Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv Zeevogels (1968-2023)

Sportpark Hogedijk, Egmond Egmond aan den Hoef (vv Zeevogels)

Netherlands, province: North Holland

16 IV 2023 / vv Zeevogels - FC Purmerend 5-1 (match abandoned after 44 minutes due to a player of the away team physically harrassing the referee) / District West I, Sunday League 3B (= NL level 8)

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, which is given the name Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV) Zeevogels. Under the aegis of the local priest, Mr Van den Burg, the club joins ESV in the ranks of the Diocesane Haarlemsche Voetbalbond (DHVB) rather than seeking affiliation with the official Netherlands' Football Association. The club's first chairman is Jan Peetoom. In order to test players for their first and second teams, a makeshift pitch is put in place on the pastures of a local farmer, Klaas Groot, at Breededijk. For the first official match, on December 20th, 1931, against Meervogels (another newly founded club from nearby Akersloot), the club rents another piece of farmland from Mr Lou van Dam at Tiggellaan. This ground is referred to locally as (Terrein) Armenweide.
1932 / A football club is founded in Egmond aan Zee, named Egmondsche Boys. Unlike its near-neighbours ESV and RKVV Zeevogels, Egmondsche Boys joins the official Netherlands' FA (NVB's North Holland branch, NHVB) instead of the Roman-Catholic DHVB. Also in 1932, RKVV Zeevogels first takes part with a first team the DHVB leagues, winning the 1932-33 title in DHVB Division 3B, seeing off adversaries such as vv VIOS-W, USVU, Berdos, and Meervogels.
1935 / RKVV Zeevogels clinches the title in DHVB Division 2 to gain access to DHVB D1.
1936 / Moving away from Terrein Armenweide, RKVV Zeevogels settles at a new ground north of the village centre of Egmond aan den Hoef, the so-called Terrein Wimmenum at Herenweg.
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, RKVV Zeevogels chooses the latter option, becoming a NVB member under a slightly adapted name: vv Zeevogels.
1941 / In its first season in the ranks of the official Netherlands' FA, vv Zeevogels clinches the title in NHVB Division 1, thus acceding to NVB League 4. In its first season at that level (1941-42), the club manages a respectable 3rd place in District West 's Sunday League 4D.
1943 / The club has to interrupt its activities for the remainder of the war due to Egmond aan den Hoef being evacuated by German forces involved in building the Atlantic Wall. In Egmond aan Zee, vv Egmondia, successor club of Egmondsche Boys, is compelled to withdraw from league football for the same reasons. The football club in Egmond Binnen, ESV '30 (as ESV was renamed in 1940), already folded two years previously, in March 1941.
1945 / After the liberation of the Netherlands, vv Zeevogels resumes its activities under the leadership of its new chairman Piet Ranzijn. Likewise, in Egmond aan Zee, vv Egmondia rises from the ashes of two years of forced inactivity.
1948 / At Terrein Wimmenum, primitive floodlights are added to the set-up, allowing for midweek training sessions to be held. That season, vv Zeevogels finishes 11th and second-last in Sunday League 4C, entailing a set of relegation play-offs. Against RKVV Limmen and vv Uitgeest, the team holds its own, thus assuring itself of a prolonged stay in League 4.
1951 / Finishing in 12th and last place in Sunday League 4A, vv Zeevogels drops back into the ranks of NHVB after 10 years. The disappointing results in the 1950-51 season are mainly due to a considerable number of members having left to RKSV Sint Adelbert, a new club in Egmond-Binnen founded in 1950.
1959 / Finishing in first place in NHVB Division 1A, vv Zeevogels qualifies for a promotion play-offs - but the club is defeated by SV De Foresters, thus missing out on promotion. In the following season, Zeevogels suffers another promotion play-off defeat at the hands of vv SEW. Meanwhile, a proposal to conclude a merger with RKSV Sint Adelbert from nearby Egmond-Binnen is turned down by the latter club's membership and presidency. In the following years, new merger talks 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.
1964 / Having played at Terrein Wimmenum since 1936, 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 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.
1966 / After a closely fought race against vv Schoorl and vv Duinranders, vv Zeevogels clinches the title in NHVB Division 1C. Coached by Jan Twisk, the necessary last two points are picked up in a 4-0 home win over SV Wieringerwaard. As a result, the club accedes to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 15 years.
1967 / Former Zeevogels youth player Arie Koopman, who had a career as a professional league player at Alkmaar '54, is offered no new contract after Alkmaar 54's merger with FC Zaanstreek, resulting in the foundation of AZ '67. Thereupon, Koopman returns to his childhood club in Egmond aan den Hoef, joining as a player-manager. In the meantime, Egmond's municipal authorities launch a new plan for a sports park at Hogedijk for vv Zeevogels as well as SV Sint Adelbert, but, yet again, the club from Egmond-Binnen wants nothing of it.
1968 / Abandoning Terrein Wimmenum for a second time in 4 years, vv Zeevogels settles at the newly built Sportpark Hogedijk, where it has 3 pitches at its disposal as well as a smaller training pitch.
