Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKSV Mierlo-Hout

Sportpark De Beemd (Oost), Helmond Mierlo-Hout (RKSV Mierlo-Hout)

Netherlands, province: North Brabant = Noord-Brabant

6 X 2024 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout - MASV 2-1 / National Division 4C (= NL level 5)

Timeline

1919 / Foundation of a football club in the hamlet of Mierlo-Hout by a group of local youths, with Marinus Ketelaars and Tidder van der Burgt being the driving forces. The new club is given the name Concordia, with Piet Wasser taking on the role of chairman. Choosing not to join any league association yet, Concordia sticks to playing friendly matches against teams from surrounding villages, initially on a projected construction site, moving to a pitch laid out on a plot of land owned by Mierlo-Hout’s housing association in April 1919, then in August of the same year to Terrein De Houtse Barrier, and in October on to a plot of farmland owned by a local smallholder, J. Klomp, alongside the Eindhovensch Kanaal in Mierlo-Heide.
1920 / Joining the Helmond branch of Roman-Catholic league association RKF (Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie), Concordia is placed in Division B.
1922 / Abandoning Terrein Klomp after two years, Concordia settles on a pitch laid out on a plot of land near the windmill owned by Mr Van Stekelenburg along the exit road to Mierlo.
1924 / In 1924 – although other sources mention the year 1922 – Concordia changes its name to become RKSV (Roomsch-Katholieke Sportvereeniging) Mierlo-Hout, probably after the club won promotion to the RKF national divisions; and with the name Concordia already having been taken by another RKF national league club.
1927 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout reaches the semifinal of the RKF’s cup competition, the Episcopal Cup (Bisschopsbeker), in which the club is eliminated by SV Vitesse ’08 (Gennep).
1928 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout conquers the Episcopal Cup, defeating Victoria ’25 (Afferden) in the final, played in Tilburg (3-2).
1931 / Having been home at Terrein Van Stekelenburg for nine years, RKSV Mierlo-Hout now moves to Terrein Helmondsche Weg, formerly owned by rival RKF club De Roodborstjes, which folded earlier that same year.
1937 / After a spell of six years at Terrein Helmonds(ch)e Weg, RKSV Mierlo-Hout now moves to Terrein Noord-Parallelweg, a plot of land owned by Mr Van Houtum.
1940 / Having spent nearly two decades in the ranks of the Roman-Catholic league association RKF, RKSV Mierlo-Hout 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, the club is placed in the ranks of the so-called Noord-Brabantse Voetbalbond (NBVB), the association organising football in the Province of North Brabant below the level of KNVB (Sunday) League 4. Also in or around 1940, abandoning Terrein Noord-Parallelweg, RKSV Mierlo-Hout settles at the so-called Jonge Wacht-veld, named after the local Roman Catholic youth movement which disposed of a football pitch at the back of its clubhouse at Slegersstraat.
1943 / Due to the Jonge Wacht-veld being taken in use as farmland, RKSV Mierlo-Hout ceases its activities for the remainder of World War II.
1946 / After three years of inactivity, RKSV Mierlo-Hout resettles at the Jonge Wacht-veld, Slegersstraat.
1950 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout wins the title in NBVB (Sunday) Division 1, failing to win promotion to Sunday League 4 in the promotion play-offs.
1951 / Floodlights are added to the set-up at the Jonge Wacht-veld.
1952 / Clinching the title in NBVB Division 1, RKSV Mierlo-Hout succeeds in acceding to Sunday League 4 for the first time following a successful round of promotion play-offs. As it turns out, the pitch at Slegersstraat not having the correct dimensions for football in the KNVB leagues, but thanks to the local priest, Fr Van de Spijker, giving up 1,5 metres of land of his rectory gardens, the club does not have to move to a new location.
1955 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as joint runners-up with BVV Dorplein in District South I’s Sunday League 4A, 3 points behind champions RPC.
1956 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, just 1 point behind champions vv Woenselse Boys.
1960 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 8 points behind champions vv Budelschoot.
1962 / After some two decades at the Jonge Wacht-veld, Slegersstraat, RKSV Mierlo-Hout now moves into the newly laid-out Sportpark De Beemd, where the club is still playing today – although the park has undergone several extensions over the years.
1965 / Finishing in joint last place in District South I’s Sunday League 4C with RKVV Milheezer Boys, RKSV Mierlo-Hout meets that club in a relegation tie-breaker, suffering defeat in that match and thus dropping back into the ranks of the NBVB after a spell of thirteen seasons in League 4.
1968 / The hamlet of Mierlo-Hout is incorporated into the municipality of Helmond – with the village being completely surrounded by that town’s urban sprawl in the course of the following decades.
1971 / Having spent six seasons in the NBVB, RKSV Mierlo-Hout manages a return to Sunday League 4.
1972 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 2 points ahead of closest followers vv Boskant, RKSV Mierlo-Hout manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
1977 / Finishing in second-last place in District South I’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Mierlo-Hout drops back into League 4 after five years, along with bottom club RKSV Heeze.
1978 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 2 points behind champions vv Boskant.
1979 / The main pitch of Sportpark De Beemd is adorned with a covered stand, paid for by a group of supporters. The stand is placed in between the main pitch (current central pitch of Sportpark De Beemd) and the westernmost pitch of the park.
1980 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, RKSV Mierlo-Hout drops back into the ranks of the NBVB.
1986 / Having spent six seasons in the ranks of the NBVB, RKSV Mierlo-Hout now manages a return to Sunday League 4.
1990 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 6 points ahead of closest rivals HVV Helmond and RKVV Gestelse Boys, RKSV Mierlo-Hout wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
