Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: A&VV Elinkwijk (1937-± 1963) / USV Elinkwijk (± 1963-)

Sportterrein aan de Amsterdamsestraatweg "Sportpark Zuilen", Utrecht Zuilen (USV Elinkwijk, formerly A&VV Elinkwijk)

Netherlands, province: Utrecht

13 XI 2011 / USV Elinkwijk - DHC 0-0 / Zondag Hoofdklasse A (= NL level 4)

18 V 2024 / USV Elinkwijk - VVIJ 2-2 / District West I, Saturday League 3D (= NL level 8)

Timeline

1919 / Foundation of a football club in Zuilen, a municipality located on the banks of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, to the northwest of Utrecht, which takes on the name A&VV (Athletiek- en Voetbalvereeniging) Elinkwijk – named after the new neighbourhood which was in the process of being built from 1915 onwards along the Amsterdamsestraatweg, the ‘Elinkwijk’, named after Mr W.H.A. Elink Schuurman, from whom the land had been purchased. The new neighbourhood was initially intended for the skilled workers of two iron factories which had settled in the vicinity: Werkspoor and Demka. A&VV Elinkwijk – alternatively referred to in the early years as vv Elinkwijk or even vv Elinckwijk – settles on a pitch laid out at Daalseweg.
1920 / A&VV Elinkwijk moves to a newly laid-out pitch, also situated at Daalseweg.
1930 / Winning promotion from the ranks of the UVB (Utrechtsche Voetbalbond) for the first time, A&VV Elinkwijk is placed in KNVB District West I’s Sunday League 4 for the first time. Also in 1930, A&VV Elinkwijk moves to a newly laid-out pitch at Daalseweg, put at the club’s disposal by the Netherlands’ Steel Factories.
1931 / Clinching the title in District West I’s Sunday League 4D in its first season at that level, with an advantage of 6 points over closest rivals AVV SDZ, A&VV Elinkwijk wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
1937 / Inauguration of A&VV Elinkwijk’s new ground, Sportterrein aan de Amsterdamsestraatweg on September 12th, 1937, with a gala match against Sunday League 2 club vv Breda (3-0); the club moves away from Terrein Daalseweg.
1939 / A&VV Elinkwijk obtains the title in District West I’s Sunday League 3D, 1 point ahead of closest followers vv Baarn, but fails to win promotion to League 2 in the play-offs.
1941 / A&VV Elinkwijk obtains the title in District West I’s Sunday League 3E, 10 points ahead of closest followers SV HMS, but fails to win promotion to League 2 in the play-offs.
1942 / Coached by C.J. Roelofs, A&VV Elinkwijk wins the title in District West I’s Sunday League 3F, 8 points ahead of closest followers SV Zeist, going on to win the promotion play-offs to accede to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
1951 / Coached by Joop de Busser, A&VV Elinkwijk wins the title in District West I’s Sunday League 2B, 1 point ahead of closest followers RKAV Volendam – with the decisive points being clinched in a home match against HVC (1-0) in front of a crowd of 17,000 – going on to win the promotion play-offs to accede to Sunday League 1, the top tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid at that time, for the first time. Also in 1951, a thorough renovation of Elinkwijk’s ground at Amsterdamsestraatweg gets underway, with the main pitch being moved slightly to the southeast, with a new boardroom and a new set of dressing rooms being constructed.
1952 / Having purchased the grandstand of an equestrian club in Apeldoorn, A&VV Elinkwijk puts to work its membership to rebuild the 58-metre-long wooden construction (1,300 seats) at the western end of its ground at Amsterdamsestraatweg – with open, wooden seats being added to each side of the covered stand. Later that year, the new Sportterrein aan de Amsterdamsestraatweg – officially rebaptised as Sportpark Zuilen – is inaugurated, with total ground capacity now being c. 13,000. The first match at the renovated ground sees A&VV Elinkwijk defeating AFC Ajax (5-4).
