Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SC Olympia (1975-1979) / vv SCO '63 (1979-) / vv Fun Guys (1983-1986)

Sportpark Oostbroek, Spijkenisse (vv SCO '63, formerly SC Olympia / vv Fun Guys)

Netherlands, province: South Holland = Zuid-Holland

7 IX 2024 / vv SCO '63 - SC Botlek 1-2 / District West II, Regional Cup - group stage, group 3-26

Timeline

1963 / Foundation of a football club in Spijkenisse, Sportclub Olympia, formed as a Sunday league breakaway from Saturday club vv Spijkenisse. H. Aulman is chosen as the first chairman of SC Olympia (often abbreviatedly referred to as SCO). Not disposing of a ground of its own, the new club groundshares with vv Spijkenisse at Sportpark Olympia (alternatively referred to as Sportpark Schiekamp) for the time being. Training sessions and practice matches are often held elsewhere in Spijkenisse, at Terrein Paardenkerkhof, situated at Groenekruisweg. After joining the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB), SC Olympia is placed in Division 3 of the so-called Rotterdamse Voetbalbond (RVB), the league association organising football below the level of Sunday (and Saturday) League 4 in the wider Rijnmond region.
1964 / SC Olympia’s baseball branch is founded. In fact, the name Sportclub (SC) rather than Voetbalvereniging (vv) had been consciously chosen at the club’s foundation in view of nascent plans of incorporating other sports than just football into the spectre of activities.
1966 / Having groundshared with vv Spijkenisse at Sportpark Olympia in the first three years of its existence, SC Olympia now moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark De Brug, sharing the facilities with a newly founded Saturday club, Sportclub (SC) Botlek.
1968 / SC Olympia wins promotion from RVB Division 3 to RVB Division 2. Also in 1968, netball club De Blauwe Treffer (DBT) is absorbed into SC Olympia.
1969 / The foundation of a handball branch sees the number of sports practiced under the flag of SC Olympia growing to four.
1970 / SC Olympia’s baseball branch is disposed of by the club and taken over by SC Botlek.
1971 / Coached by Joop Stolk, SC Olympia wins the title in RVB Division 2, acceding to RVB Division 1 for the first time.
1974 / Suffering a 3-1 defeat in a tie-break match against RSV Germinal, SC Olympia drops back into RVB Division 2 after three seasons in D1.
1975 / Having shared Sportpark De Brug with SC Botlek for the past nine years, SC Olympia now moves into the newly laid-out Sportpark Oostbroek, just across the street, with SC Botlek now becoming Sportpark De Brug sole users. The two clubs have been neighbours ever since. Sportpark Oostbroek, which sports a clubhouse almost exclusively built by club volunteers, is inaugurated officially by Spijkenisse’s mayor Koos Bliek on March 21st, 1975.
1976 / Under the leadership of player-coach Cor Lanser, SC Olympia wins the title in RVB Division 2 following a set of tie-break matches against fellow leaders Real Parbo. As such, the club returns to RVB Division 1 after an absence of two years.
1979 / With the handball and netball branches of SC Olympia going their separate ways as HVOS and KV Olympia respectively, SC Olympia changes its name to become Voetbalvereniging (vv) Samen Combinerend Omhoog (SCO) ’63 – the new meaning for the three club initials being thought up by club volunteer Maarten Kabbedijk.
1980 / Coached by Cor Lanser, vv SCO ’63 accedes to KNVB District West’s Sunday League 4 for the first time, winning promotion from RVB Division 1.
1983 / A new football club is founded in Spijkenisse, vv Fun Guys, with a groundsharing deal with vv SCO ’63 being concluded.
1984 / For its first season as an active football club, vv Fun Guys is placed in RVB Division 3.
1986 / After an existence of three years and two seasons in RVB Division 3, vv Fun Guys disbands, ceasing all activities.
1991 / Having been an also-ran in Sunday League 4 in the past decade, vv SCO ’63 comes close to the title in that division for the first time; coached by Tom Larssen, the club finishes in second place in District West II’s Sunday League 4F, 4 points behind champions SC Feyenoord.
1994 / A thorough renovation is undertaken of SCO’s clubhouse at Sportpark Oostbroek, with the new canteen being inaugurated by Spijkenisse’s alderman for sports affairs, Mr Sitton, in September of that year. In the following years, the dressing rooms as well as the boardroom undergo refurbishment as well.
