NETHERLANDS: vv Legmeervogels

Sportpark De Randhoorn, Uithoorn (vv Legmeervogels)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

30 V 2023 / vv Legmeervogels - SV DWO 3-0 / District West II, Saturday Leagues 2 & 3 - promotion-relegation play-off (= NL levels 7 & 8)

Timeline

• 1931 / Foundation of a football club in Uithoorn, called Sperwer or De Sperwers. Applying for membership of the so-called Amsterdamsche Voetbalbond (AVB), a league association of clubs from the wider Amsterdam region playing their football below League 4 of the regular Netherlands' FA (KNVB), it turns out this club name had already been taken - upon which another name was chosen, vv Uithoorn (usually abbreviated to simply VVU). With training sessions taking place in Uithoorn, initially at Terrein Molenkade, at the back of the Cindu factory, and later at Terrein Thamerlaan, the club has to play its home matches at Terrein Machineweg in nearby Aalsmeer - probably due to the fact that neither of the two pitches in Uithoorn had the correct dimensions for official matches.
• 1932 / Foundation of a 2nd football club in Uithoorn, RKSV VDO (Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereeniging 'Volharding Doet Overwinnen'), which comprises a handball branch as well. Startings its life at Terrein Van Dijklaan, renting the location from a netball club, Christelijke Korfbalclub 'Oranje Wit', the club moves on to another ground, Terrein Ringdijk, at the back of a farm also situated in Amstelhoek, later that same year. Notably, Amstelhoek is a village just across North Holland's provincial border in Utrecht. Thus, neither VVU nor RKSV VDO play their football in Uithoorn proper. 
• 1933 / Moving away from Terrein Ringdijk, RKSV VDO finds itself a location in Uithoorn proper, a pitch at the back of Hotel De Rijk at Marktplein in the village centre.
• 1937 / Abandoning Terrein De Rijk, RKSV VDO moves to Terrein Boterdijk, destined to remain at that location for the following 25 years.
• 1942 / Winning the title in AVB Sunday Division 2, VVU accedes to AVB Division 1.
• 1946 / VVU finishes in 1st place in AVB Division 1, but does not succeed to win promotion in the ensuing round of play-offs.
• 1947 / Finishing in 1st place in AVB Division 1 yet again, VVU accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time. 
• 1948 / Abandoning Terrein Machineweg, home from its foundation onwards, VVU settles at the so-called Thamer-Sportpark in Uithoorn proper.
• 1950 / Winning the title in AVB Division 1, RKSV VDO accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time. Unfortunately, the results of VDO as well as VVU before the merger of the two clubs in 1995 has been poorly documented, with very little information being available in open sources. Hence, not much information about the 1931-95 era can be shared on this page.
• 1962 / Inauguration of a new, municipal sports park in Uithoorn, named Burgemeester Koot-Sportpark. The football pitches - as well as the main pitch, adorned with a covered stand - are shared by VVU and RKSV VDO.
• 1970 / In District West I's Sunday League 1, VVU - always the more ambitious of the two clubs from Uithoorn - clinches the title. In the ensuing round of play-offs against the winners of the Sunday champions of the other 5 districts (vv Papendrecht in West II, TSC in South I, vv Sanderbout in South II, SV De Treffers in East, and vv Sneek in North), VVU finishes as runners-up behind vv Sneek.
• 1995 / A merger is concluded between VVU and RKSV VDO, resulting in the foundation of vv Legmeervogels.
• 1996 / In a very successful 1st year, both of vv Legmeervogels' first teams win promotion to a higher level, with the Sunday team finishing in 3rd place in League 3C, acceding to League 2 via the play-offs; and the Saturday team acceding to Saturday League 4 from AVB Division 1. In the first 25 years following the merger, Saturday league football remains a side-show at the club, with the regular Saturday team even being withdrawn for 2 seasons (1997-99).
• 1998 / Having suffered back-to-back relegations, vv Legmeervogels' Sunday team finds itself in Sunday League 4. In the 15 following seasons, the team altenates spells in League 4 (1998-2000 & 2003-05) and League 3 (2000-03, 2005-13), winning League 4 titles in 2000 & 2005. Also in 1998, abandoning the Burgemeester Koot-Sportpark, vv Legmeervogels moves into the newly built Sportpark De Randhoorn, where it has 6 pitches at its disposal - as well as a large covered stand along the main pitch.
• 2012 / Winning the title in Saturday League 4C, vv Legmeervogels' Saturday squad accedes to Saturday League 3. The team's stay at that level remains limited to just 1 season, with relegation duly following in 2013.
• 2013 / Finishing 3rd in District West I's Sunday League 3D behind AFC Quick 1890 and SV Nieuw Utrecht, vv Legmeervogels qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Having failed to win the League 3 play-offs on 8 (!) previous occasions, the club is more fortunate now, successively defeating vv Zwanenburg and BVC Bloemendaal to accede to Sunday League 2. The coach guiding the club to this success is Stefan Teeken.
• 2015 / vv Legmeervogels withdraws its Saturday team from regular league football.
• 2016 / Winning the title in Sunday League 2B, with closest followers USV Elinkwijk 20 points below, vv Legmeervogels accedes to Sunday League 1. 
• 2018 / In its best season since the 1995 merger, vv Legmeervogels finishes in 3rd place in Sunday League 1A behind SV Fortuna Wormerveer and RKVV DEM.
• 2020 / After a 5-year absence, vv Legmeervogels returns with a regular Saturday team at the bottom of the pyramid, in League 4.
• 2022 / With only SV ROAC picking up fewer points, vv Legmeervogels finishes second-last in Sunday League 1A, thus suffering relegation back into League 2. However, the club's board took the decision to withdraw its Sunday team, given that, in 2022, for the first time, the Netherlands' FA offered clubs the possibility to switch to Saturday football (or the other way around) 'horizontally', i.e. without having to restart at the bottom of the pyramid. Thus, vv Legmeervogels' Saturday team, which played its football in League 4 in 2021-22, is placed in Saturday League 2 for the new season. After more than 9 decades of regular Sunday football in Uithoorn, this practice is sadly discontinued.
• 2023 / In its 1st season as a regular Saturday club, vv Legmeervogels finishes in 10th place in Saturday League 2D, thus having to fight for survival at this level in a series of play-offs. Successively edging past SV DWO, SV Aarlanderveen, and vv ESTO, the team qualifies for the final, played at vv Noordwijk's Sportpark Duinwetering. In that match, the club is defeated 5-3 by vv Verburch, thus suffering relegation into Saturday League 3.
• 2024 / Champions in District West I's Saturday League 3B, 7 points ahead of closest rivals vv Amstelveen, vv Legmeervogels wins promotion to Saturday League 2.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

