Quick Boys demands open football pyramid
Quick Boys chairman Bart van Kruistum wants an open promotion and relegation system between the amateur Tweede Divisie and the professional Keuken Kampioen Divisie, VoetbalPrimeur reported.
The Dutch football pyramid has lacked a structural promotion path between the professional second tier and the top amateur level since October 2017. Quick Boys has won the amateur title for two consecutive seasons and currently leads the Tweede Divisie table.
Agreements governing the current pyramid structure run until the end of the 2027/2028 season. Amateur clubs face a strict entry regulation to reach the professional leagues, a rule Van Kruistum criticizes as unworkable.
“That is zodanig rigide opgesteld dat niemand instapt,” Van Kruistum told VoetbalPrimeur. “Daar kan geen enkele club aan voldoen.”
Quick Boys evaluates professional transition ambitions
Quick Boys launched an official internal organization study on October 1 to evaluate its long-term ambitions and potential professional transition. A core group of roughly twenty club members participates in the assessment.
Van Kruistum advocates for a promotion system based strictly on sporting merit without burdensome upfront conditions. Tweede Divisie interest groups share a positive stance toward opening the pyramid under similar sporting criteria.
“Wat ik in de wandelgangen hoor, is dat men toch wel enthousiast is om die piramide open te krijgen,” Van Kruistum told VoetbalPrimeur. “Ben jij nummer één, dan promoveer je. Ben je nummer laatst, dan degradeer je. Zoals het hoort, normaliter…”
Playing schedules and hybrid contracts
Van Kruistum insists that Saturday remain the sacred home matchday for his club due to club statutes, while suggesting Friday evenings for away fixtures. He maintains that Quick Boys possesses the organizational maturity to handle professional football.
To retain players after promotion, the chairman proposes a hybrid model combining part-time football salaries with outside employment. He says that professional players in the Eerste Divisie often earn little more than the legal minimum wage.
“De spelers in de Eerste Divisie met een profcontract, krijgen niet meer dan het minimumloon,” Van Kruistum told VoetbalPrimeur.
Amateur division divide over promotion
Not every Tweede Divisie club shares the ambition to turn professional. BVV Barendrecht, currently sitting eighth in the standings, said that its organization and financial backing cannot support professional operations.
While Barendrecht would accept a promotion from a purely sporting perspective, the club calls current entry requirements unachievable. Meanwhile, the KNVB said that discussions regarding the pyramid remain with the clubs and leagues.
Van Kruistum identified five specific Tweede Divisie clubs aiming for promotion alongside Quick Boys. “Wij hebben een aantal clubs in de Tweede Divisie, en dan heb ik het over SV Spakenburg, IJsselmeervogels, HHC Hardenberg, VV Katwijk en Rijnsburgse Boys, die de stap graag zouden willen maken,” he told VoetbalPrimeur.
Why the Dutch football pyramid is frozen
Why is the Dutch football pyramid frozen?
A structural promotion and relegation link between the Keuken Kampioen Divisie and the Tweede Divisie was removed in October 2017, creating a closed system.
When do current agreements on the pyramid expire?
The current agreements governing the structure of the professional and amateur leagues run until the end of the 2027/2028 season.
What alternative competition model does Quick Boys propose?
Van Kruistum suggests dividing football into smaller tiers including a Topdivisie, ensuring no automatic relegation from the Eerste Divisie while adding qualified Tweede Divisie clubs.
Which clubs besides Quick Boys want an open pyramid?
Van Kruistum named SV Spakenburg, IJsselmeervogels, HHC Hardenberg, VV Katwijk, and Rijnsburgse Boys as clubs desiring the step to professional football.
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