Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: FC ODA

Sportpark De Bosakker "Boshoven", Weert (FC ODA)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

8 IX 2024 / FC ODA - vv DESM 1-3 / District South II, Regional Cup - group stage, group 2-33

Timeline

± 1930 / In the hamlet of Boshoven, on the western outskirts of Weert, several short-lived football clubs existed in the second half of the 1920s and the first half of the 1930s, the names of two of which have been preserved: Sparta and its successor DOSKO (Door Onderlinge Samenwerking Komt Overwinning). DOSKO played its home matches on a pitch situated at Boshoverweg. It is unclear if any of the two clubs joined any league association.
± 1940 / A group of youngsters from the hamlets of Boshoven and Vrakker get together to play friendly matches against teams from other parts of the wider Weert region. The pitch used by the Boshoven team is situated at Industriekade – in fact, a pitch owned by the so-called Luciferfabriek Weert, a match factory, also used by a team of factory workers.
1944 / In May 1944, while the Netherlands are still suffering under German occupation, a football club is founded in Weert-Boshoven, RKVV (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging) Sint-Oda – Sint-Oda being Boshoven’s patron saint. Leo Raemakers, the local headmaster, is chosen as the club’s first chairman. In the first months of the existence of RKVV Sint-Oda, training sessions are organised on various plots of open land across Weert and the surrounding areas. Eventually, in September 1944, after the German occupation troops have been driven out of Weert, RKVV Sint-Oda takes over the pitch belonging to a camp occupied by Wehrmacht soldiers in the previous four years, Kamp Sluis XVI at Lozerweg.
1945 / As regular league football is resumed, RKVV Sint-Oda joins the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB), being placed in Division 2 of the so-called Limburgse Voetbalbond (LVB), the league federation organising local football in the Province of Limburg below the level of KNVB (Sunday) League 4. Towards the end of 1945, RKVV Sint-Oda moves away from Terrein Lozerweg, settling at the newly laid-out Terrein Vrakkerstraat – although circumstances were still basic, as the pitch was in fact little more than a sheep pasture.
1946 / Runners-up in LVB Division 2N, RKVV Sint-Oda wins promotion to LVB Division 1.
1950 / After some five years at Terrein Vrakkerstraat, RKVV Sint-Oda moves away to a newly laid-out pitch at Herenhuisstraat.
1956 / Finishing in joint first position in LVB Division 1I with vv DESM and RKSV Merefeldia, RKVV Sint-Oda plays a three-way tie-break play-off against those two clubs, in the end managing a goalless draw with vv DESM at RKSV Merefeldia’s pitch in Nederweert (att. 2,000), resulting in the club winning the play-off and acceding to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1958 / RKVV Sint-Oda manages its best result to date, finishing in second place in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, 2 points behind champions vv Slekker Boys.
1960 / RKVV Sint-Oda finishes in second place in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, 1 point behind champions vv Swalmen.
1963 / After thirteen seasons at Terrein Herenhuisstraat, RKVV Sint-Oda moves away to a newly laid-out pitch at Odamolenstraat.
1968 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, 6 points ahead of SVVM, RKVV Sint-Oda wins promotion to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
1971 / RKVV Sint-Oda manages its best result to date, finishing in second place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 3 points behind champions RKVV Heel. Also in 1971, the board of RKVV Sint-Oda decides to shed the explicit references to Roman-Catholicism, renaming the club FC ODA – ODA being spelled with capital letters, officially being an acronym of Overwinning Door Aanhouden (literally translated: Victory By Perseverance).
1976 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C with SC Susteren, FC ODA goes on to win a tie-break match against this club, thus winning the title and winning promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
1978 / After fifteen years at Terrein Odamolenstraat, FC ODA moves into a newly laid-out pitch just a stone’s throw further down the road, at Vrakkerveld. The new facilities are named Sportpark Bosakker – Bosakker being a combination of the names of the two hamlets where the club originated, Boshoven and Vrakker. The park is inaugurated by Weert’s alderman Lei de Borgie. At the inauguration, a small statue cast in steel of a football player wearing ODA’s colours yellow and black is unveiled – a piece of art still gracing the park today (cp. last photo in series below). Although officially still called Sportpark Bosakker, the ground is better known colloquially as Sportpark Boshoven.
1980 / Finishing in last place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, FC ODA suffers relegation for the first time since acceding to Sunday League 4 in 1956 – dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with the club finishing in second-last place, vv Sanderbout.
1985 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv Roosteren, FC ODA manages a return to Sunday League 2 after an absence of five seasons.
1986 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 2B, FC ODA drops back into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club RKVV Maasbracht.
1987 / FC ODA finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, just 1 point behind champions RKSV De Ster. Also in 1987, a small covered stand is inaugurated at Sportpark Bosakker, with the last stone being laid by Weert’s alderman H. Steeghs.
1995 / Finishing eighth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, FC ODA goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Sunday League 2.
1997 / In the best season in club history, FC ODA finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2H, 7 points behind champions RKVV Almania.
1999 / Finishing in last place in Sunday League 2F, FC ODA drops back into Sunday League 3 along with the club finishing in second-last place, RKVV Wilhelmina.
2001 / FC ODA finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 4 points behind champions RKVV Almania, failing to achieve promotion in the subsequent play-off rounds.
2003 / Finishing in tenth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, FC ODA goes on to suffer defeat in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs, thus descending into Sunday League 4 along with direct drop-outs vv Belfeldia and vv Brevendia. It is the first time in 35 years that the club finds itself at this lowly level.
2004 / FC ODA finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, 12 points behind champions NWC, failing to achieve promotion in the subsequent play-off rounds.
2011 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, FC ODA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out VCH (8-2 aggr.) and vv Swalmen (3-2 aggr.) before suffering defeat in the final at the hands of RKMSV (1-0).
2012 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, 14 points behind champions SC Helmondia, FC ODA qualifies for the play-offs, in which the club successively defeats vv VOS (5-3 aggr.), HBSV (5-3 aggr.) – and eventually also RKMSV, the club which had barred ODA a return to Sunday League 3 the previous season (1-0). As such, FC ODA wins promotion to Sunday League 3 after an absence of nine years.
2013 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 4 points behind champions Sparta ’18, FC ODA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by EVVC (8-2 aggr.).
2016 / Finishing in twelfth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, FC ODA has to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs to avoid being retrograded to Sunday League 4 – succeeding at that task by defeating vv BAVOS (5-3 aggr.).
2017 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC ODA drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKVV Neerbeek.
2022 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, FC ODA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by Oranje Blauw ’15 (3-2 aggr.).
2023 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, 19 points behind runaway champions SV Budel, FC ODA qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats RKVV ELI (1-0) before being eliminated in the final by SV DSV (2-1).

Note – Much of the information above has been derived from an article about the history of RKVV Sint-Oda and FC ODA, written by Henk Haex (as yet unpublished), and kindly put at my disposal by FC ODA’s board.