1978–79 Eerste Divisie
The Dutch Eerste Divisie in the 1978–79 season was contested by 19 teams. Excelsior won the championship.
New entrants
Relegated from the 1977–78 EredivisiePromotion competition
In the promotion competition, four period winners played for promotion to the Eredivisie.Attendances
| # | Club | Average |
| 1 | Groningen | 8,283 |
| 2 | Fortuna | 4,989 |
| 3 | Willem II | 4,467 |
| 4 | De Graafschap | 4,344 |
| 5 | Den Bosch | 4,244 |
| 6 | Wageningen | 3,861 |
| 7 | Eindhoven | 3,417 |
| 8 | Veendam | 3,272 |
| 9 | Heracles | 3,206 |
| 10 | Excelsior | 3,122 |
| 11 | Heerenveen | 3,089 |
| 12 | Cambuur | 2,947 |
| 13 | Helmond | 2,517 |
| 14 | Amersfoort | 1,841 |
| 15 | Telstar | 1,556 |
| 16 | SVV | 1,503 |
| 17 | Dordrecht | 1,383 |
| 18 | Vlaardingen | 1,031 |
| 19 | Amsterdam | 870 |
Source: