Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: WSV Wilhelmina (± 1916-1917, 1918-1941) / De Wertheanen (1917-1918) / WSV Weert '08 (1941-1944) / RKWSV Wilhelmina '08 (1944-2024)

Sportpark Drakesteyn "Terrein Achter de Watertoren", Weert (RKWSV Wilhelmina '08, formerly WSV Wilhelmina / De Wertheanen / WSV Weert '08)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

22 III 2011 / RKWSV Wilhelmina '08 - RKSV De Ster 0-0 - Wilhelmina wins penalty shoot-out (3-1) / District South II, Regional Cup

Timeline

1908 / Foundation of a football club in Weert, which takes on the name De Kroon. The founding members of the club include Bèr Rutten, Louis Gijbels, Ber Kempers, Bèr Theunissen, Piet Gijbels, Piet van de Schoor, Thei van de Schoor, Jac Brouns, and Wullem van de Schoor. Not joining any league, De Kroon plays friendlies against other local teams, with the club’s first pitch being situated along the Zuid-Willemsvaart, a canal bisecting Weert – later moving to Terrein Koop Brouns.
1909 / De Kroon changes its name to become Wilhelmina – a reference to Queen Wilhelmina, monarch of the Netherlands between 1890 (under the regency of her mother, Queen Emma, until 1898) and 1948.
1914 / One of many smaller local teams existing in the shadow of Weert’s biggest football club WFC Hercules, Wilhelmina meanwhile plays its football at the back of the local gas factory, switching to Terrein Biesterbrug and subsequently a pitch at the back of a woodshed belonging to the Hermans company at modern-day Kanaalstraat.
± 1916 / Wilhelmina, meanwhile officially known as WSV (Weerter Sportvereeniging) Wilhelmina, has a new pitch laid out on a plot of land previously used as a training area by a regiment of hussars stationed in Weert at the early stages of World War I. The pitch, to the south of the railway line bisecting Weert, is usually referred to as Terrein Achter de Watertoren – for the straightforward reason that it is situated in the shadow of a water tower.
1917 / WSV Wilhelmina joins the LVB (Limburgsche Voetbalbond), the Limburg sub-branch of the official Netherlands’ FA (NVB = Nederlandsche Voetbalbond), being admitted under the condition that the club name be adapted because of other NVB members already having adopted the name Wilhelmina – first and foremost RKVV Wilhelmina in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Adopting the new name De Wertheanen, the club is placed in LVB District Weert Division 1.
1918 / In its first and only competitive season in the ranks of the LVB, De Wertheanen finishes in second place behind champions vv Weert. Following the 1917-18 season, De Wertheanen withdraws its LVB membership, switching to the Roman Catholic football association RKF (Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie) under the reinstated name RKWSV Wilhelmina, being placed in the RKF Limburg sub-branch, the so-called RKLVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond) and being placed in RKLVB Division 2.
1923 / Winning the title in RKLVB Division 2, WSV Wilhelmina is placed in RKF Division 2 for the new season. Also in 1923, WSV Wilhelmina absorbs another local club, MULO (probably an acronym of Met Uiterste Leeuwenmoed Opwaarts).
1924 / Winning the title in RKF Division 2D, WSV Wilhelmina qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs against the winners of the other title winners in the three other D2s of RKF District South, OVC (Oudenbosch), Waalwijk, and Veghel. Clinching the decisive point in a goalless draw away at OVC, WSV Wilhelmina wins a ticket to the so-called RKF Overgangsklasse.
1925 / Winning the title in RKF Overgangsklasse B, WSV Wilhelmina qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs against OVC (Oss), Eindhovia, ‘s-Bosch, vv Oss, Jong Brabant, and Geel-Zwart – eventually finishing in first place in this round of play-offs as well and thus winning a ticket to RKF Division 1. The club is destined to remain a regular feature in RKF’s top division (renamed IVCB Division 1 in 1932) until the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1940. Also in 1925, a set of wooden dressing rooms is erected at Terrein Achter de Watertoren.
