Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Victoria '28 (1974-1989) / vv Victoria '28 (1989-)

Sportpark Wesselerbrink Zuid (Zuid), Enschede (vv Victoria '28, formerly RKVV Victoria '28)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

10 V 2025 / vv Victoria '28 - FC Aramea 1-3 / District East, Saturday League 5E (= NL level 10)

Timeline

1928 / Foundation of a football club in Enschede, which takes on the name Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV) Pathmos-Boys. As so many Catholic clubs in pre-war Netherlands, Pathmos-Boys refrained from joining the official Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB, KNVB from 1929 onwards), applying for membership of the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Utrechtsche Voetbalbond (RKUVB), a sub-branch of the Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie (RKF) instead. The club started its life in RKUVB Division 3. It is unclear if RKVV Pathmos-Boys played its football at Terrein Buurschestraat from the outset.
1930 / Clinching the title in RKUVB Division 3, RKVV Pathmos-Boys wins promotion to RKUVB Division 2.
1932 / Clinching the title in RKUVB Division 2, RKVV Pathmos-Boys wins promotion to RKUVB Division 1.
1933 / RKVV Pathmos-Boys wins promotion from RKUVB Division 1 to IVCB Overgangsklasse (IVCB being the abbreviation of the interregional Interdiocesane Voetbalcompetitiebond). Also in 1933, a new club sees the daylight in Enschede, Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV Victoria), which also joins the RKUVB, being placed in Division 3. It is unclear where this club’s pitch was situated.
1939 / RKVV Pathmos-Boys drops back into RKUVB Division 1 after six years in the ranks of the IVCB.
1940 / As the Netherlands is occupied by Hitler’s Reich, all football associations except the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, renamed NVB for the duration of the war to avoid association with the Netherlands’ royal family – K standing for ‘koninklijk’ or royal) are abolished. RKVV Pathmos-Boys and RKVV Victoria both join the NVB regional sub-branch in Twente, Afdeling Twente, being placed in that federation’s Sunday divisions. In the process, RKVV Victoria is renamed (RKVV) Victoria Enschede to avoid confusion with other NVB clubs bearing the same name.
1945 / Following the liberation of the Netherlands from the German yoke, RKVV Pathmos-Boys and RKVV Victoria Enschede conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of RKVV Victoria-Boys. However, this name is turned down by KNVB officials due to a club from Apeldoorn already bearing the name vv Victoria Boys. Thereupon, the merger club takes on the simplified name RKVV Victoria. All activities move to Pathmos-Boys’ Terrein Buursestraat.
1947 / Due to the majority of the club’s membership being made up of former RKVV Pathmos-Boys players, RKVV Victoria’s board takes the decision to rename the club RKVV Pathmos Boys. Also in 1947, the club abandons Terrein Buursestraat, settling at a newly laid-out pitch at Kuipersdijk, at the back of Café Wevers.
1962 / RKVV Pathmos Boys, which, like its predecessors, never managed to climb out of the ranks of Afdeling Twente to reach KNVB Sunday League 4, finishes as runners-up in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 13 points behind runaway champions vv ASVO.
1964 / Champions in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 4 points ahead of runners-up vv Unisson, RKVV Pathmos Boys wins promotion to KNVB District East’s Sunday League 4 for the first time. That same year, the club moves away from Terrein Kuipersdijk, settling at a newly laid-out ground at Vlierstraat in the new neighbourhood Wesselerbrink. As RKVV Pathmos Boys had suffered from a dwindling membership since the early 1950s, the club decides to make a fresh start to mark the move to its new ground, taking on the new name RKVV Victoria ’28.
1967 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4A, RKVV Victoria ’28 descends into Afdeling Twente Division 1.
1969 / Finishing bottom of the table in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, RKVV Victoria ’28 descends into Afdeling Twente Division 2.
1971 / Runners-up in TVB Sunday Division 2A along with EFC Prinses Wilhelmina, 4 points behind champions FC Het Centrum, RKVV Victoria ’28 wins promotion to Afdeling Twente Division 1 due to extra promotion places being available.
1974 / Finishing in second-last place in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, RKVV Victoria ’28 drops back into Afdeling Twente Division 2 along with bottom club RKSV Bornerbroek. That same year, the club moves into the newly laid-out Sportpark Wesselerbrink-Zuid, being handed the park’s southern half – with the northern half being taken by former professional league side SV De Enschedese Boys.
