It’s approaching that time of year again as we get ready for another season of Eredivisie Vrouwen football, although this season will have a slightly different look it than it did last. First of all, there will be nine teams taking part as opposed eight last season, with the addition of Excelsior-Barendrecht from Rotterdam participating. As well as this, current side Telstar have rebranded and have become VV Alkmaar. Furthermore, during the off-season there have been some noticeable retirements with the most high-profile happening at Ajax with former Dutch internationals Anouk Hoogendijk and Daphne Koster both hanging up their boots after respective successful careers. In addition to this there has been the usual transfer goings on with some high-profile ones too, with Dutch international and member of the EURO 2017 team Kika van Es swapping Achilles’29, where she was captain for Twente who finished runners-up last season having won successive titles previously. Another transfer of note includes Netherlands teammate Stefanie van der Gragt moving back to the Eredivisie having left German Bundesliga runners-up Bayern Munich to sign for champions Ajax.
Achilles’29 After an impressive debut campaign, last season where they avoided finishing bottom securing a 7th place spot Achilles’29 will want to replicate this form. Although they will have to do that without influential captain and Netherlands international Kika van Es who left the club to join Twente. As well as the loss of van Es, Achilles’29 have a new coach too this season with Robert de Pauw who will want to carry on the good work of Judith Thijssen who he replaces. Although I expect Achilles’29 to struggle this year mainly in relation to the men’s side getting relegated last season from the Eertse Divisie which has resulted in cost cutting across the board. Despite my concerns, Achilles’29 surprised many last season and will want to hush the doubters again this season and have the ability to do so too. They have managed to keep hold of promising forward Bonita Theunissen who has great link up play with the midfield and comfortable on the ball too. She also won goal of the season for her strike against Twente in September 2016, so expect big things if Acilles’29 are not to finish bottom. ADO Den Haag One of the founding members of the league and over 10-years-old, Den Haag head into this season on the back of a 4th place finish last season after finishing level on points with 3rd place PSV. Den Haag’s only championship win came back in 2012 and in my view, will have to wait a while longer for another one given the strength of sides such as, Ajax and Twente as well as the unknown quantities of VV Alkmaar and Excelsior-Barendrecht. Nevertheless, Den Haag do have a good side and are very consistent in terms of league placing having never finished below halfway since their debut season back in 2007-08. Since the end of last season, the club have strengthened with the addition of young defender Lauren Delleman from champions Ajax as well as Sharon Kok who plays defence too joining from Telstar (now VV Alkmaar). If Den Haag are to progress further this season they will be relying on striker Pia Rijsdijk who was there top scorer last season with 10 along with creative midfielder Victoria Pelova who scored 7 last time around. Ajax The champions will be looking to successfully defend their title and keep it in Amsterdam after claiming their maiden title back in May. However, they will have to do it with new manager Benno Nihom and without their retired duo, former captain Daphne Koster and Anouk Hoogendijk who both played an integral part in winning the Eredivisie last term. Ajax though have strengthened in this department by bringing in Stefanie van de Gragt from Bayern Munich, which will be important for the upcoming Champions League campaign which they successfully qualified for. Despite her young age she will add plenty of experience to the backline as well as depth to cope with league and cup action. In addition to their signings, Ajax have managed to keep most of their team from last year with the likes of Desiree van Lunteren, Kelly Zeeman and Liza van der Most signing new deals, the only exceptions being a few fringe players moving on. As well as van Lunteren and new captain Zeeman, expect striker Marjolijn van den Bighelaar to be among the goals again and defender Davina Philtjens to be the creative spark down the wing. Excelsior-Barendrecht After reaching a joint agreement back in April the Barendrecht women playing under the Excelsior brand will make their Eredivisie debut this year and will be hoping for similar success to that of last year’s debutant Achilles’29 who managed not to finish bottom of the pile last season. Excelsior’s strategy this off-season has been to recruit prodominatly young Dutch players which can flusish for years to come, some players have stayed from the Barendrecht side of the team while others have arrived from a range of clubs from across the Netherlands. These include striker Solange de Smit who arrives from Gent and will be their main threat this year along with Nigerian youth international forward Sophia Omidiji who also joins from Gent. Coincidently Omidiji has already played in the Eredivisie Vrouwen for PSV back in 2015 and holds an impressive goal record too, so I would expect Omidiji to be a constant threat to sides to as she looks to excite her own fans in Rotterdam. Heerenveen The club from Friesland is probably most known in the women’s circuit for being the place where a certain Viviene Miedema started her career and it would be fair to say since she left, Heerenveen have not been doing as well in the league. In Midema’s last season with Heerenveen (13/14) the team achieved a 4th place finish out of 14 which was very impressive considering the league then was a joint league with some Belgian sides. However, over the last few years Heerenveen have finished towards the bottom whether that ben in the joint league or the recently rebranded Eredivisie. Last season the club from Friesland finished 6th out of 8, 21 points off the top 4 which is where the club ultimately wants to challenge for, although with the addition of extra team this year 5th place would see them qualify for the championship play-offs. Is this achievable? Possibly although unlikely, as despite the team being a close-knit group they are fairly young they