Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: KSH (1983-2019) / SSA HMC '17 (A & B) (2019-)

Friday 7 October 2022

NETHERLANDS: KSH (1983-2019) / SSA HMC '17 (A & B) (2019-)

Sportpark 't Hach, Harreveld (SSA HMC '17, formerly KSH)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

6 X 2022 / SSA HMC '17 - GSV '63 3-0 / District East, Sunday League 5B (= NL level 10)

Timeline

1934 / Foundation of a football club in Harreveld, christened Harreveldsche Voetbalclub (HVC). A first friendly match is played on a pasture at Kerkstraat (opposite no. 60) - but with one of the players breaking a leg after just 15 minutes into the game, the enthusiasm for football is temporarily quelled. In September 1934, a new start is made; this second attempt being more durable. Home games are played on a pitch situated at the back of Café De Boer, Kerkstraat (entrance: Looweg).
1945 / HVC changes its name to become Katholiek Sportleven Harreveld (KSH).
1948 / A new pitch is put in place behind Café De Boer - given a quarter turn compared to the pre-war situation. The entrance is situated at Kerkstraat.
1965 / KSH moves from Café De Boer to a newly built park at Lindeboomweg, consisting of two pitches - of which only the main pitch has the correct measurements for regular league football.
1975 / A projected move to Ursulastraat is blocked by Guelders's provincial authorities, who insist on the pastures remaining in use for agricultural activities.
1982 / KSH abandons the premises at Lindeboomweg (which are replaced by housing and a new street, Muldershof), settling at the newly built Sportpark 't Hach (Looweg). Oddly, of the ground's two pitches, the main pitch is the one situated furthest away from the clubhouse.
2004 / A regular in Gelderse Voetbalbond (GVB), the two-division league system below District East's Sunday League 4, until the reorganisation of the lowest levels of the league pyramid in 1996, KSH manages a promotion from Sunday League 6 for the first time, acceding to League 5 by winning the promotion play-offs.
2006 / In spite of finishing on a respectable yet unconspicious eighth place in Sunday League 5, KSH wins the promotion play-offs and accedes to Sunday League 4 for the first time in club history. Predictably, the adventure lasts no longer than one season, with relegation following in 2007.
2008 / Suffering a second relegation in as many seasons, KSH suddenly finds itself in Sunday League 6 again. The following season, the club wins the title in Sunday League 6C, thus returning to L5 immediately.
2015 / Winning the title in Sunday League 5C, KSH climbs back to Sunday League 4.
2017 / The decision is taken upon to merge the youth academies of KSH and vv Mariënveld from nearby Mariënvelde, resulting in the foundation of SJO HMC '17 (Samenwerking Jeugdopleiding Harreveld-Mariënveld Combinatie 2017). Initially, RKZVC from nearby Zieuwent, was part of the plans as well, but this club dropped out of deliberations at an early stage.
2019 / Two years after combining the two clubs' youth academies, vv Mariënveld and KSH merge their adult teams as well. Stopping short of a fully-fledged merger, the two clubs conclude a cooperation agreement, resulting in first team football henceforth taking place under the name SSA (Samenwerking Seniorenafdeling) HMC '17. The team starts life in Sunday League 4, the level at which KSH maintained itself in the previous season - vv Mariënveld was down in Sunday League 5 at the time. Home matches are alternately played at Mariënveld's ground at Pastoor Deperinkweg and Sportpark 't Hach in Harreveld.
2022 / At the end of a disappointing season, SSA HMC '17's first team drops out of Sunday League 4.
2023 (projected) / KSH and vv Mariënveld will complete their merger process, with SSA-SJO HMC '17 becoming vv HMC '17.