NETHERLANDS: vv Heidebloem (1980-2016)

Sportpark Landgraaf "Ton Caanen Sportcomplex", Geleen Lindenheuvel (formerly vv Heidebloem)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

26 III 2016 / vv Heidebloem - SC Susteren 2-0 / Sunday League 1D (= NL level 5)

Timeline

• 1957 / Foundation of a recreational club in Geleen-Lindenheuvel, given the name vv Heidebloem. Most of the club's membership previously played in SV Maurits' lower teams - SV Maurits having merged into Fortuna '54 shortly before. Founding father of the club was Mathieu 'Mathje' Kerkhoffs. In the early years, vv Heidebloem plays its home matches on a pitch in Stein, beyond the municipal borders of Geleen. The club played its football in the so-called Geleense Zomeravond-Competitie.
• 1962 / Abandoning its pitch in Stein, vv Heidebloem settles at Terrein Borrekuil in Geleen proper.
• 1980 / Abandoning Terrein Borrekuil, vv Heidebloem settles at the newly laid-out Sportpark Landgraaf at Raadskuilderweg in Lindenheuvel - later renamed Ton Caanen Sportcomplex in honour of the most talented player who ever wore the club's colours, Ton Caanen (born in Geleen, 1966), who went on to have a successful career as a trainer and technical director at a multitude of clubs in the Netherlands, Israel, Ukraine, Malta, Cyprus, and Slovakia.
• 1982 / Inauguration of the clubhouse and dressing rooms at Sportpark Landgraaf.
• 1986 / Joining the official Netherlands' Football Association (KNVB), vv Heidebloem is placed in LVB (Afdeling Limburg) Division 4S, in which it gets off to a flying start with the title in 1987, 9 points ahead of vv Urmondia. Thus, the club accedes to LVB Division 3.
• 1988 / Winning its 2nd title in a row - this time in LVB Division 3J -, vv Heidebloem accedes to LVB Division 2.
• 1989 / Managing a 3rd successive title, vv Heidebloem finishes in 1st place in LVB Division 2J, thus acceding to Afdeling Limburg's top division. That year, the club is also elected Geleen's sports team of the year, going on to win that same title again in 1992. Also around this time - probably in 1989 or 1990 -, vv Heidebloem wins the Afdeling Limburg Cup.
• 1991 / Having finished in a disappointing 2nd place in LVB Division 1D the season before, vv Heidebloem now clinches the title in that same division, thus acceding to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time. In its first season at that level, the club odes very well, finishing in 3rd place in League 4D.
• 1993 / Winning the title in District South II's Sunday League 4D - a 5th title in 7 seasons -, vv Heidebloem accedes to League 3. 
• 2002 / Finishing bottom in Sunday League 3A, vv Heidebloem suffers its first relegation since acceding to KNVB in 1986, descending into League 4.
• 2004 / Winning the League 4C title, vv Heidebloem returns to Sunday League 3 after a 2-year absence.
• 2009 / vv Heidebloem accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time after winning the title in League 3B.
• 2010 / Managing its 2nd title in a row, this time in Sunday League 2G, vv Heidebloem wins promotion to Sunday League 1.
• 2014 / In the best season in club history, vv Heidebloem finishes in 3rd place in Sunday League 1D, with only Oss teams SV TOP and RKVV DESO picking up more points.
• 2016 / In its last season as an independent club, vv Heidebloem finishes in 4th place in Sunday League 1D behind RKVV Chevremont, SV Meerssen, and RKSV Bekkerveld. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club edged past SC 't Zand, suffering elimination subsequently at the hands of RKSV Groene Ster in R2. The club took part in the play-offs without any hope of winning promotion, given that a merger had already been agreed on with RKFC Lindenheuvel - as well as an agreement that first team football would be continued at RKFC Lindenheuvel's level, i.e. League 4. All activities of the new merger club, RKFC Lindenheuvel-Heidebloem Combinatie, move to RKFC Lindenheuvel's ground, as the Ton Caanen Sportcomplex is abandoned.

Note - Photos 6, 8 & 11 below courtesy of Anneke te Boekhorst.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker & J.C. te Boekhorst / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of authors