Ironically the start of a proper league in the Netherlands happened very much despite the Dutch federation, KNVB, who did everything in its power to delay the entrance of money into the game.
In 1954 it submitted to pressure from press, players and several businessmen, who had started a successful league of their own.
Dutch football was averse to cash until well after World War II. The post-war years therefore saw an exodus of players like Faas Wilkes, Kees Rijvers, and Bertus de Harder who headed to France, Spain, and Italy respectively to earn a salary with their favourite hobby.
Leaving their own country also meant the end of their international careers.
The Dutch federation stubbornly refused to invite professionals for the Dutch team, which as a result saw a steady decline with only a single win between the summer of 1949 and the end of 1952, while average attendances at league matches also dropped with all the stars playing abroad.
Although there was an increasing support to turn the game professional, the KNVB would have none of it. Then came a seemingly unrelated drama, which would change the Dutch game entirely.
The North Sea flood of 1953 and the associated storm combined to create a major natural disaster, which affected the coastlines of the Netherlands and England on the night of 31 January 1953. Belgium, Denmark, and France were also affected by flooding and storm damage.
A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a storm tide. In combination with a tidal surge of the North Sea the water level locally exceeded 5.6 metres above mean sea level. The flood and waves overwhelmed sea defences and caused extensive flooding.
During this disastrous night, many dikes in the provinces of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Noord-Brabant proved unable to resist the combination of spring tide and a North-Western storm. On both the islands and the mainland, large areas were completely flooded.
At the time of the disaster, none of the local radio stations broadcast at night, and many of the smaller weather stations operated only during the day, as a result of which the warnings of the KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorology Institute) did not penetrate the flood threatened area in time.
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