Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv VKW

Sportpark De Perkenslag, Westerbork (vv VKW)

Netherlands, province: Drenthe

14 V 2023 / vv VKW - RKSV Rohda Raalte 0-0 / National Sunday Division 4A (= NL level 5)

Timeline

1929 / Foundation of a first football club in Westerbork, which is initially given the name WVV (Westerborker Voetbalvereeniging), following the initiative of a group of youths who had been playing irregular ("wild") football on a plot of open land at the back of a local hotel, Hotel Boer at Hoofdstraat in Westerbork's village centre. When the new club, with Tinus de Roos being its first chairman, applies for membership of the Drentsche Voetbalbond (DVB), the local football association organising football in Drenthe below the level of League 4 organised by the Netherlands' official FA (NVB, later KNVB), the name WVV is turned down due to a club in Winschoten, Groningen (WVV 1896), already being known by that same abbreviation. Thereupon, the first provisionary board of the Westerbork club takes the decision to change the sequence of letters - and so the club joins DVB as VVW (Voetbalvereeniging Westerbork).
1930 / Taking part in official league football for the first time, VVW continues to make use of the makeshift pitch at the back of Hotel Boer (renamed Hotel Meursinge due to a change of ownership in 1932), sharing it with local netball club ODI. The 1930-31 season unfolds in a way which can be described in no other terms than catastrophic, with VVW managing 1 draw, losing all other of its 18 matches. Unfortunately, the club's achievements in the remainder of the 1930s have been poorly documented.
1936 / The local rivalry between VVW and vv Beilen from nearby Beilen comes to a head as Jan Vrugt, VVW's goalkeeper, joins vv Beilen. Utterly frustrated, in the next derby encounter, VVW defeats vv Beilen comprehensively, 4-1.
1941 / During the German occupation of the Netherlands, a merger is concluded between VVW and local gymnastics club, Vlugheid & Kracht. The new omnisports club is renamed VKW (Vlugheid-Kracht-Westerbork) - but, given that football is by far the most popular activity, the club is commonly named vv (Voetbalvereniging) VKW.
1945 / On May 16th, 1945, mere days after the liberation of the northern half of the Netherlands, a match is organised between vv VKW and a team of Canadian soldiers. With few activities having taken place in the last stages of German occupation, the club's membership is down to about 50, thus threatening the future of football in Westerbork. In the first post-war season, 1945-46, vv VKW is placed in District North's Sunday League 3F, finishing in 4th place.
1947 / Moving away from Terrein Hotel Meursinge at Hoofdstraat, vv VKW settles at a new pitch, Terrein Beilerstraat, situated in the woods at the back of Hotel Slomp, just beyond the confines of the village. This move is a relief to Westerbork's Reformed Church authorities - given that the observance of Sunday rest in Westerbork was disturbed by football matches taking place in the village centre. At Terrein Beilerstraat, the club has a makeshift clubhouse and dressing rooms at its disposal.
1958 / vv Witteveensche Boys from nearby Witteveen, a football club founded in 1941, folds, ceasing all activities; with part of that club's players now joining VKW, a considerable growth in membership is brought about.
1964 / Having spent 19 consecutive seasons at League 3 level, vv VKW finishes 11th and second-last in Sunday League 3C, thus descending into League 4. Also in 1964, Louis Teunis Lieve, a social-democrat, is appointed as mayor of Westerbork; seeing the abysmal state of the two pitches at Terrein Beilerstraat, Lieve sets his mind on the creation of a modern municipal sports park in the village.
1967 / Finishing as runners-up in the two previous seasons, vv VKW now obtains the title in Sunday League 4F, thus returning to League 3 after a 3-year absence.
1968 / Elper Boys from nearby Elp, a football club founded in 1948, folds, ceasing all activities; with part of that club's players now joining VKW, a considerable growth in membership is brought about.
1969 / After some years of building works, the new Sportpark Perkenslag is inaugurated in August 1969. From now on, vv VKW has no fewer than four pitches at its disposal. Later that same year, Queen Juliana is shown around the new park by Westerbork's mayor, Mr Lieve. The old Terrein Beilerstraat has to make way for a swimming pool, De Boskamp.
1973 / Finishing 11th and second last in Sunday League 3C, vv VKW drops back into League 4.
1974 / Suffering its second relegation in a row after finishing 11th in Sunday League 4H, vv VKW descends into the ranks of Drentse Voetbalbond for the first time since World War II.
1976 / Winning the title in DVB Sunday Division 1, the club manages a return to Sunday League 4 after a 2-year absence.
