Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: WFC (±1924-1925) / vv Hunsingo (1925-±1950) / CVV Viboa (1952-2016) / vv Winsum (2016-2020)

Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg, Winsum Obergum (formerly WFC, vv Hunsingo, CVV Viboa & vv Winsum)

Netherlands, province: Groningen

10 IX 2016 / vv Winsum (za) - vv PKC '83 1-1 / Saturday League 1E (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1917 / A first football team is formed in Winsum, a town in the northern part of the Province of Groningen. The team is given the name AFC, an abbreviation of Altijd Fijne Combinatie. Without joining any football association as yet, but playing improvised matches against teams from surrounding villages, AFC settles on a pitch on a pitch of farmland near Enne Jans Hoeve in the hamlet of Maarhuizen.
± 1919 / Moving away from Terrein Enne Jans Hoeve, AFC moves to a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Lugtenborg in Winsumermeeden.
1921 / Creation of a new football team in Winsum, made up of a group of youngsters of the protestant (evangelical) faith under the leadership of Wiep Brander, who is specifically mentioned as the founder of the new team, which is given the rather whimsical name Kap en Klomp, i.e. ‘Boot and Clog’ in a literal English translation. The first matches of this team take place on a plot of farmland in the hamlet of Maarhuizen, put at the boys’ disposal by a local smallholder, Mr Dussel. In the course of the 1920s, Kap en Klomp must have become a member of the so-called Onderlinge Voetbalbond (OVB), a local association of clubs from the Province of Groningen dedicated to playing football on Saturdays for religious reasons. Also in or around 1921, moving away from Terrein Lugtenborg, AFC must have moved to a newly laid-out pitch in Obergum.
± 1922 / AFC takes on the new name WVV, Winsumer Voetbalvereeniging.
1924 / WVV takes on the new name WFC, Winsumer Football Club, possibly at the request of the Voetbalbond Noord-Westelijk Groningen, a local league association which accepted the club as a new member in 1924. Around this same time, moving away from the pitch in Obergum laid out some three years previously, WFC now moves to a pitch laid out on a plot of land owned by a local smallholder, mr Wierda, at Schouwerzijlsterweg, also in Obergum. This pitch, which had the unusual feature of a tree right in the middle of it, coincides with the location of the pitch later used by CVV Viboa in the years 1952-2016 and by vv Winsum in the years 2016-20.
1925 / As WFC applies for membership of the Groninger Voetbalbond (GVB), the Groningen sub-branch of the official Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB, later renamed KNVB), the club is allowed to join on the condition that it changes its name – possibly to avoid confusion with the older NVB member club WFC from Wormerveer. In a streak of originality, club officials choose to take on the name vv Hunsingo – Hunsingo being the name of the northern region of Groningen which was one of the three of the Ommelanden or ‘Surrounding Lands’ which were governed from the city of Groningen in the pre-Napoleon days of the United Provinces. For the 1925-26 season, vv Hunsingo is placed in GVB (Sunday) Division 2.
1926 / Runner-up in GVB Division 2, vv Hunsingo wins promotion to Division 1 of the said league system.
1929 / After a twilight existence of eight years, Kap en Klomp ceases its activities for the time being.
1933 / After a four-year break, Kap en Klomp is re-established, with 1933 probably being the moment that a new name was chosen, Christelijke Voetbalvereeniging (CVV) Viboa – with the last part of the name being an acronym for Voetballen Is Bij Ons Aangenaam (literally translated: Playing Football Is A Pleasant Activity With Us) – a name devised by Mr J. Huitsing. Activities are resumed on a plot of farmland put at the club’s disposal by a local smallholder, Simon Wieringa, near Stationsweg in the hamlet of Bellingeweer; as its predecessor Kap en Klomp, CVV Viboa joins the Onderlinge Voetbalbond (OVB) rather than the non-confessional GVB (KNVB).
1935 / Clinching the title in GVB Division 1, vv Hunsingo accedes to KNVB District North’s (Sunday) League 3 – the lowest level of the regular league pyramid in District North in the pre-war years – for the first time. In this year at its latest, the tree must have been removed from Terrein Schouwerzijlsterweg, as such anomalies could be turned a blind eye to by subsidiary league associations such as the GVB, but not by the KNVB. Meanwhile, Saturday club CVV Viboa also wins its (probably first) title in the OVB competition under the aegis of coach A. van der Veen.
1938 / CVV Viboa wins its second OVB title, with the decisive points being clinched in a 1-0 away win at SV De Heracliden. For the start of the 1938-39 season, Viboa abandons the OVB association, joining the newly formed Saturday divisions of the GVB – thus officially becoming a KNVB member. Around this same time, Viboa moves to a newly laid out pitch at Schouwerzijlsterweg – not the same pitch as vv Hunsingo, but a location nearby, on a plot of farmland put at the club’s disposal by farmer Jakob Sieger.
1939 / Finishing in second-last place in District North’s (Sunday) League 3C, vv Hunsingo drops back into GVB Division 1 along with bottom club vv Ten Post.
