Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: Luctor (1962-1979) / vv Heinkenszand (1962-1979) / SV Heinkenszand (1979-2017) / Luctor Heinkenszand (2019-)

Sportpark Heinkenszand - Dorpsstraat, Heinkenszand (Luctor Heinkenszand, formerly Luctor / vv Heinkenszand / SV Heinkenszand)

Netherlands, province: Zealand = Zeeland

22 IV 2023 / Luctor Heinkenszand - VC Vlissingen 4-1 / District South I, Saturday League 3A (= NL level 8)

Timeline

1956 / Foundation of vv Heinkenszand, a second football club in the village of Heinkenszand, formed to accommodate the village's evangelical community. Sunday league football had been played in Heinkenszand since the second half of the 1930s with the foundation of Luctor. vv Heinkenszand's founding fathers, including Anton de Mol, Nico Boudewijn, Kees Zuidweg, and Arie Hannewijk, find the new club a pitch at Boerendijk, rented from Mr Van Iwaarden, a local farmer. Initially, the touchlines are laid out with sawdust, until the Netherlands' FA (KNVB) orders the club to use chalk if it wants to avoid being thrown out of the league.
1957 / In its first season in the so-called Zeeuwse Voetbalbond (ZVB) - mostly referred to as KNVB Afdeling Zeeland -, vv Heinkenszand loses all of its matches, finishing rock bottom of its league with a goal difference of 28-130 (-102).
1960 / The club's chairmanship is taken over by H. den Hartog, who is destined to remain at the helm of the club for the next 28 years.
1962 / Leaving Terrein Boerendijk, vv Heinkenszand moves into a newly built municipal park situated at Dorpsstraat, Sportpark Heinkenszand. Henceforth, the club shares the premises and the main pitch with Luctor.
1968 / Managing its first tangible success, vv Heinkenszand wins the title in ZVB Division 2 to accede to ZVB's top division for the first time. That same year, after having used a monumental house in the woods north of the main pitch, the so-called Koetshuis, as their dressing rooms for six years, Luctor and vv Heinkenszand inaugurate their new, shared changing facilities situated on the southern end of the aforementioned pitch.
1979 / A merger is concluded between vv Heinkenszand and its more successful village rival Luctor, resulting in the foundation of Sportvereniging (SV) Heinkenszand. The newly formed club fields first teams in Sunday as well as Saturday league football, thus accommodating the Roman-Catholic as well as the evangelical part of Heinkenszand's sport-minded population.
1985 / A new clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark Heinkenszand.
1988 / Amidst ongoing discussions about saving costs, former vv Heinkenszand members manage to persuade the club's board to do away with one of the two first teams - with a vote being held among the membership about which one would be maintained. With most votes being cast for Saturday league football, the Sunday branch decides to break away and found vv Luctor '88, choosing its own board, led by Piet Vermeulen, building itself a new clubhouse west of SV Heinkenszand's premises, and joining the Sunday league pyramid in ZVB Division 1. The new club, in fact a refoundation of the old Luctor, inaugurates its own main pitch, known nowadays as pitch 3 of Sportpark Heinkenszand.
1994 / Guided by its coach Ojang Pattikawa, SV Heinkenszand wins ZVB's cup competition, defeating vv MEVO in the final played at Sportpark Heinkenszand.
1996 / As ZVB is dissolved, SV Heinkenszand accedes to the ranks of KNVB clubs for the first time - even making the leap to Sunday League 3 at one stroke due to extra promotion places being available. In its first season after this historic promotion, the club finishes in a respectable 7th place in District South I's Sunday League 3A under the leadership of trainer Cees la Grand.
± 1997 / Some time in the second half of the 1990s, a covered stand is constructed alongside SV Heinkenszand's main pitch.
1999 / Winning the title in District South I's Saturday League 3A under the guidance of coach Jos van Belzen, SV Heinkenszand accedes to Saturday League 2 for the first time in club history.
2000 / Finishing 11th in Saturday League 2E - in spite of this being the best result in club history -, SV Heinkenszand cannot avoid the drop back into L3.
2003 / Having dropped back into League 4 the previous season, SV Heinkenszand now clinches the Saturday League 4A title with trainer Arjo den Dekker. The stay at this level does not last longer than one year, though, with relegation following in 2004.
2005 / SV Heinkenszand obtains its second L4A title in two years after winning a play-off tie against VCK played at vv Nieuwland's Sportpark Nieuwland (2-1).
2007 / A rapprochement is made with vv Luctor '88 with a first combined youth team being fielded. In the following years, a gradual merger of the respective clubs' youth academies is brought about.
2008 / SV Heinkenszand saves its skin in Saturday League 3A by defeating FC Dauwendaele 5-2 in the last match of the season.
2009 / Having spent 4 consecutive seasons at L3 level, SV Heinkenszand now finishes in 11th place in District South I's Saturday League 3A, thus dropping back into League 4. That year, the clubhouse is given a thorough refurbishment.
2010 / Led by coach Ermo Cappon, SV Heinkenszand wins the title in Saturday League 4A, thus returning to League 3 after a one-year absence.
2012 / Following a 4th place finish in Saturday League 3A, SV Heinkenszand wins the promotion play-offs to accede to Saturday League 2.
2014 / After back-to-back relegations, SV Heinkenszand suddenly finds itself in Saturday League 4.
2017 / In its last season as an independent club, SV Heinkenszand finishes in 7th place in Saturday League 4A. That summer, a merger - or rather, a re-merger - is concluded with vv Luctor '88, resulting in the foundation of Luctor Heinkenszand. In spite of vv Luctor '88 having the more successful flagship team, the merger club sticks to just one first team, starting its life in Saturday League 4. The merger process proved very laborious, with the decision being taken to use neither of the two former clubs' main pitches for first team football, with home matches being played on pitch 2 of Sportpark Heinkenszand for the time being - pitch 2 being situated halfway between the two former main pitches. In the meantime, a budget is being made available to give SV Heinkenszand's pitch, adorned with a stand since the late 1990s, a thorough renovation.
2018 / Finishing in 2nd place in Saturday League 4A, Luctor Heinkenszand clinches promotion to L3 by defeating vv Lewedorpse Boys in the play-off final (4-0), played at Sportpark Heinkenszand.
2019 / Having an excellent season, Luctor Heinkenszand finishes in 2nd place in Saturday League 3A, but misses out on promotion in the ensuing promotion play-offs, in which it defeats vv WHS (7-1) in R1 only to be eliminated by SV Walcheren (0-1). First team football is moved to SV Heinkenszand's former main pitch - this being the original main pitch of Sportpark Heinkenszand since the park's construction in the early 1960s. Following this, the clubhouse is moved from vv Luctor '88's premises to SV Heinkenszand's canteen as well.
2022 / Having to leave the L3A title to VCK, Luctor Heinkenszand qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Defeating vv 's-Heer Arendskerke (0-1) and vv Zeelandia Middelburg (1-2), the club qualifies for the final. At Arnemuiden's Sportpark 't Hart, the club loses after extra time against Oost-Souburgh's vv RCS, with Yordi Nijland's two decisive goals being scored in the 119th and 120th minute - thus missing out on promotion to L2.
2023 / Finishing 3rd in L3A, Luctor Heinkenszand qualifies for the promotion play-offs for the 3rd year running, but the club is eliminated in R1 by DVV '09 (0-1).
2024 / Clinching the title in District South I's Saturday League 3A, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv De Meeuwen, Luctor Heinkenszand wins promotion to Saturday League 2.