Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKSV FCV

Sportpark Arenborg, Venlo 't Ven (RKSV FCV)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

1 X 2023 / RKSV FCV - RKVV MVC '19 4-2 / District South II, Sunday League 3C (= NL level 8)

Timeline

1932 / Foundation of a football club in ’t Ven, a hamlet situated just to the northeast of Venlo, very close to the border with Germany, by two men, Sef Linders and Maar Peeters. The foundation meeting taking place in Café Theike Backus at Straelseweg, the club name chosen initially is VIOS (probably an acronym for ‘Vooruitgang Is Ons Streven’). Given, however, that a club in nearby Tegelen already turns out to have that exact name, one settles for RKSV FCV – standing for Roomsch-Katholieke Sportvereeniging Football Club Venlo (although the club later started unofficially calling itself Football Club ‘t Ven to mark its heritage). Probably, also in 1932, the club joined the so-called RKLVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond), a league association of Roman-Catholic clubs from Limburg not affiliated to the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB). The club’s first pitch is situated at Arenborgweg in ‘t Ven. In the following four decades, RKSV FCV regularly moves from one pitch to the other, but exact information regarding this subject sadly unavailable.
1940 / Probably having spent the first eight years of its existence in RKLVB and/or IVCB (of which RKLVB was a feeder league), RKSV FCV is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands, abandoning the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ for obvious reasons) as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. FCV is placed in District South II’s Sunday League 3E.
1961 / Having spent 21 seasons in Sunday League 3, RKSV FCV now finishes 12th in Sunday League 3D, resulting in relegation to Sunday League 4.
1963 / Finishing 12th in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, RKSV FCV descends into Afdeling Limburg Division 1, the feeder league of League 4, for the first time in club history.
1968 / FCV manages a return to Sunday League 4, having spent five seasons in Afdeling Limburg.
1973 / Abandoning their ground at Boswachtersweg, RKSV FCV moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark Arenborg at Lovendaalseweg – in fact situated very close to the former Terrein Arenborgweg, the location where the club started its life in 1932.
1981 / Finishing runners-up in Sunday League 4G, FCV is placed in Sunday League 3 due to extra promotion places being available. It marks the return of the club at this level after an absence of 20 years.
1982 / Having held a successful lottery, RKSV FCV has the financial resources to add a board room as well as a youth home to their clubhouse. Seven years later, new dressing rooms are added to the set-up.
1983 / Winning the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3D – the club’s first-ever title in the regular KNVB divisions – FCV accedes to League 2 for the first time. The following season, the club manages an impressive 2nd place in Sunday League 2B.
1989 / Having spent six seasons in League 2, FCV now finishes 11th in Sunday League 2B, thus dropping back into League 3. Also in 1989, promising 19-year-old midfielder Geert Braem, who had made his debut in the club’s flagship team two years previously, is signed by professional league side Helmond Sport, where he will spend two seasons. Braem goes on to have a rather long career in the professional leagues, successively playing at VVV (1991-95), SC Eindhoven (1995-96), returning to Helmond Sport (1996-97), and lastly Go Ahead Eagles (1997-99).
1990 / Winning the title in Sunday League 3D, RKSV FCV manages a return to League 2 after just one year.
1992 / FCV finishes runners-up in Sunday League 2B, repeating that achievement in 1993 and 1996 – but without winning promotion on either of those occasions.
1997 / Having spent the previous four seasons in the top half of League 2, FCV now finishes second-last in Sunday League 2H, dropping back into League 3.
1998 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 3D, FCV suddenly finds itself in League 4 following a second relegation in a row.
2001 / Having spent the previous two years at vv VOS – following his withdrawal from professional league football – Geert Braem returns to FCV, spending his last season as a football player at his old club, finally hanging up his boots following the 2001-02 season.
2007 / Dead-last in Sunday League 4F at the end of the 2006-07 season, FCV descends into Sunday League 5 – the level below League 4 since a thorough reorganisation of the league ladder in 1996 – for the first time in club history.
2013 / Finishing 3rd in Sunday League 5F, RKSV FCV qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating SVOC ’01 (6-1) and SV Kronenberg (0-1) to return to League 4 after six years.
2017 / Clinching the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 12 points ahead of SVC 2000, FCV wins promotion to League 3 for the first time since the turn of the century.
2018 / Finishing last in Sunday League 3C, FCV drops back into League 4.
2019 / Clinching the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, 13 points ahead of runners-up RKSV Stormvogels ’28, FCV manages a return to League 3 level.
2025 (projected) / RKSV FCV are to move away from Sportpark Arenborg, settling at Sportpark Herungerberg as groundsharers with VVV ’03 – although each club will have its own main pitch. FCV will replace hockey club VHC, which merged with THC and HCB to become HC Delta Venlo in 2020, abandoning the premises at that point.