1927 / Finishing bottom of the table in RKF Division 1 South, WSV Wilhelmina has to play a relegation play-off against OVC (Ophoven), going on to win the encounter comprehensively (7-1 aggr.), thus avoiding the drop.
1928 / Finishing in joint first place in RKF Division 1A South with vv Kimbria, WSV Wilhelmina wins the title based on goal difference. To determine the overall winner of RKF’s southern branch, the club now meets D1B winner Venlo – with each club winning one match in the tie, and a third match having to be organised at vv Kolping’s ground in Helmond – with Venlo coming out on top (5-2).
1929 / In a reversal of fortune after the D1A title in the previous season, WSV Wilhelmina now finishes in last place in that same division, going on to suffer defeats at the hand of Grevenbicht and Helios in a promotion-relegation play-off – only to be saved from relegation due to a reorganisation of the league pyramid involving an extension of the number of clubs in RKF Division 1.
1930 / For the first time, WSV Wilhelmina’s first team is guided by a coach, Mr Ben Hoogstede.
1932 / A covered wooden grandstand (400 seats) is erected along the southern side of Terrein Achter de Watertoren, with the inaugural ceremony being led by Weert’s mayor, Mr Kolkman, and Fr. Frantzen.
1933 / WSV Wilhelmina wins the title in IVCB Division 1C, 6 points ahead of closest followers RKVV Best Vooruit. In the subsequent round of play-offs against the D1A and D1B title winners, vv Valkenburg and vv Kolping, Wilhelmina also comes out on top, thus crowning itself IVCB’s District South champion. Subsequently, the club meets the winners of District West, DHL from Delft, and District East, vv SDOUC from Ulft, in the nationwide IVCB title play-off, winning this competition as well, ahead of DHL – and thus crowning itself as IVCB champions, the highlight in Wilhelmina’s club history.
1939 / The construction of terracing around the pitch at Terrein Achter de Watertoren is slowed down due to a part of the Wilhelmina’s membership being called up for military service following the mobilisation of the Netherlands’ armed forces in the summer of 1939.
1940 / Having spent the previous 22 seasons in the ranks of RKF & IVCB, WSV Wilhelmina is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands, abandoning the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ for obvious reasons) as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. As all other IVCB D1 clubs, Wilhelmina is placed in NVB (Sunday) Division 2.
1941 / Being requested to change its name to WSV Weert ’08 at the behest of German occupation authorities, who frown upon any reference to the Dutch royal family, the club is requested to remove the name Wilhelmina from its entrance gate and grandstand. With Wilhelmina’s board refusing to do so, a paramilitary group of Dutch national-socialist collaborators invades Terrein Achter de Watertoren to destroy all references to the exiled queen.
1942 / Foundation of new branches for athletics and hockey under the aegis of WSV Weert ’08. One year later, a tennis branch is added to the set-up as well. All of those additional branches later break away from their mother club or simply cease activities in the years following the war.
1944 / The water tower situated between Wilhelmina’s ground and the railway line is destroyed in a British airborne attack in the closing stages of World War II – destined not to be rebuilt following the liberation of the southern half of the Netherlands in October 1944. At that point, the club’s board immediately changes its name from WSV Weert ’08 to RKWSV (Rooms-Katholieke Weerter Sportvereniging) Wilhelmina ’08.
1950 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B with RKSV Blerick and vv Standaard, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 meets these two clubs in a set of tie-break matches, eventually having to settle for third place, with vv Standaard walking away with the title.
1956 / Clinching the title in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, 4 points ahead of closest rivals Sportclub Irene, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 meets the other three title winners in Sunday League 2 in Districts South I and II, RKVV Heksenberg, SV MOC ’39, and vv De Spechten, in a promotion play-off, eventually having to leave the two tickets for Sunday League 1 to the two last-mentioned clubs.
