Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Sportclub '25 (B) (1978-2005) / RKVV Sportclub '25 (2005-)

Gemeentelijk Sportpark Bocholtzerheide, Bocholtz Bocholtzerheide (RKVV Sportclub '25)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

9 VI 2024 / RKVV Sportclub '25 - SHH 0-1 / District South II, League 1 - relegation play-off R2 (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1910 / Foundation of a first football club in Bocholtz, Olympia. A pitch is laid out on a plot of land owned by Mr Steinbusch, situated at Steenberg on the northern outskirts of the village: Terrein De Stein. It is unclear if Olympia joined the Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB) or stuck to playing friendly matches without joining a league association.
1914 / At the start of World War I, which brought all kinds of hardships for the south of Limburg due to the proximity to the German and Belgian borders, Olympia folds, ceasing all activities.
1918 / Foundation of a new club in Bocholtz, Herta. Herta settles at Terrein In d’r Duivenberg, situated at Vlengendaal to the south of the village. Herta joins the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie (RKF), a league association of Roman Catholic clubs in the Netherlands. The club’s goalkeeper in those years is Dionisius Coerver, the father of Wiel Coerver (1924-2011), future trainer of Roda JC, Sparta, NEC, Feyenoord, and Go Ahead Eagles.
1922 / Moving away from Terrein In d’r Duivenberg, Herta settles at the newly laid-out Terrein Op den Hof.
1923 / Herta wins the title in a RKF Division after a tie-break match against Wijlre (2-0).
1924 / Herta folds following a brawl after a match against Valkenburg, with the club being fined so heavily that unsurmountable financial problems are the result.
1925 / Herta is rehabilitated, being allowed to return as an RKF member after one year of inactivity. The club joins in April 1925 under a slightly adapted name, Sportclub Herta – with the element ‘Herta’ being dropped in October of the same year for reasons which remain unclear. Activities are not resumed at Terrein Op den Hof, with the new club settling at Terrein Heiweg (modern-day Baneheiderweg), situated between the hamlets Bocholtzerheide and Baneheide.
1926 / Sportclub wins the title in RKF Division 3, resulting in promotion to Division 2 of the same league system. Moreover, the club wins the so-called Bishop Cup (Bisschopsbeker) by defeating Hendrik (from Schinnen) in the final, 4-1.
1927 / For the second year running, Sportclub reaches the final of the Bishop Cup, drawing the encounter with KNV (from Kerkrade) 2-2 – but losing the toss of a coin after 90 minutes resulting in KNV being awarded the win and the cup. Also in 1927, following a conflict with municipal and ecclesial authorities, which want the club to clear their pitch before 3pm for the Vespers, Sportclub withdraws its membership of RKF, instead joining the official (and non-confessional) Netherlands’ Football Association, NVB, under a new name, Sportclub (SC) Bocholtz.
1928 / Following a reconciliation with local authorities, Sportclub agrees to rejoin the RKF under its old name (i.e. dropping the addition ‘Bocholtz’) – with the club being spared the fate of having to restart in the bottom division (D3), instead being placed in the division in which it played in the 1926-27 season (D2).
1931 / Having played at Terrein Heiweg for six years, Sportclub moves to Terrein Op den Hof, where the former Herta had been home between 1922 and 1924.
1932 / Having suffered relegation to the ranks of RKLVB, the association organising a Roman Catholic feeder league of RKF in Limburg, the previous year, Sportclub now wins the title in RKLVB Division 1, thus managing a return to RKF – meanwhile renamed IVCB, Interdiocesane Voetbalcompetitiebond – after just one season.
1936 / After five seasons at Terrein Op den Hof, Sportclub now moves to Terrein Duivenberg in Vlengendaal – in fact the same location where the former Herta had been home between 1918 and 1922.
1940 / Having spent the first fifteen years of its existence in the RKF, Sportclub is now constrained to make a choice between joining the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands in May 1940, abandoning the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ for obvious reasons) or folding, as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. With the club choosing to continue its existence, Sportclub is placed in NVB District South’s (Sunday) League 3. Also in 1940, Sportclub moves from Terrein Duivenberg to a new pitch situated on the same road in Vlengendaal.
1941 / Due to another NVB member club, Sportclub from Zwolle, bearing the same name and having the older rights – having joined the KNVB in 1930 – Sportclub from Bocholtz is constrained to adapt its name, thus becoming RKVV (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging) Sportclub ’25. During the war years, ‘Sjportkloeb’ lives side-by-side with two clubs nearby, BVS from Bocholtzerheide and the short-lived Zandberg-Prickart Combinatie (ZPC) in two hamlets to the north of Bocholtz proper. Both clubs fold during the war years; BVS, which had been founded in 1928, in 1941; and ZPC probably in 1943 after an existence of just two years. Also in 1941, RKVV Sportclub ’25 moves from Vlengendaal to a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Aan de Tienbaan, to the north of the village.
