Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SV Batavia '90

Sportpark De Doggersbank, Lelystad (SV Batavia '90)

Netherlands, province: Flevoland

24 II 2024 / SV Batavia '90 - HSV De Zuidvogels 1-3 / District West I, League 1B (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1978 / Foundation of a football club in Lelystad, which takes on the name vv Stator. The Sunday club plays its home matches at Sportcomplex De Beukenhof.
1982 / A group of disaffected members of SV Lelystad ’67, who feel not enough priority is given to Sunday football in their club, break away and form a Sunday club of their own, vv Zuiderzeevogels. vv Zuiderzeevogels settles at Sportpark De Doggersbank, groundsharing with a rugby club which bears the same name as the newly founded football club.
1990 / After existences of twelve and eight years respectively, in which neither club ever reached the Sunday League 4 level, vv Stator and vv Zuiderzeevogels conclude a merger, thus forming SV Batavia ’90. The reason behind the merger is the wish of Lelystad’s municipal authorities to replace Stator’s ground with housing. In the first year after the merger, however, the new club plays its first team at Sportcomplex De Beukenhof, while Sportpark De Doggersbank is used for lower team football and training sessions.
1991 / With Sportcomplex De Beukenhof being given up, SV Batavia ’90 moves all its activities to Sportpark De Doggersbank. At that time, the main pitch of this park is situated at its southwestern end.
1992 / For the first time in the young history of SV Batavia ’90 – as well as its two predecessors – the club reaches District West I’s Sunday League 4.
1996 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Sunday League 4G, 6 points behind champions VVZA, SV Batavia ’90 goes on to win a set of promotion play-offs, thus breaking down the door to Sunday League 3.
1997 / Having been placed in Sunday League 3D of the newly created – and short-lived – District Centre (District Midden), SV Batavia ’90 finishes in second-last place, thus dropping back into Sunday League 4 along with avv HVC and bottom club VVZA.
1998 / Finishing last in District Centre’s Sunday League 4G, SV Batavia ’90 withdraws its first team from regular league football.
2000 / Having made a restart in District Centre’s Sunday League 6A, SV Batavia ’90 finishes in third place, 6 points behind champions SV Hertha, going on to win promotion via the backdoor of the end-of-season play-offs.
2009 / Finishing in fourth place in District West I’s Sunday League 5G, 8 points behind champions Magreb ’90, SV Batavia ’90 qualifies for the play-offs, in which it secures promotion to Sunday League 4. The stay at that level is short-lived, though, with relegation following after just one season.
± 2010 / With a new clubhouse being built at the northern side of the pitch which had hitherto hosted first team football at Sportpark De Doggersbank, a new main pitch is laid out at the northern end of the park – the pitch formerly used by rugby club Zuiderzeevogels. The former main pitch is renamed Pitch 2.
2014 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Sunday League 5D, 15 points behind champions SV Faja Lobi KDS, SV Batavia ’90 manages to win promotion to Sunday League 4 by qualifying after a set of matches against SC De Eland, VSC, and vv Nederhorst.
2015 / While retaining its first team in Sunday League 4, SV Batavia ’90 creates a second first team which is placed in District East’s Saturday League 4C.
2016 / In its first season, SV Batavia ‘90’s Saturday team finishes in joint-first place in District East’s Saturday League 4C with ASV Swift ’64; in a tie-break match, played at Elburger SC’s Burgemeester Bode Sportpark, Batavia defeats the side from Swifterbant (4-3), thus winning direct promotion to Saturday League 3. Meanwhile, Batavia’s Sunday team finishes dead-last in District West I’s Sunday League 4G with only 5 points picked up in the entire season; with the priority now firmly being on first team football in the Saturday divisions, the club’s board goes on to withdraw its Sunday team from regular league football – although a regular Sunday team was formed again three years later.
2018 / Finishing in sixth place in District East’s Saturday League 3B, SV Batavia ’90 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 in an away match at former professional league side AGOVV (2-1). In the summer of 2018, Michel van Oostrum – former professional league player at AFC Ajax, Telstar, PEC Zwolle ’82, BSC Old Boys, BVO Emmen, Cambuur-Leeuwarden, and BV De Graafschap – takes over the post of trainer-coach at SV Batavia ’90, staying on in that capacity for the following six years.
2019 / Runners-up in District East’s Saturday League 3B, with an equal number of points as champions ASC Nieuwland, but with an inferior goal difference (+58 / +66), SV Batavia ’90 has to try to break down the door to League 2 via the play-offs. Edging past OVC ’85 in R1 (3-1) and VVOP in R2 (2-1), the club goes on to win promotion by defeating CSV VIOS Vaassen in the final, played at vv OWIOS’ Sportpark Bovenmolen in Oldebroek (3-0, goals by Joy Schoonhoven, Steffan Vlietstra, and Youssef Tokhi).
2020 / The main pitch of Sportpark De Doggersbank is equipped with a synthetic surface.
2022 / Runners-up in Saturday League 2G, 3 points behind champions ASV Dronten, SV Batavia ’90 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Defeating CVV Sparta Enschede in R1 (4-2) and SV Veensche Boys in R2 (1-0), the club eventually misses out on the League 1 ticket due to losing the final against vv Hulzense Boys, played at vv OWIOS’ Sportpark Bovenmolen in Oldebroek (2-1). Also in 2022, Sportpark De Doggersbank hosts the play-off final for a ticket in National Sunday Division 4 between vv AGB and vv Heino (2-4).
2023 / Champions in Saturday League 2I, 7 points ahead of closest followers vv Hierden, SV Batavia ’90 accedes to Saturday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2024 (projected) / The most successful trainer in club history, Michel van Oostrum, leaves SV Batavia ’90 at the end of the 2023-24 season after six seasons and two promotions.