Extreme Football Tourism: January 2019

Sportpark De Grote Moat, Tubbergen (TVC '28 = Tubbergense Voetbalclub)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

20 I 2019 / TVC '28 - RKVV Stevo 0-3 / Sunday League 1E (= NL level 6)

2 III 2024 / TVC '28 - vv Berkum 2-6 / National Division 4D (= NL level 5)

Timeline

1921 / Foundation of a first football club in Tubbergen, which is given the name Dr. Schaepman – named after Tubbergen’s Roman Catholic priest and politician, Dr. Herman Schaepman (1844-1903), who played a major role in the emancipation of Roman Catholics in the Netherlands. Instead of joining the official Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB), Dr. Schaepman applies for membership of the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Utrechtsche Voetbalbond (RKUVB). It is unclear where this club’s pitch was situated.
1923 / In its second season as a competitive club, Dr. Schaepman clinches the title in RKUVB’s Twenthe branch. However, due to a lack of players, the club folds in mid-1923.
1928 / Five years after the demise of Dr. Schaepman, a new football club sees the daylight in Tubbergen, TVC ’28 (Tubbergensche Voetbalclub 1928) – with the founding fathers being G. Mensink, A. Asbreuk, G. Stopel, J. Derksen, and T. Oostendorp. The spiritual advisor – a compulsory feature in any Roman Catholic club at the time – is a local chaplain, Mr Hulshof. TVC ‘28’s first pitch is situated at Reutummerdijk, at the back of Café Ter Heijne. Upon joining the RKUVB, the club is placed in that league association’s Division 2.
1938 / TVC ’28 drops back into RKUVB Division 3.
1940 / Having spent the first twelve years of its existence in the RKUVB, TVC ’28 is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands, abandoning the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ for obvious reasons) as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. The club is placed in Division 2 of the so-called Twentse Voetbalbond (TVB), the league association of clubs playing their football below the level of KNVB (Sunday) League 4. Meanwhile, TVC ’28 plays its home matches on a pitch situated at Binnenveldweg (owned by the Asbreuk family).
1947 / Clinching the title in TVB Division 2, TVC ’28 wins promotion to TVB Division 1.
1962 / Having spent the previous fifteen seasons in TVB Division 1, TVC ’28 now wins the title in TVB Division 1B, finishing 1 point ahead of closest followers VVDL. As such, the club accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1968 / The club’s fortieth anniversary is celebrated by TVC ‘28’s move to a new park, Sportpark De Grote Moat at Sportlaan. At the inauguration, with Tubbergen’s mayor Mr. L.P.J. Schepers attending, a gala match is played between professional league side GVAV (with skipper Martin Koeman, father of Erwin and Ronald) and the Netherland’s Military team (skippered by AFC Ajax defender Barry Hulshof).
1971 / Finishing last in District East’s Sunday League 4B, TVC ’28 drops back into TVB Division 1 after nine seasons.
1973 / Finishing 1 point ahead of closest followers SC Vasse, TVC ’28 clinches the title in TVB Division 1B – with the decisive points being obtained in a 1-0 home win over SV Omhoog, attended by 1,200 spectators. As such, TVC ’28 manages a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of two seasons. Moreover, the club conquers the honorary title of TVB champion by defeating TVB D1A title winners EFC Prinses Wilhelmina 1885 (PW). In a competition between regional champions of all other districts in the Netherlands, held at KNVB’s headquarters in Zeist, the club manages a respectable second place.
1974 / Winning the title in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 11 points ahead of FC Berghuizen, TVC ’28 accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
1975 / A clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark De Grote Moat. Until that time, TVC ‘28’s social gatherings had taken place at Café Brokelman.
1976 / Finishing second-last in District East’s Sunday League 3A, TVC ’28 drops back into League 4 along with bottom club vv Borne.
1988 / After twelve years in League 4, TVC ’28 now wins the title in District East’s Sunday League 4B, 9 points ahead of AVC Heracles. As such, the club returns to Sunday League 3 after an absence of fourteen years.
1989 / Coached by Peter Peters, TVC ’28 conquers the title in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points ahead of closest rivals RKSV EMOS. The decisive points are obtained in an away win at vv Rigtersbleek. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
1991 / Finishing in seventh place in Sunday League 2B, TVC ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it narrowly misses out on promotion in a three-way play-off against PH and KSV Achilles ’12. The decisive match against KSV Achilles ’12 at Sportpark De Grote Moat, finishing in a 3-4 win for the club from Hengelo, is attended by thousands of spectators.
1996 / Having spent seven seasons in League 2 – with a fifth place in 1994 being the best result – TVC ’28 now drops back into League 3 following a tenth place in Sunday League 2B and an unsuccessful play-off campaign.
2000 / Finishing in tenth place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, TVC ’28 now descends into League 4.
2001 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Sunday League 4B, 9 points behind joint-title winners AVC Luctor et Emergo and KSV BWO (with the latter eventually winning the tie-break match and direct promotion), TVC ’28 qualifies for the play-offs, in which it breaks down the door to League 3 by winning the final against GFC, played at SVZW’s Sportpark Lageveld Oost.
2005 / Finishing in last place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, TVC ’28 drops back into League 4 along with AVC Luctor et Emergo.
2008 / Clinching the title in District East’s Sunday League 4B, 4 points ahead of WVV ’34, TVC ’28 manages a return to League 3. The decisive points are obtained in a 1-0 home win over vv EMMS.
2010 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 13 points behind champions vv Glanerbrug, TVC ’28 manages a return to League 2 (after fourteen years) via the play-offs.
2012 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 2J – 10 points ahead of the following trio vv Victoria ’28, vv Heino, and WSV – TVC ’28 accedes to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2016 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 1E, TVC ’28 avoids direct relegation, a fate which befalls RKVV Rood Wit and WSV, the club saves its skin in the relegation play-offs by defeating FC Winterswijk and KVO BWO – the latter after a penalty shoot-out.
2017 / Having spent five consecutive seasons in Sunday League 1 – with a sixth place in Sunday League 1E in 2015 being the best result – TVC ’28 now finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 1E, thereby avoiding direct relegation, a fate which befalls SV Orion and vv Germania. In the promotion-relegation play-offs, the club edges past SDC ’12, before being defeated by FC Winterswijk. In the lucky loser round, the club leads a painful 3-0 away defeat at the hands of derby rivals RKVV Stevo, as a result of which the club descends into League 2. Also in 2017, a synthetic surface is laid out on TVC ‘28’s main pitch.
2018 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 2J, 6 points ahead of SDC ’12, TVC ’28 manages a return to League 1 at the first instance.
2023 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 1E, 2 points ahead of RKSV NEO, TVC ’28 – coached by Michiel Mensink – wins an unprecedented promotion to National Division 4D, the lowest level of the national league pyramid. In the summer of 2023, Mensink is succeeded by a new trainer, Berthil ter Avest, former professional league player at FC Twente, Roda JC, FC Groningen, Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach, and BV De Graafschap.

Note 1 - The encounter with RKVV Stevo, the first of the two matches I attended at Sportpark De Grote Moat, is the most important derby match for both clubs - which explains why a considerable crowd of about 1,500 turned up.

Note 2 - Below, a compilation of photos of two different match visits, one before the construction of the stand in mid-2023, the second after it; pictures 1-14 = January 2019 / pictures 15-23 = March 2024.