Dutch clubs playing in Europe are prepared to help fund the transition from artificial turf to natural grass, the Eredivisie CV reported on Thursday. The organization indicates that the meeting of partners discussed the natural grass obligation constructively and that the Eredivisie clubs supported the sporting measures. The Eredivisie CV also indicates that it wants to further professionalize by, among other things, appointing a technical director.
“At the meeting there was also constructive discussion about (the obligation to) natural grass in the Eredivisie from 2025”, can be read in a statement. “All clubs embrace playing on real grass. A suitable solution is now being sought to make this financially possible. To this end, the European playing clubs are once again prepared to make a financial contribution. This will now be further elaborated under the leadership of Eredivisie CV. ” The Eredivisie currently has four clubs that play their home matches on artificial turf: SC Cambuur, FC Emmen, FC Volendam and Excelsior.
In the Netherlands, Heracles Almelo was the first professional club to switch to artificial grass in 2003. It is no coincidence that steps are being taken to ban artificial grass after the relegation of that club to the Kitchen Champion Division, as Heracles has often vetoed. After the club from Almelo, many other clubs followed, mostly to save costs, but that will come to an end. It was already announced in October that playing on natural grass in the Eredivisie will become mandatory from the 2025/26 season.
The appointment of a technical director is new. “The Eredivisie has the explicit ambition to become and remain the sixth league in Europe”, it is stated. “To this end, the Eredivisie is constantly looking for policy and measures, sporting and economic, that can contribute to this goal. In line with the previous, the Eredivisie CV also wants to further professionalize the organization itself. A next, logical step, in further professionalization of the Eredivisie is to appoint a person with a sports-technical background, who can handle sports-technical files.” The Eredivisie CV refers to matters such as the competition format, competition calendar, surface, sporting data, youth academy and the transfer window.