1980 / Having spent 4 seasons in League 4, vv VKW, coached by Wim Ties, wins the title in Sunday League 4H by defeating its only remaining rivals vv Uffelte in the last match of the season. As such, the club returns to League 3 after 7 years.
1981 / In its first season back at League 3 level, VKW just misses out on the Sunday League 3C title, finishing 1 point behind champions vv Annen.
1983 / Having finished in second place in District North's Sunday League 3C in the previous two seasons, vv VKW, trained by Lammert Klouwen, now clinches the title, following a neck-and-neck race with SC Zwartemeerse Boys - with both clubs remaining unbeaten all season. The decision is brought about on the last day of the season, in which VKW defeats vv Schoonebeek in an away match (0-1, goal by Jacob Schuiling). As League 3 champions, VKW accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history - and the occasion is celebrated by a post-season gala match in which top-flight side Sparta is received at Sportpark Perkenslag (result: 2-3). In the following seasons, VKW holds its own at League 2 level admirably well, usually managing mid-table positions.
1985 / Three VKW players leave the club to embark on a professional league campaign. Centre-forward Frans de Kat signs for SC Heerenveen, while Jan Sikkenga and Jacob Schuiling try their luck at BV Emmen, which made the leap from non-league to professional league football in the summer of 1985.
1986 / Having played one season at BV Emmen, Jan Sikkenga and Jacob Schuiling return to vv VKW. However, goalkeeper Henk Schokker is the next VKW player to try his luck at Sportpark De Meerdijk, being picked up by Emmen's coach Theo Verlangen as replacement goalie. Schokker, however, earns himself a place in Emmen's first team rapidly, going on to play a total of 194 matches for the club between 1986 and 1993.
1987 / Having spent two seasons at SC Heerenveen, Frans de Kat returns to vv VKW.
1991 / vv VKW finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2B, the best performance in club history up to that point. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club finishes last in a three-way contest (with SV Steenwijkerwold and vv Nieuw Buinen being the other participants) - thus missing out on promotion to League 1.
1992 / Finishing in last place in Sunday League 2B, vv VKW descends into League 3 after a decade of League 2 football.
1993 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 3C, vv VKW returns to League 2 immediately. The stay at this level does not last long, though, with relegation following straightaway with a last place in League 2B.
1996 / Due to a meagre 10th place in Sunday League 3C, with an equal number of points as vv ZBC, a tie-break match is held between VKW and the club from Zweeloo. As VKW loses the match, it drops back into League 4, 17 years after last having played at that lowly level.
1997 / Works get underway on the construction of a new clubhouse, which is inaugurated some time in 1998. Also in the second half of the 1990s, Sportpark De Perkenslag is regularly visited by professional league sides from Scandinavia in early spring for the preparations of their summer season.
1998 / In the 1990s, vv VKW also has a modest Saturday league team, leading a modest existence in the lower reaches of non-league. In 1997-98, this Saturday team, coached by Henk Eefting, qualifies for the promotion play-offs in Saturday League 6, but suffers defeat at the hands of vv Smilde '94's Saturday team in R1. One year later, in 1999, VKW withdraws its Saturday team.
1999 / As runners-up in Sunday League 4F behind champions DVC '59, vv VKW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it defeats vv Sleen and SC Oranje before suffering an unexpected defeat at the hands of vv ZNC - and in the last play-off match against SV Bedum, VKW manages a win (3-1), but falls one goal short of earning the longed-for return to League 3 - as Bedum wins the ticket on goal difference.
2000 / Trailing vv KSC by 2 points before the last match of the season in Sunday League 4F, vv VKW manages an away win at vv Sleen, while KSC suffers an unexpected away defeat at the hands of vv EHS '85. As a result, VKW, coached by former player Jacob Schuiling, wins the title in the most dramatic of fashions, winning promotion to League 3.
2001 / With new trainer Geert Oosterloo leading the team, which is captained by Art Klaassens, vv VKW wins its 2nd title in a row - thus earning promotion from League 3A to Sunday League 2.
2002 / Incredibly, Geert Oosterloo's men win their 3rd consecutive title, defeating vv De Vogels to obtain the decisive points. VKW's spectacular results even draw the attention of national TV media, who cover the club's title-winning match. The club from Westerbork accedes to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2003 / Although the club remains unbeaten in the first 5 matches, vv VKW finishes rock-bottom in Sunday League 1F, thus suffering relegation back into League 2. After 3 years, trainer Geert Oosterloo leaves the club.