1954 / On January 1st, 1954, the municipality of Zuilen is absorbed into the City of Utrecht, with A&VV Elinkwijk thus becoming a Utrecht football side. Also in 1954, the Netherlands’ national team goalkeeper Piet Kraak joins A&VV Elinkwijk, staying at the club for six years until hanging up his boots in 1960. With the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB) having thwarted all attempts to start professional league football in the Netherlands, a competition is organised under the auspices of a newly founded association, the NBVB (Nederlandse Beroepsvoetbalbond) between haphazardly compiled teams, including the so-called BVC (Beroepsvoetbalclub) Utrecht, which plays its home matches at Sportterrein aan de Liesbosweg in Jutphaas. Finally, in November 1954, the KNVB relents, allowing their own clubs to merge with the NBVB teams and form a professional competition under the flag of the official FA. At that point, A&VV Elinkwijk absorbs BVC Utrecht, thereby acceding to the newly formed professional League 1A, finishing in eleventh place in the 1954-55 season.
1956 / Coached by Gilbert Richmond, A&VV Elinkwijk wins the title in Hoofdklasse B, 2 points ahead of Rapid JC – with the decisive points being clinched in a 3-1 defeat of DFC at Amsterdamsestraatweg – thereby qualifying for the newly formed Eredivisie, a nationwide top division. In 1955-56 title competition, however, Elinkwijk only finishes in third place behind the aforementioned Rapid JC and NAC, but ahead of Sparta. Also in 1956, Surinamese international player Humphrey Mijnals, a defender, joins USV Elinkwijk from SV Robinhood in Paramaribo. Mijnals, who would stay with Elinkwijk for seven seasons, was the first-ever black player to be capped for the Netherlands’ national team.
1957 / In the first Eredivisie season, A&VV Elinkwijk narrowly holds its own, finishing in sixteenth place, 2 points ahead of Willem II and the relegation zone.
1958 / Finishing in joint sixteenth place in the Eredivisie with GVAV, A&VV Elinkwijk has to play a tie-break match against the Groningen side at Stadion Veldwijk in Hengelo, going on to win the encounter 2-1, thus assuring itself of a prolonged stay in the top tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid.
1959 / Coached by Thim van der Laan, A&VV Elinkwijk has its best Eredivisie season, finishing in twelfth place, 10 points ahead of the relegation zone. In the summer of 1959, the club’s first team undertakes a tour of the Dutch Latin-American colonies, Surinam and the Netherlands’ Antilles. Also in 1959, Elinkwijk midfielder Reinier ‘Beertje’ Kreijermaat leaves the club after eight seasons, signing a contract with Feijenoord. Kreijermaat, who also goes on to defend the colours of Xerxes/DHC, wins two caps for the Netherlands’ national team during his years with Feijenoord.
1961 / Coached by Thim van der Laan, who is replaced by Kees van Dijke in the course of the season, A&VV Elinkwijk finishes in sixteenth place in the Eredivisie, ahead of direct drop-outs vv Alkmaar ’54 and TSV NOAD. Subsequently, the club has to play a promotion-relegation play-off against Eerste Divisie side AVV De Volewijckers, losing the encounter 8-7 on aggregate, thus descending into the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid.
± 1963 / A&VV Elinkwijk changes its name to become USV (Utrechtse Sportvereniging) Elinkwijk. Also in the course of the 1960s, part of the boards on the three sides of the ground facing the main stand are replaced by concrete terraces.
1964 / Defender Nol de Ruiter joins USV Elinkwijk from Velox. De Ruiter would go on to have an interesting coaching career at, among others, FC Utrecht, while also being Rinus Michels’ assistant coach in the 1988 European Championships won by the Netherlands’ national team.
1965 / Finishing in joint first place in the Eerste Divisie with Willem II, USV Elinkwijk meets the Tilburg side in a title play-off, played at BVV’s Stadion De Vliert, going on to suffer a 6-2 defeat. In spite of this, USV Elinkwijk, coached by Joop de Busser, wins direct promotion to the Eredivisie after an absence of four years at that level.