1994 / Finishing in third place in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, RKSV Mierlo-Hout wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history following a successful round of promotion play-offs. In the following season, the club manages a respectable third place in District South I’s Sunday League 2A. In May 1994, on the occasion of the club’s 75th anniversary, RKSV Mierlo-Hout invites PSV to Sportpark De Beemd for a gala match (1-5).
1996 / Finishing in tenth place in District South I’s Sunday League 2A, RKSV Mierlo-Hout fails to extend its stay at this level in the relegation play-offs, thus dropping back into League 3 along with SV OSS ’20 and bottom club vv Nieuw Woensel.
1997 / Finishing in tenth place in District South I’s Sunday League 3D, RKSV Mierlo-Hout yet again fails to deliver in the relegation play-offs, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, dropping back into League 4 along with NWC, SV Valkenswaard, and bottom club ZSV.
1998 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4H, 4 points behind champions vv Dijkse Boys.
1999 / Former RKSV Mierlo-Hout youth academy defender Ruud Verhappen makes his debut as a professional league player with VVV. After a spell of four years in Venlo, Verhappen bows out into non-league, defending the colours of RKSV Schijndel, SV Venray, and vv Geldrop.
2000 / Coached by Frank van de Vijfeijken, RKSV Mierlo-Hout clinches the title in District South I’s Sunday League 4H, 8 points ahead of runners-up NWC, thus managing a return to Sunday League 3.
2001 / Coached by Frank van de Vijfeijken, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes in ninth place in District South I’s Sunday League 3D, being unable to retain its status as League 3 club in the relegation play-offs and thus dropping back into League 4 along with vv Nooit Gedacht, RKVV Den Dungen, and bottom club RKSV MULO.
2003 / Finishing in joint first position in District South II’s Sunday League 3D with vv Dijkse Boys, RKSV Mierlo-Hout goes on to meet its town rivals in a tie-break match for the title, suffering a 2-1 defeat in that encounter and missing out on promotion in the subsequent round of play-offs as well.
2004 / Still coached by Frank van de Vijfeijken, RKSV Mierlo-Hout clinches the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, 1 point ahead of RKSV Rhode, thus managing a return to Sunday League 2 after an absence of eight years.
2005 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2H, 9 points behind champions SV Venray.
2006 / Coached by Angelo van den Heuvel, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2H, thus dropping back into League 3 along with bottom club RKSV De Ster.
2009 / On the occasion of the club’s 90th birthday, RKSV Mierlo-Hout organises a gala match at Sportpark De Beemd against PSV (0-10). That same summer, the pitches to the north and the east of the clubhouse at the park are equipped with a synthetic surface. First team football is moved to the northernmost pitch.
2011 / Coached by Ton van Dijk, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, just 2 points behind champions vv Heeswijk. Qualifying for the play-offs, the club goes on to knock out ZSV (5-3 aggr.) and SV Vitesse ’08 (6-5 aggr.) successively, thus winning promotion to Sunday League 2. Also in 2011, after two seasons of playing first team football on the northernmost pitch of Sportpark De Beemd, first team football is moved to the 3G pitch on the eastern side of the park – the reason behind this being that there turned out to be no space to move the covered stand from the former main pitch of the park to the northernmost pitch. In the summer of 2011, the stand is rebuilt alongside easternmost pitch of the park, which has been the main pitch ever since.
2013 / Still coached by Ton van Dijk, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 2H, with the club having to retain its status as League 2 club in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs. Knocking out RKSV Rhode in R1 (4-2 aggr.), the club is eliminated by EVVC in R2 (5-3 aggr.). In a lucky loser play-off, organised due to extra places in League 2 being available, the club suffers defeat against IVO (0-1). As such, RKSV Mierlo-Hout drops back into League 3 after two seasons.
2015 / Coached by Cees Eekels, RKSV Mierlo-Hout wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, 6 points ahead of closest followers RKSV Blerick, thus managing a return to Sunday League 2.
2017 / Still coached by Cees Eekels, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes in eleventh place in Sunday League 2H, having to retain its status as a League 2 club in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs. Knocking out vv Excellent in R1 (4-2 aggr.), the club suffers defeat in the final against Sparta ’18 (4-3 aggr.). As such, RKSV Mierlo-Hout drops back into League 3 along with SC Oranje-Zwart Helmond, IVO, and bottom club SC Helmondia.
2018 / Coached by former SC Eindhoven and Helmond Sport professional player Raymond Koenraadt, RKSV Mierlo-Hout wins the title in District South II’s Sunday League 3C, a staggering 17 points ahead of closest rivals SV Budel. As such, the club manages an immediate return to Sunday League 2.
2019 / RKSV Mierlo-Hout celebrates its 100th anniversary with a gala match at Sportpark De Beemd against Helmond Sport (1-4).
2022 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2H, 8 points behind champions SV Marvilde, RKSV Mierlo-Hout qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by RKSV Bekkerveld (1-4).
2023 / Still coached by Raymond Koenraadt, RKSV Mierlo-Hout finishes as runners-up in Sunday League 2E, 3 points behind champions SV Valkenswaard. In the promotion play-offs, the club manages to knock out four clubs successively: vv Uno Animo (3-1), SV Marvilde (0-3), RKSV Antibarbari (2-2 & penalty shoot-out), and lastly JVC (Julianadorp, 4-5). As such, RKSV Mierlo-Hout accedes to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history.
2024 / Champions in its first season in Sunday League 1F, 2 points ahead of runners-up SV Valkenswaard, RKSV Mierlo-Hout, still coached by Raymond Koenraadt, manages a historic promotion to National Division 4, the fifth and lowest tier of the Netherlands’ national league pyramid.