1969 / Being offered a contract by HFC Haarlem trainer Barry Hughes, Arie Koopman embarks on a second spell of national league football - thereby becoming the only former Zeevogels member to play in the Netherlands' top flight.
1970 / Coached by Koopman's successor Wil Kastanje, vv Zeevogels finishes in last place in Sunday League 4B, thereby dropping back into the ranks of NHVB.
1971 / Inauguration of a new clubhouse at Sportpark Hogedijk.
1976 / Winning the title in NHVB Hoofdklasse, vv Zeevogels manages a return to Sunday League 4 with trainer Cees van Altena.
1979 / Under the leadership of trainer Ilias Iliopoulos, vv Zeevogels wins the title in Sunday League 4A, thus acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history.
1984 / Having managed respectable finishes in the two previous seasons, the club, coached by Rob Martin, clinches the title in Sunday League 3A, thereby battering down the door to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
1986 / Zeevogels signs Hans Ursem, formerly manager at HSV in Heiloo, as its new trainer. Ursem is destined to stay at the helm of the club for the next 7 seasons, guiding the club through its most successful years.
1990 / Reaching the pinnacle in club history, vv Zeevogels lays its hands on the title in Sunday League 2A, with runner-up RKAV Volendam unable to keep up with the presumed minnows from Egmond aan den Hoef. In the decisive home game against vv SEW, attended by 900 spectators, Zeevogels manages an emphatic 6-1 win, with goals scored by Arjen Koster, Peter Groot, Kees Klijbroek, and Peter de Waard (3 goals). Zeevogels' promotion to Sunday League 1, the second-highest tier in non-league at the time, is all the more remarkable given squad members are not paid a single penny. Moreover, almost all players are from Egmond proper - goalkeeper Ferry Uljee being one of only two "foreigners" in the squad. For the start of the 1990-91 season, the main pitch at Sportpark Hogedijk is adorned with a covered stand, for which the costs have been covered by holding a lottery.
1991 / Sensationally finding itself in 4th place in Sunday League 1A halfway through the season, vv Zeevogels finishes the season in 8th position (6 wins, 6 draws, 10 defeats) - making the 1990-91 season the most successful in club history. Star players Fred de Waard and Mark Zwart are transferred to AZ and FC Sloterplas respectively.
1992 / Managing just one win in the entire season, vv Zeevogels finishes bottom of the league in its second season in L1A, thus dropping back into Sunday League 2 along with WFC and vv Kolping Boys.
1993 / With most of the club's 'Golden Generation' having left the club or hung up their boots, Zeevogels suffers a second relegation in a row with a 12th place finish in Sunday League 2A. Coach Hans Ursem leaves the club.
1994 / With new trainer Mart Nooij, vv Zeevogels finishes bottom of the league for the third time in a row, thus dropping back into Sunday League 4, a level at which the club last played 15 years previously.
1995 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 4B, vv Zeevogels qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it defeats derby rivals vv Egmondia as well as one other club (either IVV, SV DIO, or SC Voorland) to return to Sunday League 3.
1996 / With the club's 4th bottom finish in 5 seasons, vv Zeevogels drops back into Sunday League 4. Having guided the club's first team for the past three years, Mart Nooij leaves the club. Apart from being employed by the Netherlands' FA for some time, Nooij goes on to work as national trainer for Mozambique (2007-11).
2001 / Zeevogels' home game against vv ZTS from Zaanstad makes headlines for all the wrong reasons, as only the arrival of a police squad manages to cut short violent clashes which broke out between players and supporters of both teams.
2002 / Finishing 11th in District West I's Sunday League 4B, vv Zeevogels falls back into Sunday League 5 - which replaced NHVB Hoofdklasse in 1996 - for the first time.
2005 / Clinching its first title in 15 years, the club climbs out of Sunday League 5A to return to L4. However, the stay at this level is short, with relegation following immediately in 2006.
2007 / Having to leave the title in Sunday League 5C to vv Kwadijk in spite of managing 60 points and 19 wins, vv Zeevogels wins the promotion play-offs to return to Sunday League 4.
2012 / Merger talks are undertaken with neighbour club and eternal rivals vv Egmondia from Egmond aan Zee.
2013 / 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.
2016 / Managing a 2nd place finish in Sunday League 4C, vv Zeevogels sees off SV Alliance '22 and vv Hollandia-T to accede to Sunday League 3, 20 years after having played at that level for the last time. The club holds out at that level for 2 years, with relegation following in 2018.
2022 / Defeating vv Alkmaarsche Boys 5-1 at Sportpark Hogedijk, vv Zeevogels clinches the title in Sunday League 4C, thus returning to L3 level after an absence of 5 years.
2023 / Finishing in a respectable 4th place in its first season in Sunday League 3B, vv Zeevogels qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by VSV. 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' ground 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 - Main source of the information given above is a booklet which was released on the occasion of vv Zeevogels' 80th anniversary: “Zeevogels 80 jaar. Jubileumuitgave 3 november 1931-2011”, written by Jan Ranzijn / Leo Ranzijn / Peter de Waard / Gerrit Waal. Thanks to the club's board for providing me with a copy.