1967 / Coached by Jan de Bouter, USV Elinkwijk finishes second-last in the Eredivisie, thus dropping back into the Eerste Divisie after two years along with bottom club Willem II.
1968 / Former Netherlands’ national team striker Tonny van der Linden (24 caps between 1957 and 1963) signs a contract with USV Elinkwijk, joining the club from DOS ’01; Van der Linden would stay at Amsterdamsestraatweg for two seasons before hanging up his boots in 1970. Also in 1968, 33-year-old German coach Fritz Korbach joins USV Elinkwijk as assistant trainer, staying with the club in that capacity for two years. Korbach goes on to have a colourful career as a professional league coach at FC Wageningen, FC Volendam, FC Twente, SC Cambuur, Go Ahead Eagles, SC Heerenveen, and several other clubs.
1970 / Having spent its last three seasons as a professional league club somewhat anonymously in the Eerste Divisie, USV Elinkwijk allows its first team to merge with the two other professional league sides vv DOS and Velox to form FC Utrecht. First team football moves to vv DOS’s Stadion Galgenwaard. Withdrawing into non-league, USV Elinkwijk is placed in Sunday League 2.
1971 / Coached by Evert de Graaf, USV Elinkwijk clinches the title in Sunday League 2B, 2 points ahead of ASV Blauw-Wit, thus winning promotion to Sunday League 1, the top division of the Netherlands’ non-league pyramid at the time.
1972 / Coached by future AFC Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord trainer Hans Kraay Snr., USV Elinkwijk clinches the title in Sunday League 1A, 6 points ahead of closest rivals ASC SDW.
1973 / Coached by Jan de Bouter, USV Elinkwijk clinches the title in Sunday League 1A for the second year running, 3 points ahead of ASC SDW and vv De Spartaan.
1974 / Coached by Kick Maurer, USV Elinkwijk clinches the title in Sunday League 1A for the third year running following a defeat of ASC SDW in a tie-break match played at SV Huizen’s Sportpark De Wolfskamer. The club also goes on to win the nationwide Sunday league title – but loses the final for the nationwide non-league title against Saturday league champions SV Huizen. For the 1974-75 season, the club is placed in the newly created Zondag Hoofdklasse, the new top tier of the Sunday league pyramid. Also in 1974, 22-year-old Elinkwijk defender Henk van Rijnsoever earns a contract with professional league side AZ ’67, being part of the golden generation of the Alkmaar club which wins the national title in 1981; Van Rijnsoever, who wins one cap for the Netherlands’ national team, ultimately hangs up his boots in 1982.
1975 / 21-year-old Elinkwijk centre-forward Harry van den Ham signs a contract with FC Utrecht; Van den Ham goes on to have a colourful professional league career at SC Cambuur, FC Den Bosch, DS ’79, Tulsa Roughnecks, K Berchem Sport, PEC Zwolle, VVV, and VC Vlissingen, upon which he embarks on a career as a football manager. Also around 1975, the entrance of Sportpark Zuilen is moved from Amsterdamsestraatweg to Theo Thijssenplein.
1979 / 15-year-old youth prodigy Gerald Vanenburg, who had joined USV Elinkwijk from vv Sterrenwijk some years before, is signed by AFC Ajax. Between 1980 and 2000, Vanenburg plays for AFC Ajax, PSV, Júbilo Iwata, FC Utrecht, AS Cannes, and TSV 1860 München; capped 42 times for the Netherlands, Vanenburg is part of the national team which wins the 1988 European Championships in West Germany.
1981 / 16-year-old youth prodigy Marco van Basten, who had joined USV Elinkwijk from ASV UVV one year previously, is signed by AFC Ajax. Playing for the Amsterdam side for six years, Van Basten moves to AC Milan in 1987 – becoming one of the best players of his generation and being part of the winning Netherlands’ team in the 1988 European Championships in West Germany (winning 58 caps in total).