1959 / Clinching the decisive win in an away match at RKSV De Ster, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 – coached by Willy Heger – wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, 9 points ahead of closest followers BSV ’29. In the subsequent round of promotion play-offs against the other three title winners in Sunday League 2 in Districts South I and II, RKSV Groene Ster, SV TOP, and HVV Hulst, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 finishes in first place following a decisive 2-2 away draw at RKSV Groene Ster – with Harry Stijnen scoring both goals for Wilhelmina. As such, the club wins promotion to KNVB Sunday League 1, the top division of the non-league pyramid, for the first time.
1960 / In the club’s first-ever season in the top flight of non-league, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 wins the title in Sunday League 1C, 1 point ahead of closest followers Sportclub Emma. In the nationwide Sunday league title competition, Wilhelmina finishes in third and last place behind eventual champions SV Gouda, and runners-up NC&VC Quick.
1962 / Finishing in joint first position in Sunday League 1F with vv Standaard, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 meets the club from Maastricht in a tie-break match played at the Sittardia-Terrein in Sittard, losing the encounter 3-2 in front of some 5,000 spectators.
1963 / RKWSV Wilhelmina wins the title in Sunday League 1F, 2 points ahead of closest rivals RKVV Chevremont. The decisive points are clinched in a 4-1 home win over Sportclub Emma. In the nationwide Sunday league title competition, the club finishes in fourth place, with vv De Valk walking away with first place, and the other participants being vv Neptunia, GVV Unitas, AFC, and NC&VC Quick.
1964 / Part of the wooden grandstand at Terrein Achter de Watertoren – more specifically its back wall – is rebuilt in stone. Meanwhile, with the club having had to abandon Sportpark Saint-Louis at Begijnenhofstraat several years previously, Wilhelmina has acquired training facilities at Gemeentelijk Sportpark Heerlijksheidlaan.
1971 / After twelve consecutive seasons in the top division of the Netherlands non-league pyramid, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 now finishes second-last in Sunday League 1F, resulting in relegation to League 2 along with bottom club RKSV De Ster.
1973 / RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 finishes in joint second place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, along with EHC and vv Belfeldia, 2 points behind champions SV Panningen.
1974 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B behind champions RKSV Blerick and runners-up SV Swift ’36, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 wins promotion to Sunday League 1 – due to the fact that extra promotion places are available following the introduction of a new top division, Zondag Hoofdklasse, to top the Sunday league pyramid. The decisive points clinching the promotion are obtained in a 0-1 win away at SV Swift ’36 (goal scored by Ger Kneepkens).
± 1975 / Due to the club not having the possibility to extend its main ground – which only disposes of a main pitch and one training pitch – RKWSV Wilhelmina makes use of facilities elsewhere for its lower team football and training sessions; having had to abandon Gemeentelijk Sportpark Heerlijkheidlaan in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the club successively has to make do at Café De Toerist (Maaseikerweg), Philipsveld, eventually settling at a new Sportpark Saint-Louis at Limburglaan, probably in the second half of the 1970s.
1976 / Following a renovation of the ground, involving, among other things, the placement of new floodlights along the main pitch, Terrein Achter de Watertoren is officially renamed Sportpark Drakesteyn, named after the street where the entrance to the ground can be found. In the preparatory stages of the 1976-77 season, Wilhelmina entertains professional league side MVV, winning the encounter comprehensively (4-0). In the course of the 1970s, the club also hosted pre-season friendlies against AFC Ajax and Feyenoord.
1977 / Coached by 27-year-old Henk Rayer, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 clinches the title in Sunday League 1F, 5 points ahead of closest rivals vv Caesar. The decisive points are obtained in a 2-1 home win against RKVV Waubach. As such, Wilhelmina accedes to Zondag Hoofdklasse for the first time.
1980 / Following tenth place finishes in the previous two seasons, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 now finishes in thirteenth and second-last place in Zondag Hoofdklasse C, thus dropping back into Sunday League 1 along with bottom club RKSV Heer.
