Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV IASON (1966-±1970) / vv IASON (±1970-2024)

Sportpark De Kromme Steeg, Houthem-Sint Gerlach (formerly RKVV IASON & vv IASON)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

June 2023 / no match visited

Timeline

1909 / A group of boys from Houthem-Sint Gerlach, who had been playing football together on pastures and meadows around the village in Southern Limburg since their introduction to the ball game during their military service two years previously, decides to form a proper football club, which is given the name HBC, an abbreviation standing for Houthemse Bal Club. Alfons Kockelmans, who is mentioned as the co-founder of the club along with Eddy Franquinet, takes over the role of chairman. For the moment, the club does not join any league association, with friendly matches being played on a pitch laid out on the pastures of a local smallholder, Mr Borghans.
1911 / HBC is absorbed into Juliana VC from nearby Meerssen, a member club of the so-called LVB or Limburgsche Voetbalbond (the Limburg sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association, NVB), with the merger club taking on the name Juliana-HBC. All activities move to Meerssen.
1913 / Juliana-HBC folds, ceasing all activities.
1916 / HBC is re-established under a new name, Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV) Iason, with the name being a reference to a Greek mythological hero. Again, Alfons Kockelmans takes on the role of chairman. It is unclear where the pitch of this new club was situated. One year later, the club is one of the founding members of the RKLVB or Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond, the Limburg sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Roman Catholic football federation RKF.
1922 / Due to financial problems, RKVV Iason folds, ceasing all activities.
1931 / Activities are resumed, with RKVV Iason being re-established under the chairmanship of Mathieu van Caldenborgh.
1933 / Possibly after having ceased its activities one year previously, RKVV Iason now resumes its activities under the chairmanship of Emiel Arbeel.
1937 / RKVV Iason ceases its activities due to financial problems.
1938 / After one year of inactivity, RKVV Iason is re-established under the chairmanship of Jan Frissen.
1940 / At the outbreak of World War II, which sees the RKF and all sub-branches of the Roman Catholic Football Federation being wound up, RKVV Iason folds, ceasing all activities.
1944 / Following the liberation of the southern part of the Netherlands from the German yoke, RKVV Iason is re-established at the instigation of the local chaplain, Fr Van Amstel. However, wanting to do away with the martial reputation of the Greek hero Iason, the club now officially takes on the acronym IASON, standing for In Aangename Samenwerking Overwinning Nastrevend (i.e. 'Striving for Victory in Pleasant Cooperation'). As the RKF does not resume its activities, RKVV IASON joins the official Netherlands’ Football Association, KNVB, in the summer of 1945.
1949 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Limburg (Sunday) Division 2, RKVV IASON goes on to enjoy success in the subsequent round of championship play-offs against RKUVC and RKVV Steenbergse Boys, thus gaining promotion to Afdeling Limburg Division 1.
1952 / With the decisive points being clinched in a 1-0 home win over RKSV Wit-Groen (1,700 spectators!), RKVV IASON, coached by Paul den Hoed, clinches the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1 without suffering a single defeat all season. The club fails to book a ticket for Sunday League 4 in the ensuing round of championship play-offs, having to leave the honours to RKVCL.
1955 / Coached by Henk Sluyten, RKVV IASON conquers the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1 for the second time, but, again, the club fails to win promotion to Sunday League 4 in the subsequent round of championship play-offs, in which RKSV Kakertse Boys and RKVVM prove too strong.
1956 / Conquering the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1 for the second year in a row, RKVV IASON is placed in District South II’s Sunday League 4 for the first time – without any play-offs, due to extra promotion places being available. The successful coach is Alex Suylen.
1959 / In the best season in club history, RKVV IASON finishes in fifth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4A.
1961 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, RKVV IASON drops back into Afdeling Limburg Division 1 after five years.
1963 / Coached by Gerrit Otten, RKVV IASON wins the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1, gaining promotion to Sunday League 4 after an absence of two years at that level.
1966 / Moving away from its old pitch at Kromme Steeg in March 1966, RKVV IASON concludes a temporary groundsharing agreement to finish the 1965-66 season at vv Berg ‘28’s Sportpark Wippertseheide (first team) and SV Vilt’s Terrein Vilterkuipje (lower teams), going on to settle on a newly laid-out park, laid out elsewhere at Kromme Steeg, in the late summer of the same year.
1967 / Finishing in joint-last position in District South II’s Sunday League 4B with vv Grachter Boys, RKVV IASON goes on to suffer defeat in a tie-break match against the club from Spekholzerheide, played at Terrein Hoebigerweg, the ground of SV Zwart-Wit ’19 in Eys (2-0). As a result, RKVV IASON descends into the ranks of Afdeling Limburg.
± 1970 / RKVV IASON’s board decides to drop the reference to the club’s Roman Catholic origins, with the club name thus becoming vv IASON.
1973 / A new clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark De Kromme Steeg in the summer of 1973.
1989 / Coached by Jo Vrösch, vv IASON wins promotion from Afdeling Limburg Division 1 to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 22 years at that level.
1992 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4A, vv IASON drops back into the ranks of Afdeling Limburg along with the club in second-last place, RKUVC.
1996 / As Afdeling Limburg and all other KNVB sub-branches are abolished in a thorough reorganisation of the non-league pyramid, vv IASON is placed in the newly created Sunday League 5.
1999 / vv IASON finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, 12 points behind runaway champions RKBFC. The club goes on to reach the final of the promotion play-offs, in which is suffers defeat (1-0) at the hands of RKVV Sportclub ’25.
2000 / Finishing as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, 8 points behind champions SC Jekerdal, vv IASON goes on to win promotion to Sunday League 4 via the play-offs.
2002 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4A, vv IASON drops back into Sunday League 5 along with the club in second-last position, RKUVC.
2004 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, vv IASON descends into Sunday League 6 for the first time, along with the club in second-last place, vv Daalhof.
2005 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6A, 1 point behind champions RKIVV, vv IASON manages an immediate return to Sunday League 5 via the ensuing play-off rounds.
2012 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, vv IASON drops back into Sunday League 6 along with bottom club SV Vilt.
2013 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6A, 1 point behind champions vv Amstenrade, vv IASON accedes to Sunday League 5 without play-offs due to extra promotion places being available. The successful coach is Ron Ruijgh.
2014 / Finishing in fifth place in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, vv IASON qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in the group stage against vv Daalhof and FC Gulpen, managing a home win against the former (6-2), but suffering an away defeat against the latter (6-4).
2015 / In its last season with a regular first team, vv IASON finishes in joint last place in District South II’s Sunday League 5B, along with vv Puth, but with an inferior goal difference (-70 vs. -61). Following the 2014-15 season, the club withdraws from regular non-league, continuing its existence with just recreational teams.
2024 / Following the 2023-24 season, vv IASON withdraws its last competing team from District South II’s Reserves’ League 6. In the summer of 2024, the club ceases all activities after an existence of eighty years.