The playoffs, play-offs, postseason and/or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
TOP Oss, is a professional association football club based in the town of Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. Founded in 1928 as T.O.P., a Dutch abbreviation for Tot Ons Plezier, the team plays its home matches at the Frans Heesen Stadion, where it has been based since 1946.
RBC, commonly known under its previous official name RBC Roosendaal, is an football club based in Roosendaal, Netherlands. RBC currently plays in the seventh-tier Tweede Klasse after a bankruptcy in 2011, restarting the club in ninth tier Vijfde Klasse.
The Belgian Second Division was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1909 and folded in 2016, when it was replaced by the Belgian First Division B.
The Belgian Third Division was the third highest level in Belgian football. It had two leagues of 18 teams each at the same level. This competition, originally known as the Belgian Promotion was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952 on, only two leagues remained and the competition was named the Third Division. Originally set to 16 clubs, the number of clubs in each division was increased in 2009 to 18 clubs. At the end of the regular season, both league winners promoted to the second division and a play-off was played to determine a possible third club to promote. The champion of the third division was determined after a two-legged match between the winners of the two leagues. If those matches ended in a draw, a third match was played on a neutral ground. However, in recent years this final game was not organised anymore due to lack of interest. In 2016, the Belgian Third Division was replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division.
1. divisjon or OBOS-ligaen is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are promoted to the Eliteserien, and the lowest finishing teams are relegated to 2. divisjon.
The Hoofdklasse is the second-highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fifth tier in general.
The Belgian Fourth Division D was one of the four leagues at the fourth level of the Belgian football league system, the other ones being the Belgian Fourth Division A, B and C. This division existed from the 1952-53 to 2015-16 seasons and was played every year with 16 clubs in each league. The league was replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division.
The Dutch football league system consists of two fully professional leagues and eight levels of amateur football leagues, the highest of which is called Tweede Divisie, formerly Topklasse. All the leagues are connected by a promotion and relegation system, but in order to be promoted to the Eerste Divisie a club has to submit a solid business plan to be approved by the Royal Dutch Football Association, as well as meet certain stadium demands, and some other demands that the association stated for all the teams in the top two leagues. That way it was possible that the IJsselmeervogels won the 2010–11 Topklasse, but was not promoted, because they did not want to be bound to these demands. FC Oss was promoted instead. The association obliges every team from the two fully professional leagues to contract 16 players full-time, in order to keep these leagues fully professional. In 2016 Tweede Divisie was reintroduced as the top amateur level and placed between the Eerste Divisie and the Derde Divisie.
HHC Hardenberg is a football club from Hardenberg, Netherlands. The club is currently playing in the Tweede Divisie.
The Eerste Klasse started as the 1st tier of football in the Netherlands and is now the 6th tier. The league is divided into eleven divisions, five for Saturday clubs and six for Sunday clubs. These divisions correspond to the six districts of the Royal Dutch Football Association: each district organises a Saturday competition and a Sunday competition, except for South II, which only has a Sunday competition.
The Romanian football league system, also known as the football pyramid, refers to the system in Romanian club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. The first three leagues are organized at a national level and consist of fully professional teams. Lower divisions are organized at county levels, with each county's football association controlling its respective leagues.
Eerste Divisie 2008–09 began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion playoffs. Sixteen clubs remained in the Eerste Divisie, whilst Excelsior and VVV-Venlo were relegated from the 2007–08 Eredivisie. VVV-Venlo won the league title and were promoted to the Eredivisie, the highest tier of football in the Netherlands, while eight other teams competed in a playoff with two Eredivisie sides for two Eredivisie places.
The Tweede Klasse is the seventh tier of football in the Netherlands and the fifth tier of Dutch amateur football. The league is divided into 22 divisions, 10 played on Saturday and 12 on Sunday.
The Vierde Klasse is the ninth tier of football in the Netherlands and the seventh tier of Dutch amateur football. This is the lowest league in the West II region. The league is divided into 64 divisions, 32 played on Saturday and 32 on Sunday.
The Vijfde Klasse is the tenth and lowest tier of football in the Netherlands and the eighth tier of Dutch amateur football. The league is divided into 37 divisions, 5 played on Saturday and 32 on Sunday.
The Zesde Klasse was formerly the tenth and lowest tier of football in the Netherlands for most of the districts and the eighth tier of Dutch amateur football. The league was divided into 6 divisions, 4 played on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. The leagues were abolished after the 2014–15 season. All teams were promoted to higher divisions based on geography.
The Zevende Klasse was the eleventh and from 2001 through 2010 lowest tier of football in the Netherlands and the ninth tier of Dutch amateur football. The league was divided into 3 divisions, only played on Sunday and only in the North district. The league was abolished after the 2009–10 season. All remaining teams were promoted to higher, geographically appropriate divisions.
The 2011–12 season of the Belgian Second Division started in August 2011 and is the second tier football league in Belgium. The league is played by 18 teams, with 34 matchdays of 9 matches each, so each team plays the 17 other teams twice. The season is divided into 3 periods, the first period of 10 matches, the second of 12 matches and the third of 12 matches. Each period winner qualifies for the Belgian Second Division Final Round. On 14 April 2012, Charleroi became champions without playing as closest rivals Eupen and Oostende both did not manage to win their matches and thereby could no longer mathematically overtake Charleroi in the standings.
Amsterdamse Voetbalvereniging Swift is an amateur Dutch football club based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that fields two teams, playing in the 2017–18 Saturday Hoofdklasse A as well as in the Vierde Klasse (Sundays), in the first and fourth tier of football in the Netherlands, and the fifth tier of Dutch amateur football.
