Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SLTO (1960-1991) / SC Neerlandia-SLTO (1991-2003) / vv AGB (2003-)

Sportpark Ookmeer - veld 12, Amsterdam (vv AGB, formerly AVV SLTO / SC Neerlandia-SLTO)

Netherlands, province: North Holland

11 XII 2022 / vv AGB - RKSV AFC '34 3-2 / Sunday League 1A (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1919 / Foundation of a football club by a group of youths living at 1e Hugo de Grootdwarsstraat (later renamed Rombout Hogerbeetsstraat) in Amsterdam. Initially named Klein Hugo, the club is renamed DES (Door Eendracht Sterk) that same year. Not seeking affiliation to any football association yet, DES contented itself with playing friendly matches for the time being. The club's first ground was the so-called Van Rappardterrein.
1920 / With only five remaining members just one year into its existence, DES is on the brink of folding. Neighbour club DTS suggests concluding a merger, but the offer is turned down.
1921 / With various other teams playing at Van Rappardterrein folding (including DOS, a first SLTO, and HMS), DES sees its membership grow considerably, resulting in the decision to seek affiliation to AVVB (Amsterdamsche Volksvoetbalbond) - but the club must have switched to AVB (Amsterdamsche Voetbalbond) pretty soon afterwards. As the name DES turned out to have been taken already by another club, the club changes its name to become SLTO (Samenspel Leidt Tot Overwinning). That same year, the renamed club switches to a pitch at Nieuwendam.
1923 / SLTO moves to a new ground, Terrein Associatie-Cassa at 2e Zuidelijke Wandelweg.
1924 / Abandoning the pitch at Wandelweg, SLTO commences a groundshare with another club, Fenris, at Terrein Kruislaan (situated at the crossroads of Kruislaan and Weesperzijde, close to the location of JOS' future ground). As Fenris folds not long after, SLTO becomes the ground's main user. Also in 1924, SLTO manages to accede to AVB League 1.
1927 / Finishing with an equal number of points in joint-first position in AVB League 1C, SLTO and Heemskerck battle it out in a play-off played at a neutral venue, Blauw-Wit's Terrein Nieuwe Diep. Winning the match 1-0 (goal scored by Jan Vis), SLTO manages a promotion to NVB League 4 (NVB being the official Netherlands' FA) for the first time.
1930 / Abandoning Terrein Kruislaan, SLTO moves into a new ground at Sloterdijk, colloquially known as Terrein Boer Stokman - named after the owner, a local farmer, who allowed several clubs to rent his pastures in order to use these as playing fields.
1938 / Having played at Terrein Stokman for eight years, SLTO moves into the newly laid out Gemeentelijke Voetbalvelden Velserweg - in fact, only a stone's throw away from the club's old pitch.
1939 / SLTO wins the title in League 4, but the promotion play-offs against AED and APGS, played at AFC's ground at Zuidelijke Wandelweg, do not result in the hoped-for promotion to NVB League 3.
1943 / On the orders of German occupation authorities, all football clubs at Velserweg are forced to leave their pitches. Following this, SLTO manages to conclude a groundsharing agreement with SNA at the latter club's pitch at Spaarndammerdijk. In the latter stages of the war, the sports facilities at Velserweg are heavily damaged in an Allied bombardment.
1944 / Helped by the fact that, contrary to many other Amsterdam football clubs, SLTO had not lost any players to Germany's Arbeitseinsatz, the club obtains the title in NVB League 4. Subsequently winning two promotion play-offs, in which it defeats JOS and IVV, SLTO accedes to NVB League 3 for the first time in club history. The 1944-45 season is not disputed due to the chaotic circumstances in the last year of World War II.
1947 / Having groundshared with SNA since 1943, SLTO is forced out of Terrein Spaarndammerdijk. As the pitches at Velserweg have not been rebuilt completely at this stage, only a part of the club's lower teams can return - playing their football on various pitches of the park. SLTO's first team, however, moves to the so-called Brandweerterrein (location unknown). It is unclear when the club can finally return to its own pre-war premises at Velserweg - it must have been some time between 1947 and 1951.
1949 / Having played four seasons at League 3 level, SLTO suffers relegation to KNVB League 4.
1951 / A stone clubhouse and a covered stand are constructed at SLTO's ground at Velserweg.
1958 / Finishing last in KNVB (Sunday) League 4, SLTO returns to the ranks of AVB after an uninterrupted spell in the regular leagues of 31 years. Unfortunately, the last 33 years of results of SLTO's first team have been badly documented, but the club never managed to play a major role in the higher reaches of Sunday League football.
