Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Overloon (1972-1976) / RKVV SSS '18 (1976-)

Sunday, 26 May 2024

NETHERLANDS: RKVV Overloon (1972-1976) / RKVV SSS '18 (1976-)

Sportpark De Raaij, Overloon (RKVV SSS '18, formerly RKVV Overloon)

Netherlands, province: North Brabant = Noord-Brabant

26 V 2024 / RKVV SSS '18 - RKSV Eendracht '30 4-2 / Sunday League 2E (= NL level 7)

Timeline

1918 / Foundation of a football club in Overloon, which takes on the name RKVV SSS (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging ‘Sport Staalt Spieren’). With Ben Groenewoud becoming SSS’s first chairman, the club joins the newly founded Afdeeling Maasbuurt of the Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie.
1940 / After the German occupation of the Netherlands, all football associations except the official Netherlands' Football Association (Nederlandsche Voetbalbond, NVB) are abolished, upon which RKVV SSS joins the NVB under a new name, RKVV Overloon – due to the name SSS already being taken by another NVB club from Klaaswaal.
1946 / With SSS’s pre-war pitch having been rendered unusable due to the deploy of a minefield, RKVV Overloon moves to a newly laid-out pitch near the village centre, at Raaijweg.
1966 / Coached by Wim Koelen, RKVV Overloon wins promotion to KNVB Afdeling Maasbuurt Division 1.
1967 / A new sports park is laid out on the same location where RKVV Overloon had already been playing since 1946, with the facilities being renamed Sportpark De Raaij.
1972 / Due to parking space being required for the newly built War Museum in Overloon, Sportpark De Raaij has to be moved slightly southward, with a new main pitch being inaugurated – which has been the club’s main pitch until the present day.
1978 / A new set of dressing rooms and clubhouse are inaugurated at Sportpark De Raaij – which have both remained in use until the present day.
1976 / RKVV Overloon changes its name to become RKVV SSS ’18.
1983 / Never having managed to climb out of the ranks of Afdeling Maasbuurt, RKVV SSS ’18 now accedes to District South I’s Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1984 / Finishing second-last in District South I’s Sunday League 4A, RKVV SSS ’18 drops back into Afdeling Maasbuurt after just one year, along with bottom club vv SIOL.
1989 / After an absence of five years, RKVV SSS ’18 manages a return to Sunday League 4, this time being placed in District South II rather than South I.
1990 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4H, 8 points behind champions SV Meerlo, RKVV SSS ’18 wins promotion to Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history after a successful round of play-offs.
1992 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, RKVV SSS ’18 drops back into League 4 after two seasons.
2007 / Runaway champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, 14 points ahead of closest rivals RKVV MVC ’19, RKVV SSS ’18 – coached by former MVV pro Noud Janssen – manages a return to League 3 after an absence of fifteen years.
2008 / Still coached by Noud Janssen, RKVV SSS ’18 wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 11 points ahead of closest followers vv Helden, thus finishing top of the league for the second time in a row and acceding to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
2013 / Coached by Math Aerts, RKVV SSS ’18 finishes in third place in Sunday League 2H. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club sees off vv Schaesberg to accede to the final, in which SVC 2000 is defeated (3-2 aggr.); as such, SSS gains promotion to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2014 / Bottom of the table in Sunday League 1D, RKVV SSS ’18 drops back into League 2 after just one season, along with second-last RKVV Chevremont.
2015 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2H, 2 points behind champions ZSV, RKVV SSS ’18 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it books a spectacular 7-3 aggregate win over derby rivals RKVV Volharding in the final, thus managing a return to Sunday League 1 after just one season.
2016 / In the best-ever season in club history, RKVV SSS ’18 finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 1D, ahead of bottom clubs Sporting Heerlen and vv RVU which both drop back into League 2 – with SSS saving its skin in the play-offs and thus staying up in League 1.
2017 / Bottom of the table in Sunday League 1D, RKVV SSS ’18 drops back into Sunday League 2 after two seasons, along with derby rivals RKVV Volharding.
2023 / Finishing in ninth place in Sunday League 2G, RKVV SSS ’18 has to play a set of play-offs to assure itself of a prolonged stay at that level, which it manages to do following successive defeats of vv Excellent (4-2) and vv Walram (2-1 A.E.T.).
2024 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2E with just one win in the entire season – a victory managed in the very last game of the season – RKVV SSS ’18 drops back into League 3, along with RKSV Eendracht ’30.