Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SVW '27

Sportpark De Kabel, Heerhugowaard (SVW '27)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

20 V 2023 / SVW '27 - CVV Blauw-Wit (W) 1-1 / District West I, Saturday League 4A (= NL level 9)

Timeline

1923 / Foundation of a Roman-Catholic football club in Heerhugowaard, which is given the name DTV (abbreviation for De Trekvogels). The club joins NHVB (Noord-Hollandsche Voetbalbond), North Holland's branch of the official Netherlands' FA (NVB, Nederlandsche Voetbalbond). The club's pitch is situated at Middenweg.
1925 / After 2 years, DTV folds, ceasing all activities.
1927 / Refoundation of DTV under a new name: SVW' 27 (Steeds Voorwaarts). The club's first chairman is Jan Kamp. Also Roman-Catholic in its origins, SVW '27 does not join NHVB, preferring to play its football in an exclusively Catholic football association, the so-called Diocesaan Haarlemsche Voetbalbond (DHVB). SVW '27 settles at the pitch formerly used by DTV at Middenweg.
1928 / In its 1st season, SVW '27 wins the title in DHVB Division 4A, thus acceding to DHVB Division 3.
1931 / Finishing runners-up in DHVB Division 3A behind Victoria-O, SVW '27 wins promotion to DHVB Division 2, playing at that level for the following 9 seasons.
1936 / Abandoning the pitch at Middenweg, SVW '27 settles at a new ground at Sportlaan, later extended and renamed Sportpark De Kabel - where the club is still home today. Initially, the ground consisted of just one pitch (the pitch shown in the photos below), but various extensions were made later onwards, in the post-war years.
1940 / As German occupation authorities abolish all football associations in the Netherlands except NVB, SVW '27 joins the official FA, being placed in NHVB Sunday Division 2A for the 1940-41 season.
1943 / In 1942 or 1943 - the source material is rather sketchy -, SVW '27 wins the title in NHVB Division 2B, thus making the leap to NHVB Sunday Division 1, the level directly below NVB Sunday League 4.
1949 / Finishing second-last in NHVB Division 1C, SVW '27 drops back into Division 2.
1954 / In what can be described as the nadir of club history, SVW '27 finishes dead-lat in NHVB Division 2C, thus suffering a relegation to NHVB Division 3, the lowest possible league level.
1956 / Obtaining the decisive points in a 6-1 win over vv DWOW (3 goals by Jan Tamis, 2 by Piet Jak, and 1 by Dirk Tromp), SVW '27 clinches the title in NHVB Sunday Division 3B with a 1-point advantage over SV ZDH and vv Vesdo, thus winning promotion to NHVB Division 2.
1962 / With SVW '27 and vv De Blokkers finishing in joint-1st place in NHVB Division 2B, the two clubs face each other at vv SEW's ground in Nibbixwoud for a tie-break match. In an encounter attended by some 1,500 spectators, SVW, captained by Siem Vlaar, wins the match 2-0 with both goals being scored by Cor Steur. The successful coach is Piet de Boer.
1963 / SVW '27 wins its 2nd title in a row, finishing in 1st place in NHVB Division 1B, with the decision falling elsewhere, as the club's last remaining rival, SV Westfriezen, drops decisive points against vv HOSV. In the ensuing promotion play-offs against the title winners in the two other NHVB D1 competitions, SV Watervogels and RKVV Saenden, the two available promotion spots are clinched by SV Watervogels and SVW '27. Thus, the team, coached by Klaas Wit, accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1964 / With players previously being used to changing clothes in the groundsman's house, nearby the pitch at Sportlaan, a first set of dressing rooms is now inaugurated at SVW '27's ground.
1966 / A first clubhouse is erected. Around this time, a first covered stand is added to the set-up as well, a steel construction.
1968 / In its 5th season at League 4 level, SVW '27 finishes in 1st place in Sunday League 4B with an equal number of points as RKVV Limmen. In a tie-break match, attended by nearly 7,000 (!) spectators at AZ'67's Alkmaarderhout, SVW, coached by Piet Lingbeek, wins 2-1, with the club's two goals being scored by Sjaak Beers and Arie Bakker. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history.
1969 / Finishing in joint-10th place in Sunday League 3A, with an equal number of points as RKAFC, the two clubs face each other in a set of 2 tie-break matches, in which RKAFC comes out on top. As such, SVW '27 descends back into League 4 after just one season.
1972 / Having finished runners-up in the previous season, SVW '27, guided by trainer Bram Wiertz, now wins the title in Sunday League 4A, thus returning to League 3 after 3 years.
1974 / Construction of a new clubhouse, 'De Kink' (to be seen on the far left in photo 11 below).
1975 / SVW '27 loses its extra training pitches at Sportpark De Vork, as a newly founded club, HSV Waard '75, settles at this ground.
1976 / As SVW '27 finishes in joint-first place in Sunday League 3A with vv HSV, the two teams face each other head-to-head in a tie-break match played at RKSV AFC '34's ground. In front of a crowd of 2,500, SVW, coached by Fred Vonk, wins the match confidently (3-0, goals by Ab Vreeker, Henny Visscher, and Paul Kramer). Thus, the club wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
1977 / In its first season in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27, still trained by Fred Vonk, wins the title with a gap of 6 points over RKSV Vitesse '22 and RKVV DEM. The decisive points are won in an away match at BVV De Kennemers.
1978 / In the best season in club history, SVW '27 finishes in 6th place in Sunday League 1A. Also in 1978, the first edition of the so-called SVW '27 Tournament is held. The first edition is won by the home side following defeats of respected non-league sides HFC EDO and ASV DWV. Always held in the month of August, the SVW Tournament is held well into the 21st century - with SVW also winning the 1981 and 1991 editions.
