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- Could Belgium and the Netherlands launch a joint league?
- Why would both countries be looking at starting a BeNeLiga?
- It was the topic of discussion on a recent edition of The Smart Money podcast, with journalist Robert Kidd
Could European football soon have its first, major joint domestic league between two European countries?
It looked so. Read this new post on the fate of the BeNeLiga here.
In March 2021, all of Belgium’s professional football clubs voted unanimously in favor of forming a combined soccer league with the Netherlands, dubbed The BeNeLiga.
What would The BeNeLiga look like?
- 18 team league – The Dutch ‘big six’, (Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord) / Belgium’s biggest five clubs (Anderlecht, Club Bruges)
- Last seven places in the division would then be determined by results over the previous five seasons
- No word yet on relegation, joint second-tier leagues, or number of European places
So why could these leagues be taking this momentous, and far-reaching decision?
One comment stood out to me in the whole conversation around The BeNeLiga.
“Sooner or later, there will be a European Super League with games between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on Sundays,” said Club Brugge CEO Bart Verhaeghe.
It is interesting comments from Verhaeghe, which were made before The European Super League controversy broke out into the open in April 2021. Read more about that here.
The Smart Money Podcast discusses The BeNeLiga
The recent Smart Money Podcast covered the topic in detail with football journalist, Robert Kidd, giving us his thoughts on the issue. Check out the video below and also on A State Of Mind’s YouTube channel.
Read more about the launch of The Smart Money Podcast here also.
But not so fast, wasn’t there a previous version of the BeNeLiga?
Indeed there was for the women’s game. The league started in 2012 and by 2015 was discontinued.
BeNe League 2012 – 2015
- The women’s football league had 14 teams, taken from Belgium and The Netherlands
- Cup competitions were kept amongst domestic teams
- The competition only lasted a few seasons with Holland’s FC Twente winning the most titles – two in total
The reasons given for failure seem fairly obvious – even in the BeNe League’s first season one team went bankrupt while another folded after the season due to financial issues.
It also might have been a bit ahead of its time, given the massive strides the women’s game has made in terms of popularity and revenue in the last five years. Read more about that here and also how brands are jumping into the women’s game en-masse.
Once it finally disbanded, teams from both nations returned to their respective domestic leagues. A potential note of caution to the organisers of the men’s BeNeLiga.
However, one glimmer of good news is that a joint league, between the two nations, in another sport, has actually been pretty successful. Enter the BeNe League for ice hockey. Started in 2015, the combined Dutch and Belgian league is powering ahead.
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Why launch a BeNeLiga league?
There are a number of reasons as to why The BeNeLiga might become a reality, including:
- Financial: As Club Brugge’s CEO Bart Verhaeghe’s comments show, it is pretty much down to money. The current broadcasting deals for both domestic leagues end in 2025, and both leagues receive just £70m per season. However, in a study from Deloitte, it estimates a windfall of £400m per season from a joint league.
- It becomes an ‘elite’ European league: Currently there are five elite domestic leagues in European. A joint league could be added to this “elite” list, along with increasing revenue, global brand awareness and an influx of new fans. Also, for the first few years, fans outside theses countries are likely to keep a close eye on how the concept performs
- A stronger league helps with the development of players: Both Belgium and the Netherlands boast extremely impressive national teams (after a number of years in the doldrums to be fair). A joint league, in theory, creates a more competitive, better competition, thus increasing the abilities of domestic players.
- Be competitive in European competitions: Club teams from both countries have played pretty abysmally in Europe, save for a few exceptions like Ajax reaching the European Champions League semi in 2019 and the Europa League final in 2017. Again, the theory here is that a better, joint domestic competition will mean better European tournament performances.
The BeNeLiga is no sure thing currently. The proposals have been accepted by Belgium teams but also need apporval now from teams in The Netherlands, following this, UEFA must also approve the new, joint league.
However, the implications of a successful, joint league between nations are obvious. Teams from “lesser leagues” will be looking on with interest.
