The Eredivisie 2008–09 is the fifty-third season of Eredivisie

Eredivisie

The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....

 since its establishment in 1955. PSV were the reigning champions. The season began on 29 August 2008 with a game between Vitesse and FC Groningen and ended on 10 May 2009. A total of 18 teams take part in the league, consisting of 16 who competed the previous season and two promoted from the Eerste Divisie

Eerste Divisie

The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...

. The teams promoted from the Eerste Divisie

Eerste Divisie

The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...

 at the end of the previous season were champions FC Volendam

FC Volendam

Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club Volendam...

, and play-off winners ADO Den Haag

ADO Den Haag

Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...

. AZ clinched their second title, their first coming in 1981.

Overview

Club	Location	Manager	Previous managers during 2008–09 season	Kit maker	Shirt sponsor
ADO Den Haag ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...	The Hague The Hague The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...	Raymond Atteveld	André Wetzel André Wetzel André Wetzel is a Dutch former footballer and manager who is now working as a technical director of Al-Jazira Club in the UAE Football League.-Playing career:...	Hummel Hummel International hummel International is a Denmark-based sportswear company. The firm was started in 1923 by the Messmer family in the town of Hamburg, Germany. It currently manufactures apparel for football, handball, basketball, rugby league, Australian football, shinty and volleyball...	Fit For Free
Ajax	Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...	John van 't Schip John van 't Schip Johannes Nicolaas "John" van 't Schip is a former Dutch international footballer. He is the manager for the A-League team Melbourne Heart.- Early life :Born in Fort St...	Marco van Basten	Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...	Aegon AEGON Aegon N.V. is one of the world’s largest life insurance and pension groups, and a strong provider of investment products. Aegon's head office is in The Hague, Netherlands...
AZ	Alkmaar Alkmaar Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...	Louis van Gaal Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...		Canterbury of New Zealand Canterbury of New Zealand Canterbury of New Zealand is a New Zealand-based sports apparel company that focuses on rugby football. The company is named after the Canterbury area in New Zealand where the company started to make knitwear. Other than producing rugby kits, the brand is also known for their rugby protective wear...	DSB Bank DSB Bank DSB Bank was a Dutch bank and insurer. The company was founded in 1975 by Dirk Scheringa, a former police officer. It was originally called Buro Frisia, but in 1998 the DSB Groep was founded which included Buro Frisia...
Feyenoord	Rotterdam Rotterdam Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...	Leon Vlemmings Leon Vlemmings Leon Vlemmings is a Dutch football manager and former player. In June 2008, Feyenoord announced that it had reached an agreement with NAC Breda on the appointment of Vlemmings as assistant coach at De Kuip...	Gertjan Verbeek Gertjan Verbeek Gertjan Verbeek is a former footballer and current manager of AZ.-Coaching career:After retiring from his playing career in 1994, Verbeek stayed with SC Heerenveen as an assistant-coach. He left for Heracles Almelo in 2001, and after a successful stint there was hired as the successor to Foppe de...	Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...	Fortis Fortis (finance) Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
De Graafschap De Graafschap De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...	Doetinchem Doetinchem Doetinchem is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . The municipality has 56,700 inhabitants and has an area of 79.66 km²...	Darije Kalezić Darije Kalezić Darije Kalezić is a Bosnian football manager and former player currently serving as head coach of Belgian Pro League club Zulte Waregem...	Henk van Stee Henk van Stee Henk van Stee is a former football midfielder from the Netherlands, who played for Sparta Rotterdam and De Graafschap. He retired in 1990, and became a football manager, who worked for Sparta Rotterdam, VVV-Venlo, Feyenoord Rotterdam, AZ Alkmaar and Excelsior Rotterdam.-References:...	kwd	Centric
FC Groningen	Groningen	Ron Jans Ron Jans Ron Jans is a former Dutch association football player in the role of striker, and current manager of SC Heerenveen.-Coaching career:...		Klupp	Noord Lease
SC Heerenveen	Heerenveen Heerenveen Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...	Trond Sollied Trond Sollied Trond Johan Sollied is a Norwegian football manager and retired player, currently managing the Belgian first division team Gent....		Jako Jako Jako AG is a German sportswear company based in the Hollenbach district of Mulfingen , Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded by Rudi Sprügel and his brother in 1989 in Stachenhausen...	Univé Univé Univé is a cooperative insurance company in the Nederlands. Univé presents itself as a nonprofit insurer, to express that making profit is not important and therefore has cheaper products.- Organization :...
Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...	Almelo Almelo Almelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie and Bornerbroek....	Gert Heerkes Gert Heerkes Gert Heerkes is af Dutch football manager currently in charge of Eerste Divisie club SC Veendam since July 2011.He has also been in charge of professional teams Willem II and Heracles Almelo, and also served as assistant coach at SC Heerenveen during the 2009–10 season.- External links :*...		Jako Jako Jako AG is a German sportswear company based in the Hollenbach district of Mulfingen , Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded by Rudi Sprügel and his brother in 1989 in Stachenhausen...	Koninklijke Ten Cate