have lost a number of important players including last season’s top scorer Simone Kets who scored 8 to Alkmaar last term. The player to watch will be Tiny Hoekstra who is a threat going forward. PEC Zwolle Zwolle will hope for a much more positive campaign compared to last as they propped up the league with 9 points and I for one believe they will, especially with the addition of Babiche Roof who has played for the National side. Roof will be expected to score goals as well as link up the midfield and forward play, which is why she is on the list of players to watch this upcoming season. One player she will be expected to provide assists for is young forward Esmee de Graaf who is entering her third season playing in the Eredivisie Vrouwen and tipped for a bright future internationally having represented both the Netherlands at under-17 and under-19 level. These two players have also been influential in an impressive pre-season for Zwolle which has seen them win 3 out of 4 games, only losing to Belgian side Gent 4-3 which should give you a barometer where Zwolle will finish. My opinion on this is mid-table. PSV It would be a fair acknowledgement that PSV’s campaign last season did not go according to plan as they scrapped 3rd ahead of Den Haag and would have liked to have been closer (points wise) to Ajax and Twente who took the top two spots. Nevertheless, PSV did enjoy a good cup run where they reached the final only to lose 2-0 to Ajax in the end. For the upcoming season PSV will be captained by goalkeeper and Euro 2017 champion Angela Christ who is very experienced between the sticks and arguably the best goalkeeper in the Eredivisie Vrouwen. In addition to Christ, PSV have another Euro 2017 with the Netherlands in their ranks with midfielder Vanity Lewerissa who if PSV are to make a title challenge this season then expect Lewerissa to be key to any success. Regarding summer signings the Eindhoven club have not been greatly busy but they have added experience to their ranks with the arrival of Sara Yucceil from Marseille who plays as a forward and is fresh off representing Belgium at the recent Euro’s. Yucceil’s arrival adds more fire power as well as experience which all teams need if they are to win silverware, this could be an interesting season for PSV. Twente The team from Enschede finished runners-up last season having won the Eredivisie the previous season as well as winning the joint Belgian and Dutch league the two seasons prior to that. However, Twente focus will be on regaining their crown in order to qualify for the Champions League again and they have strengthened their backline with the addition of Dutch international and Achilles’29 captain Kiki van Es who can play in either full-back position. Although Twente have lost some players too with the most notable departure being Lineth Beerensteyn who has joined Bundesliga Frauen side Bayern Munich, despite only joining Twente the previous summer. Despite the loss of Beerensteyn, Twente do have many other talented players as they look to brush aside Ajax this season. These include captain Sherida Spitse who is arguably one of the best midfielders in the league and the heartbeat of the Enschede side. In addition to Spitse, Twente have the two Jansen’s (not related) with Ellen who’s a long-term servant of the club despite still being fairly young and Renate who is fresh of winning the Euro’s with the Netherlands, expect both to score plenty of goals. VV Alkmaar Having undergone a complete rebrand since the end of last season with a new badge and a new kit and most importantly relocation, the club formally known as Telstar has moved to Alkmaar and have high ambitions. Alkmaar have had a high recruitment drive this off-season with a number of new additions, although some have opted to stay with the club following the move from Velsen. The ambition of the club has seen them being able to attract players from across the league which include former Heerenveen duo Ingrid Schuiten and Simone Kets as well as goalkeeper Paulina Quaye from Ajax. In the relocation, Alkmaar have also managed to keep hold of last season’s Eredivisie Vrouwen top scorer Katja Snoeijs which outlines the ambition of the club. The reason to move from Velsen was a strategic one as there are more opportunities in Alkmaar and training was held there previously anyway. Also with a new training ground complex being built, Alkmaar can look forward to a bright future starting this season as they look to break in to the top half. Prediction
Selected transfers Player – From – To Kika van Es – Achilles’29 – Twente Stefanie van der Gragt – Bayern Munich – Ajax Babiche Roof – Telstar (now VV Alkmaar) – PEC Zwolle Sisca Folkertsma – PSV Eindhoven – Ajax Nicky Van Den Abbeele – Anderlecht – Ajax Sophia Omotola Omidiji – KAA Gent – Excelsior Barendrecht Sara Yucceil – Marseille – PSV Eindhoven Sofie Van Houtven – RKC Genk – Excelsior Barendrecht Simone Kets – Heerenveen – VV Alkmaar Paulina Quaye – Ajax – VV Alkmaar Solange de Smit – Gent – Excelsior-Barendrecht Sophia Omidiji – Gent – Excelsior-Barendrecht Lekker Voetbal’s Top players to watch this season Desiree van Lunteren (AFC Ajax) Fair to say that van Lunteren is one of Ajax’s most influential and experienced players, despite her young age of 24. She is a very versatile player having played in a right-back role for the Dutch National team, while playing in a more advanced midfield role for Ajax, both of which she excels at. Expect another strong season from Desiree van Lunteren with assists and possibly double figures in terms of goals, having achieved this feat in the 12/13 and 13/14 season. Babiche Roof (PEC Zwolle) Roof who can play in midfield or a more advanced role, even as a second striker will begin the new season at a new club having left what was Telstar at the end of the season to move to PEC Zwolle. Throughout her time in the Eredivisie, Babiche Roof has built a reputation for being a creative midfielder with an eye for goal, so expect both assists and goals a plenty this season. Sherida Spitse (FC Twente) As demonstrated in the Netherlands EURO campaign, Spitse is the queen of dead-ball situations having scored both penalties and free-kicks during the tournament, so expect the same from her for Twente this campaign. Furthermore, Spitse is an excellent ball-winning midfielder so can break up play and put her team on the front foot.
