NETHERLANDS: RKVV IVS

Sportpark Nederheide, Berg aan de Maas (RKVV IVS)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

15 IX 2024 / RKVV IVS - RKASV 1-1 / District South II, Regional Cup - group stage, group 2-44

Timeline

• 1917 / Foundation of a football club in the hamlet Berg aan de Maas in the southern half of the Netherlands’ part of Limburg, which is given the name Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV) ‘In Vriendschap Sterk’ (IVS, literally translated: Strong in Friendship), with the founding meeting being held at a local pub, Café Léen Meeks-Demandt. The initiative to form a club was taken by two local schoolmasters – and much against the wishes of the local priest, Fr Cremers, who feared a decrease in the number of village inhabitants present at the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, held on Sunday afternoons. Dolf Simonis takes on the role as the club’s first chairman. Joining the Roman-Catholic league association RKLVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond), a sub-branch of the RKF (Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie), a rival federation to the official Netherlands’ FA (NVB, later KNVB). RKVV IVS plays its football on a pitch laid out on a plot of farmland owned by the Passue family, referred to locally as Terrein De Weerdt – situated right on the boards of the River Meuse. For the 1919-20 season, RKVV IVS is placed in RKLVB Division 2.
• ± 1918 / Foundation of a rival club in Berg aan de Maas, VVB (Voetbalvereeniging Berg). It is unclear which league association VVB was a member of. The club existed through the 1920s, but probably ceased activities in the early 1930s. It is unclear where VVB’s ground was situated.
• 1919 / Foundation of a club in the hamlet of Nattenhoven, in the immediate vicinity of Berg aan de Maas; this new club takes on the name NVC (Nattenhovensche Voetbalclub). Like IVS, NVC was a member of the RKLVB. It is unclear where NVC’s ground was situated.
• 1922 / In a reorganisation of the RKLVB league pyramid, RKVV IVS is placed in RKLVB Division 1.
• 1923 / Following a brawl during the match between RKVV IVS and Suëstra from nearby Susteren, both clubs are expelled from the RKLVB. In the following three years, IVS puts its activities on the backburner, however without folding.
• 1926 / RKVV IVS is accepted back into the fold of the RKLVB after a three-year bar. Moving away from Terrein De Weerdt, the club settles at a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Graetheide, across the street from the farmstead owned by the Hensberg family.
• ± 1927 / Moving away from Terrein Graetheide, RKVV IVS settles at a newly laid-out pitch at Ollenweg – on a plot of farmland owned by the Van den Bongard family.
• ± 1928 / Moving away from Terrein Ollenweg, RKVV IVS moves back to Terrein De Weerdt – although the pitch is not laid out in exactly the same location as it had been in the years 1917-23. The pitch is shared with derby rivals NVC from nearby Nattenhoven.
• 1929 / Champions in RKLVB Division 1, 5 points ahead of closest rivals FC RIA, RKVV IVS wins promotion to RKLVB Overgangsklasse – the highest RKLVB division below the nationwide divisions organised by the RKF. In the following eleven seasons, RKVV IVS stays a regular feature at the Overgangsklasse level. Also in or around 1929, rival club NVC folds, ceasing all activities.
• 1932 / A new club is founded in Nattenhoven, VVN (Voetbalvereeniging Nattenhoven). It is unclear where VVN’s pitch was situated.
• 1933 / Abandoning Terrein De Weerdt, RKVV IVS settles at a newly laid-out pitch situated at Koningsberg, bordering a local gravel pit, Kiezelhoeve. Due to the dig site moving ever closer to the pitch, the club is constrained to lay out its pitch anew on several occasions in the following three decades. Due to its proximity to the pit, the pitch is referred to locally as the Kiezelkuil (literally translated: Gravel Pit).
• 1939 / After an existence of seven years as an independent club, VVN from nearby Nattenhoven is absorbed into RKVV IVS. Also in 1939, IVS changes its colours from red/black to green/white to avoid being associated with the hugely unpopular Netherlands’ nazi party, NSB, which also happens to have red and black as its colours.
• 1940 / Having spent the first 23 years of its existence in the RKLVB (RKF), RKVV IVS 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. For the 1940-41 season, the club is placed in District South II’s Sunday League 4C.
• 1947 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 4 points ahead of runners-up and derby rivals RKVV Urmondia, RKVV IVS qualifies for a promotion-relegation play-off against a League 3 bottom club, RKVV ADVEO, winning the tie 9-4 on aggregate and thus acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time. The successful coach is Frans de Bruyn.
• 1953 / Finishing in joint last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C with PSV ’35, RKVV IVS meets the club from Posterholt in a relegation play-off – going on to suffer a defeat in that encounter and thus dropping back into Sunday League 4.
• 1958 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 2 point ahead of closest rivals RKVV Obbicht, RKVV IVS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it eventually loses out against SV Langeberg in a tie-break match played at a neutral venue in Sittard (5-2) – thus missing out on a return to Sunday League 3. Also in 1958, floodlights are placed at Terrein De Kiezelkuil.
• 1959 / Coached by Karel Muyris, RKVV IVS clinches the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4D for the second year in a row, 7 points ahead of closest followers vv SVM and without suffering a single defeat all season. In the promotion play-offs, IVS has the better of vv Berg ’28 (6-4 aggr.), RKSV Wit-Groen VC (5-4 aggr.), and vv Laura (12-4 aggr.), resulting in the club managing a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of six seasons. In its first season back at this level, the club manages a respectable second place in the final table.
• 1961 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, 8 points ahead of closest followers RKHSV, RKVV IVS accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
• 1963 / Coached by Mr Heyenrath, RKVV IVS finishes bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 2A, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 after two seasons.1966 / Having been given notice that its lease of Terrein De Kiezelkuil will be terminated, RKVV IVS concludes a deal with Urmond’s municipal authorities, which lay out a new sports park for the club at Kanaalweg. Although the construction works have not been finished yet in 1966, the club already moves most of its activities to the new park, the projected Sportpark Nederheide, that year. 
• 1967 / Official inauguration of Sportpark Nederheide by Urmond’s mayor Coenders on June 3rd, 1967, with the local priest, Fr J. Janssen, blessing the new clubhouse and two pitches. Subsequently, a gala match is played, in which RKVV IVS entertains the team of vv RIOS ’31 which crowned itself non-league champion of the Netherlands in 1965, surprisingly managing a 3-3 draw against this strong opposition. Further underlining the high-profile nature of the event, RKSV Sittardia and Netherlands’ national team player Willy Dullens is invited to perform the symbolic kick-off of the match.
• 1969 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, RKVV IVS drops back into Sunday League 4 after ten years, along with bottom club RKVVL.
• 1980 / Having been a relatively anonymous also-ran in Sunday League 4 in the 1970s, RKVV IVS comes close to the title in District South II’s Sunday League 4D now, finishing as runners-up, only 3 points behind champions RKSV De Ster.
