Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv Egmondia (1948-2023) / SSA SJO vv Egmond (2023-)

Sportpark De Lange Plas, Egmond Egmond aan Zee (vv Egmondia)

Netherlands, province: North Holland

2 IV 2023 / vv Egmondia - vv Succes 1-4 / District West I, Sunday League 4A (= NL level 9)

Timeline

1922 / At the instigation of a local primary teacher, Mr Geensen, a first football club is founded in Egmond, De Zeemeeuwen, which joins the so-called Noord-Hollandsche Voetbalbond (NHVB) - an association of clubs from the region north of Amsterdam playing their football below League 4, the lowest division organised by the regular Netherlands' FA (NVB). De Zeemeeuwen's first ground is situated at Verlengde Zeeweg, Egmond aan Zee, although the club later moves on to Terrein De Bleek, at Herenweg in Egmond aan den Hoef. Most club members are from Egmond aan Zee.
1923 / In nearby Egmond-Binnen, a football club is founded as well, ESV (Egmondsche Sportvereeniging). De Zeemeeuwen and ESV never meet on the pitch, though, as the latter joins the Roman-Catholic DHVB rather than the official Netherlands' FA. ESV must have folded around 1925, but was refounded in 1930.
1924 / Compelled by NHVB authorities, De Zeemeeuwen changes its name to become Zeevogels to avoid confusion with a club from Zandvoort also called Zeemeeuwen.
1929 / After a poorly documented existence of seven years, De Zeemeeuwen withdraws from NHVB due to a lack of players. The club is wound up once and for all in 1930.
1931 / On November 3rd, 1931, a new football club is founded in Egmond aan den Hoef, RKVV Zeevogels. Like ESV, this club plays its football in DHVB.
1932 / At the instigation of the chaplain of the local Old Catholic Church, Mr Van Zanten, De Zeemeeuwen is refounded under a new name, Egmondsche Boys. Unfortunately, no plot of land close to Egmond aan Zee is available, with the club eventually settling on a piece of farmland at Egmonderstraatweg in Egmond-Binnen, Terrein Broekakkers, situated several miles away from the village.
1937 / In spite of several promotions in NHVB being achieved, Egmondsche Boys ceases its activities after merely five years, with the considerable walking distance to the pitch proving the main reason for the lack of viability. The club withdraws from NHVB one year later, in 1938.
1939 / After the demise of De Zeemeeuwen and Egmondsche Boys, a third successive football club sees the daylight in Egmond aan Zee, the chosen name being Voetbalvereniging Egmondia. The club's first chairman is Piet Zwart. A plot of land situated at Van Oldenborghweg, south of the village, is rented from a local widow, Mrs Valkering, for an annual amount of 200 guilders. vv Egmondia joins NHVB, starting its life in the league's bottom tier, Division 3.
1940 / After the German invasion of the Netherlands, all football associations other than the NVB are disbanded. Given the choice between folding and joining the official FA, Egmondia's local rivals ESV and RKVV Zeevogels choose the latter option. ESV is wound up in 1941.
1943 / Following a successful 1942-43 season, in which vv Egmondia wins promotion from NHVB Division 2 to accede to the league's top division, the club has to interrupt its activities for the remainder of the war due to Egmond aan Zee being evacuated by German forces involved in building the Atlantic Wall. The same fate befalls vv Zeevogels in Egmond aan den Hoef.
1945 / Upon liberation of the Netherlands, vv Egmondia resumes its activities. The original changing rooms - an old barn owned by a local farming family, Hopman - are exchanged for an abandoned German bunker.
1948 / Although the park has not been completed yet, vv Egmondia moves into its newly built Sportpark De Lange Plas, built in a dune area previously taken up by allotment gardens. The pitch has been dug out by local fishermen, who found themselves unemployed after the war due to German sea mines making fishing practically impossible for years. On September 10th, 1948, vv Egmondia plays its first match on the new location, with vv THB from Haarlem being the visiting team.
1949 / Building works on the clubhouse and eight changing rooms, commencing in March 1949, are completed in July of that same year, with the official inauguration taking the shape of a gala match between IJVV Stormvogels from IJmuiden (with the Netherlands' national goalkeeper Piet Kraak in its squad) and KFC from Koog aan de Zaan. The match, which ends in a 1-1 draw, is attended by some 1,000 spectators.