1979 / Fred Vonk, the most successful coach in SVW '27's history, has to step back due to his not having the correct certificates to lead a League 1 team - he had been given a 2-year dispensation by KNVB authorities for the 2 previous seasons. Meanwhile, Cor Brink, co-founder of the club, lays the foundation stone of a new, large grandstand to be built at Sportpark De Kabel. The building works are taken care of by the contracting company of Piet Groenveld, who also is a member of the club's board at the time.
1980 / The new grandstand, with a total of 750 seats, is officially inaugurated by Alderman Ed Huisman.
1982 / Having spent 5 years in Sunday League 1A, with performances getting worse each season, SVW '27 eventually descends into League 2 following a 12th and last place in the 1981-82 season.
1983 / Goalkeeper Jan Rensen, who had made his debut in SVW '27's first team in 1966 aged 20, plays his 500th match for the club. Rensen, who had turned down an offer to join professional league side DVV Go Ahead in the late 1960s, eventually hangs up his boots in 1984.
1985 / Finishing last in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 descends into League 3. In the following 3 seasons, the club finishes runners-up in Sunday League 3A (behind RKAV Volendam, vv West Frisia, and vv Kolping Boys successively), thus just missing out on promotion 3 times in a row.
1990 / Yet again, SVW '27 finishes in 2nd place in Sunday League 3A, as LSVV walks away with the title. With the 1989-90 season being the first in which promotion play-offs are held, SVW '27 qualifies for those post-season matches, but the club bows out in R1 against SC Spirit '30.
1991 / Having managed a 4th place in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs again, but it is eliminated in the group stage against SC Spirit '30 and HFC Helder.
1993 / Finishing 7th in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated following defeats at the hands of SV Texel and SV De Rijp.
1994 / Managing a 4th place in Sunday League 3A, the club is eliminated in the play-offs yet again, this time by VAVV Alcmaria Victrix and HFC Helder.
1996 / Following another 4th place finish in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 survives the first 2 play-off rounds, seeing off vv VZV and vv HSV, only to lose the final (2-1 A.E.T.) against vv De Brug. In an additional 'lucky loser' final, held due to an extra promotion place being available, SVW faces vv Legmeervogels - with the Uithoorn club walking away as winners (4-3 A.E.T.).
1997 / Runners-up in Sunday League 3A this time, 1 point behind RKVV WGW, SVW '27 has to settle for a round of play-offs yet again - but, this time, the club is more fortunate than on previous occasions, defeating HFC Helder and vv HSV in the first two rounds, ultimately having the better of IVV in the final, played at WFC's Wateringcomplex in Wormerveer (2-1 A.E.T.). The coach guiding SVW out of League 3 after 12 years is Jan Visscher. Also in 1997, SVW '27 12-year-old youth academy player Ron Vlaar, who had only joined the club from vv Apollo '68 the previous year, is picked up by an AZ talent scout - ultimately breaking into that club's first team in 2004 and going on to play for Feyenoord, Aston Villa FC, and (a second spell at) AZ, hanging up his boots in 2021. Ron Vlaar played a total of 32 caps for the Netherlands' national team, being part of his country's squad in the 2012 European Championships and the 2014 World Championships.
1998 / In its first season in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 does surprisingly well, finishing in 3rd place behind RKVV Velsen and vv Kolping Boys. In the subsequent promotion play-offs, the club is eliminated in a group with SV WSV 1930 and AFC DWS.
2000 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 is eliminated in the promotion play-offs by vv De Meern.
2001 / vv Reiger Boys, who occupy the southern half of Sportpark De Kabel, move away to a newly built park, Sportpark De Wending. Reiger Boys' premises are taken over by SVW '27, thus solving the club's chronic lack of pitches at one stroke - from now on, the club has a total of 7 pitches at its disposal.
2002 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 2B, SVW '27 drops back into League 3 after 4 seasons.
2003 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 3A, the club returns to League 2 after just one year.
2010 / With a 5th place in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it obtains its ticket for Sunday League 1 following an emphatic 7-1 win over ASV De Flamingo's '64 - a match which was held at SV De Rijp's ground in front of a crowd of 1,200. SVW '27 returns to League 1 after a 28-year absence.
2011 / Finishing 14th and last in Sunday League 1A, SVW '27 drops back into League 2 after just one season, along with SV NVC.
2016 / Like the previous season, when relegation was staved off, SVW '27 finishes in 12th place in Sunday League 2A, ahead of directly relegated clubs SC Spirit '30 and FC Den Helder. In a relegation play-off, the club is defeated by SV United-DAVO (2-1 on aggregate), thus eventually dropping back into League 3, 13 years after last having played at that level.
2017 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 3B, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In the play-off final, the club defeats JVC (Julianadorp) (4-2 on aggregate), thus managing an immediate return to League 2.
2019 / SVW '27 enters a first team in Saturday League 4 for the first time - in parallel to the Sunday team, which still plays in League 2.
2022 / With just 6 points from 24 matches, SVW '27's flagship team finishes rock-bottom in Sunday League 2A. After the 2021-22 season, the club withdraws its Sunday team, continuing with just a first team in the Saturday divisions.
2023 / Finishing in 3rd place in Saturday League 4A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by HCSC.

Note - The main source for the information provided above is a book published on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the club: "SVW '27 75 jaar", by Jan Tamis & Jaap Bruijns (2002). Thanks to Oscar de Hoog, SVW '27's archivist, for providing me with a copy of this book.