The Dutch football league system is like a big ladder that football teams in the Netherlands can climb. Each team starts at the bottom of the ladder and can work their way up by winning games and moving to higher levels.
At the very bottom of the ladder, you have lots of local and amateur teams playing against each other. These teams are just playing for fun and don't have a chance to move up the ladder.
But as you go higher up the ladder, the teams get more serious and competitive. There are different levels or tiers, and each level has its own league with teams from different cities and towns.
For example, the top tier is called the Eredivisie. This is where the best teams in the Netherlands play against each other. These teams have the most money and some of the most talented players.
The teams in the Eredivisie compete against each other to become the champion of the league. The team that finishes at the top of the ladder at the end of the season is crowned the champion and gets a big trophy.
But it's not just about being the champion. Teams also want to stay in the Eredivisie and not get relegated. Relegation means that if a team finishes at the bottom of the league, they have to move down a level to the league below them.
So, let's say there are 18 teams in the Eredivisie. At the end of the season, the four teams that finish at the bottom of the league get relegated and have to move down to the second tier called the Eerste Divisie.
The teams from the Eerste Divisie then have a chance to move up to the Eredivisie. The team that finishes at the top of the Eerste Divisie gets promoted and can play in the higher league next season. It's like getting a promotion at work!
This ladder system continues for other lower leagues as well. The teams from the Eerste Divisie can move up to the Eredivisie, and teams from even lower leagues can move up to the Eerste Divisie if they perform well.
So, every season, teams have the opportunity to move up or down the ladder based on how well they play. It's a way to make sure that the best teams are in the top leagues and give everyone a chance to work their way up if they are good enough.