FC Volendam and Telstar will fight in a direct match on Sunday to see who can avoid the play-offs. Well planned, you would think. But that’s not how competition planners work. Five questions and answers about the matchday calendar, unplanned derbies and overheated computer servers.
Fabian van der Poll
Football reporter
Anyone who had to predict a year ago which two clubs would fight for survival until the end could have easily thought of FC Volendam and Telstar. Two promoted clubs, who were undoubtedly in for a tough season with their limited budgets.
In other words: potentially an ideal poster for matchday 34. With a bit of luck, TV viewers would be treated to a thrilling relegation drama, full of virtual plot twists and faces in the stands contorted with fear.
Well. What a coincidence that this exact match is on the program on Sunday.
So that can’t be a coincidence?
Indeed, this scenario has more or less come true. A direct match between the two clubs should determine which of the two will remain in the Premier League and will not have to play the play-offs. FC Volendam must win, Telstar needs one point. Nevertheless, this has not been thought out in advance. So it is a coincidence, not wishful thinking.
The planning is largely the work of a computer that draws up the competition schedule, controlled by KNVB employees. Many factors are taken into account, but ‘tension’ and ’emotion’ do not play a role.
But what about ESPN’s ‘Derby Day’ on Sunday, January 18, when Feyenoord-Sparta, Heracles-FC Twente and Heerenveen-FC Groningen were played? That was simply nothing more than a trick by TV marketers to market the offer.
Which factors do play a role?
Do you have a moment? That’s what the league planners would say now. They now have to take so many things into account that the KNVB had to attract additional people to strengthen the competition planning department.
Municipalities, police, NS, clubs: in the Netherlands, all organizations may submit a list of obstacles in advance. There are municipalities that only want to receive Ajax and Feyenoord on Sundays, during daylight, there are police schedules or rail capacity that can be disruptive, Carnival, the Grand Prix in Zandvoort and the Nijmegen Four Days Marches are taken into account, and so on.
Then there are sporting restrictions, such as the wish that every club open the season with an away and a home match (or vice versa), and not to forget: the impact of European football.
The planners take into account that all Dutch clubs that participate can theoretically reach the final. They must get sufficient rest before and after each round. So, for example, PSV cannot play on Sunday if they could also play in the Champions League on Tuesday.
And then there are also trainers who want to think along with the competition planners.
Excuse me, coaches who are concerned with the competition schedule?
Yes, during his time as Ajax coach, Erik ten Hag wanted to do that sometimes. Purely to underline the importance of the work-life balance of his team. The national coach also has ideas. He prefers not to have top matches such as Ajax-PSV right before an international week. Suppose that emotions become heated during such a top match and that the players have to report to Zeist the next day. Who knows, maybe that will continue… Not an incomprehensible wish, but a step too far for the planners.
Well, with the help of AI, you can now create such a schedule easily, right?
Not anyway. In 2024, eighteen computer servers still had to run for eighteen hours to produce a draft schedule of the Premier League. And what came out then was still not good.
In short, it’s hard enough to put together a schedule. Let alone that the association has the luxury of planning everything exactly in such a way that two relegation candidates meet each other on the last match day.
In a sense, FC Volendam-Telstar is nothing more than a lottery ticket.