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Since 2001 the Champions League has been the showpiece event of women’s club football giving plenty of team’s exposure along the way. The competition has seen German teams dominate it with 8 trophies between 4 teams, with teams from Sweden and France each winning the competition twice while Arsenal are the sole winners from England. However since the Women’s game keeps growing and the competiveness increasing then surely it’s time to introduce a secondary competition throughout the leagues in Europe. England For example the league in England (FAWSL) is continuing to grow and plans are in place to expand the number of teams competing in the top flight further. Gone are the times when Arsenal would just walk the league with the new era instead seeing the majority of the league each standing a reasonable chance of winning the league. This has been supported over the last couple of seasons with the title being decided on the last day with Liverpool finishing ahead of Bristol Academy in 2013, while the three horse race last year (2014) saw Liverpool make a miraculous recovery to cling on to the title again. However this saw Birmingham City miss out on European football completely and given they had a great run in the 2013/14 Champions league, knocking out then WSL1 champions Arsenal, then surely they have proved they can mix it with Europe’s elite. Not only Birmingham but the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Notts County are going from strength to strength, so surely it’s time to start a new European competition for teams who finish 3rd & 4th? Germany However the Women’s Super League isn’t the strongest league in Europe as that honour goes to Germany, closely followed by Sweden and France. This is proven with the amount of Champions League winners from Germany since the Champions League was introduced as well as the league being relatively competitive. At the time of writing the top four in the Bundesliga all still have an opportunity to win the league and are only separated by 4 points (Bayern Munich 19 47, Wolfsburg 18 45, FFC Frankfurt 18 43 & Turbine Potsdam 19 43), despite this only two of the four teams will be playing in Europe next season! Meaning two would miss out and given the quality of German opposition then surely a Europa League style tournament would be great for the fans of the sport? Sweden As briefly mentioned the Swedish league is seen as one of the best in Europe behind Germany, mainly due to the fact of the Scandinavians relaxed attitudes and that they see Men and Women as equal, hence the popularity of Women’s football within the country. Not to mention that that Sweden successfully hosted Euro 2013 and helped grow the game further. Despite its successes the league is not as hotly contested as its European counterparts with the title race normally not going down to the wire. However there does seem to be a draw for players to the league anyway with a number of USA internationals choosing to play in Sweden over other European leagues, while one of the World’s best, highly decorated Brazilian player Marta has spent a number of seasons plying her trade here. Additionally to this the national team is one of the best in the world, with the majority of the team playing in their native Country, thus showing the strength of Damallsvenskan and proving its worth to have additional teams competing on the European stage. France Finally France, where there’s rarely ever any last day drama deciding any titles, but it is home to one of the most prestigious teams in the game, Olympique Lyonnais having just claimed their ninth straight league title. However times are changing with PSG challenging for honours in recent seasons having received investment from the men’s side wealthy owners, not forgetting that PSG did knock out Lyon in this season’s Champions League too. So the current European places may be a formality most seasons, but there are plenty of other teams just below them who could hold their own if a Europa League style competition was formed. There is Paris based Juvisy who regularly finish 3rd while Montpellier and Guingamp are fairly good oppositions who would benefit from a new European competition. Summary In conclusion each of the leagues highlighted throughout vary between size (number of teams in the league) and competiveness, but one thing which they do all have is more than two good teams who would put up a good fight in Europe. So what I am suggesting is that the authorities in question (UEFA) consider expanding the reach of its competition by adding a secondary competition not to dissimilar to the Europa League in the men’s game. By implementing this other teams in the league would receive additional money from competing, thus leading to a more sustainable future for the women’s game. It may also allow a team to build a successful platform by achieving Europa League one season then qualifying for the Champions League the next. I’m sure the majority of women’s sides would like the sound of this competition, but what do you, the fans of the game think?
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