Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV HRC '27 (1966-2023) / SJO SSA MSH Maasduinen (B) (2023-)

Sportpark De Alverman, Afferden Limburg (RKVV HRC '27)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

23 IV 2023 / HRC '27 - SV DSV (8) 5-2 / District South II, Sunday Reserves' Division 6-28

Timeline

1918 / Although football had been played on makeshift pitches in the fields around Afferden for years, no football club had existed in the village until 1918, when AVC (Afferdensche Voetbalclub) saw the daylight. Instead of joining the official Netherlands' FA (NVB), AVC joined the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond (RKLVB), organised by the diocese in Roermond itself - with AVC being placed in Division Maasbuurt, in which it takes on teams from Northern Limburg and the northeastern parts of Noord-Brabant. The club's pitch is situated at Afferdsche Heide, in fact not that far east from the future Sportpark De Alverman.
1922 / AVC has its best season, finishing 2nd in Division Maasbuurt C - in a league consisting of just 5 teams with each club playing 8 matches only.
1923 / Without formally folding, AVC ceases its activities, withdrawing its team from RKLVB. The pitch at Afferdsche Heide is abandoned.
1927 / AVC applies for re-admission to RKLVB, but the application is turned down due to debts to the association which were never solved - while, moreover, the club never officially withdrew, making re-admission impossible. The decision is taken to found a new club, which takes on the name vv Herleving (literally translated in English: 'Revival'). The new club's first chairman is M.C. Kepser, while Mr De Bot, the local chaplain, takes on the role of spiritual advisor - an obligatory feature in any Roman-Catholic sports club at the time. Wim Janssen, the owner of the local café, allows the club the use of a plot of his land situated at Rijksweg Venlo-Nijmegen - with the entrance to the pitch being situated at the tram stop. Placed in RKLVB's branch in 's-Hertogenbosch (Afdeeling Den Bosch), the club makes its debut in Maasbuurt Division 2, with the first match, away at RKVV Volharding in Boxmeer, turning into a comprehensive defeat (7-1); nonetheless, no fewer than 240 tickets are sold for the ensuing first home match in Afferden.
1928 / Having played its football in RKLVB's 's-Hertogenbosch branch in the first year of its existence, vv Herleving is now moved to Afdeeling Limburg.
1929 / In the hamlet of Rimpelt, slightly east of Afferden, a new football club sees the daylight, which is given the name Rimpeltsche Boys. Joining RKLVB, Rimpeltsche Boys plays its home matches at Terrein Achter de Molen, a meadow situated at the back of a corn mill in Rimpelt. Staggeringly, apart from Rimpeltsche Boys and AVC, there is a third football club in Afferden at the time, RVV (Rimpeltsche Voetbalvereeniging). Although hardly any information about this club has survived (e.g. the location of its home matches), it is clear that RVV was an RKLVB member as well - and probably only took part in the 1929-30 season before ceasing its activities.
1932 / vv Herleving and Rimpeltsche Boys conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of RKVV HRC (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging 'Herleving Rimpeltsche Combinatie'). With the pitch at the corn mill in Rimpelt being abandoned, all activities move to Herleving's ground at Rijksweg Venlo-Nijmegen. That same year, the pitch is moved several dozens of yards eastwards, in the direction of Elskampweg, to avoid interested spectators being able to watch the games from the street without having to enter the ground - and thus without having to pay the entrance fee.
1933 / RKVV HRC is placed in RKLVB's Afdeeling Gennep.
1938 / Yet again being moved from one branch to the other, RKVV HRC is placed in RKLVB's Afdeeling Den Bosch.
1939 / Winning the title in RKLVB Division 1 as well as the ensuing play-off competition, RKVV HRC accedes to Division 3 of the so-called Interdiocesane Voetbal-Competitiebond Limburg.