• 1984 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4D – in spite of changing coach three times in the course of the season – RKVV IVS is retrograded into the ranks of the so-called LVB (Limburgse Voetbalbond, alternatively referred to as Afdeling Limburg), the league association organising football in Limburg below the level of Sunday League 4, along with the club finishing second from bottom, RKVV Havantia. It is the first time IVS descends to this lowly level. 
• 1985 / Coached by a new trainer, Math Wessels, RKVV IVS finishes as runners-up in LVB Division 1, reaching the final of the play-offs subsequently, but suffering defeat in that match at the hands of DBSV in front of some 700 spectators – and thus missing out on an immediate return to League 4. Also in 1985, new dressing rooms are constructed at Sportpark Nederheide.
• 1986 / Champions in LVB Division 1G with coach Math Wessels, RKVV IVS wins promotion back to Sunday League 4.
• 1987 / Still coached by Math Wessels, RKVV IVS is unable to cope with the level of League 4 football, finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4D and dropping back into the ranks of the LVB along with the club finishing second from bottom, RKVV De Leeuw.
• 1989 / Champions in LVB Division 1 with coach Math Wessels, RKVV IVS wins promotion to Sunday League 4. The decisive points were clinched on the last day of the season in a victory over SV Limburgia Reserves (3-2).
• 1991 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 9 points behind champions vv Sanderbout, RKVV IVS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in the group stage against RKVV Mariarade and (winners) SV Coriovallum.
• 1992 / Finishing in third place District South II’s Sunday League 4E, RKVV IVS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers defeat in the final at the hands of SV EMS in the most bitter of ways – in a penalty shoot-out – in front of a crowd of some 1,000 spectators.
• 1993 / Coached by Piet Aussems, RKVV IVS crowns itself champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, 9 points ahead of runners-up RKSVW. To celebrate the success, MVV is invited to Sportpark Nederheide for a post-season gala match (0-8).
• 1996 / Coached by Jan Vleugels, RKVV IVS clinches the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals RKSV Leonidas-W, thus acceding to Sunday League 4 for the first time in more than thirty years.
• 1997 / RKVV IVS signs former Fortuna Sittard defender Mario Eleveld as its coach. Eleveld stays on only for one season, in which the club finishes in third place in Sunday League 2H, but fails to win promotion in the play-offs. 
• 1999 / Coached by Rob Lemmens, RKVV IVS wins the title in Sunday League 2H, a staggering 11 points ahead of closest followers RKVV Volharding. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 1, the fourth tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid, for the first time.
• 2000 / Going from strength to strength, RKVV IVS, still coached by Rob Lemmens, wins its second title in a row, finishing 4 points ahead of RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 in Sunday League 1D. As such, the club wins promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse, the highest level of the Netherlands’ non-league pyramid. Also in 2000, IVS reaches the semifinal of District South II’s Regional Cup, in which it is eliminated by SV Panningen following a penalty shoot-out. Already by this stage, however, the astonishing success of the club is overshadowed by regular press publications about dark money and tax arrears.
• 2001 / Coached by a new trainer, John Vranken, who took with him many players from Belgium, RKVV IVS manages the best result in the club’s history, a seventh place in Zondag Hoofdklasse B – only 12 points behind champions JVC Cuijk. IVS’ player Math van Dijk is chosen as best Sunday league player in the Netherlands.
• 2002 / RKVV IVS qualifies for the Netherlands’ Cup (KNVB-Beker) for the first and only time in its history. In the group stage, IVS surprises everyone by finishing in first place, ahead of professional league sides MVV and Fortuna Sittard, as well as EHC. In R1, the club draws an away match against ACV, in which it is eliminated (1-0).
• 2003 / Coached by John Vranken’s successor, former MVV midfielder Jean Maas, who takes with him several former professional league players – including, most prominently, Hans Visser (formerly AZ, SBV Vitesse, MVV, FC Utrecht, KRC Harelbeke, and FC Groningen) – RKVV IVS finishes in second-last place in Zondag Hoofdklasse B, thus dropping out of the third level of the Netherlands’ football pyramid after three years and descending into Sunday League 1 along with bottom club vv Terneuzen.
• 2004 / Coached by former MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and SC Eindhoven midfielder Huub Driessen, RKVV IVS is unable to stop the rot, finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 1D and suffering defeat in the promotion-relegation play-offs against SV Someren (1-0). As such, the club suffers its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Sunday League 2 along with direct drop-outs RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08 and vv Sittard.
• 2005 / Coached by Rob Lemmens, who returned to the club, RKVV IVS, pressed down by a huge amount of debts incurred in the previous decade due to signing expensive players and trainers, finishes in last place in Sunday League 2G with only 3 points obtained in the entire season, thus suffering its third relegation in a row and dropping back into Sunday League 4 along with the club finishing in second-last position, NEC ’92.
• 2007 / Coached by Herman Vranken, RKVV IVS finishes in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, descending into Sunday League 4 along with the club finishing in second-last place, vv Holtum. This constitutes the club’s fourth relegation in five seasons.
• 2009 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, RKVV IVS descends into Sunday League 5 for the first time in club history, along with bottom club RKVV ADVEO.  This constitutes the club’s fifth relegation in seven seasons.
• 2010 / Finally able to compete in the higher reaches of a competition for the first time in years, RKVV IVS finishes in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in a group against vv Born and (winners) RKVV ADVEO.
• 2011 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, 2 points behind champions vv Susterse Boys, RKVV IVS qualifies for the play-offs, in which the club finishes top of a group with vv Born and SVM. As such, IVS wins promotion to Sunday League 4.
• 2012 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, RKVV IVS drops back into League 5 after just one season, along with the club finishing in second-last position, vv Susterse Boys.
• 2014 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, RKVV IVS descends into League 6 for the first time in club history, along with bottom club SVE.
• 2015 / In spite of only finishing in eighth place in District South II’s Sunday League 6B, RKVV IVS is placed in League 5 for the new season following the elimination of League 6 in the South II District.
• 2017 / After two years of mutually satisfying cooperation, RKVV IVS merges its youth academy with neighbour club RKVV Urmondia, thus founding SJO UBC (Samenwerking Jeugdopleidingen Urmond-Berg-Combinatie).
• 2022 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 5B, 1 point ahead of closest rivals vv Sanderbout, RKVV IVS wins promotion to Sunday League 4.
• 2023 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 14 points behind runaway champions RKSV Olympia Schinveld, RKVV IVS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past RKVV Voerendaal in the semis (2-2 & penalty shoot-out), only to be knocked out in the final by SCG (5-1).
• 2024 / Finishing in twelfth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, RKVV IVS has to play a promotion-relegation play-off to avoid being retrograded – going on to win the tie against KSV Horn (3-1 aggr.) and thus staying up in League 4.