NETHERLANDS: vv Valthermond (1966-) / vv MVK (1966-1972)

Sportpark De Meent, Valthermond (vv Valthermond, formerly vv MVK)

Netherlands. province: Drenthe

29 V 2023 / vv Valthermond - vv Peize 3-1 / Sunday League 2K (= NL level 7)

Timeline

• 1897 / In the village of Valthermond, which was built along a canal in an area of marshland in Drenthe which was drained in the course of the 19th century, a first football club is founded. In the eastern Valthermond area, where the draining of the area first started, a club sees the daylight which is given the name Wilhelmina. Its pitch was situated on a plot of farmland rented to the club by Mr J. Hadders. It never played in a regular football competition and must have folded after a few years at most.
• 1904 / With Wilhelmina having folded earlier on, a new football club is founded in Valthermond-Oost, named VVV (Valthermondsche Voetbalvereeniging). It is unclear where this club's ground was situated - and, like its predecessor, VVV must have folded after a few years at most.
• 1910 / A new football club in Valthermond-Oost is founded at Café Lucas Bosch, at the back of which a makeshift pitch is laid out. Oddly, no name of the club has been preserved. Likewise, it is unclear for how long this club existed, but it cannot have had a longer life than just a couple of years.
• 1913 / Foundation of an association of clubs in the eastern part of Drenthe, the so-called Veenkoloniale Voetbalbond (VVB), which started organising a competition, which later became a feeder league of NVB (the Netherlands' national football association, renamed KNVB in 1925); in 1926, the VVB would go on to merge with the Zuid-Drentsche Voetbalbond (ZDVB) to form the Drentsche Voetbalbond (DVB). At the time of the VVB's foundation in 1913, no club from Valthermond joins up (yet).
• 1918 / VVV in Valthermond-Oost having folded some time between 1905 and the World War I years, the club is refounded in 1918; a pitch is laid out at a plot of farmland owned by J. Keijser. Also in 1918, the drainage works westwards having progressed considerably in the 1910s, a football club is founded in Valthermond-West (the village stretches over an area of some 9 kilometres along the canal!); this club is given the evocative name WMK (Werkmanskracht). Its pitch is situated at the back of Café Baas, Zuiderdiep.
• 1919 / VVV and WMK are admitted as members of VVB, the league of local clubs founded 6 years previously.
• 1921 / WMK clinches the title in VVB Division 2 North. Also in 1921, at the behest of NVB, VVV takes on the new name Valthermond due to the fact that there are several other clubs in the Netherlands named VVV (most notably the future professional league side VVV in Venlo).
• 1923 / Without suffering a single defeat all season, Valthermond from Valthermond-Oost wins one of its two 1920s titles in VVB Division 1 North (ahead of its own reserves' team which finishes in second place) - in fact, the club wins this title twice in this decade, with the exact year of the second title being unknown. Also in 1923, Valthermond clinches its second consecutive win in a local cup competition, the so-called Veenkoloniale Beker (alternatively referred to as Veenbodebeker or Erelmanbeker). In the aforementioned VVB Division 1 North, WMK from Valthermond-West finishes bottom of the table - with no more than 6 teams taking part. Contemporary source material confirms that derby games between Valthermond and WMK were hotly contested affairs in those days, with brawls among supporter groups being no exception.
• 1925 / Deprived of its pitch at Café Baas, WMK folds, ceasing all activities.
• 1926 / WMK is refounded under a new name, Zeldenrust. This club, later renamed TOG (Tot Ons Genoegen), plays its home matches on a pitch near the Valthe train station.
• 1930 / With Valthermond in Valthermond-Oost having folded some time between 1924 and 1930, TOG ceases its activities in 1930. That same year, though, a new club is founded in Valthermond-West, given the name vv Valthermond. The club's first chairman is Alje de Boer. In the first two-odd years of its existence, vv Valthermond plays its football on various makeshift pitches at Noorderdiep and Zuiderdiep. 
• 1931 / vv Valthermond joins the DVB, with a first team entering the DVB's league system at the bottom level.
• ± 1932 / vv Valthermond settles at a ground situated at Zuiderdiep Plaats 76, at the back of Café Pras.
• 1933 / Foundation of a new football club in Valthermond-Oost, which is given the name Valthermondsche Boys (or simply 'VB'; the orthography being modernised to Valthermondse Boys later on). This club's first ground is situated on a plot of farmland owned by J. Bosch, with a move being made to Terrein Keveling, near Café Gerhardus Többen, later onwards. 
• 1934 / vv Valthermond wins the Veenbodebeker.
• 1935 / Winning the title in DVB Division 1, vv Valthermond accedes to KNVB Sunday League 3D - League 3 being the lowest regular league division in KNVB District North in the pre-war years. In its first season at this level, the club holds its own rather well, finishing in 5th place.
• 1936 / vv Valthermond takes home the Zwartemeerbeker by defeating hosts vv Zwartemeer in the final (4-2) at Mr. Ovingstraat in Klazienaveen.
• 1937 / For the first time, vv Valthermond appoints a coach, Fokko Woltjes from Veendam. Woltjes stays on until 1939 - and would come back to the club after the end of German occupation, taking care of training sessions in the 1946-47 season as well.
• 1938 / Clinching the title in DVB Division 2A, Valthermondse Boys also accedes to DVB Division 1 by winning a set of promotion play-offs, in which vv Valthermond's reserves team is one of the opponents.