1940 / With the German occupation of the Netherlands, all football leagues apart from the official Netherlands' FA (NVB) are dissolved. Given the option between folding or making the leap to NVB, RKVV HRC chooses the latter, thus making its debut in regular Sunday league football.
1941 / In 1941 or 1942, at the behest of the football association's authorities, RKVV HRC adapts its name to become RKVV HRC '27 to avoid confusion with several other NVB member clubs bearing the acronym HRC as its name - most notably Helderse Racing Club from Den Helder (which, in 2001, disappeared into a merger with HFC Helder to form FC Den Helder).
1944 / In the chaotic period of the liberation of the southern parts of the Netherlands as well as the ensuing months (1944-45), RKVV HRC '27 ceases activities for one season.
1945 / Restarting its activities, RKVV HRC '27 temporarily plays its football on a makeshift pitch, still at Terrein Wim Janssen at Rijksweg, but slightly to the north (in the direction of Zandweg), while the pitch inaugurated in 1932 is given a thorough refurbishment.
1946 / Winning the title in KNVB District South II's Sunday League 4G, RKVV HRC '27 wins promotion to Sunday League 3 under the guidance of coach Rinus Egberts.
1947 / RKVV HRC '27 has its best season ever, managing a 9th place in Sunday League 3E. Also in 1947, after playing on its emergency pitch for two seasons, the club returns to the pitch at Rijksweg also used the 1932-44 era.
1949 / Finishing 12th (and last) in Sunday League 3E, RKVV HRC '27 drops back into Sunday League 4.
1952 / For unknown reasons, the club is constrained to abandon Terrein Wim (Clem) Janssen at Rijksweg, moving to another temporary pitch, Terrein Cloazenzand, for the time being. This pitch is situated at an artificial lake north of Terrein Wim (Clem) Janssen.
1953 / RKVV HRC '27 moves to a new pitch, Terrein Thei Raymakers at Julianastraat (this new pitch was situated roughly at modern-day Molenkampweg).
1954 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 4H, RKVV HRC '27 drops back into the so-called Limburgse Voetbalbond (LVB), the association of clubs in Limburg playing their football below Sunday League 4 level.
1958 / Bergen's municipal authorities make known their plans to build a municipal sports park in Afferden.
1961 / Having suffered relegation to LVB Division 2 the previous year, RKVV HRC '27 now wins the title at that level, picking up the decisive two points with a win over SV Milsbeek II on Whitsunday, 1961, thus returning to LVB Division 1.
1965 / Finishing joint-first in LVB Division 1J, RKVV HRC '27 plays a tie-break match against fellow-leaders vv Helden II, but loses the encounter - and, as a result of which, the title as well.
1966 / Although the new municipal sports facilities are not entirely ready yet, RKVV HRC '27 moves into the new park at Melkweg (modern-day Afferdse Heide) in September 1966.
1967 / Official inauguration of the new park at Melkweg in June 1967 with a gala match between a squad of players from various clubs in Bergen and vv RIOS '31 from Pey, who won the national Sunday non-league title in 1965). Initially, the sports park consist of three pitches (one of which is only suitable for training purposes), with a fourth being added later on.
1970 / The decisive goal being scored by Jos van der Venn in an away match at RKDSO in Lomm, RKVV HRC '27 clinches the title in LVB Division 1, thus managing a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 16 years. The successful coach is Teun Verberkt. In its first season in Sunday League 4H, the club manages a respectable 5th place.
1974 / Having played in Sunday League 4 for four years, RKVV HRC '27 now finishes dead-last in L4H with coach Theo Janssen, resulting in relegation back into the ranks of LVB.
1977 / The club's 50th anniversary is celebrated with a gala match in Afferden against professional league side FC VVV.
