The KNVB announced its decision to definitively reduce the Eurojackpot Women’s Eredivisie from 12 to 10 teams as of the 2026/27 season. This runs counter to HERA United’s vision that women’s football needs more, not less.
HERA United considers it disappointing that the choice has been made for fewer teams, fewer professional players, and less investment — at a time when women’s football requires positive momentum and a stable foundation in order to grow.
We advocate for a holistic approach in which multiple levers are addressed simultaneously to provide a qualitative boost to professional women’s football. The focus should be on more: more matches, more exposure, more investment. Both larger and smaller clubs — with and without women’s teams — should work together to create a fairer playing field by investing proportionally.
Instead, a format of less has once again been chosen: all 10 clubs will play each other three times, without play-offs, which makes the competition less attractive from a commercial perspective. In addition, the top tier of women’s football will lose approximately 50 female players, as the removal of two teams leaves no room for them at this level.
Above all, however, women’s football loses perspective, growth, and confidence in a sustainable future.