1975 / Finishing in joint first place in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 2A with FC Flamingo’s, RKVV Victoria ’28 wins promotion to Afdeling Twente Division 1. In spite of promotion being in the bag for both clubs due to extra promotion places being available, FC Flamingo’s and RKVV Victoria ’28 choose to play a tie-break match for the title in their division, played at SC Enschede’s Sportpark Diekman West. With the encounter finishing in a draw (2-2 A.E.T.), a second match is held at the same venue (att. 500), with FC Flamingo’s walking away as 3-2 winners.
1978 / RKVV Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 2 points behind champions WVV ’34.
1980 / RKVV Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 2 points behind champions LSV Lonneker.
1981 / RKVV Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 1 point behind champions UDI.
1982 / Champions in Afdeling Twente Sunday Division 1A, 5 points ahead of runners-up SV Hector, RKVV Victoria ’28 manages a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of fifteen seasons at that level. Also in or around 1982, the club’s main pitch is embellished with a covered stand.
1983 / Clinching its second title in a row, RKVV Victoria ’28 finishes top of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 8 points ahead of closest followers RKSV Bonifatius Boys. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
1985 / Finishing in joint first place in District East’s Sunday League 3A with HVV Tubantia, RKVV Victoria ’28 must have lost the tie-break match against that club, but no further data are available on the matter. At any rate, HVV Tubantia accedes to Sunday League 2.
1989 / Dropping the reference to its Roman Catholic origins, RKVV Victoria ’28 takes on the name vv Victoria ’28.
1990 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 drops back into Sunday League 4 along with the club finishing in second-last place, SV Rietvogels.
1991 / Finishing in joint first place in District East’s Sunday League 4A with SV Hector, vv Victoria ’28 must have played a tie-break match against the club from Goor, but no data are available on the matter. Be that as it may, both clubs accede to Sunday League 3, one as champions, the second as promotion play-off winners.
1992 / Finishing in second-last place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season, along with bottom club HVV Tubantia.
1993 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 1 point ahead of closest followers EV&AC De Tubanters, vv Victoria ’28 manages an immediate return to Sunday League 3.
1995 / Finishing in second-last place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club HVV Hengelo.
2002 / vv Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points behind champions SV Bon Boys.
2003 / vv Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 1 point behind champions RKSV VOGIDO. That same year, the covered stand at vv Victoria ‘28’s Sportpark Wesselerbrink-Zuid (Zuid) is adorned with a radio cabin.
2004 / Runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 12 points behind runaway champions RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht, vv Victoria ’28 goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Sunday League 3.
2006 / Finishing in second-last place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club vv UD Weerselo.
2007 / vv Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 3 points behind champions KOSC. That same year, the main pitch of vv Victoria ’28’s park is equipped with a synthetic surface.
2008 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 5 points ahead of closest rivals vv Oldenzaal, vv Victoria ’28 wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
2011 / Runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 5 points behind champions AVC Luctor et Emergo, vv Victoria ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Easing past DOS ’19 in R1 (7-2 aggr.), the club goes on to knock out vv Oldenzaal in the final (3-1 aggr.), the result being a historic promotion to Sunday League 2.
2012 / In the best season in club history, vv Victoria ’28 finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2J, 10 points behind champions TVC ’28. In the promotion play-offs, the club is eliminated in R1 by Sportclub Silvolde (7-4 aggr. A.E.T.).
2013 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2J, vv Victoria ’28 drops back into Sunday League 3 along with AJC ’96 and bottom club KOSC.
2017 / Finishing in fourth place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, going on to defeat Wijhe ’92 in R2 (4-3 aggr.). As such, the club manages a return to Sunday League 2 after an absence of four seasons.
2018 / Finishing in second-last place in Sunday League 2J, vv Victoria ’28 descends into Sunday League 3 along with AV&CV Robur et Velocitas 1882 and bottom club SV Epe.
2019 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, vv Victoria ’28 is retrograded into Sunday League 4 along with vv Reünie and vv Twenthe.
2024 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4B, vv Victoria ’28 descends into Sunday League 5 for the first time, along with EV&AC De Tubanters 1897, Sportclub Overdinkel, and UDI. However, following the 2023-24 season, the club decides to abandon Sunday league football after a tradition of nearly a century, choosing to be placed in Saturday League 5 instead.