Note – Much of the information above was derived from two booklets, published on the occasion of IVS’ 60th and 90th anniversaries respectively, ‘IVS 1917-1977’ by J.H. Strijkers & L.W.I. Vaessen; and ‘Jubileumgids 2007. 90 jaar RKVV IVS’, by Wim ter Haar. Thanks to IVS club icon Wim ter Haar for putting at my disposal these priceless sources of information.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

NETHERLANDS: ASC TIW (1943-1977) / TIW Amstel (1977-1988) / vv Watergraafsmeer (1988-1994) / JOS Watergraafsmeer (1994-)

Sportpark Drieburg - veld 8, Amsterdam Watergraafsmeer (JOS Watergraafsmeer, formerly ASC TIW / TIW Amstel / vv Watergraafsmeer)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

14 III 2013 / JOS Watergraafsmeer - AVV Zeeburgia 2-1 / Zondag 1e klasse A (= NL level 5)

Timeline

• 1921 / Foundation of a football club in De Pijp, a working-class neighbourhood in Amsterdam, which is given the name DTS (probably meaning ‘Door Training Sterk’, literally translated: Strength By Training), with H. Ch. Wigt being the initiator of the new club, and three youngsters, Jan Helms, Jan Folkerts, and Jan Rijkenberg, being its founding members. With Mr Fremdling Snr. being chosen as the club’s first chairman, DTS settles on a piece of wasteland at Ferdinand Bolstraat. DTS joins the so-called AJVB or Amsterdamsche Jeugdvoetbalbond.
• ± 1922 / Probably in 1922, DTS applies for membership of the AVB (Amsterdamsche Voetbalbond), the Amsterdam sub-branch of the official Netherlands’ Football Association NVB (later KNVB). The club is admitted on the condition that it changes its name, due to the abbreviation DTS already having been taken by another club; under the new name ASC TIW (‘Trainen Is Winnen’, literally translated: Training Means Winning), the club is accepted. That same year, the club switches to Terrein Frederik Hendrik at Badhoevelaan in Amsterdam-Sloten – a marked improvement compared to the previous ‘pitch’, which did not have any grass cover.
• 1930 / Having won the title in AVB Division 2 three times – with promotion eventually resulting on the third occasion – TIW now goes on to clinch the title in AVB Division 1 without suffering a single defeat all season. As such, the club accedes to NVB (Sunday) League 4 for the first time. 
• 1934 / Coached by Dries Heinz, TIW wins the title in District West I’s (Sunday) League 4D, 1 point ahead of closest followers HEDW (one of the precursors of WV-HEDW). Going on to win the promotion play-offs against RODI and Ahrends VC, TIW accedes to League 3 for the first time.
• ± 1935 / Abandoning Terrein Frederik Hendrik after more than a decade, TIW moves to Terrein Kalfjeslaan in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert.
• 1939 / Abandoning Terrein Frederik Hendrik, TIW settles at a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Amsteldijk – situated in between a collection of allotment gardens, ‘Ons Lustoord’.
• 1940 / TIW founds a baseball branch, probably leading to the club taking on the name ASC (Amsterdamse Sportclub) TIW. Possibly, the club name prior to this was AVV (Amsterdamse Voetbalvereniging) TIW, but there are no sources to prove this definitely. Later on, branches for handball and theatre (both in 1945) are added to the club’s myriad of activities. 
• 1942 / Finishing in joint last position in District West I’s Sunday League 3D with JHK (Jan Hanzen Kwartier), ASC TIW meets this club in a tie-break match at VVA’s ground, going on to suffer a 1-0 defeat. As a result, the club has to play a set of relegation play-offs against ASVK and SAVM, with ASVK finishing 1 point ahead of ASC TIW, which drops back to Sunday League 4 as a result.
• 1943 / ASC TIW is forced out of its ground, Terrein Amstelwijk, which is requisitioned by German occupation authorities. The club moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark Drieburg at Kruislaan, Amsterdam-Watergraafsmeer, finding a place at what is now veld 8 (pitch 8) of this park. TIW is one of the first clubs to move to the new sports park, with RKVV De Meer, CSV DVVA, ASV Wartburgia, and JOS becoming TIW’s neighbours in these new surroundings.
• 1946 / ASC TIW finishes as runners-up in District West I’s Sunday League 4I, 11 points behind champions APGS.
• 1948 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 4G, 7 points ahead of closest followers AVV Ontwaakt, ASC TIW goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of six years.
• 1949 / Finishing in second-last place in District West I’s Sunday League 3C, ASC TIW drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club SLTO.
• 1952 / Finishing in last place in District West I’s Sunday League 4E, ASC TIW drops back into the ranks of AVB after 21 years. In the remaining 25 years of its existence, the club never manages a return to Sunday League 4, mostly playing its football in AVB Division 1.
• 1962 / The wooden clubhouse at TIW’s Sportpark Drieburg is replaced by a new construction in stone, designed by a vocational school teacher, Mr Tromp. In the following years, dressing rooms in stone are added to the set-up. This clubhouse is still gracing the western side of the main pitch of Sportpark Drieburg (veld 8) today.
• 1977 / ASC TIW concludes a merger with AVV Amstel, a club founded in 1905, which had been home at Sportpark De Diemen for the last fifteen years of its existence as an independent club. The new club takes on the name TIW Amstel, settling at TIW’s Sportpark Drieburg. In the eleven years of its existence, TIW Amstel never rose above the ranks of AVB Division 1. 