1945 / With Terrein Aan de Tienbaan being insufficiently equipped to host all of Sportclub’s matches, a second pitch is inaugurated in the western hamlet of Baneheide – referred to simply as Terrein Baneheide – for lower team football.
1946 / Only managing one draw and thirteen defeats in fourteen matches, RKVV Sportclub ’25 finishes dead-last in District South II’s Sunday League 3C in the first post-war season, thus dropping back into Sunday League 4.
1948 / As Terrein Aan de Tienbaan is abandoned after seven years, RKVV Sportclub ’25 moves all of its activities to Terrein Baneheide – inaugurated for lower team football three years previously.
1949 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, 8 points ahead of SV Schinnen, RKVV Sportclub ’25 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, taking on two other League 4 champions, RKTSV and RKVV Haanrade. With Leo Steinbusch scoring all three goals in the decisive win over RKVV Haanrade, RKVV Sportclub ’25 wins the competition, thus managing a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of three years.
1954 / Finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, with only 4 points obtained all season, RKVV Sportclub ’25 drops back into League 4.
1956 / Finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4B for the second year in a row, RKVV Sportclub ’25 descends into KNVB Afdeling Limburg, the league association organising the divisions in the province of Limburg below the level of Sunday League 4, for the first time in club history.
1959 / Amid ongoing bickering between club members from Bocholtz proper and Bocholtzerheide – many of which had joined Sportclub following the demise of BVS in the 1940s – having to do, among other things, with the number of players from each village being allowed into the first team, a breakaway club is founded in Bocholtzerheide, RKVV WDZ (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging ‘Wilskracht Doet Zegevieren’).
1965 / Abandoning Terrein Baneheide, RKVV Sportclub ’25 moves its first team football to the newly laid-out Terrein Groeneboord in Bocholtz proper. With no dressing room present on the site, the players have to change clothes at the nearby swimming pool. In parallel, a training pitch is laid out at Wijngracht.
1967 / With the training pitch at Wijngracht being abandoned after two years, a new temporary practice facility is laid-out at Minister Ruijsstraat.
1968 / The training pitch at Minister Ruijsstraat is abandoned after just one season, with a new temporary practice facility being laid-out at Baneheiderweg, halfway between Bocholtzerheide and Baneheide.
1969 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1, RKVV Sportclub ’25 manages a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of thirteen seasons. Also in 1969, Terrein Groeneboord is abandoned after four years, with the club temporarily returning to Terrein Baneheide, which had been abandoned four years previously, while a new ground is laid out for the club at Bongerdplein.
1970 / With Terrein Baneheide (first team football) and Terrein Baneheiderweg (lower teams and training sessions) being abandoned simultaneously, RKVV Sportclub ’25 settles at a newly laid-out municipal sports park, Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex De Bongerd, situated at Bongerdplein in Bocholtz proper. Terrein Groeneboord is reinstated as training pitch. For the use of both pitches, players still have to make use of the dressing rooms of the local swimming pool – a situation destined to last until the abandonment of Sportcomplex De Bongerd in 2005.
1971 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, 6 points ahead of closest followers RKVVL, RKVV Sportclub ’25 manages a return to League 3 after an absence of seventeen seasons.
1973 / In the club’s best season before the turn of the century, RKVV Sportclub ’25 finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, 13 points behind champions SV Hulsberg.
1976 / Bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, RKVV Sportclub ’25 drops back into League 4 along with second-last finishers DBSV.
1978 / Finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, RKVV Sportclub ’25 drops back into the ranks of Afdeling Limburg. Also in 1978, new training facilities for the club are inaugurated at Aretsbosweg in Bocholtzerheide, next to the ground of breakaway club RKVV WDZ, Sportpark Neerhagerbos. This new training ground, consisting of two pitches (including the post-2005 main pitch), is given the straightforward name Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Bocholtzerheide – and replaces Terrein Groeneboord, which is abandoned.
1980 / Champions in Afdeling Limburg Division 1 following a tie-break match against RKSVB attended by 3,500 spectators at the ground of SV Simpelveld, RKVV Sportclub ’25 manages a return to Sunday League 4.
1981 / A clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportcomplex De Bongerd.
1992 / Second from bottom in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, RKVV Sportclub ’25 drops back into Afdeling Limburg Division 1 along with bottom club RKVV Geertruidse Boys. Also in 1992, the first tentative discussions are held with Simpelveld’s municipal authorities about building the club a new ground elsewhere due to Sportpark De Bongerd being extremely liable to flooding.
1993 / Qualifying for Afdeling Limburg Division 1’s promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of RKVV Geertruidse Boys and RKVV Struchter Boys, RKVV Sportclub ’25 returns to the League 4 level after an absence of just one season.