• 1939 / Threatened in its existence due to a decreasing membership and financial difficulties, vv Valthermond makes overtures to Valthermondse Boys to conclude a merger, but the reply is in the negative. Later on, in the war years, Valthermondse Boys suggests concluding a merger, but this time vv Valthermond refuses.
• 1941 / Café Pras, where vv Valthermond played its football for the past 9-odd years, terminates the rental agreement with the club. For the remainder of the 1941-42 season, the club concludes a groundsharing agreement with Valthermondse Boys at Terrein Keveling.
• 1942 / Abandoning Valthermondse Boys' ground in Valthermond-Oost, vv Valthermond prefers a groundshare with vv Oring in Odoorn.
• 1944 / Having groundshared with vv Oring for 2 seasons, vv Valthermond returns to Valthermond-West, inaugurating a pitch at Zuiderblokken (later renamed Valtherblokken) on a plot of farmland owned by J. Jongman. Due to the particularly harsh conditions in the last year of World War II, with many young men being drafted to perform hard labour in Germany, not much football is being played on the new pitch in the first year of its existence.
• 1945 / Upon the liberation of the Netherlands, vv Valthermond plays several friendlies against teams of soldiers of the British army, including the Pioneer Club '40 and The Royal Engineers.
• 1946 / Having turned down a suggestion to merge with football club Stella from the nearby hamlet of Zandberg, Valthermondse Boys files an official merger request at vv Valthermond. In a meeting of vv Valthermond's membership, a majority of those present votes in favour of the merger, but in the following weeks - with opposition growing steadily - the plan ultimately fails. Incredibly, that same year, a 3rd club is founded in Valthermond, DVV (Door Vrienden Verenigd), by a group of disaffected Protestant-Christian members of vv Valthermond, who were no longer willing to play football matches on Sundays. DVV's first pitch is situated at Noorderdiep (at modern-day Veenbeslaan).
• 1947 / Joining KNVB, DVV is forced to change its name due to this club name already being taken by clubs in Duiven and Delft; under the new name vv MVK (Met Vereende Krachten), the club refrains from taking part in DVB's brand new Saturday competition for the time being, instead sticking to training sessions and friendly matches. In 1947, MVK, leaving behind its first pitch at Noorderdiep, groundshares with vv Valthermond at Terrein Jongman for a short time, before moving on to Terrein P. Hulshof (Zuiderdiep Plaats 83) and, later yet, to Terrein Sebo & Jan Weits (Zuiderdiep Plaats 71). Also in or around 1947, Valthermondse Boys in Valthermond-Oost abandons Terrein Keveling, settling at Terrein Schutte (Plaats 2); and later at Terrein Hoezen I (Plaats 1) - both pitches being situated close to Café Többen, used by players to change clothes.
• 1948 / Not having taken part in regular league football in the first 3 years after the war, Valthermondse Boys enters a first team for the 1948-49 season, which is placed in DVB Division 2A. Valthermondse Boys would go on to stay at DVB D2 level for the last 7 years of its existence as an independent club.
• 1949 / Finishing in 10th place in District North's Sunday League 3C, vv Valthermond descends into Sunday League 4.
• 1950 / vv MVK enters a first team in DVB's Saturday competition. That year, the club leaves Terrein Weits, finding a new home at a plot of unused land at the back of Café Baas (Noorderdiep Plaatsen 65-66). Valthermondse Boys also moves to a new ground, leaving Terrein Hoezen I to settle at Terrein Modderwijk, a pitch across the road from Valthermond-Oost's cemetery - and moving on a 2nd time that same year, to Terrein Hoezen II, also situated at Modderwijk. Only proving the makeshift character of football pitches in the area, vv Valthermond also moves grounds, leaving Terrein Valtherblokken to return to the pitch at the back of Café Pras, which the club had been forced to abandon 9 years previously. Each club only has one pitch at its disposal for matches and training sessions - with practice sessions in the winter season only being possible with the use of flashlights (due to the lack of floodlight pylons).
• 1952 / Valthermondse Boys finishes in joint-first place in DVB Sunday League 2 with 2 other teams, but fails to win promotion in the ensuing set of play-off matches.
• 1953 / Abandoning Terrein Baas, vv MVK moves on to a pitch situated at Zuiderdiep Plaatsen 51-52 (actually on the spot of the future Sportpark De Meent). Also in 1953, vv Valthermond is given the luxury of a set of floodlights at Café Pras for the benefit of their training sessions. In the 1952-53 season, vv Valthermond clinches the title in District North's Sunday League 4C, being drawn against another League 4 champion, vv Harkema-Opeinde, for one spot in League 3. With both legs of the contest ending in a draw, a 3rd, decisive match is played at vv Achilles' ground in Assen, Terrein Stadsbroek, won by vv Harkema-Opeinde (score unknown). As such, vv Valthermond misses out on a return to League 3.
• 1954 / Finishing in joint-first place in District North's Sunday League 4C with SV Dedemsvaart, the two clubs meet for two extra matches, home and away, with each winning the home tie (no goal difference was taken into account yet in those days). For a 3rd match, both clubs meet at vv VKW's Terrein Beilerstraat in Westerbork, with SV Dedemsvaart winning the match 3-2. Thus, vv Valthermond misses out on promotion yet again. At the eastern end of Valthermond, a similar fate happens to Valthermondse Boys; finishing in joint-first place in DVB Division 2A with vv KSC, 2 test matches are played, in which the club from Schoonoord comes out on top. Meanwhile, in Saturday football, with many of its players called up to perform their military service, vv MVK is less successful, finishing in 10th (and last) place in DVB Saturday Division 1, thus dropping back into Division 2. 