NAC Breda NAC Breda NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...	Breda Breda Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...	Robert Maaskant Robert Maaskant Robert Patrick Maaskant is a retired Dutch football midfielder and current manager.-Career:He played for Go Ahead Eagles , FC Emmen , Motherwell F.C...		Klupp	Sunweb
NEC	Nijmegen	Mario Been Mario Been Mario Been is a former football professional and football manager from the Netherlands, who is currently the head coach of Genk since 30 August 2011....		Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...	Curaçao Curaçao Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
PSV	Eindhoven	Dwight Lodeweges Dwight Lodeweges Dwight Lodeweges is Dutch football coach and former professional player now coaching for JEF United Ichihara Chiba in J. League Division 2.- Early life :...	Huub Stevens Huub Stevens Hubertus "Huub" Jozef Margaretha Stevens is a Dutch football manager and former defender.- Playing career :...	Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...	Philips Philips Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Roda JC	Kerkrade Kerkrade Kerkrade is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath...	/   Harm van Veldhoven	Martin Koopman Martin Koopman Martin Koopman is a former football midfielder from the Netherlands, who played for Go Ahead Eagles, FC Twente and Cambuur Leeuwarden. He later on became a football manager.-References:... ,   Raymond Atteveld	Diadora Diadora Diadora is an Italian football, tennis, running, cycling, rugby, athletic shoe, clothing, and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, the United States, and Hong Kong.-History:...	Aevitae
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....	Rotterdam Rotterdam Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...	Foeke Booy Foeke Booy Foeke Booy is a Dutch former football player and current football manager, who was born in the Frisian town of Leeuwarden. On Tuesday 18 December 2007 Booy was named as the Sparta Rotterdam coach after having guided Al Nasr in Saudi Arabia for only eight league matches during the summer of 2007...		Patrick	Graydon Graydon Graydon may refer to:* Graydon Creed, a Marvel Comics supervillainPeople with the given name Graydon:* Benjamin Graydon Allmark , Canadian politician* Graydon Carter , Canadian-born American journalist and author...
FC Twente FC Twente FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...	Enschede Enschede Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...	Steve McClaren Steve McClaren Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...		Diadora Diadora Diadora is an Italian football, tennis, running, cycling, rugby, athletic shoe, clothing, and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, the United States, and Hong Kong.-History:...	Arke
FC Utrecht	Utrecht Utrecht (city) Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...	Ton du Chatinier Ton du Chatinier Ton du Chatinier is a retired football player from the Netherlands, who is currently without a club. He used to play as a defender. At FC Utrecht Du Chatinier took over as a head coach from Willem van Hanegem at the end of 2008, and parted company at the end of the 2010–11 season.-External links:*...	Willem van Hanegem Willem van Hanegem Willem "Wim" van Hanegem is a Dutch football player and coach born in Breskens, Zeeland. In a playing career spanning over 20 years he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as two UEFA trophies, all with Feyenoord. He was also a finalist in the FIFA World Cup 1974...	Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...	Phanos
Vitesse	Arnhem Arnhem Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...	Theo Bos Theo Bos (footballer) Theo Bos is a Dutch former footballer and current coach of FC Dordrecht.-Playing career:Bos spent his entire playing career for Vitesse Arnhem, making a total 369 appearances in 14 seasons with his club.-Coaching career:...	Hans Westerhof Hans Westerhof Hans Westerhof is a Dutch football coach and currently technical director at Pachuca.As a player, Westerhof played for BV Veendam and BVO Cambuur of the Dutch First Division...	Legea Legea Legea is a sportswear company founded in 1990, in Pompei, Italy. It is one of the most popular brands among Italian amateur football teams, now heavily expanding also among top division professional clubs....	AFAB
FC Volendam FC Volendam Football Club Volendam is a Dutch football club based in Volendam, North Holland, Edam-Volendam. Founded on June 1, 1977, as a result of a split up with RKSV . It currently plays in the Eerste Divisie, holding home games at Kras Stadion, with a 6,260-seat capacity.-History:Football Club Volendam...	Volendam Volendam Volendam is a town in North Holland in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. The town has about 22,000 inhabitants .- History :...	Frans Adelaar		Jako Jako Jako AG is a German sportswear company based in the Hollenbach district of Mulfingen , Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded by Rudi Sprügel and his brother in 1989 in Stachenhausen...	Café Bar
Willem II Willem II Tilburg Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia...	Tilburg Tilburg Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....	Alfons Groenendijk Alfons Groenendijk Alfons Groenendijk is a former Dutch footballer, and now a manager, serving as head coach of the Dutch team FC Den Bosch.-Career:...	Andries Jonker Andries Jonker Andries Jonker is a Dutch football manager currently coaching Bayern Munich II. He came to Bayern as assistant to Louis van Gaal, and took over as head coach on an interim basis from April 2011 until the end of the 2010–11 season...	Masita	Destil