1997 / Bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, RKVV Sportclub ’25 descends into Sunday League 5 – a new division formed in 1996 following the abolition of Afdeling Limburg and all other local league associations – along with FC Gulpen.
1999 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 5A, RKVV Sportclub ’25 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats vv IASON in the final – with the decisive goal, a shot from over 40 metres away from the goal, being scored by Frank Strolenberg.
2004 / Works get underway on a new ground for RKVV Sportclub’s 25 at the club’s long-time training facilities in Bocholtzerheide.
2005 / With Sportpark De Bongerd being abandoned after 35 years, RKVV Sportclub ’25 moves all its activities to Gemeentelijk Sportpark Bocholtzerheide, where a clubhouse (‘De Schans’) and a third pitch have been laid out.
2006 / Coached by Gerard Schoonewille, RKVV Sportclub ’25 clinches the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4B, 1 point ahead of RKVV Chevremont, thus managing a return to League 3 after an absence of thirty seasons.
2008 / With the decisive points being clinched against vv De Heeg (4-2), RKVV Sportclub ’25 wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3A – eventually finishing 5 points ahead of closest followers vv Scharn – thus acceding to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
2009 / Finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 2G, RKVV Sportclub ’25 has to play a round of play-offs to avoid relegation – ultimately failing in that task, losing the final against FC Kerkrade-West (1-4) and thus descending into Sunday League 3 along with direct drop-outs SV Langeberg and FC Geleen-Zuid.
2011 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3A with coach Eric Marees, RKVV Sportclub ’25 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by FC Geleen-Zuid (4-2 aggr.).
2012 / Coached by Ali Mommer, who took over from Eric Marees in the course of the season, RKVV Sportclub ’25 finishes in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3A. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club knocks out SVME in R1 (6-5 aggr.), only to be knocked out by RKHSV in the final round (2-4 aggr.). Also in or around 2012, RKVV Sportclub ’25 merges its youth academy with neighbour club RKVV WDZ.
2013 / Coached by Fer van Melsen, RKVV Sportclub ’25 finishes second-last in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, thus descending into League 4 along with bottom club DBSV.
2015 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 4B with FC Kerkrade-West, RKVV Sportclub ’25 – coached by Eric Royen – has to play the club from Kerkrade in a tie-break match, played at SV Simpelveld’s Terrein Sportlaan – going on to win the match (1-0) and thus attaining promotion to Sunday League 3.
2016 / After some four years, the combined youth academies of RKVV Sportclub ’25 and RKVV WDZ are disentangled at the request of the latter. Relations between both clubs have since been frosty at best.
2017 / Coached by former professional league player René Hofman, RKVV Sportclub ’25 clinches the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, 7 points ahead of closest rivals SVN – with the decisive points being obtained in a 0-1 away win at RKVV Voerendaal. As such, the club manages a return to Sunday League 2 after eight years.
2019 / Coached by Pedro Ricksen, RKVV Sportclub ’25 finishes runners-up in Sunday League 2G, 5 points behind champions BSV Limburgia. In the promotion play-offs, the club defeats vv Helvoirt in R1 (3-0), but is knocked out in the final round by RKSV De Ster (0-1) in front of a crowd of over 1,000 – thus missing out on promotion to League 1.
2021 / RKVV Sportclub ’25 signs former Fortuna Sittard and MVV winger Jordi Baur from KEWS Schoonbeek-Beverst. Baur stays at the club for one season only, leaving for KFC Helson Helchteren in the summer of 2022.
2022 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2G, only 3 points behind champions vv Schaesberg, RKVV Sportclub ’25 – coached by Remo Gielkens – qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club successively wipes out RKVV Veritas (2-5) and vv Oirschot Vooruit (5-1), only to suffer defeat in the final, played at Stein’s Sportpark ‘t Hetjen, at the hands of SV Someren (0-1 A.E.T.) – thus ultimately missing out on promotion to League 1 again.
2023 / Coached by Remo Gielkens, RKVV Sportclub ’25 clinches the title in Sunday League 2F, 5 points ahead of closest rivals RKSV Bekkerveld, thus achieving an unprecedented promotion to Sunday League 1.
2024 / Finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 1F, RKVV Sportclub ’25 – coached by Rob Pierik – has to go through the relegation play-offs to assure itself of a prolonged stay at this level. Drawing a bye in R1, the club stumbles over SHH in R2 (0-1), thus descending into Sunday League 2, along with direct drop-out SV Someren – and EHC, which had to withdraw from League 1F due to bankruptcy – after just one season in League 1.

Note – Thanks to Pascal Ariolo, chairman of RKVV Sportclub ’25, for putting at my disposal a copy of the booklet “RKVV Sportclub ’25 Bocholtz 60 jaar” by Harry Maenen / Hein Magermans / Werner Senden / André Starmans (1985), as well as other essential pieces of information for this historical overview.