• 1955 / Winning the title in District North's Sunday League 4D, vv Valthermond finally accedes to Sunday League 3 - no extra play-offs are required this time around, as, due to a thorough reorganisation of KNVB Leagues, involving the creation of a professional league pyramid, for which many bigger clubs sign up, many extra places in higher divisions are available. After the 1954-55 season, a merger is concluded between vv Valthermond and Valthermondse Boys - as the latter club's chairman, Roelof Vuurboom, succeeds in convincing his club's memberhsip of the need of a merger. The new club retains vv Valthermond's name, the reasons for this being twofold: (1) vv Valthermond is the oldest of the two clubs; (2) if the club were to choose a new name, it would have to start at the bottom of the DVB league ladder instead of KNVB Sunday League 3. Henceforth, first team football is played at vv Valthermond's ground at Café Pras, Valthermond-West, although Valthermondse Boys' Terrein Hoezen II is retained for lower team football and training sessions until the early 1970s. Albert Germs, vv Valthermond's chairman, stays on in this function after the merger.
• 1956 / Having finished 3rd in DVB Saturday Division 2B, vv MVK is admitted to DVB Division 1C, probably due to an extra Division 1 being created for the 1956-57 season.
• 1957 / Clinching the title in DVB Division 1C, vv MVK does not accede to KNVB Saturday League 4 - probably at the club's own request.
• 1959 / Winning the title in Sunday League 3C, vv Valthermond misses out on promotion, probably after a set of play-offs (no details are available). Meanwhile, vv MVK finishes in 1st place in DVB Saturday Division 1B. In a play-off final against ZVZ (Zuidlaren), the club from Valthermond manages a 2-0 victory (goals by Johan de Vries & Jan van Dijken), thus acceding to KNVB Saturday League 4 for the first time in club history. In the following 13 years, vv MVK alternates spells in Saturday League 4 (1959-61, 1962-63 & 1966-71) and DVB Saturday Division 1 (1961-62, 1963-66 & 1971-72).
• 1964 / Finishing 12th in District North's Sunday League 3C, vv Valthermond descends into League 4 after 9 years of League 3 football.
• 1966 / After years of fruitless talks between clubs and Odoorn's municipal authorities, finally a modern sports park is laid out at Noorderdiep, halfway between Valthermond-West and Valthermond-Oost; although not completely finished yet, the facilities are taken into use by vv Valthermond and vv MVK in October 1966. For the time being, both clubs' youth academies stay behind at the respective old pitches.
• 1967 / Due to the clubhouse not being finished yet as well as a subsidence on one of the 3 pitches, the new municipal sports park in Valthermond is not inaugurated officially until August 5th, 1967. All premises are shared by vv Valthermond and vv MVK; in the following years, various conflicts arise between the two clubs, e.g. about the use of the main pitch, training days, and a projected extension of the clubhouse. 
• 1969 / In the best season its history, vv MVK finishes in 3rd place in District North's Saturday League 4D.
• 1971 / Guided by coach Koen Schonewille, vv Valthermond wins the title in Sunday League 4H, thus returning to League 3 after a 7-year absence. The title is obtained after winning a tie-break match against NAB 3-1 (goals by Jan Smid, Bennie Gerdes, and Hendrik Baas). The talented Hendrik Baas is called up for the Netherlands' UEFA youth team and plays 1 season for FC Groningen before returning to vv Valthermond. He is not the only player in Valthermond of his generation trying his luck as a football pro - others being vv Valthermond's Bennie Gerdes (vv Zwartemeer, SC Drente), and MVK's Henk van der Vlag (SC Drente, SC Cambuur, FC Utrecht, vv Veendam) and Stef van der Vlag (SC Drente, SC Cambuur).
• 1972 / In a meeting organised by Odoorn's mayor, Mr E.W. de Fielliettaz Goethart, to improve the relations between vv Valthermond and vv MVK, surprisingly, both clubs agree to conclude a merger, in which vv MVK is absorbed into vv Valthermond - with the new merger club having first teams on Sundays and Saturdays - with the Saturday team being by far the less successful of the two, alternately playing in DVB Divisions 1 & 2 for the following 24 seasons. In December 1972, a new clubhouse as well as a new ticket boot are inaugurated, upon which the park is renamed Sportpark De Meent.
• 1973 / Still coached by Koen Schonewille, vv Valthermond's Sunday team wins the League 3C title, thus acceding to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
• 1974 / Early in 1974, trainer Koen Schonewille is sacked after a conflict with the club's board. He is replaced by caretaker Bennie Gerdes, taking on the role of player-manager until the end of the season. Led by Gerdes, the club finishes in 3rd place in Sunday League 2B - suffient to guide the club to Sunday League 1 for the first time, given that an extra tier at the top of the Sunday league pyramid, the so-called Hoofdklasse, is created for the 1974-75 season. The decisive win to clinch promotion was obtained in an away match at SC Stadskanaal's Sportpark Het Pagedal (1-3).
• 1975 / A start is made on a thorough refurbishment of Sportpark De Meent, which will take up much of 1975 and 1976. New dug-outs are constructed as well as a set of terraces at the ground's southern end, while the main pitch is laid out anew. Due to the works, much of the lower team football and training sessions moves to the pitches of neighbouring clubs vv Oring and vv Valther Boys, as well as to the local school's sports facilities (School 96). In the 1974-75 season, vv Valthermond finishes runners-up in Sunday League 1C, thus just missing out on promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse.