1982 / Under the guidance of player-coach Harrie van Mil, RKVV HRC '27 finishes in 2nd place in LVB Division 1, with an equal number of points as AVV America. With one extra spot in Sunday League 4 being available, a play-off is organised between the runners-up of all LVB Division 1 series. Having won a tie-break match against AVV America played at RK BVV '27's Sportpark 't Hoogveld in Blitterswijck (1-0), HRC qualifies for this play-off round. The other participants are: SV Polaris (Maastricht), SV Victoria (Roermond), RKSVB (Ubachsberg), DVV (Dieteren), and SV Abdissenbosch. With HRC finishing in 2nd place behind the last-mentioned club, it just misses out on the coveted return to League 4. Also in 1982, the club has to cede one of its pitches to netball club Akospo, founded in 1979.
1983 / Winning the title in LVB Division 1 with coach Frans Derix, RKVV HRC '27 accedes to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 9 seasons. The decisive points were picked up in a 1-3 away win at RKVV Brughusia in Broekhuizen.
1984 / RKVV HRC's new stay in League 4 does not last longer than one season, with the club finishing in joint-last place with SV Lottum - and losing the subsequent relegation play-off against that club (2-1) at SV Wanssum's ground. Also in 1984, the municipal sports park in Afferden is renamed Sportpark De Alverman, named after the midgets who, according to local folklore, live in the moorlands around Afferden. The name was an idea by a local schoolgirl, Miriam van der Heijden.
1985 / Having dropped into LVB Division 1 the previous season, RKVV HRC '27, coached by Dirk Krouwel, narrowly avoids a second relegation in a row by drawing 1-1 away at SV Meerlo in the last match of the season. That same year, netball club Akospo folds, as a result of which the pitch taken by this club now returns to HRC.
1986 / Having staved off relegation to LVB Division 2 in 1985, RKVV HRC '27 now fails to avoid the drop into that level. At some point in the following seven years, the club must have managed a return to LVB Division 1, but it is unclear when exactly this promotion was attained.
1994 / RKVV HRC '27 manages a promotion from LVB Division 1, thus returning to District South II's Sunday League 4 after a 10-year absence.
1998 / Finishing 12th and last in Sunday League 4H, RKVV HRC '27 drops into Sunday League 5, which replaced LVB Division 1 following the dissolution of LVB in 1996.
2000 / Winning the title in Sunday League 5D, RKVV HRC '27 returns to Sunday League 4. The new stay at this level lasts three seasons, with relegation following in 2003.
2009 / Inauguration of a completely renovated Sportpark De Alverman, with a new clubhouse and a main pitch which is moved slightly southwards - the old main pitch is given up to a local horse school. The entrance is moved from Afferdse Heide to Hengeland at the other end of the park. That same season, HRC finishes 12th in Sunday League 5G, resulting in a relegation to Sunday League 6.
2011 / Runners-up in Sunday League 6E, RKVV HRC '27 wins the subsequent promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Sunday League 5. That same year, the club's youth academy merges with their counterparts of RKSV Stormvogels '28 from Siebengewald.
2012 / RKVV HRC '27 drops back into Sunday League 6 after just one year following an 11th place in League 5G.
2014 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 6C, RKVV HRC '27 wins promotion to Sunday League 5.
2020 / The 2019-20 season, broken off due to the Covid pandemic in March 2020, is the last year in which RKVV HRC '27 enters a first team in the regular leagues. In the following three years, the club only takes part in KNVB competitions with reserves' teams.
2023 / A partnership deal is concluded between RKVV Montagnards, RKSV Stormvogels '28, and RKVV HRC '27, resulting in the foundation of SJO SSA MSH Maasduinen (MSH = Montagnards-Stormvogels-HRC). With first team football moving to RKVV Montagnards' Sportpark Venhorst, the grounds in Afferden and Siebengewald remain in use for lower team football and training sessions.

Note 1 - Although no official name change was ever filed, HRC '27 hardly ever added the prefix RKVV (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging) to its name after the 1970s.

Note 2 - The main source of information for the article above was a booklet released on HRC '27's 60th anniversary in 1987: “Het Roemrijke Clubverleden 1927-1987. Jubileumboek ter gelegenheid van het 60-jarig bestaan”, by Theo Janssen / Rob Arts / Jan Janssen / Mat Custers.