1942 / Probably after a period of inactivity following the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1940, CVV Viboa ceases to exist as an independent club, with the remaining membership being absorbed in another protestant (evangelical) local sports club, Christelijke Sportvereniging.
1943 / Clinching the title in GVB Sunday Division 1, vv Hunsingo manages a return to Sunday League 3 with coach J. Hazeveld. As regular league football comes to a standstill in the years 1943-45, the club has to wait until the first regular post-war season (1945-46) to take its place in League 3.
1945 / Re-establishment of CVV Viboa as an independent football club – with the umbrella club Christelijke Sportvereniging, into which it had been absorbed in the war years, being wound up in the latter half of the 1940s. Probably the resumption of club activities coincided with Viboa settling at a newly laid-out pitch at Borgweg in Bellingeweer – not far from the modern-day Wink Heem retirement home.
± 1950 / Abandoning its pitch of the past 25 odd years at Schouwerzijlsterweg, vv Hunsingo moves to a pitch adjacent to this location – directly to its east. For the further history of vv Hunsingo, check the article dedicated to Sportpark Schilligeham, where Hunsingo settled in 1977.
1952 / Meanwhile playing in GVB Saturday Division 1, CVV Viboa manages to defeat vv De Fivel (1-0, goal by J. Korendijk) in a tie-break match to avoid relegation from this level, played on the pitch of CV CSB in Baflo. For the start of the 1952-53 season, moving away from Terrein Borgweg, Viboa settles at the pitch at Schouwerzijlsterweg abandoned by vv Hunsingo some two years previously. The inaugural match, in which the club takes on CVV Oranje Nassau 1918 Reserves, takes place on September 6th, 1952, with Winsum’s mayor Kier Bosch performing the inaugural ceremony. As such, Hunsingo and Viboa become each other’s neighbours for the following 25 years, with Viboa playing on the westernmost pitch, with the Hunsingo pitch to its east.
1954 / Coached by Mr Van Aalfst (Van Aalst?), CVV Viboa clinches the title in GVB Saturday Division 1, missing out on promotion to District North’s Saturday League 4 in the ensuing round of championship play-offs.
1955 / Clinching the title in GVB Saturday Division 1 for the second year in a row with coach Van Aalfst (Van Aalst?), CVV Viboa now accedes to KNVB District North’s Saturday League 4 directly due to extra promotion places being available. The decisive points for the title are obtained in an emphatic 11-3 home win over vv Westeremder Boys.
1959 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Saturday League 4C with coach Van Aalfst (Van Aalst?), CVV Viboa drops back into the ranks of the GVB.
1967 / Runner-up in GVB Saturday Division 1A, 3 points behind CVV Oranje Nassau 1918 Reserves, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 4 due to reserves’ teams not being eligible for promotion to League 4. The successful Viboa coach is J. Meis.
1968 / CVV Viboa manages a second place in District North’s Saturday League 4C, following a hard-fought title race with derby rivals CV CSB, as the club from Baflo finishes with just 1 extra point.
1970 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 4C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv Corenos, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time. The successful coach is K. van der Veen. Meanwhile, the club plays at a higher level than village rivals vv Hunsingo, which drops back from Sunday League 4 into GVB Sunday Division 1 this same season.
1972 / Finishing in second-last place in District North’s Saturday League 3A with coach C. van Dorst, CVV Viboa drops back into Saturday League 4 after two years, along with bottom club vv HJSC.
1977 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 4C, 3 points ahead of closest followers vv De Pelikanen, CVV Viboa manages a return to Saturday League 3. The successful coach is M. Veenhuis. Also in 1977, Viboa’s neighbour club vv Hunsingo moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark Schilligeham in Winsum proper, with its pitch at Schouwerzijlsterweg becoming the first side-pitch of Viboa.
1978 / Coached by M. Veenhuis, CVV Viboa finishes bottom of the table in District North’s Saturday League 3B, thus descending into Saturday League 4 after just one season, alongside the club in second-last place, vv LTC.
1981 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 4C, 7 points ahead of runner-up vv Omlandia, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 3. The successful coach is Tonny van Dellen.
1988 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Saturday League 3B, CVV Viboa drops back into Saturday League 4, along with the club in second-last place, SCN.
1994 / CVV Viboa finishes as runner-up in District North’s Saturday League 4C, 2 points behind champions – and eternal derby rivals – CVVB (from Bedum).
1995 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 4C, 2 points ahead of closest followers CVV Fit Boys, CVV Viboa manages a return to Saturday League 3 after an absence of seven years.
1996 / Finishing in fifth place in District North’s Saturday League 3A, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 2 due to extra promotion places being available following the introduction of the so-called Zaterdag Hoofdklasse as the new top level of the Saturday pyramid.
1998 / Finishing in second-last place in Saturday League 2L, CVV Viboa descends into Saturday League 3 along with bottom club SCN.
1999 / CVV Viboa finishes as runner-up in District North’s Saturday League 3B, 10 points behind runaway champions vv Holwierde.
