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[Football] 2025 BeNeLiga (Belgium and Netherlands Top Flights Merge)



Beanstalk

Beanstalk

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2017
2,508
London
Surprising news coming out of Belgium after all 25 professional teams unanimously vote in favour of pursuing a merger of the Jupiler Pro League and the Eredivisie.

The first European Super League? Presumably TB has (by instructing his chairman) voted. Could mean a change in the working permit band of the league in the long run and an easy way for us to get any player to the Albion.

[tweet]1371832729512374273[/tweet]
 




AmexRuislip

AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,799
Ruislip
Beneliga - a joint Belgian & Dutch league.

[tweet]1371832729512374273[/tweet]

Should the plans be pushed through, it would see the Dutch Eredivisie and the Belgian Pro League merge to create one league called the Beneliga.

While the details and formatting of the plans have yet to be disclosed, the vote represents a huge step forward in a move which is hoped will provide financial stability for the clubs competing in the league and offer a platform for them to compete on the European stage.

“This ambition is based both on the respect of the big clubs’ sporting ambitions, and on the need for economic stability for the other professional clubs," the Blegian Pero League said as reported by the Washington Post. "The 25 clubs are unanimous in their desire to give the Beneliga a fair chance.”

Those opposed to the suggestion have voiced concerns that the move would only favour the bigger teams and that sides in the lower leagues would ultimately lose out in terms of revenue from broadcasting deals.

It was recently forecast by consulting company Deloitte that a merger between the two leagues could generate up to €400m (£343m) per year in marketing and TV revenue.

Seems a good idea for the bigger clubs, but not for the lower leagues I guess.
The Champions league qualification would interesting.
Couldn't see this happening for English PL & the Scottish PL :shrug:
 


Live by the sea

Live by the sea

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2016
4,718
The Belgium league currently get approx £100 m a year but 80% is split between the big 6 clubs , in Holland it’s a bit less about £80m so a merger probably makes sense financially.

Although Belgium are still in year 1 of their 5 year deal .

So a long long way behind PL money .
 




D

Dave Fishwick

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2021
1,273
London
Sounds good - anything that potentially gives some "smaller" teams more money and able to compete at the top level is fine by me

the football in the CL latter stages is fantastic but the same teams every year gets a bit boring
 




beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,290
cant really see how merged leagues could generate £340m worth of additional interest.
 


G

Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,336
Uffern
AmexRuislip said:
Couldn't see this happening for English PL & the Scottish PL :shrug:
Click to expand...

Interestingly, when it's been proposed that Scottish clubs join the FL in the past, the UEFA objection has been that there can't be clubs from one UEFA country playing in another (even though there's a precedent with Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham, Newport and Berwick). I wonder whether the two national bodies will also merge - which would be a way round that issue.

The obvious countries that could merge are ROI and Northern Ireland. TBH, I'm surprised that that's not happened yet. Ireland is treated as one country for rugby, cricket and, obviously, gaelic games.
 


Mr Banana

Mr Banana

Tedious chump
Aug 8, 2005
5,481
Standing in the way of control
Erm. This has been mooted for decades but usually forgotten due to lack of interest from clubs.

The Eredivisie is okay in terms of competition. Not sure how much excitement Brugge would add to that. I guess Belgium adds another million fans. I imagine Amsterdam with a bunch of Belgians would be a lorra fun.

I'm a bit torn because the team in NL I support is a yo-yo club. There again, the Jupiler is a bit like football in the 80s/90s, and if this meant it stayed like that then it's hard to think it would be a bad thing.

Don't think distances would be a problem. There are probably teams in every major league travelling further than games between Belgian and Dutch clubs. The fans tend to be pretty devoted...
 




A

amexer

Well-known member
Aug 8, 2011
6,194
Live by the sea said:
The Belgium league currently get approx £100 m a year but 80% is split between the big 6 clubs , in Holland it’s a bit less about £80m so a merger probably makes sense financially.