League table

Eredivisie 2008–09 Winners
AZ 2nd Title

Results

Top goalscorers

Pos.	Player	Club	Goals
1	Mounir El Hamdaoui Mounir El Hamdaoui Mounir El Hamdaoui is a Dutch-Moroccan footballer. He currently plays as a forward for Ajax in the Netherlands...	AZ	23
2	Luis Suárez Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer) Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...	Ajax	22
3	Marcus Berg Marcus Berg Marcus Berg is a Swedish football striker who currently plays for German Bundesliga club Hamburger SV. He is nicknamed Svarte-Marcus due to scoring a lot of goals in the junior teams, in reference to Filip "Svarte-Filip" Johansson....	Groningen	17
4	Roy Makaay Roy Makaay Rudolphus "Roy" Antonius Makaay is a retired Dutch footballer. While playing for Bayern Munich he picked up the nickname Das Phantom , for his ability to score out of nowhere.-Career:...	Feyenoord	16
	Danijel Pranjić Danijel Pranjic Danijel Pranjić is a Croatian footballer who currently plays for German club Bayern Munich.-Club career:Pranjić started his career at Papuk. He played for NAŠK, Papuk, Belišće, and Osijek before making his move to a bigger stage at Dinamo Zagreb in 2004...	Heerenveen
	Blaise N'Kufo	Twente FC Twente FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
7	Frank Demouge Frank Demouge Frank Demouge is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for Eredivisie club FC Utrecht.- Biography :Demouge started his professional career at NEC, where he played for four seasons. Out of these, his first season was his best, when he scored 7 times in 25 matches...	Willem II Willem II Tilburg Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia...	14
8	Ibrahim Afellay Ibrahim Afellay Ibrahim Afellay is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for FC Barcelona as an attacking midfielder or winger.He has played for the Dutch national youth team and is now part of the senior Dutch national team, which he represented at UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the latter of...	PSV	13
9	Matthew Amoah Matthew Amoah Mathew Amoah is a Ghanaian international striker, who plays for Turkish Süper Lig club Mersin İdmanyurdu SK. He formerly played for Vitesse, starting as a youngster in 1998 until 2005.-Vitesse and Fortuna:...	NAC Breda NAC Breda NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...	12
	Marko Arnautović Marko Arnautovic Marko Arnautović is an Austrian footballer, who is playing for SV Werder Bremen.- Background :Arnautović was born in Floridsdorf, a district in the northern part of Vienna...	Twente FC Twente FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
Total:			870
Games:			306
Average:			2.84

Last updated: 11 May 2009
Source: ESPN Top Scorers

European competition (best of 3)

Contrary to the play-offs of previous years, only teams placed 6th through 9th compete in a play-off tournament for one spot in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League 2009–10.

Semi-finals

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Final

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Relegation

The 16th and 17th placed teams, along with the teams from Eerste Divisie

Eerste Divisie 2008-09

Eerste Divisie 2008–09 began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion playoffs. Sixteen clubs were remained in the Eerste Divisie, whilst Excelsior and VVV-Venlo were relegated from the Eredivisie 2007-08...

, participate in a play-off for two spots in Eredivisie 2009-10.

Round 1

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Round 2 (best of 3)

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Round 3 (best of 3)

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RKC Waalwijk

RKC Waalwijk

RKC Waalwijk is a football club currently playing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' and was a fusion club of HEC, WVB and Hercules.-History:...

 and Roda JC will play in Eredivisie 2009–10.

Facts and statistics

• Ajax lost the opening match 2–1 away at Willem II. This was Ajax' first opening round defeat since the 1988-89 season
  Eredivisie 1988-89
  The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1988/1989 season was contested by 18 teams. PSV won the championship.-League standings:1 PSV alson won the KNVB Cup, thereby taking the double. They would participate in the European Cup, so finalists FC Groningen could play in the Cup Winners' Cup. 2 Clubs participating...
  
  .
• Ajax and Feyenoord both lost their opening matches. The last times this happened was in the 1965-66 season
  Eredivisie 1965-66
  The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1965/1966 season was contested by 16 teams. Ajax won the championship. Only one team relegated this year, because next year, the number of participants would be 18 again.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup 1965-66....
  
  .
• ADO Den Haag
  ADO Den Haag
  Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
  
   topped the league table after two matches. The last time ADO was in first place was on 16 January 1971.
• NAC Breda
  NAC Breda
  NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
  
   led the Eredivisie after round six. This was the first time in club history that NAC were in first place of the Eredivisie
  Eredivisie
  The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
  
  .
• A record 6,067,288 spectators passed through the turnstiles, an average of 19,827 per match.

Television rights

The Dutch public broadcaster NOS

Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...

 broadcast the match highlights after beating rival broadcaster RTL

RTL Group

RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...

 for the contract. The new pay-per-view

Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 channel Eredivisie Live

Eredivisie Live

Eredivisie Live is a Dutch pay-tv channel which holds the exclusive rights for the live matches of the Eredivisie, the highest national football division....

 broadcast the live matches.

In Australia the Eredivisie was broadcast live and exclusive by Setanta Sports.