2000 / Runaway champions in District North’s Saturday League 3C, 17 points ahead of closest followers SV Lycurgus, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Peter Brekhof.
2002 / Champions in Saturday League 2L, 1 point ahead of closest rivals vv BCV, CVV Viboa clinches a historic promotion to Saturday League 1, the second-highest level of the Saturday pyramid at that time. The successful coach is Peter Brekhof.
2003 / Finishing in third-last place in Saturday League 1E with coach Peter Brekhof, CVV Viboa drops back into Saturday League 2 after just one season, along with vv Olympia ’28 and bottom club CVVB.
2004 / Runaway champions in Saturday League 2L, 11 points ahead of runners-up vv Noordscheschut and vv Eems Boys, CVV Viboa wins promotion to Saturday League 1. The successful coach is Fred Hansen.
2005 / Former Viboa youth academy player Marcel Pannekoek makes his professional league debut with FC Groningen at the age of 19, going on to have a further spell at FC Emmen befor bowing out into non-league at vv PKC ’83. Pannekoek would extend his non-league career long enough to also wear the shirt of the merger club vv Winsum.
2006 / Finishing in fifth place in Saturday League 1E, CVV Viboa qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out by HZVV. That same year, former Viboa youth academy midfielder Elwin Kloosterman makes his professional league debut at BV Veendam at the age of 20, going on to have a three-year spell at that club before ending his footballing career.
2013 / In the best season in club history, CVV Viboa finishes in second place in Saturday League 1E, 8 points behind champions vv Drachtster Boys. Qualifying for the promotion-relegation play-offs, the club is drawn in a group with Go-Ahead Kampen and Hoofdklasse side HZVV, going on to suffer defeat in an away match against the former (2-0), with a home win over the latter (6-2) proving immaterial due to Go-Ahead Kampen beating HZVV in the last match (0-3) and thus winning the play-off as well as a ticket for Zaterdag Hoofdklasse. Furthermore, in the summer of 2013, the youth academies of vv Hunsingo and CVV Viboa are merged into one under the name SJO (Samenwerkende Jeugdopleidingen) Winsum – a prelude to a projected fully-fledged merger between the two clubs.
2014 / Former FC Groningen, BV Veendam, and Burundian international striker Kassim Bizimana joins CVV Viboa from vv PKC ’83, going on to wear the Viboa shirt for one season before moving on to CVV Oranje Nassau 1918 in the summer of 2015.
2016 / In its last season as an independent club, CVV Viboa finishes in ninth place in Saturday League 1E. Following the 2015-16 season, the club concludes a merger with vv Hunsingo, resulting in the foundation of vv Winsum. The new club starts its existence with two first teams, one at Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg in Saturday League 1, replacing CVV Viboa, and one at Sportpark Schilligeham in Sunday League 4, taking the place of vv Hunsingo.
2017 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Sunday League 4B, vv Winsum (zo) suffers relegation into Sunday League 5. However, following the 2016-17 season, vv Winsum withdraws from regular Sunday League football, continuing with just one first team playing in the Saturday divisions at Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg. Sportpark Schilligeham is retained for lower team football and training sessions.
2019 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 1E, vv Winsum qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv Noordscheschut (0-0 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). That same year, works get underway on a new park for vv Winsum shortly to the south of Sportpark Schiligeham, the ground of the former vv Hunsingo.
2020 / The new ground of vv Winsum, Sportpark Geert Reinders, is inaugurated, with the club having six pitches at its disposal from now on – including the three pitches of vv Hunsingo at its northern end (the former main pitch of Sportpark Schilligeham is Pitch/Veld 4 in the new set-up). Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg is abandoned and sold to the municipality of Het Hogeland, to which the village of Winsum belongs.
2021 / The abandoned clubhouse of CVV Viboa at Schouwerzijlsterweg is taken over by local karate club Dojo Katsu, users of the adjacent indoor hall.
2022 / Part of the pitches of the former Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg, unused in the past two years, have to make way for container units, intended to house asylum seekers.
2024 / Part of the pitches of the former Sportpark Schouwerzijlsterweg have to make way for an extension of the adjacent business park.

Note – Much of the information above has been derived from several valuable historical sources; first, where the early history of vv Hunsingo is concerned, there is a booklet, published on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of vv Hunsingo: anon.,“vv Hunsingo 75 jaar. 1 mei 1917-1 mei 1992”; furthermore, there is an interesting short study by Henk Wolters, “Voetbalvereniging Hunsingo 86 jaar”, in: Informatieblad Historische Vereniging Winsum-Obergum, 2004, no. 1, pg. 10-14. For the parts of the article dedicated to CVV Viboa and its predecessor Kap en Klomp, I had at my disposal two magazines published on the occasion of club anniversaries: ‘Jubileum Viboa 1921-1981’ (1981) & ‘Jubileum-nummer CVV Viboa 75 jaar’ (1996). Thanks to Wendy Mekel, a vv Winsum board member, for allowing me to use all of this source material.