Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: CSV DVVA

Sportpark Drieburg - veld 6, Amsterdam Watergraafsmeer (CSV DVVA)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

21 IX 2024 / CSV DVVA - SV Kampong 1-0 / National Division 4A (= NL level 5)

Timeline

1929 / Foundation of a recreational football club by inhabitants of Vaartstraat in the predominantly Protestant Schinkelbuurt neighbourhood in Amsterdam. The club, which is given the name Vaartboys, settles on a pitch situated on a piece of wasteland at Heemstedestraat. According to club records, the first match, against De Rietwijker, ended in a 0-17 drubbing.
1931 / After two years as a recreational club, Vaartboys is recreated as a full-blown football club, which takes on the name CSV DVV – an acronym standing for Christelijke Sportvereeniging ‘Door Vriendschap Verenigd’ (literally translated: ‘United In Friendship’), with A.J. van Vuuren Snr. becoming the club’s first chairman. Instead of joining the official Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB), CSV DVV successfully applies for membership of the Netherlands’ Protestant Football Federation, the so-called CNVB (Christelijke Nederlandsche Voetbalbond). Due to Terrein Heemstedestraat having fallen victim to urban expansion, DVV has to move to a newly laid-out pitch nearby at Westlandgracht.
± 1933 / Due to Terrein Westlandgracht being sacrificed to further urban expansion, CSV DVV moves to a newly laid-out pitch at Karnemelkweg. In the years leading up to the war, the club has to move several more times for the same reason.
1940 / Having spent the first years of its existence in the CNVB, CSV DVV 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. At the behest of the NVB, the club adapts its name to become CSV DVVA (‘Door Vriendschap Verenigd Amsterdam’). The club joins the ranks of the so-called AVB or Amsterdamse Voetbalbond, the NVB sub-branch organising football below the level of Sunday and Saturday League 4 in the wider Amsterdam region – with DVVA strictly sticking to Saturday football, given that sporting activities on Sundays were (and still are) anathema to the Protestant part of the Netherlands’ society. Also in 1940, the club moves to Sportpark Drieburg in Amsterdam-Watergraafsmeer, which is in the process of being laid out – though it has to be pointed out that DVVA played in another part of this park for the first thirteen years of its stay here.
1953 / At Sportpark Drieburg, CSV DVVA moves to its current park, hemmed in between the grounds of ASC TIW and RKVV De Meer – with the pitch now known as Sportpark Drieburg veld 6 (pitch 6) becoming DVVA’s main pitch.
1972 / Having played in the ranks of the AVB since joining the official Netherlands’ FA in 1940, CSV DVVA now wins promotion to KNVB District West I’s Saturday League 4 for the first time.
1977 / CSV DVVA manages its best result to date, finishing as runners-up in District West I’s Saturday League 4C, 2 points behind champions vv Flora Boys.
1985 / Finishing in last place in District West I’s Saturday League 4B, CSV DVVA drops back into the ranks of the AVB, with the club finishing in second-last place, SV Hoofddorp, being the second drop-out.
1996 / CSV DVVA wins promotion from AVB Hoofdklasse to KNVB Saturday League 4 after an absence of eleven years at that level.
1997 / Finishing in third place in District West I’s Saturday League 4A, 6 points behind champions RKVV NAS (za), CSV DVVA wins a subsequent round of play-offs, resulting in the club winning promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time.
2000 / CSV DVVA manages its best result to date, finishing in second place in District West II’s Saturday League 3C, 5 points behind champions SC Hoevelaken.
2002 / Finishing in fourth place in District West I’s Saturday League 3B, CSV DVVA goes on to win a round of play-offs, resulting in the club winning promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time.
2008 / CSV DVVA manages its best result to date, finishing as runners-up in Saturday League 2A, 2 points behind champions vv Young Boys.
2011 / Champions in Saturday League 2A, 7 points ahead of runners-up vv Aalsmeer, CSV DVVA wins promotion to Saturday League 1 for the first time.
2012 / Finishing bottom of the table in its first season in Saturday League 1A, CSV DVVA drops back into Saturday League 2 along with SV Lelystad ’67 and HBOK.
2015 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 2A, CSV DVVA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv Almkerk (4-2 aggr.).
2016 / Finishing in fourth place in Saturday League 2A, CSV DVVA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out FC Almere in R1 (3-3 aggr. & penalty shoot-out), only to suffer defeat in the final tie against vv Montfoort (3-1 aggr.).
2023 / CSV DVVA finishes as runners-up in Saturday League 2A, 4 points behind champions AFC (za). Due to the Netherlands’ FA introducing a new rule stipulating that no non-league club can have two teams both competing at League 1 level or higher up the ladder, AFC is barred from acceding to Saturday League 1 – its Sunday team being up in National Division 2, the third level of the Netherlands’ football pyramid. As such, CSV DVVA replaces its city rivals, winning direct promotion to Saturday League 1 after an absence of eleven years at that level.
2024 / Runners-up in Saturday League 1B, 3 points behind champions HSV De Zuidvogels, CSV DVVA qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Drawing a bye in R1, DVVA manages successive victories over vv Buitenpost (3-2) and vv Flevo Boys (3-1), resulting in the club achieving a historic promotion to National Division 4, the fifth and lowest tier of the Netherlands’ national league pyramid.