1981 / Coached by Jeu van Bun, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 finishes in second place in Sunday League 1F, having to leave the title to RKSV Heer due to a 0-1 home defeat at the hands of the club from Maastricht in the last match of the season – not played at Sportpark Drakesteyn, which is undergoing renovation works at the time, but at RKSV Megacles’ Sportpark Graswinkel.
1983 / Still coached by Jeu van Bun, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 clinches the title in Sunday League 1F, 1 point ahead of SV Heerlen. The decisive points are acquired in a 6-2 home win over SV Meerssen. As such, Wilhelmina manages a return to Zondag Hoofdklasse after an absence of three years. Following the successful season, Wilhelmina entertains AFC Ajax in a pre-season friendly at Sportpark Drakesteyn to mark the club’s 75th anniversary, losing the encounter 0-8 in front of some 5,000 spectators.
1987 / Coached by Wil Heugen, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 manages its best result of the decade, finishing in fourth place in Zondag Hoofdklasse C.
1988 / Following years of fruitless talks with Weert’s municipal authorities, who would like to see the club move to a new-to-be-built ground in the Graswinkel neighbourhood, the decision is taken to remain at Sportpark Drakesteyn. In April 1988, renovation works get underway at the ground under the guidance of a local architect, Jan Meulen. The first part of the works involves constructing new terracing, entirely made of concrete, along three sides of the ground, followed by the erection of a new set of dressing rooms as well as a clubhouse.
1989 / The first part of the renovation works are finished in May 1989 after thirteen months of work. The one element not yet finished at the time is the construction of a new main stand, which will take another five years.
1990 / Bottom of the table in Zondag Hoofdklasse C, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 1 along with vv Sittard, the club finishing second from bottom.
1991 / Finishing in sixth place in Sunday League 1F with coach Ger van Berlo, who had replaced Leo Beeerendonk in the course of the season, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 manages an immediate return to Zondag Hoofdklasse following a successful round of play-offs – with the decisive win being recorded against RKVV Waubach at Sportpark Drakesteyn in front of a crowd of some 2,300 (2-0, goals by former professional league player René van Tilburg & Stefan de Graef).
1992 / RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 entertains PSV in a pre-season friendly at Sportpark Drakesteyn (result: 0-4).
1994 / Finally, after five years of work, the renovations at Sportpark Drakesteyn are finished as the new grandstand is inaugurated, entirely constructed in stone, replacing its predecessor which dated back to 1932.
1995 / With an equal number of points as SV Meerssen, RKWSV Wilhelmina finishes in joint second position in Zondag Hoofdklasse C, 6 points behind champions vv Baronie – the club’s best result in the post-war years. At the start of the 1995-96 season, the club defeats vv Achilles Veen in R1 of the Netherlands’ Cup (KNVB-Beker, 0-4), thus qualifying for the group stage, in which it finishes in last place in a group with Fortuna Sittard, MVV, and SV Panningen.
1997 / Finishing in twelfth place in Zondag Hoofdklasse B, RKWSV Wilhelmina has to play a set of play-offs to assure itself of a longer stay at this level – but it fails to do so, losing the play-off final against an unknown opponent (Do you know? Get in touch with me!) at RKSV Heeze’s Sportpark De Lambrek (2-0). As such, the club drops back into League 1 after six years, along with direct drop-outs EHC and RKVV Volharding.
1998 / RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 entertains PSV in a pre-season friendly at Sportpark Drakesteyn (result: 2-7).
1999 / Frans Körver, 62 years old at the time, signs a contract as Wilhelmina’s new trainer. Körver had an impressive career behind him as coach at KSK Tongeren, FC Wageningen, Fortuna Sittard, DS ’79, Roda JC, MVV, Helmond Sport, VVV, and BV De Graafschap.
