TNL Take: Europe has been light years ahead of the US when it comes to eSports and looks like things aren't changing in 2017.

The Dutch Soccer League, Eredivisie, is launching an EA Sports FIFA National eSports League with all 18 teams called E-Divisie. The Netherlands joins France's Orange e-LEAGUE 1 and Spain's Orange Superliga.

The E-Divisie is a partnership between the Eredivisie, Endemol Shine Netherlands and EA Sports. The games will be broadcast on Twitch, YouTube and TV via Fox Sports.

The eSports Athletes will compete in 17 rounds of games in FIFA 17 Ultimate Team which will not only determine who becomes the Champion of the E-Divisie, but also will represent the Netherlands at the European level and a chance to move onto the World Championships.

A few other takeaways:

In August of last year, EA Sports worked with Holland's PSV Eindhoven on helping them select an eSports Athlete and I wrote in The Next Level 053 "The interesting part is that this once again shows the power of the Publisher. By smartly integrating a FIFA 17 tournament into the selection process, it gives EA more control. EA's recent sponsorship of both German team Bayern Munich and the English Premier League could be signs of more traction in this area."

I've spoken to a few people close to the EU FIFA Scene and here's the most interesting part: How were the Athletes chosen? Ajax already signed Koen Weijland last year. Seems as if the other 17 teams held local tournaments and chose their Athlete via that route.

Now which country will be next?