1960 / One year prior to the new park's inauguration, SLTO is one of the first clubs - if not the very first - to move to Sportpark Ookmeer. SLTO's pitches are situated at the far northern end of the park, which, at the time, is the biggest sports facility in the Netherlands, measuring 58 hectares (143 acres).
1963 / The entrance of Sportpark Ookmeer's western half, which includes SLTO's pitch, is adorned with a monumental entrance gate, the so-called Plastisch Teken - but better known as Poort van Constant, named after its designer, Constant Nieuwenhuys. Mr Nieuwenhuys (1920-2005) is considered one of the main representatives of the CoBrA avant-garde art movement. Its aesthetics not being valued by everyone, the 13 metres high concrete construction is occasionally referred to with a pejorative nickname, Gekke Toren ("Weird Tower") (cp. pictures 1-2 below).
1964 / Replacing the temporary buildings put in place in 1960, a two-tiered stone clubhouse is inaugurated at SLTO's pitches at Sportpark Ookmeer.
1982 / SLTO's clubhouse is thoroughly renovated. That same year, on the northern outskirts of Amsterdam, vv AGB (Amsterdam Gençlerbirliği) sees the daylight, a football club of Turkish immigrants. Joining a local league of immigrant clubs, vv AGB plays its football at a pitch of its own (including a small clubhouse) at Sportpark Buiksloterbanne - the main user of that park being AVV De Volewijckers.
1986 / vv AGB joins the ranks of the official Netherlands' Football Association. It is unclear when exactly the club abandoned Sportpark Buiksloterbanne in favour of Sportpark De Weeren, on the far northeastern outskirts of Amsterdam, but it may very well have been around this same time.
1991 / Suffering from a declining number of members, SLTO takes the far-reaching decision of giving up its independence in favour of a merger with AFC Neerlandia (founded in 1902), resulting in the foundation of SC Neerlandia/SLTO. With Neerlandia's ground at Sportpark Riekerhaven being abandoned, all activities move to SLTO's pitches at Sportpark Ookmeer. Also in 1991, a covered stand is added to the new merger club's main pitch - obviously, this stand was later demolished, but why and when remains unclear.
1994 / One of SC Neerlandia/SLTO's neighbour clubs, AVV Herenmarkt (founded in 1920), abandons its ground at Sportpark Ookmeer, concluding a merger with ZRC (Zwaluwen RODA Combinatie, founded in 1916), resulting in the foundation of vv ZRC Herenmarkt. All activities move to ZRC's ground at Sportpark Sloten. Meanwhile, Herenmarkt's ground at Sportpark Ookmeer is taken over by vv AGB, which leaves Sportpark De Weeren.
2001 / Following back-to-back promotions, vv AGB accedes to Sunday League 4 for the first time. In the ensuing decade, the club alternates spells in Sunday Leagues 4 and 5.
2003 / In a huge merger, SC Neerlandia/SLTO along with KBV, Sparta Amsterdam, and ASV Blauw-Wit Osdorp are all absorbed to form FC Blauw-Wit Amsterdam. All activities move to Blauw-Wit Osdorp's Sportpark Sloten Oost. With SC Neerlandia/SLTO abandoning Sportpark Ookmeer, its premises are taken over by vv AGB in or shortly after 2003, with that club's former ground on the same park making way for a golf course.
2011 / Finishing sixth in District West I's Sunday League 4D, vv AGB subsequently manages to win the promotion play-offs, resulting in the club acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
2016 / Clinching the title in District West I's Sunday League 3C, vv AGB wins promotion to Sunday League 2.
2017 / In its first year in L2, vv AGB sensationally obtains the title in Sunday League 2B, thus acceding to Sunday League 1.
2018 / vv AGB signs Hurşut Meriç from Turkish side Cizrespor. Meriç, born in 1983 and spending his young years in the youth academies of AVV SDZ, vv Blauw-Wit, AFC DWS, AZ - subsequently playing in non-league at HFC EDO and the notorious FC Türkiyemspor -, went on to have a long professional career leading him to spells at ADO Den Haag, Gençlerbirliği SK, Çaykur Rizespor, Adana Demirspor, Bandırmaspor, Karacabey Birlikspor, and Cizrespor. Guided by Meriç, vv AGB managed to register ever improving results in Sunday League 1 (cp. picture 16 & 18 below).
2022 / In an exciting title race in Sunday League 1A, vv AGB has to leave the honours to SV Kampong in the end. In the promotion play-offs, the club reaches the final, but is defeated by vv Heino (4-2) at a neutral venue, SV Batavia 90's Sportpark De Doggersbank in Lelystad.