worn on each side are immediately recognisable to supporters across the country.

FC Volendam add another layer of colour to the division. Their compact, vociferous fanbase and unmistakable black-and-yellow striped shirts make them one of the most visually distinctive sides in the league, and matches at their home ground in Volendam typically carry a festival atmosphere that reflects the tight-knit character of the town.

Iconic Kits of the Eerste Divisie

Dutch football at the second tier has produced some genuinely memorable shirt designs over the decades. FC Volendam’s black and yellow vertical stripes are arguably the most immediately recognisable, instantly setting the club apart from virtually every other side in the Netherlands. The design has remained consistent enough across generations that even older editions of the shirt are clearly identifiable as Volendam.

NAC Breda have built a strong identity around their yellow and black palette, which stands out sharply on the pitch and reproduces well on merchandise. Vintage NAC shirts from eras spent in the Eredivisie are occasionally sought by collectors looking for a piece of Dutch football history.

The Jong Ajax and Jong PSV kits are interesting for a different reason: because they typically mirror their parent clubs’ designs very closely, owning one of these shirts is a way to connect with two of the most storied names in European football while supporting a side that is actively developing the next generation of talent. For many supporters, a Jong Ajax shirt in the classic red-and-white stripes carries much the same emotional weight as the senior team’s version.

Roda JC have produced several eye-catching kits over the years in their yellow and black colours, and supporters of the Limburg club often cite the shirts from the club’s Eredivisie years as particularly collectible. Retro and throwback versions of these designs occasionally surface on marketplace platforms, making them worth searching for if you are a vintage Dutch kit enthusiast.

Eerste Divisie Jersey Buying Guide

Shopping for a Eerste Divisie jersey follows the same principles as buying any Dutch football shirt. Most clubs release a home kit in their traditional colours, an away kit in a contrasting design, and occasionally a third kit for specific cup or televised fixtures. Reserve-team jerseys for Jong Ajax and Jong PSV often closely mirror the parent club’s designs, which makes them a popular and sometimes more affordable alternative for fans of those clubs.

When searching on Amazon, try the full club name first, then combine it with “jersey,” “shirt” or “kit.” Many listings carry both authentic and replica versions — authentic jerseys match the on-field specification with a tailored, performance fit, while replicas use a more relaxed cut and are typically more affordable for everyday wear. For advice on picking the right option, see our authentic vs replica jerseys guide and our soccer jersey sizing guide.

Sizing Tips for Dutch Club Shirts

Dutch club jerseys are generally produced under European sizing conventions, which typically run narrower through the chest and shoulders than US or UK equivalents. If you are buying for the first time, it is worth consulting the specific size chart on each Amazon listing rather than assuming your usual size will translate directly. Authentic-cut shirts in particular tend to have a close athletic fit, so sizing up one step is a reasonable approach if you prefer a more relaxed feel or plan to wear a base layer underneath. Our soccer jersey sizing guide covers this in more detail with a general framework for Dutch and wider European club shirts.

Kids and Youth Sizes

Youth and kids sizes are available for many Dutch clubs, including Eerste Divisie sides. Check each listing’s size chart carefully, as youth sizing can vary between manufacturers. If you want a shirt personalised with a name and number, look for custom or print-on-demand listings on Amazon, or visit our custom soccer jerseys page for more options.

Retro and Vintage Kits

Retro jerseys celebrating past eras are popular among Dutch football supporters. Clubs like NAC Breda, Roda JC and FC Volendam have enough history for vintage-style shirts to appear periodically in marketplace listings. Search for the club name alongside “retro” or “vintage” on Amazon, or browse our retro soccer jerseys section for more inspiration.