1954 / Clinching the title in NHVB Division 1 with an advantage of four points over its nearest rivals, vv Egmondia qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it has to take on the winners of the other two division winners, vv SEW and VGW. Also winning this competition, the club from Egmond aan Zee qualifies for KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time in club history. That summer, the club's 16-year-old youth prodigy Piet Buis earns himself a contract with Alkmaar - renamed Alkmaar '54 one year later, a new club which joins the newly founded Netherlands' professional league - thus becoming the country's youngest football pro. In the following 13 seasons, Buis earns himself the epithet of club icon, going on to play an impressive 333 matches for Alkmaar '54 and scoring 141 goals in the process.
1956 / Going from strength to strength, vv Egmondia finishes in first place in KNVB Sunday League 4A, by defeating rivalling side Alcmaria Victrix 1-3 in an away match, which is exceptionally played at Alkmaar's Gemeentelijk Sportpark in front of an attendance of some 3,000 spectators; Egmondia's goals were scored by Arie Zwanenburg (2) and Wim Koopman. In case of a draw, Alcmaria Victrix would have won the title. In the subsequent promotion play-offs, in a group also including SC Neerlandia, AFC Nautilus, and vv Monnickendam, vv Egmondia finishes in first place as well. Thus, in spite of protests by SC Neerlandia, who file an official complaint at the Netherlands' FA due to alleged irregularities on the pitch during their match against the Egmond side, vv Egmondia accedes to KNVB Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history.
1957 / With VPV Purmersteijn winning the title in Sunday League 3A, vv Egmondia has an excellent first season at this level, finishing in fourth place.
1958 / In its second season at this level, vv Egmondia clinches the Sunday League 3A title, but due to the club losing the promotion play-offs, the club fails to win promotion to League 2.
1959 / Egmond's municipal authorities make a serious attempt to bring about a merger between Egmondia's neighbour clubs vv Zeevogels and RKSV Sint Adelbert, but the proposals are turned down by Sint Adelbert's membership and presidency. In the following years, new merger talks, also including vv Egmondia, are heavily promoted by Egmond's municipal authorities, but without success - not even promises to build a state-of-the-art municipal sports park in Rinnegom, halfway between Egmond-Binnen and Egmond aan de Hoef, manages to cajole vv Egmondia, vv Zeevogels, and RKSV Sint Adelbert into a merger.
1960 / Sportpark De Lange Plas is extended with two extra pitches on the northern side of the clubhouse.
1963 / The original clubhouse, erected in 1949, is replaced with a new building (featuring in the pictures below).
1964 / Having played at Terrein Wimmenum since 1936, Egmondia's neighbour club vv Zeevogels now has to leave its home ground; after the passing away of its owner, the plot of land is put up for sale. With the club being unable to raise the necesaary amount, vv Zeevogels arranges for a temporary pitch to be laid-out close by, on the opposite side of Herenweg. Due to Netherlands' FA officials withholding its permission to play on this pitch, however, the club is condemned to a groundshare with vv Egmondia at Sportpark De Lange Plas in Egmond aan Zee.
1965 / Meanwhile, Terrein Wimmenum in Egmond aan den Hoef has been sold to a gentleman called Piet Tervoort, who cherishes plans to turn it into a camping site. A permit for this recreation site, however, is withheld by local authorities, as a result of which vv Zeevogels is given the opportunity to return temporarily to its spiritual home. Eventually, after 3 more seasons at Wimmenum, this club moves into the newly built Sportpark Hogedijk in 1968.
1966 / Finishing in 11th place in Sunday League 3A, vv Egmondia drops back into League 4 after 10 uninterrupted years at L3 level.
1968 / Having terminated his career as a professional league player with one more season at ZFC (1967-68) after his long spell at Alkmaar '54, Piet Buis returns to vv Egmondia, becoming player-manager at his local club. Also in or around 1968, the small bit of open terrace opposite the clubhouse at Sportpark De Lange Plas is replaced with a much larger, covered main stand (featuring in the pictures below).
1969 / Earning the title in Sunday League 4A with a goalless draw away against derby rivals SV Sint Adelbert in Egmond-Binnen, vv Egmondia finds its way back to L3. In the following year, Piet Buis' men manage an impressive third place in L3A.
