Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv Doetinchem

Sportpark De Bezelhorst Noord, Doetinchem (vv Doetinchem)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

10 IX 2023 / vv Doetinchem - SC EDS 0-2 / District East, Regional Cup - group stage, group 3-34

Timeline

1907 / Foundation of Doetinchemsche Football Club (DFC) – not the oldest club in Doetinchem, given that DVC (Doetinchemsche Voetbalclub) dated back to 1900 – but this club folded in 1911. The first pitch of Doetinchemsche FC, originally an elitist club, was situated in Wijnbergen, Terrein Cleve – a plot of farmland rented from a local smallholder.
1915 / Doetinchemsche FC reaches NVB District East’s League 3 for the first time (with no League 4 existing at that time).
1918 / Winning the title in League 3 for the second time running, DFC wins promotion to League 2. That same year, a new club sees the daylight in Doetinchem, Excelsior. It is unclear where Excelsior’s ground was situated.
1922 / Forced by NVB authorities, who frown upon clubs sharing the same name, Excelsior changes its name to become DLO (‘Door Lichamelijk Oefenen’, or, literally translated in English, ‘By Physical Training’).
1924 / DLO reaches NVB League 4 for the first time. That same year, Doetinchemsche FC drops back into League 3 after having played in League 2 for the past 6 seasons.
1928 / A merger is concluded between DLO and DFC, resulting in the foundation of Voetbalvereeniging (vv) Doetinchem. All activities move to Doetinchemsche FC’s ground – by then no longer situated in Wijnbergen, but in Doetinchem proper, Terrein De Kruisberg.
1930 / Winning the title in League 3C, vv Doetinchem accedes to League 2. In the 1930s, the club alternates spells in League 2 (1930-34, 1936-38) and League 3 (1934-36, 1938-41). Also in the course of this decade, a wooden covered stand is erected at Terrein De Kruisberg.
1937 / Having its best season in the pre-war era, vv Doetinchem finishes in 4th place in League 2B.
1941 / Winning the title in District East’s Sunday League 3C, vv Doetinchem manages a return to League 2. The club holds out at that level for 8 years, with relegation following in 1949.
1951 / Finishing in 1st place in Sunday League 3C, vv Doetinchem returns to League 2. This time, the spell at that level lasts for 3 seasons, with relegation following in 1954.
1956 / Although, at a club meeting, a majority of the members votes in favour of a merger with fledgling professional league club BVC De Graafschap (founded in 1954), the decision is reversed shortly afterwards amid a sharp conflict between those in favour and those against a professional league adventure. In the end, BVC De Graafschap finds another merger partner, vv Oosseld – with the new merger club taking on the name VBV De Graafschap and with vv Oosseld becoming the club’s non-league branch. For many years, the relations between De Graafschap and vv Doetinchem remain strained.
1962 / Finishing in last place in District East’s Sunday League 3C, vv Doetinchem drops back into League 4 for the first time in club history. In the following 15 years, the club alternates spells in League 4 (1962-65, 1969-74) and League 3 (1965-69, 1974-77).
1977 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 3C, vv Doetinchem returns to League 2 after an absence of 23 years at that level.
1979 / For the first time in club history, vv Doetinchem accedes to League 1 following a title win in League 2A. In the following season, the club finishes in a respectable 5th place in League 1D.
1986 / In the best season in club history, vv Doetinchem finishes in 4th place in League 1D.
1987 / Having held out at League 1 level for 8 consecutive seasons, vv Doetinchem drops back into League 2.
1988 / Suffering back-to-back relegations, the club suddenly finds itself in League 3.
1990 / Having played at Terrein De Kruisberg for some 65 years (including the DFC era pre-1928), vv Doetinchem moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark De Bezelhorst, to the north of Doetinchem’s town centre.
1999 / Having spent 11 consecutive seasons in League 3, vv Doetinchem now wins the title in Sunday League 3C, thus acceding to League 2. The stay at that level does not last longer than one season though, with relegation duly following in 2000. The club spends the following 9 seasons in League 3.
2002 / VBV De Graafschap has a youth academy ground built at Sportpark De Bezelhorst, to the south of vv Doetinchem's ground. In the following years, also due to vv Doetinchem's membership dwindling, De Graafschap is also allowed the use of the southern end of the park.
2010 / Having suffered relegation into League 4 the previous season, vv Doetinchem now wins the title in Sunday League 4D, thus returning to League 3.
2015 / Finishing last in Sunday League 3C, vv Doetinchem drops back into League 4.
2018 / vv Doetinchem clinches the title in Sunday League 4D, 1 point ahead of vv MvR. As such, the club returns to League 3.
2022 / Coached by Hans Hendriksen, vv Doetinchem finishes in 4th place in Sunday League 3B, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. Defeating vv Trekvogels in R1 (2-3) and RKSV Brakkenstein in R2 (1-5), the club qualifies for the final, played against vv Witkampers at a neutral venue, Sportclub Eefde’s Sportpark De Wolzak. After 90 minutes, the score is 2-2, with the tie going into extra time. After vv Witkampers scores the 3-2, the atmosphere on and off the pitch becomes extremely heated – with matters running out of hand quickly. Due to some of vv Doetinchem’s players having misbehaved badly, the match, which was called off with just 1 minute of play remaining, was awarded to vv Witkampers. Amateur footage of the brawls off the pitch goes viral, drawing nationwide attention.
2023 / In March 2023, due to an away match at vv Gendringen being suspended by the referee after misconduct by vv Doetinchem players, KNVB authorities punish the club with a deduction of 5 points. The following month, after another match – at home against VDZ – being broken off by the referee, vv Doetinchem’s board takes the far-reaching decision to withdraw its first team voluntarily – with automatic relegation being the logical result. Most players are expelled from the club, with a new first team being formed for the 2023-24 season in Sunday League 4.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-3 = non-matchday visit, October 2019 / pictures 4-14 = match visit, September 2023.