2006 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 2K, vv VKW returns to League 1. Again, though, the stay at this level does not last longer than 1 year, a 10th place finish in Sunday League 1F being insufficient to stay up.
2011 / Having dropped out of League 2 the previous year, vv VKW now obtains the title in Sunday League 3B, thus returning to L2 level straightaway.
2012 / Finishing 3rd in Sunday League 2L, vv VKW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by Velocitas 1897 in the most incredible of fashions - winning the away match in Groningen 0-3, only to suffer a humiliating 0-6 home defeat.
2013 / Having finished in 3rd place in Sunday League 2L, vv VKW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it knocks out vv Groninger Boys (winning the away leg 4-7!) to qualify for the final, in which it eases past vv Annen (3-0 aggregate win). Thus, the club accedes to Sunday League 1 for the 3rd time.
2014 / In its first season back in Sunday League 1F, vv VKW does extremely well, finishing in 5th place and qualifying for the play-offs for a spot in Zondag Hoofdklasse. In those play-offs, though, the club is eliminated in R1 by vv Hoogeveen.
2015 / Having stayed up in League 1 for the first time in club history, VKW has a much more troubled second season, eventually finishing 13th and second-last in L1F, thus descending into League 2 along with GVAV-Rapiditas, vv Dalen, and bottom club vv Steenwijk.
2016 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 2K, VKW qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In R1, the club loses the home tie against fellow Drenthe club vv Rolder Boys 0-2, only to win the away leg emphatically, 1-7, to proceed to the final round. taking on SVC LSC 1890, VKW wins both matches, easing to a 3-1 aggregate win - and regaining its spot in Sunday League 1 (although the result would not have mattered, given that LSC was eventually admitted to that level as well following the demise of League 1 side TEVV).
2017 / Yet again, VKW's stay in Sunday League 1F is short, with a last place in the final table condemning the club to a descent back into L2 along with SVC LSC 1890 and SC Erica.
2018 / Winning the title in Sunday League 2L with a comfortable 6-point margin over runners-up and derby rivals vv Beilen, vv VKW returns to Sunday League 1.
2019 / In an excellent season, vv VKW finishes 3rd in Sunday League 1F, only preceded by vv Emmen (AV) and vv Sneek Wit Zwart. In the play-offs for a spot in Zondag Hoofdklasse, the club works its way past vv De Bataven and SV Fortuna Wormerveer to qualify for the final. With vv Moerse Boys from faraway Klein-Zundert being the adversaries, a neutral venue somewhere in the middle has to be found. Both clubs settle on EFC '58's Sportpark De Zanderij in Ermelo, but that town's mayor, André Baars, does not allow the match to take place in the confines of his municipality for religious reasons - with many of his town's inhabitants observing Sunday rest; thereupon, a solution is found at vv VOP's Sportpark Olympus in Amersfoort. All that said and done, vv VKW loses the match 1-0. Due to an extra promotion place being available, an extra play-off is organised at SV Lelystad 67's Sportpark Langezand, in which VKW takes on RKSV Leonidas. In the run-up to that match, VKW makes headlines in the national press, as news comes through that the club's centre-forward and star player Anjo Willems is unavailable for the match due to his giving preference to a Phil Collins open-air concert in Nijmegen's Goffertpark. Losing this second final 1-0 as well, VKW ends the season empty-handedly.
2022 / Runners-up in Sunday League 1F, vv VKW wins direct promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse - renamed National Sunday Division 4 - due to the fact that title winners vv Hoogezand abandon Sunday league football, moving their first team 'horizontally' to Saturday League 1.
2023 / In its first season of national league football, vv VKW has a hard time adapting to the level of play, finishing last in National Sunday Division 4A and thus descending back into Sunday League 1 along with MVV Alcides.
2024 / Finishing in second-last place in League 1J, vv VKW suffers its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Sunday League 2 along with bottom club vv GRC Groningen.

Note 1 - The main source for the information above is a booklet published by Westerbork's Historical Society (Historische Vereniging Gemeente Westerbork) in 2004 on the occasion of vv VKW's 75th anniversary, "VKW 75 jaar", written by J. Benthem.

Note 2 - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-5 = non-matchday visit, July 2018 / pictures 6-17 = match visit, May 2023.