Needless to say, there has been a lot of activity regarding the Eredivisie and it’s players over the past few weeks. Some of it has coincided with transfer activity, which has sprouted from the performance of the Netherlands in the World Cup. Quite simply put; Dutch players are attracting a lot of attention at the moment.

My particular Dutch team Feyenoord has seen its core ripped apart. This included young defenders Daryl Janmaat and Bruno Martins-Indi to Newcastle and Porto respectively, as well as physical Italian forward Graziano Pellè who teamed up with former boss Ronald Koeman in Southampton. What was the return? Around twenty million pounds. For a summation of two Holland internationals and a striker who netted 50 goals in 57 appearances for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, and narrowly missed out on making the Italy World Cup squad, this is a minuscule amount in my opinion.

This links nicely in with the first point on my list.

When you think of the elite leagues of European football, thoughts generally orient towards the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Seria A and perhaps even Ligue 1. After so many years of being internationally competitive, and with so many home grown players in the ranks, why doesn’t the Dutch domestic system carry the same reputation as the other leagues?

The answer: a selling mentality amongst clubs. There is no money in the Eredivisie, a point I will refer back to later, and much like the recent example of Feyenoord, Dutch clubs have seen their superstars snatched away by the powerhouses of world football. Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel De Jong, even going back to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dennis Bergkamp, they all have something in common in the fact they left the Eredivisie for the glitz and glamour of other leagues. The Dutch domestic league cannot expect to be as competitive as the elite leagues of Europe by seeing its biggest and most promising assets whipped away. In my opinion, there needs to be a stubborn mentality adopted rather than a selling one. Dutch clubs should almost bully potential buyers of players to ensure they get the best fees to reinvest and rejuvenate the squad. That has to be number one.

They do not necessarily have to sell either, but that is more up to the player and the club is generally powerless to prevent a player leaving, so power needs to me capitalised upon in the form of transfer fees. The recent example now appears to be Memphis Depay, and PSV correctly claim it will be best for his maturity and development to stay for at least another season, but if Memphis wants to leave then that really is his decision.

Leading nicely on to my next method of building competitiveness, the absence of money from the Eredivisie is without a doubt one of the key issues to be tackled. It appears to be a vicious cycle of operating at a loss, and selling a good player to be sustainable. Investment is needed in clubs with promise and potential in order to raise funds and make it possible to keep players. This is much easier said than done, and the likelihood of Arab billionaires investing in Vitesse or Heerenveen is very slim, but if the other methods are achieved then it may help to boost the profile and the appeal of investment.

The next potential way of boosting the Eredivisie reputation is one that I mentioned earlier and is rather topically recent and relevant. The performance of the Netherlands in major tournaments is a huge factor in the reputation of the Dutch domestic league system. This has become evident recently, with the example of Feyenoord being perfect once again. The Dutch defence was full of Eredivisie talent in the form of Daley Blind from Ajax, Bruno Martins-Indi, Stefan De Vrij and Daryl Janmaat, all from Feyenoord, as well as midfield prospect Jordy Clasie, Feyenoord, and winger Memphis Depay, who plie his trade at PSV. The result of these sparkling performances is lots of transfer rumours, and it has in a way worked against these clubs as they have their young stars under constant speculation. If combined with a stubborn selling mentality (method one) and a bit more financial backing (method two), the continued Dutch dominance of major tournaments, maybe even winning a major tournament, will undoubtedly raise the profile of the league.

Method number four is another quite topical issue, and it is centred around media. The announcement of Sky Sports 5 was one which Eredivisie fans were likely very excited about, as the league will now have games shown on British TV for the first time in a decade. Media is such an important tool in terms of exposure, and such a deal immediately boosts the prominence of the Dutch league. There will, I imagine, be far more UK citizens who get into the league, support a team, track the latest news etc., and that will do wonders for the reputation of the Eredivisie in this country to begin with. More media exposure equals more money and value in the league, and in tandem with the four aforementioned ways of boosting status, it could be the key trigger for a significant rise in relevance.

The final method is perhaps the one that is the most dependant on other factors, plus a hint of luck. In order to achieve elite league status, the Eredivisie must produce a team or teams that compete in European competitions consistently. Feyenoord have been successful in the UEFA Cup, and Ajax have had their moments in the Champions League, but neither have really made repeated runs in the European competitions during a short time period. The possibility of having two teams in the group stages instantly puts the Eredivisie on a par with Ligue 1 of France, and with constant impressive performances in the competition, including the UEFA cup, and the Eredivisie may well be on its way to being an established elite league.

There is a lot of work to do and a lot of things that people in powerful positions need to get right to boost the status of the Dutch league. It is a very complex issue, with various methods of solving which ideally and realistically must work together in tandem, as I have mentioned.

One thing is for sure, no matter how well the Eredivisie is regarded, I will continue to follow it avidly and see what others don’t. It produces fantastic footballers that are a joy to watch, with entertaining power shifts and a huge share of talking points. It will take time to grow, but who said change is always good?