Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KVV Heidebloem Dilsen (1941?-2000) / Dilsen VV (2000-2011) / Heidebloem Dilsen VV (2011-2019) / KVV Dilsen-Stokkem (B) (2019-2022)

Wednesday 18 May 2016

BELGIUM: KVV Heidebloem Dilsen (1941?-2000) / Dilsen VV (2000-2011) / Heidebloem Dilsen VV (2011-2019) / KVV Dilsen-Stokkem (B) (2019-2022)

Terrein "Op de Bekker" = Heidebloemstadion, Dilsen (Heidebloem Dilsen VV, formerly KVV Heidebloem Dilsen / Dilsen VV / Heidebloem Dilsen VV)

Belgium, province: Limburg

18 V 2016 / Heidebloem Dilsen VV - SK Moelingen 1-1 / Belgian Limburg, Provincial League 4 - promotion play-off (= BE level 8)

Timeline

1940 / Foundation of Voetbalvereniging (VV) Heidebloem Dilsen, which successfully applies for membership of the Belgian FA, receiving matricule 2986.
1941 / VV Heidebloem Dilsen enters a team in Limburg's Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke) for the first time. It is unclear if the club was home at Terrein Op de Bekker from the outset.
1956 / The first tangible success in club history, VV Heidebloem Dilsen conquers the title in Provincial League 3B, thus acceding to Provincial League 2 for the first time.
1960 / Having played in P2 for 4 seasons, the club is relegated to P3. In the following decades, Heidebloem alternates spells in P3 (1960-68, 1979-81, 1984-86) and P2 (1968-79, 1981-84, 1986-92).
1990 / Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the club adapts its name to become Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging (KVV) Heidebloem Dilsen.
1992 / Having finished in 3rd place in the two previous seasons, Heidebloem wins the P2B title, thus acceding to Provincial League 1 for the first time. In its first season in the highest division of Limburg's regional league system, the club finishes in a modest 11th position.
1994 / Winning the P1 title in its second season at that level, KVV Heidebloem Dilsen manages an unprecedented promotion to National Division 4. In its first season in Division 4C, the club narrowly misses out on a play-off spot, finishing in 5th place.
1998 / Managing a 7th place in its fourth season in National Division 4C, KVV Heidebloem Dilsen qualifies for the promotion play-offs for the first time, but it is roughly eliminated in R1 by eventual promotion winners Verbroedering Denderhoutem from East Flanders (5-1).
1999 / Having further strengthened its squad, Heidebloem finishes in first place in National Division 4C with an advantage of 9 points over closest rivals K Wezel Sport FC. Thus, the club accedes to National Division 3 for the first time.
2000 / The promotion to D3 also proves the death-knell for KVV Heidebloem Dilsen; finishing dead-last in D3B, the club is relegated back into D4, but, having seriously overstretched its finances, the presidency filed for insolvency, after merger talks with KEFC Rotem and K Neeroeteren FC had come to naught. Matricule 2986 is erased from the Belgian FA's official lists. That same summer, a phoenix club sees the daylight, which takes on the name Dilsen Voetbalvereniging (VV). Acquiring matricule 9380, the new club starts its life in Limburg's Provincial League 4. As a hats-off to history, Terrein Op de Bekker is renamed Heidebloemstadion.
2006 / Finishing in 6th place in P4B, Dilsen VV wins the promotion play-offs to accede to Provincial League 3.
2008 / Having headed the P3B table for most of the season, Dilsen VV dramatically gives away the title to derby rivals K Stokkem VV in the latter stages of the season. In the promotion play-offs, the club successively sees off KVV Lummen, K Eisden Sportief, and SV Herkol to win the coveted P2 ticket.
2011 / Losing the relegation play-offs against KVV Lummen, Dilsen VV drops back into P3 after three seasons at Provincial League 2 level. That summer, the club changes its name to become Heidebloem Dilsen VV - thereby reinforcing its ties with the past, having completed the obligatory 10 years of not being allowed to use the name of a former club.
2012 / Finishing last in Provincial League 3B, the renamed club is relegated for the second season in a row, thus finding itself in the bottom division of Limburg's provincial league system.
2016 / Finishing 3rd in Provincial League 4B, Heidebloem Dilsen VV qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating Jungle Boys Eigenbilzen in R1 (3-3, winning on away goals). In the subsequent final round, KFC Verbroedering Lommel proves too strong (3-2 on aggregate). A long-winding lucky loser play-off follows, in which the Dilsen side successively manages to defeat KV Eendracht Gingelom (9-3 aggr.) and SK Moelingen (4-3 aggr.), but with no extra promotion places being available, the club stays in P4.
2017 / Finishing 5th in P4D, Heidebloem qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is emphatically defeated in R1 (11-3 aggr.) by KVV Lummen.
2018 / Finishing 3rd in P4C, Heidebloem qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is defeated in R1 (3-2 aggr.) by K Kortessemse VV.
2019 / In its last season as an independent club, Heidebloem Dilsen VV finishes in 7th place in Provincial League 4C. Again having run into financial trouble, the club allows itself to be absorbed by its neighbours K Stokkem VV, which is renamed KVV Dilsen-Stokkem - retaining Stokkem's original matricule 332. First team football is played in Stokkem, while Dilsen's ageing Heidebloemstadion remains in use for lower team football and training sessions.
2022 / Having remained in use for lower team football and training sessions for three more years, Dilsen's Heidebloemstadion is abandoned. That same year, KVV Dilsen-Stokkem drops the reference to Dilsen, changing its name to VV (Voetbalvereniging) Vlug & Vrij Stokkem.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-15 = match visit, May 2016 / pictures 16-23 = non-matchday (ruin) visit, April 2023.