Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv Rijsoord

Sportpark Het Kraaiennest, Ridderkerk Rijsoord (vv Rijsoord)

Netherlands, province: South Holland

13 XII 2014 / vv Rijsoord - vv Sliedrecht 1-2 / Saturday League 1C (NL level 5)

Timeline

1924 / In the hamlet of Rijsoord, to the south of Ridderkerk, a football club is founded which is given the name De Zwervers (in English: ‘The Wanderers’) due to the club initially lacking a pitch of its own – which, however, is soon found on a pasture at Langeweg. The club plays its football in the so-called Dordrechtsche Voetbalbond (DVB), a league association of clubs from the wider Dordrecht region playing their football below the level of NVB League 4.
1937 / De Zwervers changes its name to become Voetbalvereniging Rijsoord.
1938 / Moving away from Terrein Langeweg, vv Rijsoord settles at a newly laid-out pitch at Vlasstraat.
± 1946 / A second pitch is added to Terrein Vlasstraat, which becomes the park’s main pitch.
1966 / Having spent the majority of the 20 preceding seasons in Saturday League 4, with two short excursions into DVB (1952-54 & 1956-59), vv Rijsoord now clinches the title in Saturday League 4D, thus acceding to League 3 for the first time in club history.
1968 / Winning the title in Saturday League 3B, vv Rijsoord accedes to League 2 for the first time, due to hold out at that level for three seasons. Also in 1968, a terrace is added to the set-up at Terrein Vlasstraat.
1972 / Following a relegation in 1971, vv Rijsoord now obtains the title in L3B to return to League 2 at the first opportunity. Also in 1972, in a thorough renovation of Terrein Vlasstraat, the two existing pitches are given a quarter turn to give them their current position, with the terrace being removed. Two other pitches are added to the set-up – including a new main pitch (the current main pitch). Moreover, a two-storey clubhouse is erected, inaugurated by Ridderkerk’s mayor Kees Verplanke. The ground is renamed Sportpark Het Kraaiennest around this time.
1978 / A covered stand is built along the main pitch, on the side of the clubhouse built six years previously.
1982 / Having spent 10 consecutive seasons in League 2 – the highlight being a 3rd place in the 1980-81 season –, vv Rijsoord now finishes 13th in L2B, thus suffering relegation back into League 3. The following decade, the club alternates spells in League 3 (1982-91, 1993-94) and League 4 (1991-93).
1994 / Following two successive promotions, vv Rijsoord finds itself back in League 2, but the adventure lasts no longer than one year, with relegation following in 1995.
1995 / Floodlights are added to the main pitch at Sportpark Het Kraaiennest.
1997 / Winning back-to-back promotions, vv Rijsoord knocks down the door to Saturday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2000 / The first confirmed champion in the Netherlands in the new millennium, clinching the title on February 19th, 2000, vv Rijsoord accedes to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse B, the top level of the Saturday league pyramid, for the first time in club history. The stay at that level does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation following in 2001.
2003 / The main stand at Sportpark Het Kraaiennest is partially consumed by a fire – only to be completely restored by a group of volunteers.
2004 / vv Rijsoord finishes in 2nd place in Saturday League 1C behind SV Kozakken Boys, but the season ends in disappointment due to an unsuccessful promotion play-off campaign.
2005 / Finishing in joint-first place in L1C with vv Kloetinge, the two clubs play a tie-break match at SEOLTO’s Sportpark De Meeren in Zevenbergen, eventually won by Kloetinge after extra time (5-2). Again, vv Rijsoord does not manage to force its way to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse in the play-offs.
2007 / Finishing in 3rd place in L1C, vv Rijsoord is eliminated in the promotion play-offs at the hands of vv Roda Boys-Bommelerwaard and vv NIVO Sparta. Reaching the semi-finals of the Regional Cup, the club qualifies for the nationwide cup for the first time, in which it is eliminated in R1.
2010 / Finishing runners-up in League 1C for the 4th time in seven seasons, this time behind vv Heerjansdam, vv Rijsoord finally accedes to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse without having to play a set of promotion play-offs – this due to a reorganisation of the football pyramid, which sees the addition of a Topklasse as the top level of non-league in the Netherlands. Yet again, though, the stay at Hoofdklasse level (involving the first competitive matches against derby rivals RVVH in 40 years) does not last longer than one season, with relegation following in 2011.
2012 / Suffering its second successive relegation – and a defeat at the hands of vv Duiveland in the play-offs –, vv Rijsoord now finds itself in Saturday League 2, not having played at that level for 15 years.
2013 / Clinching the title in Saturday League 2F, 11 points ahead of Leerdam Sport ’55, vv Rijsoord returns to League 1 at the first opportunity.
2016 / vv Rijsoord’s main pitch is equipped with a synthetic surface.
2017 / Winning the title in Saturday League 1C, 2 points ahead of vv Kloetinge, vv Rijsoord accedes to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse, but, yet again, the club descends back into L1 after just one season.
2019 / Winning the title in Saturday League 1C, 6 points ahead of its closest followers – and eternal rivals – vv Kloetinge, vv Rijsoord accedes to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse.
2022 / Having held out in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse for 3 seasons (although it should be specified that league football was interrupted for long periods in those years due to the COVID lockdown), vv Rijsoord now finishes dead-last in Hoofdklasse A, thus dropping back into L1.
2023 / Finishing second-last in L1C, vv Rijsoord suffers relegation, finding itself in Saturday League 2 for the first time in ten years.
2024 / Finishing in tenth place in Saturday League 2F, vv Rijsoord has to play relegation play-offs to assure itself of a prolonged stay at that level. Drawing a bye in R1, the club is eliminated in R2 by SV Houten (0-1), leading to a second relegation in a row and the club finding itself in Saturday League 3 for the first time in thirty years.