• 1976 / With coach Piet van Brummelen, who took over the club's managership in the summer of 1974, vv Valthermond wins the title in Sunday League 1C. In fact, the club lost its title match (at home against vv Harlingen, 0-1), but due to its remaining rivals Velocitas 1897 and vv Muntendam only managing a draw, Sportpark De Meent has reason to celebrate nonetheless, as vv Valthermond manages a historic promotion to the top level of the Sunday league pyramid. 
• 1977 / In Zondag Hoofdklasse B, vv Valthermond meets no fewer than 5 other clubs from Drenthe: vv CEC, vv Emmen, CVV Germanicus (called Weber-Germanicus for sponsorship reasons at the time), SC Erica, and vv Hoogeveen - in what could with justice be referred to as the heyday of non-league football in Drenthe, following the demise of the province's only pro side, SC Drente, in 1971. Home games at Sportpark De Meent draw at least 800 spectators, with derby encounters resulting in even bigger crowds. The results, however, are disappointing, with vv Valthermond finishing 14th and last, thus dropping back into League 1 along with SC Erica. vv Valthermond never returned to this level of the league pyramid in its subsequent history. In the summer of 1977, Henk Nienhuis, former professional league player at vv Veendam (and future manager of SC Veendam & BV Veendam), succeeds Piet van Brummelen as vv Valthermond's trainer. The ambitious Nienhuis lures various players to Sportpark De Meent, most notably vv Titan's Boy Nijgh in 1978. Nijgh played for vv Valthermond for just the 1978-79 season (club top scorer with 18 goals), being signed by FC Groningen - and going on to have a professional league career at SC Heerenveen and SC Veendam (1980-89). 
• 1979 / Although having invested much in the first team, Henk Nienhuis' 2 years at vv Valthermond remain rather inconspicuous, given that the club was little more than a grey mid-table contender in Sunday League 1. In 1979, Nienhuis is succeeded by Wim van den Heuvel, who would stay at the helm of the club for the next 20 years.
• 1980 / vv Valthermond's gifted, 18-year old midfield player Albert Koops is signed by SC Cambuur.
• 1981 / Inauguration of a new clubhouse at Sportpark De Meent. Also in 1981, AFC Ajax, coached by Kurt Linder at the time, comes down to Valthermond for a summer training camp. With a crowd of some 3,500 in attendance, a gala match is played against vv Valthermond, won by the record champions 5-1; Valthermond's goal is scored by Willem Baas.
• 1982 / After a short professional league adventure at SC Cambuur, which lasted just for one season (1980-81), Albert Koops returned to vv Valthermond - only to be picked up by SC Veendam in the summer of 1982. Also in 1982, AFC Ajax returns to Valthermond for a summer camp. In the gala match, attended by some 5,500 spectators this time around, Ajax wins emphatically (23-2); the Valthermond goals are scored by Jan Smid and Gerrie van Schaik. This match also marks the farewell of skipper Bennie Gerdes after having played in Valthermond's first team for 22 years. 
• 1983 / Finishing in joint 10th-11th place in Sunday League 1C, vv Valthermond plays a tie-break match against rivals SV Twedo at vv Emmen's Sportpark De Meerdijk in front of some 5,000 spectators for one place at League 1 level. Winning the match 1-0 thanks to a Richard Warczynski penalty, vv Valthermond stays with, while SV Twedo drops back into League 2.
• 1984 / Having played 7 years in League 1, vv Valthermond now finishes 11th and second-last in Sunday League 1C, thus dropping back into League 2 after not having played at that level for 10 years.
• 1986 / After 4 seasons at SC Veendam, Albert Koops - undeniably talented, but perhaps a bit too phlegmatic to succeed as a professional league player - returns to vv Valthermond.
• 1987 / Finishing in joint-first place in Sunday League 2B with SV HODO and SV Steenwijkerwold, vv Valthermond meets its two rivals in a tie-break competition with 2 matches each. Valthermond's home game against SV Steenwijkerwold (3-5) draws 5,000 spectators to Sportpark De Meent. In the end, the club misses out on promotion, as SV Steenwijkerwold clinches the League 1 ticket.
• 1988 / Apart from the annual AFC Ajax training camp, FC Barcelona, coached by Johan Cruijff, also comes down to Valthermond for a camp and a gala match, in which Albert Koops wins compliments from his Spanish opponents for his technically gifted style of play. Ajax gives away its half of the revenue of its gala match in Valthermond to their hosts to allow for a grandstand to be built. Earlier on in the 1980s, a broadcast booth had been erected alongside the eastern side of the pitch, but, so far, a covered stand had been judged as beyond the club's financial means. 
• 1989 / Winning the title in Sunday League 2B, vv Valthermond returns to League 1 after a 5-year absence. In the title match at Sportpark De Meent against SV Twedo, Albert Koops scored all 3 of his side's goals in a 3-2 win. The year 1989 would also mark the end of the annual tradition of an AFC Ajax summer camp in Valthermond (steadily organised from 1981 onwards by vv Valthermond's odd-jobber Jan Wardenburg). At the gala match on July 14th, 1989 (won 8-0 by the Amsterdam side), Ajax's chairman Michael van Praag officially inaugurates the new main stand, the construction of which had taken about half a year. 
