Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Almania (1970-2013) / Sporting Sittard '13 (2013-)

Sportpark Bachstraat, Sittard Broeksittard (Sporting Sittard '13, formerly RKVV Almania)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

17 IX 2023 / Sporting Sittard '13 - RKVV Wijnandia 4-2 / District South II, Regional Cup - group stage, group 2-12

Timeline

1919 / Having been inspired by French occupation troops just across the border in Germany, the soldiers of which play each other in football matches to kill time, the decision is taken in the village of Broeksittard to found a football club, which is given the name Blauw Wit. The club’s first chairman is Mr. M. Jetten. In 1919 or shortly after it, the club finds itself a ground, Terrein Schelberg.
1920 / Blauw Wit starts its life in Division 2 of the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond (RKLVB), a league of Roman-Catholic football clubs in Limburg not affiliated to the official Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB).
1930 / Having played in several Roman-Catholic leagues in the past 10 years (initially RKLVB, later RKF and IVCB), Blauw Wit applies for membership of the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB), being placed in District South II’s Sunday League 3 on the condition that the club changes its name – the name Blauw Wit already having been taken by several other clubs. As such, Blauw Wit changes its name to become RKVV (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging) Almania.
1932 / Having played in KNVB Sunday League 3 for two seasons, RKVV Almania chooses to withdraw its KNVB membership, preferring to return to the ranks of RKLVB, being placed in that league’s Overgangsklasse (feeder division of the ranks of IVCB).
1934 / RKVV Almania has a successful year – although it is unclear in which division –, winning all of its matches and finishing the season with a 68-0 goal difference.
1939 / RKVV Almania wins a title in RKLVB or IVCB.
1940 / Following the German occupation of the Netherlands, all football associations except the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB, naturally without the royal epithet ‘K’ – or ‘koninklijk’) are abolished. RKVV Almania rejoins NVB, being placed in Sunday League 2.
1946 / Foundation of vv Stadbroek, a new club created in the eastern outskirts of Sittard - soon to coalesce with the village of Broeksittard in the post-war years. It is unclear if this club played at Sportpark Stadbroek at Jan Steenstraat from the outset.
1949 / vv Stadbroek reaches KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time. It is unclear for how long the club managed to hold its own at this level before dropping back into Afdeling Limburg (Limburgse Voetbalbond, LVB).
1955 / With the introduction of professional league football – and many Sunday league clubs joining –, the open places in Sunday League 1 are taken by clubs from the level below. As such, RKVV Almania, which had finished 3rd in Sunday League 2A in the 1954-55 season, wins promotion to the highest non-league level. Meanwhile, in another part of Sittard, in the Ophoven neighbourrhood, a new football club is founded which is given the name vv Thien Bunder Boys.
1956 / Unable to hold its own in Sunday League 1 – also because its strongest players had joined the newly created professional league side in Sittard, RKSV Sittardia –, RKVV Almania drops back into League 2 after just one season.
1960 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2B, RKVV Almania finds itself in Sunday League 3 for the first time since rejoining the ranks of the Netherlands’ official FA in 1940.
1963 / Winning the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, RKVV Almania returns to the League 2 level.
1964 / Although RKVV Almania wins the title in Sunday League 2A, the club fails to win promotion due to an unsuccessful set of promotion play-offs.
1966 / RKVV Almania loses the title in Sunday League 2B in the last match of the season. Leading at VCH in Hout-Blerick 0-2 until 15 minutes before the end of the match, the club goes on to lose 3-2, with rivals SV Panningen thus pipping the Broeksittard side at the post – and walking away with first place.
1967 / RKVV Almania eventually accedes to Sunday League 1 after obtaining the title in Sunday League 2B. This promotion heralds the most successful spell in club history.
1968 / Incredibly, RKVV Almania wins the title in Sunday League 1F in its first season after returning to this level. In the subsequent play-offs against the champions of the five other Sunday League 1 divisions (RKSV DCG, UVS, vv Rheden, vv Emmen, and MV&AV Middelburg), RKVV Almania plays its home matches at Stadion De Baandert, the stadium of professional league side Fortuna SC. Managing just one win in 10 matches, Almania finishes bottom of the table, with Amsterdam’s DCG clinching first place.
1970 / RKVV Almania comes close to the title in Sunday League 1F once again, eventually having to leave the honours to local rivals vv Sanderbout. The derby encounters between the two clubs draw crowds of 4,000 (at Almania) and 2,500 (at Sanderbout). In the preparatory stages of the 1970-71 season, RKVV Almania wins the so-called Twente-Ros Tournament in Enschede. On September 6th, 1970, the club’s newly laid-out ground, Sportpark Bachstraat, is inaugurated with Almania managing a 1-1 draw against vv RIOS ’31. Possibly also in or around 1970, vv Thien Bunder Boys moves from Ophoven to the southern half of this newly created Sportpark Bachstraat in Broeksittard.
1971 / Finishing with an equal number of points as vv Caesar in Sunday League 1F, RKVV Almania meets its rival in a tie-break match for the title at Stadion De Baandert (attended by 16,000 spectators!), with vv Caesar winning the match after extra time (3-2) – thus pushing back Almania into second place. Meanwhile, vv Stadbroek wins promotion to KNVB Sunday League 4 for a second time.
1973 / Winning the final against RKVV Voerendaal at Voerendaal’s ground (0-2), RKVV Almania wins District South II’s Regional Cup (‘Districtsbeker’).
1974 / Finishing 6th in Sunday League 1F, RKVV Almania wins promotion to the newly created top level of Sunday football, Zondag Hoofdklasse.