• 1988 / TIW Amstel concludes a merger with SC WTO (in itself a merger of WMHO, TDO, and AVV Ontwaakt, concluded in 1976), leading to the foundation of vv Watergraafsmeer – not to be confused with the eponymous club founded in 1911 which merged with TDW Centrum to become FC Amstelland in 1974. Abandoning SC WTO’s Sportpark Voorland, the new vv Watergraafsmeer settles at TIW Amstel’s Sportpark Drieburg, starting its life with a Sunday team in the ranks of the AVB and a Saturday team in District West I’s Saturday League 4C – thanks to the fact that SC WTO had a team competing at this level in the last season of its existence.
• 1990 / Finishing in second-last place in District West I’s Saturday League 4C, vv Watergraafsmeer (za) descends into the ranks of the AVB along with bottom club RKSV Rood-Wit A. In the remaining four years of its existence, vv Watergraafsmeer does not manage a return to the League 4 level.
• 1994 / After an existence of six seasons, vv Watergraafsmeer concludes a merger with JOS (Jeugd Organisatie Sportclub), a club founded in 1920 which had been home at Sportpark Drieburg between 1943 and 1972 (on modern-day veld/pitch 14, nowadays occupied by AFC TABA), spending its last 22 years as an independent club at Sportpark De Toekomst in Duivendrecht – which it has to abandon in 1994 due to the youth academy of AFC Ajax moving to this park. The new merger club is given the name JOS Watergraafsmeer, with all activities moving to vv Watergraafsmeer’s Sportpark Drieburg (veld 8). Due to JOS having suffered relegation from Sunday League 2, the new club’s Sunday team starts its life in Sunday League 3, with a Saturday team competing in the ranks of the AVB.
• 2000 / Finishing in joint first place in District West II’s Sunday League 3C with AVV Zeeburgia, JOS Watergraafsmeer meets this club in a tie-break match, going on to win the encounter and thus clinching the title as well as promotion to Sunday League 2.
• 2003 / Champions in Sunday League 2A, 1 point ahead of RKSV DCG, JOS Watergraafsmeer wins promotion to Sunday League 1, the fourth tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid at that time.
• 2004 / Finishing in tenth place in Sunday League 1A, JOS Watergraafsmeer goes on to suffer defeat in the promotion-relegation play-offs, thus dropping down into Sunday League 2 along with direct drop-outs Hellas Sport Combinatie and AFC Quick 1890.
• 2005 / Runaway champions in Sunday League 2B, 10 points ahead of closest followers AFC Quick 1890, JOS Watergraafsmeer wins promotion to Sunday League 1.
• 2006 / JOS Watergraafsmeer finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 1A, 19 points behind runaway champions HVV Hollandia.
• 2010 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 1A, JOS Watergraafsmeer wins promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse along with champions vv De Zouaven and runners-up SV Huizen, without having to play promotion play-offs, as additional promotion places are available due to the introduction of the so-called Topklasse as the new top division of the Netherlands’ non-league pyramid – and the third tier of the football pyramid as a whole.
• 2011 / Finishing in second-last place in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, JOS Watergraafsmeer drops back into Sunday League 1 along with bottom club IFC.
• 2013 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 1A, JOS Watergraafsmeer qualifies for the promotion play-offs, being eliminated in R1 by SC Feyenoord (2-2 aggr. & penalty shoot-out).
• 2014 / Champions in Sunday League 1A, 8 points ahead of runners-up RKSV AFC ’34, JOS Watergraafsmeer wins promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse.
• 2017 / Finishing in fourteenth – third-last – place in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, JOS Watergraafsmeer drops back into Sunday League 1, by now the sixth tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid, along with RKVV Alverna, vv Hoogland, and bottom club vv Dieze West.
• 2018 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 1A, JOS Watergraafsmeer qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating vv Legmeervogels (1-2) and RKVV Chevremont (5-3) in the first two rounds, only to be eliminated by RKSV HVCH in the semi-finals (1-2).
• 2019 / Runners-up in Sunday League 1A, 2 points behind champions RKVV Velsen, JOS Watergraafsmeer qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, managing successive victories over SV Leones (5-1), DHC (3-1), and RKSV Leonidas (3-1 A.E.T.), resulting in the club winning promotion to Zondag Hoofdklasse.
• 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short in March 2020 due to the first COVID lockdown, JOS Watergraafsmeer finds itself in second place in Zondag Hoofdklasse A, 3 points behind leaders HVV Hollandia. On the basis of this, the club wins promotion to the Third Division, the fourth tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid.
• 2023 / Finishing in fifteenth place in the Sunday Third Division, JOS Watergraafsmeer has to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs, managing to knock out HBS-Craeyenhout in R1 (6-2 aggr.), only to be eliminated by SV Kampong in R2 (3-1 aggr.), leading to the club being retrograded to the Fourth Division (as the Hoofdklasse has been renamed).
• 2024 / Finishing in fourth place in National Division 4A, only 3 points behind champions AFC Ajax AV, JOS Watergraafsmeer qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats vv Staphorst in R1 (5-3 aggr.), only to be knocked out by RKSV HBC in R2 (4-1 aggr.).