1982 / Coached by Cees Loffeld, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 3 points ahead of closest rivals ASV DWV. Also in 1982, 17-year-old Edwin Godee, the son of former Elinkwijk player Jan Godee, is signed by AFC Ajax. Though never really making it to the very top – he was a youth international in the early stages of his career, but never made it to the Netherlands’ national side – Edwin Godee goes on to have a respectable professional league career with FC Utrecht, Willem II, BV De Graafschap, and Heracles Almelo, before withdrawing into non-league in 2001 to return to USV Elinkwijk.
1984 / Coached by Cees Loffeld, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals AFC. The club also goes on to win the nationwide amateur title ahead of vv Geldrop, vv IJsselmeervogels, vv Rijnsburgse Boys, vv NSVV, and SV Zwolsche Boys.
1985 / 18-year-old Elinkwijk defender Erik van der Meer signs a professional league contract with FC Utrecht, going on to defend the colours of SC Cambuur, Beerschot VAC, Real Murcia, and SC Veendam before hanging up his boots in 1999. Also in 1985, 15-year-old USV Elinkwijk youth player Jean-Paul de Jong joins Feyenoord’s youth academy. After a spell at AFC Ajax’s youth academy, utility player De Jong goes on to have a career as a professional league player at DSC Arminia Bielefeld, VfL Osnabrück, and FC Utrecht.
± 1986 / In a renovation of the grandstand of Sportpark Zuilen, a steel construction is built around the wooden stand. Later, the wooden benches are equipped with old seats of FC Utrecht’s Stadion De Galgenwaard. Also in the 1980s or 1990s, part of the old terracing, dating back to the 1960s, is removed.
1988 / Coached by Cees Loffeld, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals DHC.
1989 / Having coached USV Elinkwijk for twelve consecutive seasons – and having led the club to three titles – Cees Loffeld signs a contract with FC Utrecht, taking with him midfielder Gert van Hanegem (son of former Netherlands’ national team player Willem van Hanegem). Loffeld’s stay at Stadion Galgenwaard is unsuccessful, though, with the coach being sacked after just over a year in October 1990.
1990 / After one season with professional league club FC Utrecht, Gert van Hanegem returns to USV Elinkwijk. Coached by Leen van de Merkt, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals ASV DWV.
1991 / Coached by Leen van de Merkt and Hans Hol, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals vv Aalsmeer. Also in 1991, former USV Elinkwijk youth academy player, defender Ferdi Vierklau, breaks into FC Utrecht’s first team; the defender goes on to defend the colours of SBV Vitesse, CD Tenerife, and AFC Ajax, while also winning two caps for the Netherlands’ national team.
1992 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, USV Elinkwijk drops out of that division for the first time, along with bottom side DHC. The decisive defeat occurs in a home game against champions RCH (1-2).
1993 / Finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 1A, ahead of direct drop-out clubs AVV Zeeburgia and Rood-Wit A, USV Elinkwijk eventually fails to avoid relegation in the play-offs, thus suffering its second relegation in a row and finding itself in Sunday League 2 for the first time in over forty years.
1994 / Coached by Nico van Miltenburg, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Sunday League 2B, 9 points ahead of closest followers CVV Vriendenschaar, thus managing an immediate return to the League 1 level.
1995 / Former FC Utrecht and FC Zwolle defender Herman Verrips joins USV Elinkwijk for the last years of his career before hanging up his boots. Also in 1995, nine-year-old youth prodigy Ibrahim Afellay leaves USV Elinkwijk to join PSV’s youth academy; breaking into PSV’s first team in 2004, Afellay goes on to defend the colours of FC Barcelona, FC Schalke 04, PAE Olympiacos Piraeus, and Stoke City FC, as well as representing the Netherlands’ national team on 53 occasions.
1996 / Coached by Cees Loffeld during the trainer's second spell at the club, USV Elinkwijk wins the title in Sunday League 1A, 2 points ahead of closest followers FC Hilversum, thus managing a return to Zondag Hoofdklasse after an absence of four seasons.