1975 / In its first season in Zondag Hoofdklasse C, RKVV Almania finishes in 6th place – and, not unimportant in view of local rivalries, being the most successful non-league club in Limburg that season.
1977 / Clinching the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, vv Stadbroek accedes to Sunday League 3, probably for the first time.
1978 / Winning its second title in a row, this time in Sunday League 3B, vv Stadbroek accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
1979 / Its fate being sealed following a 4-2 defeat away at SV Panningen, RKVV Almania drops out of Zondag Hoofdklasse C after 4 seasons, never managing a return to that level in subsequent years. On June 4th, 1979, the club plays its last-ever match at Hoofdklasse level, a 1-2 home defeat against TSV LONGA. Meanwhile, in the club’s best season ever, vv Stadbroek finishes in 4th place in Sunday League 2B.
1980 / RKVV Almania reaches the semis of District South II’s Regional Cup, in which it is eliminated by RFC Roermond (1-3). Meanwhile, at the southern end of Sportpark Bachstraat, vv Thien Bunder Boys changes its name to become Sportclub (SC) Sittardia ’80.
1981 / SC Sittardia ’80 absorbs a small, local non-league club, vv Vrangendael, without a name change resulting from the merger.
1982 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 1F, RKVV Almania finds itself in Sunday League 2 for the first time in 15 years. Meanwhile, having managed 4 seasons in League 2, vv Stadbroek now finishes last in Sunday League 2B, thus dropping back into League 3.
1983 / Finishing 6 points ahead of RKVV Waubach, RKVV Almania wins the title in Sunday League 2A, thus managing an immediate return to League 1. In November 1983, the clubhouse at Sportpark Bachstraat is consumed in a fire.
1985 / RKVV Almania drops back into League 2 following a 13th place in Sunday League 1F. On a happier note, a rebuilt clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark Bachstraat, the official ceremony being performed by a local alderman, Mr Houthakkers. Meanwhile, finishing last in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, vv Stadbroek finds itself back in League 4 after 8 years.
1986 / Following a 0-4 win at RKVV Kolonia, RKVV Almania clinches the title in Sunday League 2A, thus returning to League 1 at the first instance. Meanwhile, in its third relegation in four years, vv Stadbroek falls back into the ranks of Afdeling Limburg after finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 4D.
1988 / RKVV Almania finishes runners-up in Sunday League 1F, but misses out on promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse.
1990 / Finishing 10th in Sunday League 1F, RKVV Almania drops back into League 2. Meanwhile, after four years in Afdeling Limburg, vv Stadbroek manages a return to Sunday League 4. The stay at that level lasts for two seasons, with relegation following in 1992.
1994 / Winning the title in Sunday League 2A, RKVV Almania manages a return to League 1. The stay at that level does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation duly following in 1995.
1996 / vv Stadbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 4. This time, the stay at that level lasts for 5 seasons, with relegation following in 2001.
1997 / RKVV Almania wins the title in Sunday League 2H, thus returning to League 1. Again, though, the spell at that level does not last longer than one season, with relegation following in 1998. The club never returned to the League 1 level in subsequent years.
1999 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 2G, RKVV Almania suffers relegation to Sunday League 3, a level at which the club had last played 36 years back.
2001 / Winning the title in Sunday League 3C, RKVV Almania manages a return to League 2. The spell at that level lasts for 3 seasons, with relegation following in 2004.
2004 / Clinching the title in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, vv Stadbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 4.
2005 / SC Sittardia ’80 changes its name to become vv Sittard-Oost.
2006 / Finishing in 10th place in Sunday League 3B, RKVV Almania drops back into League 4, a level at which the club had never played previously.
2007 / Winning the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, RKVV Almania finds its way back to League 3 at the first instance. As for vv Stadbroek, in its last season as an independent club, it finishes in 9th place in Sunday League 4C. The club concludes a merger with vv Sittard-Oost, resulting in the foundation of SSOC (Stadbroek-Sittard-Oost Combinatie). With vv Sittard-Oost’s ground, Sportpark Bachstraat (Zuid), having to make way for a playground, all activities move to Sportpark Stadbroek at Jan Steenstraat. SSOC starts its life in Sunday League 4 by virtue of vv Stadbroek having stayed up at that level the previous season.
2008 / Finishing last in Sunday League 4C, SSOC suffers relegation to League 5.
2009 / Winning the title in Sunday League 5C, SSOC manages an immediate return to League 4.
2011 / SSOC finishes runners-up in Sunday League 4C, but fails to win promotion in the play-offs. Nonetheless, the 2010-11 season goes down as the most successful year in the merger club’s short existence.
2013 / In its last season as an independent club, RKVV Almania finishes 12th in Sunday League 3B, thus suffering relegation to League 4. Meanwhile, SSOC finishes in 10th place in Sunday League 4C, narrowly saving its skin at that level. In mid-2013, SSOC concludes a merger with RKVV Almania, resulting in the foundation of Sporting Sittard ’13. All activities move to Almania’s ground at Bachstraat, with SSOC’s Sportpark Stadbroek at Jan Steenstraat being abandoned – and subsequently laid out anew as a recreation area. Sporting Sittard ’13 starts its life in Sunday League 4, a level at which the club has played ever since.

Note - Picture 21 below (the last in the series) shows the two open terraces on each side of the main stand before the discovery of concrete degradation incited Sittard's municipal authorities to take the decision to cover both terraces under a set of thick groves. Photo, taken in April 2018, courtesy of Sjoerd van Leeuwen.