The Eredivisie, the Dutch top-tier football league, has agreed its first title sponsorship in 20 years by signing up national lottery organisation VriendenLoterij to the lead role from next season.
VriendenLoterij has been associated with the league as a social partner since 2005 and will now name the ‘VriendenLoterij Eredivisie’ until the end of the 2028-29 season.
All 18 clubs in the Dutch Eredivisie agreed to the new title partnership.
The Amsterdam-based lottery’s stated aims are to preserve Dutch cultural heritage and support well-being. Although considered a form of gambling, the lottery is not included in the Dutch government’s ban on online gambling operator sponsorships that comes into force after this season.
Sports sponsorship contracts with remote gambling operators, like the league’s current deal with Unibet, are allowed to run until July 1, 2025, after which they are banned at all sponsorship levels.
The previous title deal was made with online gambling platform Holland Casino, from 2002 to 2005.
Before that the telco KPN, formerly know as PTT Telecom, held the title rights for a 12-year period from 1990 to 2002, with KPN taking over the PTT Telecom brand name in 2000.
KPN has also held the leading ‘Main Sponsor’ position since the 2017-18 season, with the most recent four-year contract expiring after this season. It is unclear whether KPN will extend its association with the league and, if so, in what capacity.
KPN’s inventory included exclusive rights to brand the ‘Man of the Match’ award in collaboration with the Eredivisie’s broadcast rights-holder ESPN.
The title rights agreement coincides with a new broadcast cycle for the Dutch league, which will see ESPN continue in the role from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
The Eredivisie is considered the sixth-biggest league in Europe according to Uefa’s coefficient rankings.