Keuken Kampioen Divisie - Coöperatie Eerste Divisie

What Keuken Kampioen Divisie - Coöperatie Eerste Divisie does

The Coöperatie Eerste Divisie (CED), operating under the trade name Keuken Kampioen Divisie, is the organizing body of the second-tier professional football league in the Netherlands. Headquartered in Zeist, the cooperative represents 16 professional football clubs alongside 4 reserve teams (Jong Ajax, Jong PSV, Jong AZ, and Jong FC Utrecht) from top-tier Eredivisie clubs, fielding a 20-club competition that produces 380 matches per season and a promotion pathway to the Eredivisie. The CED operates with a lean staff of approximately 13 employees and is governed by a Raad van Commissarissen and a directie, with Marc Boele serving as Directeur.

The CED's core product is the league itself: a unified digital platform delivering news, competition schedules, standings, match summaries through the FIRST platform, and team pages, integrated with each club's own ticketing system for direct ticket sales. Its broadcast distribution is anchored by ESPN as primary media partner, supplemented by SLAM and 433, while its commercial infrastructure comprises 11 partner tiers including naming partner Keuken Kampioen, social partner VriendenLoterij, official partners Veldsink Advies and smart (automotive), digital partner TECHONOMY, and suppliers Derby Star, OWN eSIM, and Sparenti.

Revenue is generated through three centralized streams: collective broadcasting rights (predominantly subscription-recurring via ESPN), multi-tier sponsorship and partnership inventory, and club-side match ticket sales (transaction-based) that flow to individual member clubs rather than the CED itself. The cooperative model places the CED as the commercial aggregator and policy advocate for its member clubs, while ticket pricing, hospitality, and matchday experience remain under individual club control. The 2025/26 season recorded 2,198,539 spectators, 1,214 goals scored, and nearly 10 million cumulative TV viewers, with 71 players holding KKD connections selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup across 20 countries.

Name

Keuken Kampioen Divisie - Coöperatie Eerste Divisie

Legal name

Coöperatie Eerste Divisie

Website

https://keukenkampioendivisie.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Coöperatie Eerste Divisie operates the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the second-tier professional football league in the Netherlands, organizing 380 matches per season across 20 clubs for Dutch football fans, commercial sponsors, and member clubs seeking promotion to the Eredivisie.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Football League

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Championship & Cup Organizers (MPAKADAB)

Keywords

• Professional football league
• Second division football
• Football competition management
• Sports broadcasting rights
• Sponsorship management

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting Rights: The league generates revenue through collective broadcasting deals, with ESPN as media partner broadcasting matches across the season.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: Naming partnership with Keuken Kampioen, official partners including Veldsink Advies, smart (automotive), Derby Star (official supplier), OWN eSIM, and Sparenti. Media partners include ESPN and SLAM.
3. Match Ticket Revenue: Individual clubs sell tickets through their own systems. Season 2025/26 attracted 2,198,539 spectators across 38 match rounds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Coöperatie Eerste Divisie (CED) organizes and operates the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the second-tier professional football league in the Netherlands, delivering 380 matches per season across 20 clubs (16 professional clubs and 4 Jong reserve teams). On behalf of its 16 member clubs, it schedules the competition, negotiates collective broadcasting rights (notably with ESPN) and commercial sponsorships (including the title sponsorship by Keuken Kampioen), and runs supporting digital services such as the FIRST match-summaries platform and the official league website.

Product overview

Keuken Kampioen Divisie is the second-tier professional football league in the Netherlands, operating as a unified platform delivering news, competition schedules, standings, and match summaries. The service comprises the official website with sections for news, program schedules, standings (klassement), FIRST match summaries, and individual team pages for 20 participating clubs including four reserve teams (Jong AZ, Jong Ajax, Jong PSV, Jong FC Utrecht). The platform integrates ticketing services linking to each club's own ticketing system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keuken Kampioen Divisie League Competition
• Broadcasting Rights Package
• Commercial Sponsorship Packages Tiered commercial sponsorship rights sold to brands and partners, including the headline title sponsorship by Keuken Kampioen, providing visibility, association, and activation rights across the league and its 16 member clubs.
• FIRST Match Summaries Platform Dedicated digital match-summaries service that delivers post-match content to football fans via the official digital channels of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,198,539 spectators attended matches in 2025/26 season
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OWN eSIMminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2026Official supplier providing eSIM and connectivity solutions for traveling football fans. Partnership enables fans to stay connected internationally. Special digital environment provides access to data bundles for destinations worldwide.
• Keuken KampioencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNaming partner of the league. The Keuken Kampioen Divisie is named after the sponsor, providing primary brand visibility across all league communications, match broadcasts, and official materials.
• VriendenLoterijcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial partner of the league. Provides support for social responsibility initiatives and community engagement programs.
• ESPNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing live broadcasts and coverage of matches. ESPN reaches nearly 200,000 viewers per match with total viewership exceeding 60 million across the season.
• Veldsink AdviesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner providing financial advice services. Promoted as official partner across league communications.
• smartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Automotive Partner of the league. Promoted across league digital channels and partner sections.
• SLAMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing additional broadcast and streaming coverage through player.slam.nl.
• 433minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner focused on social media content and youth football culture, with presence on Instagram.
• Derby StarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Supplier providing match balls for league competitions. Promoted across official league communications.
• SparentiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial supplier of the league, providing promotional and commercial services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Eredivisie: The top tier of Dutch professional football and the KKD's promotion destination; operated by a separate entity (ECV) and dominates Dutch broadcast value, sponsor pricing, and star talent — the natural ceiling and direct domestic benchmark for the KKD.
• KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association): The Dutch national football federation governing amateur and professional football; CED and KKD operate under KNVB oversight and share IT infrastructure, making it the regulatory and ecosystem incumbent.

Direct peers

• Ligue 2 (France): The LFP-operated French second tier with 18 clubs and collective broadcasting (beIN Sports / DAZN) plus commercial partnerships; comparable league-platform model to KKD's CED structure.
• EFL League One: The English third tier operated by the EFL; not a perfect second-tier analog but runs a comparable 24-club league model with collective broadcast rights, tiered sponsorship, and promotion playoffs.
• LaLiga2 (Segunda División): Spain's second-tier professional football league of 22 clubs, run by LaLiga with collective broadcasting and sponsor deals and operating a promotion playoff — directly comparable in tier, structure, and commercial model.
• EFL Championship (English Football League): The English second tier operates as a federation-managed league running 24 clubs across a full promotion/relegation season with major broadcast rights (Sky Sports) and collective commercial revenues — directly comparable in structure and economics to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
• German 2. Bundesliga: DFL-operated second division of 18 clubs with collective TV deals (Sky Deutschland), sponsorship tiers, and promotion playoffs; comparable in audience scale and talent-development role to the KKD.
• Challenger Pro League (Belgian First Division B): Belgium's second-tier professional football competition operated under a collective model; smaller scale but analogous Benelux-region second tier with reserve-team participation and shared broadcast arrangements.
• Italian Serie B: Italy's second-tier professional football league organized as a collective of 20 clubs with shared broadcasting, sponsorship, and promotion mechanics — the closest structural analog to KKD's cooperative model.

Regional players

• Scottish Championship (cinch Championship): SPFL-run second tier of Scottish professional football with 10 clubs and shared broadcast/sponsorship (cinch) — comparable tier, smaller scale, and operates under a federation model akin to the KKD.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co%C3%B6peratie-eerste-divisie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keuken Kampioen Divisie - Coöperatie Eerste Divisie