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-5 = non-matchday visit, September 2024 / pictures 6-17 = match visit, March 2013.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

NETHERLANDS: RKVV De Meer (1943-1956) / RKSV De Meer (1956-±1977) / SV De Meer (±1977-)

Sportpark Drieburg - veld 2, Amsterdam Watergraafsmeer (SV De Meer, formerly RKVV De Meer / RKSV De Meer)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

14 IX 2024 / SV De Meer (za) - AFC Nautilus 4-0 / District West I, Regional Cup - group stage, group 3-14

Timeline

• 1918 / Foundation of a Roman-Catholic football club in Amsterdam, which takes on the name RKWV (Roomsch-Katholieke Watergraafschmeerse Voetbalvereeniging), in February 1918, with the club joining the so-called Aartsdiocesane Utrechtsche Voetbalbond (AUVB) later that year under a different name, RKVV (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging) De Meer and being placed in AUVB Division 3B West for the 1918-19 season, with RKVV SDO being one of the adversaries in that competition. The club’s first pitch is situated at the back of the farmstead of the Witteveen family, Middenweg 86.
• 1919 / Abandoning Terrein Witteveen, RKVV De Meer moves to a newly laid-out pitch at Zaaiersweg, at the back of the farmstead owned by the Den Haan family.
• 1920 / Abandoning Terrein Den Haan, RKVV De Meer moves to a newly laid-out pitch on the crossroads of Kruislaan and Darwinplantsoen. 
• 1922 / Abandoning Terrein Kruislaan, RKVV De Meer moves to a newly laid-out pitch at Middenweg (the pitch at Sportpark Voorland later taken over by SV Middenmeer). Also in 1922, after four seasons in the AUVB, RKVV De Meer switches to membership of another Roman-Catholic football association, the RKS (Roomsch-Katholieke Sportfederatie?) – and later changing its allegiance once more, joining the RKAVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Amsterdamsche Voetbalbond), a sub-branch of the DHVB (Diocesaan Haarlemsche Voetbalbond).
• 1924 / RKVV De Meer wins promotion to Division 1 – it remains unclear if the club was a member of the RKS or the RKAVB (DHVB) at this stage.
• 1940 / Having spent the two decades of its existence in three different Roman-Catholic football federations, RKVV De Meer is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, 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. For the 1940-41 season, RKVV De Meer is placed in District West I’s Sunday League 3C.
• 1943 / After 21 years at Terrein Middenweg, RKVV De Meer is the first club to settle on the newly laid-out Sportpark Drieburg, where it has occupied the southernmost end of the park ever since. RKVV De Meer is the first club to move into the new park, followed later in 1943 by neighbour club CSV DVVA – and in subsequent months and years by clubs such as ASC TIW, ASV Wartburgia, and JOS. In the aftermath of the war, the clubhouse, dressing rooms, as well as the two stands which had graced De Meer’s previous park at Middenweg – all made of wood and stacked away from the German oppressors during the years of occupation – are rebuilt alongside the club’s new main pitch at Sportpark Drieburg.
• 1951 / Finishing in last place in District West I’s Sunday League 3B, RKVV De Meer descends into Sunday League 4.
• 1952 / RKVV De Meer finishes as runners-up in District West I’s Sunday League 4E, 4 points behind champions Wilhelmina Vooruit (one of the precursors of WV-HEDW).
• 1956 / Following the introduction of handball and baseball branches in 1954, and a gymnastics branch one year later, all in addition to the football which had been the club’s sole sporting activity up to that point, RKVV De Meer changes its name to become RKSV (Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereniging) De Meer.
• 1963 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4D, RKSV De Meer descends into the ranks of the AVB (Amsterdamse Voetbalbond) for the first time; the AVB organises league football in Amsterdam below the level of KNVB Sunday and Saturday League 4. Also in 1963, RKSV De Meer’s wooden clubhouse dating back to the 1930s and rebuilt at Sportpark Drieburg in the aftermath of the war, is knocked down, with the club having to make do with temporary constructions in the following three years.
• 1966 / Inauguration of RKSV De Meer’s new clubhouse at Sportpark Drieburg – in fact, a second-hand construction purchased from another club.
• 1967 / SV De Meer’s 16-year-old youth prodigy, midfielder Louis van Gaal, is taken over by AFC Ajax’s youth academy. After one season as a senior player with AFC Ajax, in which he did not play a single match (1972-73), Van Gaal goes on to have a respectable career as a professional league player with R Antwerp FC, Telstar, Sparta Rotterdam, and AZ, before hanging up his boots in 1986 and embarking on a markedly more successful second career as a coach with AZ, AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona, the Netherlands’ national team, FC Bayern München, and Manchester United FC.