1999 / USV Elinkwijk finishes runners-up in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 2 points behind champions SV Argon.
2000 / Inauguration of the so-called Reinder Strikwerda Opleidingscentrum, which includes a youth pavilion as well as a covered stand on one of Sportpark Zuilen’s side pitches. The construction of both is taken care of by Midreth, a building company led by former Elinkwijk goalkeeper Joop Leliveld.
2001 / Former Netherlands’ national team player John Veldman joins USV Elinkwijk after leaving his last professional league club RBC Roosendaal.
2004 / USV Elinkwijk finishes runners-up in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 3 points behind champions Türkiyemspor Amsterdam FC.
2007 / USV Elinkwijk finishes runners-up in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 5 points behind champions SV Argon. Also in 2007, for the first time in USV Elinkwijk’s history, the club enters a team in the Saturday league pyramid.
2009 / Clinching the title in District West I’s Saturday League 5C, 6 points ahead of closest rivals vv De Musketiers, USV Elinkwijk’s Saturday team wins promotion to Saturday League 4.
2010 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Saturday League 4G, USV Elinkwijk’s Saturday team wins promotion to Saturday League 3 via the play-offs. Also in 2010, former Elinkwijk player Harry van den Ham joins the club as trainer, staying on in that capacity for one season.
2013 / Finishing last in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, USV Elinkwijk descends into Sunday League 1 along with the club finishing second-from-bottom, SV Argon.
2014 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Saturday League 3D, USV Elinkwijk’s Saturday team wins promotion to Saturday League 2 via the play-offs.
2015 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 1A, with an equal number of points as number 10 SV De Foresters but with an inferior goal difference, USV Elinkwijk has to play a set of play-offs, ultimately failing to avoid the drop – and thus descending into Sunday League 2 along with IJVV Stormvogels and BVV De Kennemers. Also in 2015, USV Elinkwijk withdraws its Saturday team from the regular non-league pyramid.
2016 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2B, 20 (!) points behind champions vv Legmeervogels, USV Elinkwijk qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats vv De Zouaven (3-0 aggr.) and FC Uitgeest (5-3 aggr.), thus managing a return to Sunday League 1 at the first instance.
2017 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Sunday League 1A, USV Elinkwijk drops back into League 2 along with bottom club SV Nieuw Utrecht. Also in 2017, USV Elinkwijk enters a regular team in District West I’s Saturday league pyramid after an absence of two years.
2019 / Having finished in ninth place in Sunday League 2B, USV Elinkwijk withdraws its first team from Sunday league football. From now on, the Saturday team is the club’s flagship.
2022 / Winning the title in District West I’s Saturday League 4H, 10 points ahead of closest followers ASV UVV, USV Elinkwijk accedes to Saturday League 3.
2024 / In the nailbiting closing stages of District West I's Saturday League 3D, USV Elinkwijk meets its sole remaining rivals, VVIJ, in the second-last match of the season, drawing 2-2. The following week, with both clubs having the same number of points, VVIJ wins its home match against SV NITA 11-0, while USV Elinkwijk manages a 0-7 away win at SV Benschop, resulting in Elinkwijk edging to the title with a goal difference of +39 vs. +38 for VVIJ. As such, the Zuilen club wins promotion to Saturday League 2.
2024 (projected) / The historic Sportpark Zuilen has to make way for housing in the second half of 2024, with USV Elinkwijk moving to a new-to-be built park 500 metres down the road.

Note 1 – Important parts of the information above were derived from the book “USV Elinkwijk door de jaren heen”, compiled by Johan van Dijk / Harry Kel / Henk Nebbeling / Henk de Ruijter (ed. Giga Media: Heerhugowaard 2002); thanks to Elinkwijk board member Piet Rison for putting at my disposal a copy of this book.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different match visits: pictures 1, 3-9, 11-13, 15-16, 18-20, 22 & 24-29 = May 2024 / pictures 2, 10, 14, 17, 21 & 23 = November 2011.