2016–17 Tweede Divisie

The 2016–17 Tweede Divisie season was the first edition of the Dutch third tier since its initial dissolution from the 1970-71 season and the fifteenth overall using "Tweede Divisie" name. Fourteen teams were completed from the Topklasse Saturday and Sunday divisions. Seven highest-placed teams of each division earned promotion to constitute a new, amateur Tweede Divisie. This change in the league system was approved in a KNVB assembly in December 2014. Thus, the Topklasse and leagues below it decremented by one level, and furthermore, promotion and relegation between the Tweede Divisie and the Topklasse were implemented.^[1][2]

Tweede Divisie

Season	2016–17
Champions	Jong AZ
Promoted	Jong AZ
Relegated	Jong Twente Jong Vitesse UNA Spakenburg
← 1970–71 2017–18 →

Teams

Excelsior M.

HHC

Katwijk

Kozakken Boys

Spakenburg

Barendrecht

GVVV

AFC

Koninklijke HFC

Lienden

TEC

De Treffers

VVSB

UNA

Jong Twente

Jong Vitesse

Jong Sparta

Jong AZ

Location of teams in the Tweede Divisie 2016-17

Club	City	2015–16 season
Excelsior Maassluis	Maassluis	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
HHC	Hardenberg	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
Katwijk	Katwijk	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
Kozakken Boys	Werkendam	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
Barendrecht	Barendrecht	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
Spakenburg	Bunschoten-Spakenburg	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
GVVV	Veenendaal	Top 7 in Topklasse Saturday
Lienden	Lienden	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
TEC	Tiel	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
VVSB	Noordwijkerhout	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
Koninklijke HFC	Haarlem	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
De Treffers	Groesbeek	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
AFC	Amsterdam	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
UNA	Veldhoven	Top 7 in Topklasse Sunday
Jong AZ	Wijdewormer	3rd in Beloften Eredivisie
Jong Twente	Hengelo	6th in Beloften Eredivisie
Jong Sparta	Rotterdam	4th in Beloften Eredivisie
Jong Vitesse	Arnhem	2nd in Beloften Eredivisie

League standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Jong AZ (C, P)	34	23	7	4	85	29	+56	76	Promotion to Eerste Divisie
2	Kozakken Boys	34	17	6	11	70	54	+16	57
3	Katwijk	34	15	10	9	52	42	+10	55
4	De Treffers	34	14	12	8	70	55	+15	54
5	Excelsior Maassluis	34	13	10	11	52	43	+9	49
6	Lienden	34	13	9	12	52	48	+4	48
7	Jong Sparta	34	12	11	11	74	67	+7	47
8	Barendrecht	34	12	11	11	57	57	0	47
9	VVSB	34	12	11	11	62	64	−2	47
10	GVVV	34	13	8	13	51	63	−12	47
11	AFC[a]	34	13	7	14	59	63	−4	45
12	TEC	34	13	6	15	53	67	−14	45
13	Koninklijke HFC	34	11	9	14	49	50	−1	42
14	HHC	34	10	11	13	41	53	−12	41
15	UNA (R)	34	12	5	17	57	79	−22	41	Qualification to relegation play-offs
16	Spakenburg (R)	34	9	10	15	61	66	−5	37
17	Jong Vitesse[b] (R)	34	11	4	19	66	79	−13	34	Relegation to Derde Divisie
18	Jong Twente (R)	34	6	7	21	32	64	−32	25

Source: ^[5]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. AFC were deducted 1 point for not having the required number of players with a contract.^[3]
2. Jong Vitesse were deducted three points for having 3 players from the first team on the field at the same time, while the rules only allow 2 players from the first team on the field at the same time.^[4]

Relegation play-offs

See (Derde Divisie) Promotion/relegation play-offs Tweede and Derde Divisie.

Number of teams by provinces

Number of teams	Province	Team(s)
5	South Holland	Barendrecht, Excelsior Maassluis, Jong Sparta, Katwijk and VVSB
4	Gelderland	Lienden, Jong Vitesse, TEC and De Treffers
3	North Holland	AFC, Jong AZ and Koninklijke HFC
2	North Brabant	Kozakken Boys and VV UNA
	Overijssel	HHC and Jong Twente
	Utrecht	GVVV and Spakenburg

Attendances

Team	Home average
Spakenburg	1,670
GVVV	1,126
HHC Hardenberg	1,090
Katwijk	1,084
Kozakken Boys	1,015
VVSB	821
Barendrecht	674
De Treffers	657
Excelsior Maassluis	655
FC Lienden	553
TEC	483
UNA	475
Jong AZ	419
Koninklijke HFC	369
Jong Vitesse	346
AFC	328
Jong Sparta Rotterdam	235
Jong FC Twente	192

^[6]