• 1969 / Having descended into AVB Division 2 in one of the previous seasons, RKSV De Meer now wins the title in AVB Sunday Division 2B – in fact the club’s first title since 1924.
• 1970 / Going from strength to strength, RKSV De Meer now wins the title in AVB Sunday Division 1 as well – going on to defeat SV DVOS, the winner of the other AVB Sunday D1 branch (3-0) as well as the champion of the AVB Saturday D1 divisions, SV Brandweer in a play-off played at AVV Zeeburgia’s Sportpark Middenmeer. Apart from crowning itself AVB champions, RKSV De Meer also wins promotion to KNVB Sunday League 4 after an absence of seven years at that level.
• 1973 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4F, RKSV De Meer drops back into the ranks of the AVB.
• 1975 / Replacing the construction erected eight years previously, RKSV De Meer’s new clubhouse at Sportpark Drieburg is inaugurated in May 1975 following building works which lasted for the best part of a year. The building, still standing today, is a design by architect W. van Dapperen.
• 1976 / Winning the title in AVB Sunday Division 1, RKSV De Meer manages a return to Sunday League 4. 
• ± 1977 / Shedding the references to its past as a Roman-Catholic club, RKSV De Meer changes its name to become SV (Sportvereniging) De Meer.
• 1978 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 4E, 1 point ahead of closest followers P&T, SV De Meer wins promotion to Sunday League 3 after an absence of 27 years at that level. Also in 1978, branches for tennis and indoor football are added to the club.
• 1981 / Finishing in second-last position in District West I’s Sunday League 3C, SV De Meer drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club ASV DJK.
• 1985 / SV De Meer’s Saturday team wins promotion to District West I’s Saturday League 4 for the first time. In spite of having had spells in Saturday League 3 and 4, SV De Meer has continued to be a predominantly Sunday league club, with the focus being on first team football on Sunday until the present day.
• 1987 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4E, SV De Meer is retrograded to the AVB along with the club finishing second from bottom, ASV Vespucci. In the following years, De Meer even drops back further down the ladder of AVB divisions.
• 1990 / Former SV De Meer player Jeffrey Kooistra makes his debut as a professional league player with FC Volendam, going on to wear the colours of HFC Haarlem, SC Heerenveen, NEC, FC Groningen, Helmond Sport, and RBC Roosendaal, before hanging up his boots in 2002.
• 1997 / With the AVB meanwhile having been integrated into District West I’s regular divisions, SV De Meer wins its first promotion in nearly twenty years, clinching the title in Sunday League 7B and acceding to Sunday League 6.
• 2000 / Runners-up in District West II’s Sunday League 6B, 18 points behind champions ASC Waterwijk, SV De Meer goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Sunday League 5.
• 2010 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Sunday League 5F, SV De Meer qualifies for the promotion play-offs, going on to win first place in the first group stage, having the better of SV Ouderkerk and FC Amstelland. In spite of losing all three of its matches in the final round, against vv ‘t Goy, Sporting Krommenie, and SV Saestum, SV De Meer is placed in Sunday League 4 for the new season due to additional promotion places being available. It marks the return of the club at this level after an absence of 23 years. 
• 2014 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Sunday League 4F, SV De Meer qualifies for the play-offs, in which the club manages successive victories over ZVV Zaandijk (6-6 aggr. & penalty shoot-out) & Zuidoost United (4-1 aggr.), thus managing a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of 33 years.
• 2016 / Finishing in second-last place in District West I’s Sunday League 3D, SV De Meer drops back into Sunday League 4 along with vv Brederodes and bottom club SV Aurora.
• 2018 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 4F, 2 points ahead of AVV Swift (zo), SV De Meer wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
• 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, SV De Meer finds itself in first place in District West I’s Sunday League 3C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals ZSGOWMS, after 17 of 26 matches. As such, the club accedes in Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history. Also in 2020, the extension of SV De Meer’s 1970s clubhouse, a design by architect Naomi Felder – works on which took four years to complete – is inaugurated.
• 2022 / In the first full post-COVID season, SV De Meer wins the title in Sunday League 2B, finishing with an equal number of points as runners-up IVV, but with a slightly better goal difference (+46 vs. +43), meaning that the club achieves a historic promotion to Sunday League 1.
• 2023 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 1A, SV De Meer drops back into Sunday League 2 after just one season, along with vv Assendelft and FC Uitgeest.