• 1992 / Runners-up in Sunday League 1C, vv Valthermond just misses out on a return to Zondag Hoofdklasse. Meanwhile, Albert Koops, who had joined German Oberliga club VfL Herzlake for one season only to return to vv Valthermond in 1991, is signed by BV Emmen, embarking on his 4th spell as a professional league player. At Sportpark De Meerdijk, although BV Emmen was markedly unsuccessful in those years, Albert Koops had 3 relatively good seasons, before bowing out and moving on to non-league side vv WKE. It should be pointed out that Koops was not the only vv Valthermond player of his generation to have a professional league career; others were Bert Eling (SC Veendam), Martin Idema (BV Emmen), Erwin Paas (SC Veendam), and Dennis Schomaker (FC Groningen & BV Emmen).
• 1993 / Without its star player Albert Koops, vv Valthermond is unable to hold its own in League 1C, finishing dead-last and dropping back into League 2.
• 1994 / Winning the title in Sunday League 2B following a win over SC Stadskanaal - and rivals vv Musselkanaal giving away a 4-0 lead against vv Beilen -, vv Valthermond manages an immediate return to League 1. The joy is short-lived, though, with relegation following immediately in 1995.
• 1997 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 2L, vv Valthermond drops back into League 3 - not having played at that level for 24 years.
• 1998 / The clubhouse at Sportpark De Meent is extended with an extra meeting room and a referee dressing room. Also in 1998, vv Valthermond's Saturday league team, following two titles in a row (in Leagues 6A & 5B), accedes to Saturday League 4. The team is unable to maintain itself at that level, though, with two relegations (in 1999 and 2002) bringing it back to the bottom of the league ladder, in Saturday League 6.
• 2000 / In parallel with the 2000 European Championships being held in the Netherlands (and Belgium) that summer, vv Valthermond organises the so-called Euro 2000 Tournament, inviting a host of international lower league teams (including KVV Vosselaar, Wisbech Town FC, Fairview Rangers AFC, and TJ Sokol Kralovice). In the final, IFK Trelleborg takes on KKS Astra Krotoszyn, with the Polish side walking away with the cup.
• 2003 / Returning to his childhood club for the umpteenth time, Albert Koops takes over the managership. Also in 2003, floodlight pylons are erected alongside the main pitch at Sportpark De Meent - the inaugural match being played against BV Emmen on Tuesday, October 14th, 2003.
• 2004 / Former professional league player Henry Meyerman (who played at FC Twente, PEC Zwolle, K Berchem Sport, SC Veendam, and BV Emmen), joins vv Valthermond, only staying at the club for the 2004-05 season though.
• 2005 / In the 2004-05 season, vv Valthermond's Saturday team finishes in an inconspicuous 9th place in Saturday League 6F. Some time between 2005 and 2010, vv Valthermond withdrew its regular Saturday team, thus ending a long tradition of Saturday league football in Valthermond, which began with the foundation of DVV / vv MVK in 1946.
• 2006 / Having been at the helm of the club for 3 seasons, Albert Koops is replaced as vv Valthermond's trainer-coach by another former professional league player, Sip Bloemberg.
• 2007 / After 10 years in League 3, vv Valthermond drops back into League 4 following an 11th place in Sunday League 3D. Sip Bloemberg is sacked after just one year.
• 2008 / Finishing runners-up in District North's Sunday League 4F, vv Valthermond qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In the play-off final, played at vv Noordster's Gemeentelijk Sportpark, vv Valthermond defeats vv Hunsingo to return to League 3 after one season.
• 2009 / The job of trainer-coach at vv Valthermond is taken over by Rick Slor, a former professional league player (1989-2006 at SC Veendam, FC Groningen, BV Veendam & BV Emmen).
• 2010 / Managing a 4th place in Sunday League 3D, vv Valthermond qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Reaching the final of those play-offs, the club defeats vv Bellingwolde at Sportpark De Meent after a penalty shoot-out to return to League 2.
• 2013 / Finishing last in Sunday League 2L, vv Valthermond is relegated back into League 3.
• 2014 / After 5 years as trainer at vv Valthermond, Rick Slor is succeeded by former FC Groningen teammate Harris Huizingh (who also played at SC Veendam and SC Heerenveen).
• 2015 / Winning the title in Sunday League 3D with a staggering 14-point advantage over vv Zuidwolde, vv Valthermond manages a return to Sunday League 2.
• 2017 / Harris Huizingh puts an end to his coaching career, leaving vv Valthermond. That same year, the clubhouse at Sportpark De Meent is given a thorough renovation.
• 2018 / Albert Koops begins a second spell as trainer-coach at vv Valthermond, staying on until 2021.
• 2022 / Finishing runners-up in Sunday League 2L behind GVAV-Rapiditas, vv Valthermond qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Having defeated vv Dalen, the club goes on to meet vv Rolder Boys in the final, the club of former coach Rick Slor. In the match, played at vv Beilen's Sportpark Noord-West, vv Valthermond eventually suffers defeat (3-2), thus being denied a return to Sunday League 1. 
• 2023 / vv Valthermond finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2K behind WKE '16 - with Valthermond being in contention until the very end, only losing the title due to a last minute WKE '16 goal away at vv Helpman, nullifying vv Valthermond's defeat of vv Peize (photos of vv Valthermond's botched title match below). In the ensuing promotion play-offs, vv Valthermond defeats SV VENO and vv Helpman, but is eliminated in R3 by vv Union. Also in 2023, a broadcast booth is constructed in the centre of Sportpark De Meent's main stand. The original booth at the eastern end of the main pitch is knocked down in the summer of 2023.
• 2024 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2I, vv Valthermond qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1 before being eliminated by GVAV-Rapiditas in R2 (3-0).