1996 / Coached by Maarten Broersen, who succeeded Cor Troost in the course of the season, vv SCO ’63 narrowly escapes relegation, finishing in tenth place in District West II’s Sunday League 4G – and saving its skin on the last day of the season with a 5-2 victory over vv Meeuwenplaat.
2001 / Coached by Joop Musterd, vv SCO ’63 wins the title in District West IV’s Sunday League 4F, 3 points ahead of runners-up MSV&AV Flakkee. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-0 home win against FC Blankenburg. Acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history, vv SCO ’63 manages a respectable fourth place in its first season at that level.
2003 / Finishing in second-last place in District West II’s Sunday League 3D, vv SCO ’63 descends back into League 4 after two seasons, along with bottom club RVV EDS. The decision falls in a 5-2 away defeat at RSV HION on the last day of the season.
2005 / Former professional league player Richard Elzinga (FC Groningen, Cambuur-Leeuwarden, Sparta Rotterdam) joins vv SCO ’63, staying with the club until hanging up his boots in 2007.
2006 / Runners-up in District West II’s Sunday League 4H, 10 points behind champions BVV WRW, vv SCO ’63 manages a return to Sunday League 3 via the promotion play-offs. The successful coach is Martin Klomp.
2008 / Still coached by Martin Klomp, vv SCO ’63 clinches the title in District West II’s Sunday League 3D, 1 point ahead of runners-up BVV WRW, thus acceding to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history.
2010 / Coached by Peter van Gestel, vv SCO ’63 finishes in fourth place in Sunday League 2D, qualifying for the promotion play-offs; eliminating RKSV VELO in R1 (4-3 aggr.) and SC Woerden in R2 (3-0 aggr.), the club qualifies for the final, in which it is defeated by SV TOGB (2-1). However, due to Zondag Hoofdklasse club VSV TONEGIDO ceasing its activities following the 2009-10 season, an extra promotion place becomes available, with vv SCO ’63 thus acceding to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2011 / Coached by Peter van Gestel, vv SCO ’63 has a flying start in Sunday League 1B, finding itself in second place halfway through the season. Due to a disastrous second half of the season, though, the club finishes in eleventh place, having to save its skin in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs. Defeating SV HMSH in R1 (3-2 aggr.), vv SCO ’63 is knocked out by UVS in R1 (5-1 aggr.), resulting in the club suffering relegation to Sunday League 2 after just one season, along with vv Wilhelmus, SV TOGB, and bottom club BVV WRW. In the following two years, playing in Sunday League 2, the club is coached by former professional league player Ton Pattinama (SBV Excelsior, FC Den Bosch, FC Utrecht, SC Heracles '74, ADO Den Haag).
2013 / vv SCO ’63 enters a team into the Saturday league pyramid for the first time, which is placed in District West II’s Saturday League 4.
2014 / Coached by Ton Pattinama’s successor Koos Waslander, another former professional league player (SBV Excelsior, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, NAC, PEC Zwolle '82, DS '79), vv SCO ’63 finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 2D, resulting in the club suffering relegation to Sunday League 3 along with SV Ommoord, SV DEHMusschen, and bottom club SV DONK. Following the 2013-14 season, vv SCO ’63 withdraws its team from the Sunday league pyramid, preferring to continue with just the first team in Saturday League 4.
2019 / Finishing in third place in District West II’s Saturday League 4G, vv SCO ’63 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by derby rivals SC Botlek (4-1).
2022 / Finishing in thirteenth place in District West II’s Saturday League 4H, vv SCO ’63 descends into the newly created Saturday League 5 along with SV Simonshaven, SV DRL, and bottom club SV Piershil (which in fact folds after the 2021-22 season).
2023 / Champions in District West II’s Saturday League 5C, 2 points ahead of runners-up SV Simonshaven, vv SCO ’63 manages an immediate return to Saturday League 4.
2024 / Coached by Cor Waalboer, vv SCO ’63 finishes in ninth place in District West II’s Saturday League 4F, resulting in the club having to save its skin in a set of play-offs. Drawing a bye in R1, the club is eliminated in R2 by RV&AV Steeds Hooger. As a result, vv SCO ’63 drops back into Saturday League 5.