2000 / Coached by Frans Körver, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 finishes in second place in Sunday League 1D, 4 points behind champions RKVV IVS, but fails to accede to Zondag Hoofdklasse in the play-offs.
2001 / Champions in Sunday League 1D, 7 points ahead of closest followers RKSV Groene Ster, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 – still coached by Frans Körver – manages a return to Zondag Hoofdklasse following an absence of four seasons.
2002 / Bottom of the table in Zondag Hoofdklasse B, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 1 along with the club finishing second from bottom, WSC. Frans Körver leaves the club, going on to have one last spell as a trainer in the professional divisions with Fortuna Sittard some years later.
2004 / Finishing second-last in Sunday League 1D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 2 along with vv Sittard. Wilhelmina last found itself at this lowly level thirty years previously.
2005 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 2H, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing an immediate return to League 1.
2006 / Finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 1D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 2 immediately following an unsuccessful round of play-offs, along with direct drop-outs SV MSP ’03 and BSV Limburgia.
2007 / RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 finishes in second place in Sunday League 2H, 4 points behind champions RKSV Margriet, but fails to accede to Sunday League 1 in the play-offs. In the preparatory stages of the 2007-08 season, Wilhelmina entertains PSV in a gala match at Sportpark Drakesteyn (result: 0-10).
2011 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2H, 6 points behind champions SV Someren, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by LHC (3-1 aggr.).
2013 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 2H, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, eliminating RKSV Minor in R1 (3-1 aggr.), but suffering defeat at the hands of RKVV Chevremont in R2 (2-2 & penalty shoot-out). In a lucky loser play-off final, played at Sportpark Linne, Wilhelmina blows the opportunity to return to League 1 via the backdoor, losing 1-0 against SVC 2000.
2014 / Champions in Sunday League 2H, 5 points ahead of closest rivals NWC, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 wins promotion to Sunday League 1.
2015 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 1D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 has to play a set of play-offs to assure itself of a longer stay at this level. Defeating RKSV De Ster in R1 of those play-offs (6-5 aggr.), the club is eventually eliminated by Sporting Heerlen in R2 (4-4 aggr. and penalty shoot-out). As such, the club drops back into League 2 after just one year, along with SV Someren, BSV Limburgia, and bottom club NWC.
2017 / Champions in Sunday League 2H, 5 points ahead of RKVV Venlosche Boys, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 wins promotion to League 1.
2018 / Finishing second-last in Sunday League 1D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 2 after just one year, along with bottom club FC Hoensbroek.
2019 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2F, 3 points behind champions FC Eindhoven AV, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it successively defeats vv Rijen (2-1), FC Tilburg (2-0 A.E.T.), and RKVVO (1-3) – resulting in the club acceding once more to League 1.
2022 / Bottom of the table in Sunday League 1D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 drops back into League 2 along with the club finishing second from bottom, RKVV SSS ’18.
2024 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 2D, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 has to play a set of play-offs to assure itself of a longer stay at this level. Drawing a bye in R1, the club eliminates vv Victoria ’03 in R2 (4-4 & penalty shoot-out), and vv Virtus in R3 (4-0) – only to lose the final at Sportpark De Romrijten in Maarheeze against vv RPC (0-1). As such, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 descends into Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history, with the other 2D clubs dropping back being vv Geldrop, RKVV Brabantia, SV Hilvaria, and FC Eindhoven AV. Following the relegation, instead of starting the 2023-24 season in Sunday League 3, the club, which suffered from a serious decline in membership in the preceding years, withdrew its four remaining teams, choosing to enter a sabbatical year in the hope of restarting the club in the summer of 2025.

Note 1 – Important parts of the information provided above were derived from a book published on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the club: “Wilhelmina ’08. 90 jaar voetbal in Weert”, by Maikel Deben & Cor Pleunis (ed. RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08: Weert 1998).

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-4 & 6 = non-matchday visit, June 2024 / pictures 5 & 7-13 = match visit, March 2011.