Note - The main source for the information above is an excellent book published on the occasion of vv Valthermond's 75th anniversary: “Valthermond aan de bal. Geschiedenis van 75 jaar vv Valthermond”, by Lia Baas-ten Hoff / Anneke Klok-Cremers / Jan Ottens / Fenny van der Vlag-Pak / Johan de Vries / Anja Schuring, ed. Abbes-Hummel: Nieuw-Weerdinge 2005.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

NETHERLANDS: SDVB

Sportpark Norschoten, Barneveld (SDVB)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

27 V 2023 / SDVB - HZVV 4-0 / National Saturday Division 4B (= NL level 5)

Timeline

• 1936 / In Barneveld, a town with a mixed population of Roman-Catholics and adherents of various protestant and evangelical churches, a first football club is founded, vv Barneveld (often referred to locally as VVB). vv Barneveld is an open club, in which Sunday as well as Saturday football is played, but there is a focus on first team football on Sundays.
• 1954 / A group of VVB members with a protestant background, disaffected by the lack of priority given to Saturday league football in their club, decides to break away and found a club with a firmly protestant signature: Sterk Door Vriendschap Barneveld ("Strength Through Friendship Barneveld", abbreviated as SDVB or SDV Barneveld). The foundation meeting takes place at Café Vinkenborg, Nieuwe Markt, on March 24th, 1954, with Piet van den Berg being elected as the new club's first president. For the moment, no first team is entered in regular league football, with activities mostly remaining restricted to training sessions. The club's first ground is situated at the back of the Gelria cardboard factory.
• 1955 / With SDVB entering a first team in KNVB Afdeling Utrecht's Saturday Division 3 for the first time (Afdeling Utrecht being the association of football clubs in the province of Utrecht and some surrounding municipalities, such as Barneveld, playing their matches below the level of KNVB League 4), the club moves to a new, better equipped ground at Hessenweg. The first match is played there on September 10th (with VVOP being the opponent), while the official inauguration of the park, with 2 dressing rooms in situ, takes place one month later. Due to the steady growth in membership, the club is faced with a lack of capacity - given there is just one pitch available at Hessenweg. For some time, lower team football and training sessions are moved to Terrein Oosterbos (where the local swimming pool was constructed later onwards) and subsequently to vv Barneveld's former pitch at the back of Café Huppelschoten. After some time, though no exact year can be given, a training pitch with floodlights was added to Terrein Hessenweg, solving the club's space problem temporarily.
• 1957 / Winning its first title ever, SDVB takes the leap from Afdeling Utrecht Saturday Division 3 to Division 2.
• 1961 / Winning the title in Afdeling Utrecht Saturday Division 2 under the guidance of trainer A. van de Pol, SDVB fails to win the ensuing play-offs, thus missing out on promotion to Division 1.
• 1963 / Winning the title in Afdeling Utrecht Saturday Division 2, SDVB, still trained by A. van de Pol at the time, accedes to Division 1.
• 1965 / With coach G.W.A. Kwik, SDVB clinches the title in Afdeling Utrecht Saturday Division 1, thus making the historic step to KNVB Saturday League 4.
• 1966 / In its first season as a regular KNVB league club, SDVB - still coached by G.W.A. Kwik - wins the title in Saturday League 4C, thus acceding to League 3 straightaway. Also in 1966, abandoning Terrein Hessenweg, the club - with an ever-increasing membership - moves into the newly built Sportpark Barnseweg, later renamed Sportpark Norschoten (inaugurated officially on November 5th, 1966). In its original set-up, the new park consists of 2 regular pitches, 1 training pitch, and 2 dressing rooms.
• 1970 / Having been among the strongest sides in League 3 for 4 seasons, SDVB now wins the title in Saturday League 3B with coach Jan Straks, thus acceding to League 2 for the first time.
• 1972 / Obtaining yet another title, this time in Saturday League 2C, SDVB, guided by trainer Wim Bleijenberg at the time, accedes to Saturday League 1, the highest level in Saturday football at that time. Some time during the 1970s, with more and more people gathering to watch SDVB's progress with their own eyes, a grandstand is added to the set-up at Sportpark Norschoten.
• 1974 / SDVB finishes 4th in Saturday League 1A, the best result in club history until that time.
• 1976 / Managing a meagre 13th and second-last place in Saturday League 1B with trainer Gerard Lenselink, SDVB suffers the first relegation in club history, being retrograded to League 2.
• 1982 / Two SDVB youth players, 11-year old Dick Schreuder and his younger brother Alfred, are admitted to the youth academy of Feyenoord. Moving on to the academy of PSV 5 years later, both go on to have respectable careers as professional league players, Dick Schreuder at PSV, Sparta, FC Groningen, RKC, Stoke City FC, Helmond Sport, and Go Ahead Eagles (1989-2002); and Alfred Schreuder, a midfielder like his brother, at Feyenoord, RKC, NAC, NAC Breda, FC Twente and SBV Vitesse (1991-2009). After hanging up their boots, both of them move on into a coaching role, with Alfred working as a manager at - among other clubs - FC Twente, 1899 Hoffenheim, Club Brugge KV, and AFC Ajax (also being assistant-manager under Ronald Koeman at FC Barcelona); and Dick (after starting his coaching career with SDVB in the years 2007-13) taking on his first job as professional league manager at PEC Zwolle in 2021.