1971 / In its second season in L3A, vv Egmondia cannot avoid the drop, finishing in 12th place. Piet Buis relinquishes his coaching job at the club. In the following years, the club is an anonymous feature in Sunday League 4.
1982 / Having been the club's president since 1969, Arie Visser gives up the chairmanship. A club man if ever there was one, this local mason served vv Egmondia in several other roles prior to taking over the presidency. At some point, possibly after his passing away, the club names the covered stand at Sportpark De Lange Plas after Mr Visser.
1986 / Having played at the same level for the past 15 seasons, vv Egmondia now suffers relegation from Sunday League 4A, thus dropping back into the ranks of NHVB after 32 years in the regular KNVB leagues.
1993 / After dropping down the steps of the NHVB divisions, vv Egmondia, coached by Jan op de Weegh, finally finds the way up again by clinching the title in NHVB Division 1, thus winning promotion to NHVB Hoofdklasse, the top level of the NHVB divisions since 1969. Incidentally, this is the first piece of silverware picked up by vv Egmondia's first team in 24 years.
1994 / vv Egmondia manages a second promotion in a row, winning the promotion play-offs in NHVB Hoofdklasse, thus acceding to Sunday League 4 - again helped along the way by successful manager Jan op de Weegh.
1997 / Finishing 12th in District West I's Sunday League 4B, vv Egmondia suffers relegation to Sunday League 5, one of two extra regular divisions having been attached to KNVB's league pyramid following the abolition of NHVB in 1996. Also in 1997, parts of the successful film All Stars by director Jean van de Velde are shot at Sportpark De Lange Plas.
2001 / Having dropped into Sunday League 6 in either 1998 or 1999, vv Egmondia manages a meagre 8th place in Sunday League 6A in the 2000-01 season, but by winning the play-offs, the club manages a return to League 5 nonetheless.
2010 / Following nine seasons in at L5 level and a 4th place finish in League 5C in the 2009-10 season, vv Egmondia wins the subsequent promotion play-offs to return to Sunday League 4 after a 13-year absence. The stay at that level does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation following in 2011.
2012 / Merger talks are undertaken with neighbouring club vv Zeevogels.
2013 / Just missing out on the title in Sunday League 5A, vv Egmondia is drawn in a play-off group with vv De Wherevogels and vv Berkhout - but the season ultimately ends in tears, as Egmondia finishes in last place, with vv Berkhout clinching the all-important promotion ticket and vv De Wherevogels managing to stay up in L4. In November 2013, vv Zeevogels' membership ultimately rejects a merger with vv Egmondia, the plan to move all activities to Sportpark De Lange Plas being the main bone of contention.
2014 / Finishing in 2nd place in Sunday League 5B, vv Egmondia qualifies for the play-offs again, this time having to take on fellow L5 club vv Nieuwe Niedorp as well as L4 side SC Purmerland for two spots in League 4. In the end, both vv Nieuwe Niedorp and vv Egmondia manage to win promotion - Egmondia's success being all the more special given it occurs during the club's 75th anniversary year.
2017 / vv Egmondia finishes in 4th place in Sunday League 4C and sensationally wins its promotion play-off group against HSV Sport and SV WSV 1930, thus managing a return to League 3 after 46 (!) years.
2022 / Losing a play-off tie against vv Geel Zwart '30, vv Egmondia drops back into Sunday League 4 after a spell of five seasons at L3 level.
2023 / In its last season as an independent club, vv Egmondia finishes in 3rd place in District West I's Sunday League 4A, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by Kwiek '78 (0-3). In the summer of 2023, as a prelude to a merger, a partnership deal is concluded between vv Zeevogels, SV Sint Adelbert, and vv Egmondia, resulting in the foundation of SSA SJO vv Egmond. With vv Zeevogels' Sportpark Hogedijk being thoroughly renovated in the 2023-24 season, all activities temporarily move to SV Sint Adelbert's Sportpark De Kwekerij and vv Egmondia's Sportpark De Lange Plas - with those two grounds due to be abandoned and knocked down once the works at Hogedijk will be finished.

Note - the main source of information is a book published by vv Egmondia on the occasion of the club's 75th anniversary: Cor Mooij, “Jubileumboek vv Egmondia 75 jaar”, ed. Centurion: Amsterdam 2014. Many thanks to vv Egmondia's presidency for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.