Although Belgium are still in year 1 of their 5 year deal .

So a long long way behind PL money .
Click to expand...

With 180m TV money between them now why would TV now pay a joint league 340m
How does this leave Blooms club
 








stewart12

stewart12

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2019
1,583
Gwylan said:
The obvious countries that could merge are ROI and Northern Ireland. TBH, I'm surprised that that's not happened yet. Ireland is treated as one country for rugby, cricket and, obviously, gaelic games.
Click to expand...

I guess one obstacle with them is that the ROI league runs in the summer and the NI league runs in the winter. Believe in ROI it's mainly to avoid clashing with the more popular sports?

Also, and forgive me if I'm wrong here and I'm sure there will be people more clued up on this than me, but football in NI is more of a unionist/protestant sport, so maybe there isn't much desire in NI to merge with ROI?
 


stewart12

stewart12

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2019
1,583
this is a smart move for Netherlands and Belgium and I can see more leagues outside the so called "big 5" doing the same especially with plans to make the CL more exclusive for the "top" teams

merging resources can help (hopefully) attract better TV deals
 


Change at Barnham

Change at Barnham

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2011
4,900
Bognor Regis
If they merged the top ten sides from Belgium and Netherlands today:

Ajax
PSV
AZ
Vitesse
Feyenoord
Groningen
Utrecht
Twente
Heracles
Fortuna Sittard
Club Brugge
Antwerp
Genk
KV Oostende
Anderlecht
Beerschot
OH Leuven
Zulte-Waregem
Sporting Charleroi
Mechelen

(but obviously Union Saint-Gilloise will be an established top ten side by 2025 and will be crowned inaugural champions at the end of the 2025/26 season))
 




BNthree

BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
10,874
WeHo
Mr Banana said:
Don't think distances would be a problem. There are probably teams in every major league travelling further than games between Belgian and Dutch clubs. The fans tend to be pretty devoted...
Click to expand...

From top of Holland to bottom corner of Belgium is less than 5hr30min drive. Add in trains and public transport is decent too and the distances are better than a lot of countries. North of France to south of France is 9 hour+ drive with a favourable wind and similar sort of time from top of Spain to bottom.
 


Swansman

Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Mr Banana said:
Erm. This has been mooted for decades but usually forgotten due to lack of interest from clubs.

The Eredivisie is okay in terms of competition. Not sure how much excitement Brugge would add to that. I guess Belgium adds another million fans. I imagine Amsterdam with a bunch of Belgians would be a lorra fun.

I'm a bit torn because the team in NL I support is a yo-yo club. There again, the Jupiler is a bit like football in the 80s/90s, and if this meant it stayed like that then it's hard to think it would be a bad thing.

Don't think distances would be a problem. There are probably teams in every major league travelling further than games between Belgian and Dutch clubs. The fans tend to be pretty devoted...
Click to expand...

Which one?
 


A

amexer

Well-known member
Aug 8, 2011
6,194
Dont understand why this is good for smaller clubs like Blooms. Have just read Belgium have already named 7 of the teams that would go into new league
 


portlock seagull

portlock seagull

Why? Why us?
Jul 28, 2003
17,068
Could see the Scottish Premier merged with Faroe's Smokey Herring League?
 






G

Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,336
Uffern
stewart12 said:
Also, and forgive me if I'm wrong here and I'm sure there will be people more clued up on this than me, but football in NI is more of a unionist/protestant sport, so maybe there isn't much desire in NI to merge with ROI?
Click to expand...

Indeed: which is why Derry City play in the League of Ireland. I believe that Cliftonville are the only Catholic club in the Northern Ireland premier league but there are some clubs who have more cross-community support. Linfield is a hard core proddy club though, not sure they'd be welcome in the LOI. Like you, I'm not an expert on Irish football so there could be a few more Catholic clubs.
 


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