• 1989 / Having played 13 consecutive years of League 2 football, SDVB, coached by Piet van den Ham, now wins the title in Saturday League 2D, thus managing a return to the highest level of Saturday league football. The club's 22-year old centre-forward Hans van Arum earns himself a contract with top flight club SBV Vitesse, where he forms a successful goalscoring couple with Rick Hilgers. It is the start of a professional league career which also takes him to Willem II, RKC, and Go Ahead Eagles. After 13 years as a professional, Van Arum finishes his career in non-league with vv DOVO. Subsequently, as a coach, he had two spells at SDVB (2001-02 and 2013-17), working as a manager at several professional clubs in the intervening years, most notably SBV Vitesse and AGOVV Apeldoorn.
• 1990 / After just 1 season in Saturday League 1A, in which the club finishes 14th and last, SDVB drops back into League 2.
• 1991 / Winning the title in Saturday League 2C, SDVB, still coached by Piet van den Ham, manages an immediate return to League 1.
• 1994 / Having spent 3 seasons in League 1, SDVB, trained by Joop Kols, ends up in 13th (and second-last) place in Saturday League 1B, thus descending into League 2. Also in 1994, 23-year old midfielder Arco Jochemsen leaves the club, signing a contract with professional league side SBV Vitesse. After his spell in Arnhem, Jochemsen goes on to play for Feyenoord, FC Utrecht, FC Twente, and FC Zwolle, before retiring into non-league at his old club SDVB in 2006. 
• 1995 / The clubhouse at Sportpark Norschoten is given a thorough refurbishment.
• 1996 / Finishing in 6th place in Saturday League 2C with trainer Joop Kols, SDVB wins automatic promotion to Saturday League 1 due to a top tier being added to the Saturday league pyramid in the shape of a so-called Hoofdklasse (a level already introduced in Sunday football in 1974). In the following season, the club does very well, finishing runners-up in Saturday League 1A.
• 2000 / Coached by Gerard Top, SDVB wins the title in Saturday League 1A, thus acceding to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse for the first time.
• 2002 / Finishing 14th and last in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse B, SDVB, still coached by Gerard Top, drops back into Saturday League 1.
• 2004 / On the club's 50th anniversary, SDVB drops back into League 2 following a 10th place in Saturday League 1D with coach Henk van de Pol. The situation is put right straightaway in the 2004-05 season, in which the club clinches the Saturday League 2I title to return to League 1 at the first opportunity.
• 2013 / After finishing runners-up in Saturday League 1D twice in a row (in 2011 behind vv Bennekom, in spite of Alfred Schreuder joining SDVB as a guest player for the decisive match) and 2012 (behind DTS Ede), the club now clinches the title in League 1A with an impressive 7-point advantage over closest rivals FC Breukelen. Thus, the club, coached by Dick Schreuder, returns to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse after 11 years.
• 2014 / Finishing dead-last in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse A, SDVB descends into League 1 after just one year, being accompanied on that journey by ZSV Sportlust '46.
• 2016 / SDVB and vv Berkum finish in joint-first place in Saturday League 1D with 54 points. As such, both clubs have to play a tie-break match to determine the title winner; at CSV Apeldoorn's Sportpark Orderbos, a Jan Doornbos goal assures SDVB of a 1-0 win and direct promotion to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse.
• 2017 / Leaving only ASV Dronten behind, SDVB finishes second-last in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse B, thus descending back into League 1 yet again.
• 2018 / A brand-new, two-tiered clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark Norschoten.
• 2022 / Finishing in 3rd place in Saturday League 1D, SDVB - with its coach Bart Schreuder - qualifies for the promotion play-offs. After defeating vv Sliedrecht (after a penalty shoot-out), the club meets SV Nootdorp in the final, played at vv Achilles Veen's Sportpark De Hanen Weide. The match, marred by racist abuse hurled at SV Nootdorp players by SDVB supporters (as a result of which the match was interrupted for some time), is won by the Barneveld side thanks to a penalty scored by Zakaria El Biyar (1-0). As such, SDVB wins promotion to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse - renamed National Saturday Division 4 that summer; and in fact the first time in SDVB's club history that promotion is achieved via the play-offs.

Note - Thanks to Marius Kolkman for important parts of the information provided above. Further information was retrieved from two booklets released on SDVB's 50th and 60th anniversaries respectively: "SDVB in het Goud" (2004) and "60 jaar Sterk Door Vriendschap" (2014).

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author