# 1997–98 in Dutch football

The 1997/1998 season in Dutch football was the 42nd season in the Eredivisie, where Ajax Amsterdam won the double, claiming the title and the Dutch National Cup.

## Eredivisie

| Position | Team | Points | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
| 1 | Ajax | 89 | 34 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 112 | 22 | +90 |
| 2 | PSV | 72 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 95 | 44 | +51 |
| 3 | Vitesse Arnhem | 70 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 85 | 48 | +37 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 61 | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 62 | 40 | +22 |
| 5 | Willem II | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 66 | 58 | +8 |
| 6 | SC Heerenveen | 55 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 56 | 59 | -3 |
| 7 | Fortuna Sittard | 48 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 51 | 53 | -2 |
| 8 | NEC | 44 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 40 | 57 | -17 |
| 9 | FC Twente | 43 | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 42 | -1 |
| 10 | FC Utrecht | 43 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 56 | 64 | -8 |
| 11 | De Graafschap | 42 | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 45 | 49 | -4 |
| 12 | NAC | 42 | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 41 | 49 | -8 |
| 13 | Sparta | 41 | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 50 | 59 | -9 |
| 14 | Roda JC | 38 | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 44 | 45 | -1 |
| 15 | MVV | 32 | 34 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 35 | 75 | -40 |
| 16 | RKC | 31 | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 48 | 71 | -23 |
| 17 | FC Groningen | 31 | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 65 | -23 |
| 18 | FC Volendam | 21 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 33 | 102 | -79 |
* Champions League : Ajax and PSV
* UEFA Cup: Vitesse, Feyenoord and Willem II
* Cup Winners Cup: SC Heerenveen
* Promotion / relegation play-offs ("Nacompetitie"): RKC and FC Groningen
* Relegated: FC Volendam

### Topscorers

| Position | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Nikos Machlas | Vitesse Arnhem | 34 |
| 2 | Shota Arveladze | Ajax Amsterdam | 25 |
| 3 | Ronald Hamming | Fortuna Sittard | 20 |
| 4 | Dejan Curovic | Vitesse Arnhem | 17 |
| 5 | Jari Litmanen | Ajax Amsterdam | 16 |
| – | Michael Mols | FC Utrecht | 16 |

### Awards
#### Dutch Footballer of the Year

* 1997 — Jaap Stam (PSV Eindhoven)
* 1998 – 1999 — Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven)

#### Dutch Golden Shoe Winner

* 1997 — Jaap Stam (PSV Eindhoven)
* 1998 — Edwin van der Sar (Ajax Amsterdam)

### Ajax Winning Squad 1997-'98
## Eerste Divisie

| Position | Team | Points | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
| 1 | AZ Alkmaar | 72 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 81 | 31 | +50 |
| 2 | Cambuur Leeuwarden | 65 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 66 | 43 | +23 |
| 3 | FC Emmen | 61 | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 64 | 45 | +19 |
| 4 | FC Den Bosch | 60 | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 60 | 42 | +18 |
| 5 | ADO Den Haag | 58 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 69 | 43 | +26 |
| 6 | FC Zwolle | 54 | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 58 | 42 | +16 |
| 7 | TOP Oss | 52 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 59 | 50 | +9 |
| 8 | FC Eindhoven | 51 | 34 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 50 | 52 | -2 |
| 9 | Go Ahead Eagles | 49 | 34 | 15 | 4 | 15 | 70 | 55 | +15 |
| 10 | Helmond Sport | 47 | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 46 | 45 | +1 |
| 11 | VVV-Venlo | 47 | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 45 | 46 | -1 |
| 12 | BV Veendam | 45 | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 51 | 55 | -4 |
| 13 | SC Telstar | 40 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 43 | 60 | -17 |
| 14 | SC Heracles | 32 | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 51 | 77 | -26 |
| 15 | HFC Haarlem | 31 | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 43 | 85 | -42 |
| 16 | Excelsior Rotterdam | 30 | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 39 | 64 | -25 |
| 13 | Dordrecht '90 | 30 | 34 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 37 | 64 | -27 |
| 18 | RBC Roosendaal | 22 | 34 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 33 | 66 | -33 |
* Promoted : AZ Alkmaar
* Promotion / relegation play-offs ("Nacompetitie"): Cambuur, Emmen, Den Bosch, ADO Den Haag, Zwolle and Eindhoven

## Promotion and relegation
### Group A

| Position | Team | Points | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
| 1 | RKC Waalwijk | 14 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 5 | +10 |
| 2 | FC Eindhoven | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | -3 |
| 3 | ADO Den Haag | 5 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 8 | -3 |
| 4 | FC Emmen | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 15 | -4 |

### Group B

| Position | Team | Points | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
| 1 | Cambuur Leeuwarden | 14 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 8 | +7 |
| 2 | FC Zwolle | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 |
| 3 | FC Groningen | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 |
| 4 | FC Den Bosch | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -3 |
* Stayed / Promoted : RKC Waalwijk and Cambuur Leeuwarden
* Relegated: FC Groningen

## KNVB Cup

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| March 11 | March 11 | | | |
| FC Twente | 3 | | | |
| FC Twente | 3 | April 29 | April 29 | | |
| Vitesse Arnhem | 1 | April 29 | April 29 | |
| Vitesse Arnhem | 1 | PSV Eindhoven | 2 | |
| March 12 | March 12 | | PSV Eindhoven | 2 | |
| March 12 | March 12 | FC Twente | 1 | |
| PSV Eindhoven | 4 | FC Twente | 1 | |
| PSV Eindhoven | 4 | | | | May 17 - Rotterdam | May 17 - Rotterdam |
| Feyenoord Rotterdam | 0 | | | | May 17 - Rotterdam | May 17 - Rotterdam |
| Feyenoord Rotterdam | 0 | | | | Ajax Amsterdam | 5 |
| March 11 | March 11 | | | | | Ajax Amsterdam | 5 |
| March 11 | March 11 | | | | PSV Eindhoven | 0 |
| Ajax Amsterdam | 2 | | | | PSV Eindhoven | 0 |
| Ajax Amsterdam | 2 | May 7 | May 7 | | | |
| NAC Breda | 1 | May 7 | May 7 | | | |
| NAC Breda | 1 | Ajax Amsterdam | 3 | | | |
| March 31 | March 31 | | Ajax Amsterdam | 3 | | | |
| March 31 | March 31 | SC Heerenveen | 0 | | Third place | Third place |
| SC Heerenveen | 3 | SC Heerenveen | 0 | | Third place | Third place |
| SC Heerenveen | 3 | | | | May 14 - Zwolle | May 14 - Zwolle |
| Fortuna Sittard | 0 | | | | May 14 - Zwolle | May 14 - Zwolle |
| Fortuna Sittard | 0 | | | | SC Heerenveen | 3 |
| | | | | | FC Twente | 1 |
* The third place match was necessary to determine the Dutch Cup Winners Cup entrant, since both finalists (Ajax and PSV) were qualified for the Champions League.