Note – Much of the information above has been derived from the booklet ‘De Meer. Een polder – een club’, written by Lenie Witteveen / Ria Keet / Ton Copier / Joseph van Vuuren / Erik Handgraaf, and published on the occasion of RKVV De Meer’s 75th anniversary in 1993.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

NETHERLANDS: SV Marken

Sportpark Nooitgedacht, Marken (SV Marken)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

14 IX 2024 / SV Marken - SV Real Sranang 3-7 / District West I, Regional Cup - group stage, group 3-45

Timeline

• 1946 / Foundation of a football club on the (former) island of Marken. The club is given the name Sportvereniging (SV) Marken. The club settles on a pitch situated at Zeerijderpad.
• 1947 / SV Marken starts its life as a regular Saturday league club in the ranks of the NHVB (Noord-Hollandse Voetbalbond), the league association organising football below the level of KNVB Sunday and Saturday leagues 4.
• 1950 / Winning the title in NHVB Division 1, SV Marken wins promotion to Saturday League 4, the second-highest Saturday level in the Netherlands at the time.
• 1953 / Finishing rock bottom in District West I’s Saturday League 4A, with just 2 points obtained in the entire season, SV Marken drops back into the ranks of NHVB.
• 1956 / Winning the title in NHVB Division 1, SV Marken manages a return to Saturday League 4.
• 1957 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Saturday League 4B, SV Marken drops back in to the NHVB divisions.
• 1958 / Champions in NHVB Division 1, SV Marken manages an immediate return to Saturday League 4.
• 1966 / Coached by Jan Schilder, SV Marken finishes in third place in District West I’s Saturday League 4B, leading to the club being placed in Saturday League 3 for the following season due to the number of Saturday League 3 divisions in District West I being extended from one to two. Also in or around 1966, the club settles on a newly laid-out ground, Terrein Kerkbuurt; however, the former main pitch at Zeerijderpad is retained for lower team football and training sessions.
• 1973 / Coached by Gerrit Blotevogel, SV Marken finishes as runners-up in District West I’s Saturday League 3A, 1 point behind champions vv SIZO.
• 1974 / Coached by Gerrit Blotevogel, SV Marken wins the title in District West I’s Saturday League 3A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RKSV Volendam, leading to the club winning promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time. 1974 also was the year when a Saturday League 1 was added as the top level of the Saturday league pyramid.
• 1975 / Still coached by Gerrit Blotevogel, SV Marken wins its second title in a row, finishing in first place in District West I’s Saturday League 2B following a tie-break match for the title against vv Nunspeet, played at DOVO’s ground in Veenendaal (1-0). As such, SV Marken wins promotion to Saturday League 1, the top division of the Saturday league pyramid, for the first time.
• 1977 / Coached by Jacob van der Vaart, SV Marken finishes bottom of the table in Saturday League 1B, dropping back into Saturday League 2 along with the club finishing second from bottom, vv Heerjansdam.
• 1978 / SV Marken moves into the newly laid-out Sportcomplex Nooitgedacht, abandoning its two old pitches, Terrein Kerkbuurt and Terrein Zeerijderpad.
• 1982 / Coached by Hennie Heerland, SV Marken finishes as runners-up in District West I’s Saturday League 2C, 6 points behind champions SV Huizen. Also in 1982, the covered stand at the western side of the main pitch at Sportcomplex Nooitgedacht is inaugurated.
• 1984 / Coached by Dick Alberts, SV Marken clinches the title in District West I’s Saturday League 2C, 3 points ahead of runners-up SDVB. As such, the club wins promotion to Saturday League 1 after an absence of seven seasons.
• 1985 / SV Marken and its coach Dick Alberts finish in second place in Saturday League 1B – the top level of the Saturday league pyramid – 8 points behind champions GVVV. This marks the best league result in the club’s history.
• 1986 / Sensationally, in the 1985-86 season, SV Marken reaches the quarter finals of the Netherlands’ Cup (KNVB-Beker), knocking out two non-league opponents (vv Rheden and RKSV Rohda Raalte) as well as SC Heracles ’74, which played in the top flight of the Netherlands’ football pyramid, the Eredivisie, that season; in the 3-1 win at Sportcomplex Nooitgedacht, SV Marken’s goalscorers were Martin Boes, Piet Springer, and Thijs Schipper, while the only Heracles goal was scored by future Netherlands’ international player – and unused sub at the 1988 European Championships, won by the Netherlands – Hendrie Krüzen. Eventually, in the quarter finals, in which SV Marken drew a home match against FC Den Haag – due to the notorious fan following of the away side, the match was switched to FC Volendam’s Stadion De Dijk – in which the professional league side won thanks to a single goal by Remco Boere (att. 5,500). 
• 1989 / SV Marken takes part in the Netherlands’ Cup, being eliminated in R1 by BV De Graafschap (0-3).
