Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: ZVV Zaanlandia (1957-2022) / ZVC '22 (2022-2023)

Sportpark Oostzijderveld, Zaandam (formerly ZVV Zaanlandia & ZVC '22)

Netherlands, province: North Holland

12 XI 2022 / ZVC '22 - ADO '20 (za) 1-1 / District West I, Saturday League 3A (= NL level 8)

Timeline

1912 / In April 1912, football club SVK ('Strijd voor Kampioenen') sees the daylight, with home matches being played at Zaandam's Volkspark. Barely two months in existence, a merger is concluded with another small local club, DVO ('Door Vrienden Opgericht'), resulting in the foundation of ZVV (Zaansche Voetbalvereeniging) Zaanlandia, with all activities moving to DVO's ground, Terrein Blauwe Zand. Zaanlandia is a modest club, never climbing further up the league ladder than (Sunday) League 3 in the first 90 years of its existence.
1921 / Abandoning Terrein Blauwe Zand, ZVV Zaanlandia settles at a new ground at Kopermolenstraat.
1937 / ZVV Zaanlandia moves from Kopermolenstraat to a ground at Veeringstraat.
1956 / After four years of football in NHVB (Noord-Hollandse Voetbalbond), the association organising the local football in North Holland below L4, ZVV Zaanlandia finds its way back to Sunday League 4. That year, being ejected from its premises at Veeringstraat, the club moves to a temporary ground at Westerzijveld.
1957 / Inauguration of Zaanlandia's new ground, Sportpark Oostzijderveld (Oost), laid out on a pasture known locally as Bernardbrug. Zaanlandia's pitches are an extension of the western end of the park, which are home to VVZ (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging Zaandam), which moved there in 1937. Prior to VVZ moving in, Sportpark Oostzijderveld (West) - or 'Stadionveld', as its pre-war name was - was home to ZFC's youth academy.
1965 / After an absence of 19 years, ZVV Zaanlandia reclaims its place in Sunday League 3 by winning the title in Sunday League 4D. That same year, Saturday League club ZCFC (Zaandamse Christelijke Football Club) moves into Sportpark Oostzijderveld (West), commencing a groundshare with Sunday club VVZ.
±1967 / Lacking facilities for supporters since its inauguration in 1957, Zaanlandia's ground is adorned with a small wooden, uncovered stand, with seats for some 300 supporters. This stand (cp. photos ... below) was purchased from KFC (Koogsche Football Club), most probably in 1967, when KFC's professional league branch FC Zaanstreek, groundsharing with KFC at Sportpark De Koog (Wezelstraat), disappeared from Koog aan de Zaan after merging with Alkmaar '54 to become AZ '67. With KFC itself playing in the lower reaches of Sunday league football, the ground no longer saw large crowds - and, as a result, there was no need for the extra wooden stand, which used to have its place in between KFC's main stand (consumed in a fire, March 2017) and the clubhouse. The construction was re-erected at Sportpark Oostzijderveld (Oost).
1974 / After nine consecutive seasons in Sunday League 3, ZVV Zaanlandia drops back into Sunday League 4. That year, a large covered stand, with three dressing rooms on the ground floor and an elevated spectators' area, is constructed alongside the southern side of the ground.
1979 / Following a 14-year groundshare with VVZ at Sportpark Oostzijderveld (West), ZCFC leaves for a newly constructed ground, Sportpark Kalverhoek in Wijdewormer.
1986 / Having played regular Sunday League football for 34 years, ZVV Zaanlandia suffers relegation to NHVB.
1998 / Managing back-to-back promotions, ZVV Zaanlandia climbs up from Sunday League 6 to Sunday League 4.
2000 / After an absence of 26 years, ZVV Zaanlandia finds its way back to Sunday League 3. In the following decade, the club alternates spells in L3 and L4.
±2007 / The main stand at Sportpark Oostzijderveld (Oost) is named after Zaanlandia's long-time volunteer Kees Kuiper.
2010 / Zaanlandia's neighbour club VVZ merges with PCSK (Parochiale Sportclub Kalf), forming SC Hercules Zaandam. That same year, the new merger club moves into the newly built Sportpark De Kuil. Meanwhile, Sportpark Oostzijderveld (West) is demolished to make way for Zaandam's fire station.
2011 / After a second promotion in as many seasons, ZVV Zaanlandia finds itself in Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history. The stay at this level lasts for two seasons, with relegation following in 2013.
2015 / Winning the promotion play-offs, ZVV Zaanlandia finds its way back to Sunday League 2.
2018 / Clinching the league title in Sunday League 2A, ZVV Zaanlandia accedes to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history. Meanwhile, merger talks with two other local clubs, Hellas Sport Combinatie and ZVV Zilvermeeuwen, lead to nothing. While Hellas Sport and Zilvermeeuwen conclude a merger that summer, forming FC Zaandam, ZVV Zaanlandia prefers continuing independently.
2019 / In its first season in Sunday League 1A, Zaanlandia finishes in a respectable sixth place.
2020 / After 108 years, ZVV Zaanlandia withdraws from Sunday league football. From 1996 onwards, the club had already, intermittently, fielded a team in the regular Saturday leagues - and, from 2020 onwards, the Saturday squad, starting out in Saturday League 4, became Zaanlandia's flagship team.
2022 / Having refused to merge with Hellas Sport and Zilvermeeuwen in 2018, ZVV Zaanlandia eventually concludes a merger with FC Zaandam four years later, resulting in the foundation of ZVC '22 (Zaanse Voetbalcombinatie 2022). For the time being, first team football is moved to Zaanlandia's ground, while FC Zaandam's Sportpark Hoornseveld is undergoing further renovation; several of its side-pitches are already used for lower team football and training purposes in mid-2022.
2023 / Abandoning Sportpark Oostzijderveld - but still awaiting the completion of the renovated Sportpark Hoornseveld -, ZVC '22 moves to the far eastern end of Sportpark Hoornseveld, which used to be the home ground of FC Zaandam.