• 1993 / Finishing in twelfth place in Saturday League 1B, SV Marken has to play a promotion-relegation play-off against vv Sparta Nijkerk, going on to win the match (1-0), thus saving its skin and avoiding relegation.
• 1996 / Finishing in third-last place in Saturday League 1A, SV Marken, coached by Rowdy Bakker, has to play a play-off against League 2 club SV De Valleivogels, winning the tie, played at SVDB’s Sportpark Norschoten (1-0), thus staying up and qualifying for the newly formed Zaterdag Hoofdklasse – the new top tier of the Saturday league pyramid.
• 1997 / Coached by Rowdy Bakker, SV Marken finishes in a respectable fourth place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse B.
• 1999 / Still coached by Rowdy Bakker, SV Marken finishes in joint second-last place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse A with vv SHO, with the two clubs having to play a relegation play-off, for which Rijnsburgse Boys’s Sportpark Middelmors is chosen as venue; as vv SHO walks away with a 3-2 win, SV Marken drops back into Saturday League 1 along with bottom club vv Rozenburg.
• 2000 / In Rowdy Bakker’s last year as coach of SV Marken, the club finishes in third place in Saturday League 1A, going on to lose a promotion-relegation play-off final against FC Lisse (3-3 & penalty shoot-out) at vv Noordwijk’s Sportpark Duinwetering. Upon Rowdy Bakker’s departure, SV Marken signs Bert van der Poppe as his successor; Van der Poppe is a former professional midfield player, who wore the colours of MVV, AZ ’67, FC Volendam, and Telstar (1979-90).
• 2001 / Coached by Bert van der Poppe, SV Marken clinches the title in Saturday League 1A, 6 points ahead of runners-up vv Montfoort. The decisive points are obtained in an emphatic 1-7 away win against SV Lelystad ’67. As such, the club manages a return to Zaterdag Hoofdklasse.
• 2002 / SV Marken absorbs indoor football clubs FC Wanhoop and ZVV De Visscher.
• 2005 / After four years in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse, SV Marken and its coach Bert van der Poppe drop back into Saturday League 1 following a second-last place in Zaterdag Hoofdklasse A, with bottom club and derby rivals RKAV Volendam being the other drop-out.
• 2006 / In Bert van der Poppe’s sixth and last year at the helm of the club, SV Marken suffers its second relegation in a row, finishing in second-last place in Saturday League 1A and dropping back into Saturday League 2 along with bottom club RKSV DCG.
• 2008 / Finishing in fourth place in Saturday League 2A with coach Tijs Schipper, SV Marken qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by vv De Merino’s.
• 2009 / Runners-up in Saturday League 2A with coach Tijs Schipper, 15 points behind runaway champions AVV Swift, SV Marken qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by vv De Merino’s for the second year in a row.
• 2010 / Coached by Edwin Keizer, SV Marken finishes as runners-up in Saturday League 2A, 6 points behind champions CSW – with the club winning direct promotion to Saturday League 1 due to extra promotion places being available following the introduction of a new top level of the Saturday league pyramid, the so-called Zaterdag Topklasse.
• 2012 / Successively coached by Saaïd Ouaali and Bram Berkhout, SV Marken finishes in eleventh place in Saturday League 1A, leading to the club having to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Led by caretaker manager – and former Marken player – Martin Boes, the club manages successive victories over SV Zandvoort (1-0 aggr.) and AMVJ (9-0 aggr.), thus staying up in League 1. Also in 2012, the main pitch of Sportcomplex Nooitgedacht is equipped with a synthetic surface.
• 2013 / Coached by Charles Loots, SV Marken finishes in eleventh place in Saturday League 1A, leading to the club having to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Surviving R1 against AFC (za) (4-3 aggr.), SV Marken is knocked out in R2 by FC Aalsmeer (5-3 aggr.). As a result, the club drops back into League 2.
• 2017 / Coached by Martin Boes, SV Marken finishes in seventh place in Saturday League 2A, qualifying for the play-offs, in which the club has the better of SV Geinoord (5-4 aggr.) and CSV BOL (7-2 aggr.) – resulting in a return to Saturday League 1.
• 2018 / Coached by Ronald Dooijeweerd, SV Marken finishes in last place in Saturday League 1A, dropping back into Saturday League 2 along with CSV Vitesse Delft and HVV Te Werve.
• 2023 / Coached by Ron van der Velde, SV Marken finishes in last place in Saturday League 2A, dropping back into Saturday League 3 along with the club finishing one place above them, FC Weesp.
• 2024 / Coached by Tom Brouwers, SV Marken suffers its second relegation in a row, finishing in tenth place and failing to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is defeated in R1 by FC VVC (1-3). As such, SV Marken finds itself in Saturday League 4 for the first time in 58 (!) years.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author