Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Emplina

Sportpark Empel-Zuid, 's-Hertogenbosch = Den Bosch Empel (RKVV Emplina)

Netherlands, province: North Brabant = Noord-Brabant

9 XI 2024 / RKVV Emplina - vv Roda Boys Bommelerwaard 0-2 / District South I, League 1A (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1944 / Foundation of a football club in Empel, which takes on the name Fortuna.
1945 / Possibly following a merger with another local club, SDO, Fortuna takes on a new name, Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging (RKVV) Emplina. It is unclear where the club’s pitch was situated in those early years.
1950 / With Empel having suffered considerably during World War II, most of the villagers move to a new settlement, which is also given the name Empel, slightly to the southwest of the original village. The football club moves to the new location as well, settling at Terrein Het Slot – in fact closely situated to the current park, Sportpark Empel-Zuid – with players having to change clothes in the small cigar factory on the top floor of Café J. van der Dussen. Later on, changing rooms are erected, built with wood and stone of the old municipal house in (Oud-)Empel.
1971 / Empel as well as Oud-Empel are incorporated into the larger municipality of Den Bosch ('s-Hertogenbosch), with Empel in fact being turned into a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Den Bosch in the following decades, thus losing the character of a village in itself.
1981 / Moving away from Terrein Het Slot, RKVV Emplina settles at the newly laid-out Complex Maasakker at Meerwijkweg, where it has three pitches at its disposal. On the downside, though, the club is marred by floodings of the River Meuse on this new location.
1989 / Winning the title in the top division of the NBVB, RKVV Emplina wins promotion to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time in club history.
1992 / Runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4B, 2 points behind champions vv Hertogstad, RKVV Emplina wins the subsequent round of promotion play-offs, resulting in the club acceding to Sunday League 3 for the first time.
1994 / Finishing in second-last place in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, RKVV Emplina drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKSV Festilent.
1996 / Runaway champions in District South I’s Sunday League 4B, 7 points ahead of closest rivals RKVV BMC, RKVV Emplina manages a return to Sunday League 3.
1997 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, RKVV Emplina drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one year, along with the club finishing in second-last place, vv Berghem Sport.
2003 / Coached by Dick Salm, RKVV Emplina finishes in second-last place in District South I’s Sunday League 4D, thus descending into Sunday League 5 along with bottom club SC Elshout.
2004 / RKVV Emplina finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 5F, 9 points behind champions SV OSC ’45, but the club fails to win promotion in the subsequent play-off round. Also in 2004, moving away from Complex Maasakker after 23 years, RKVV Emplina settles at the newly laid-out Sportpark Empel-Zuid – situated on the eastern side of Empel, close to the former Terrein Het Slot, where the club had been home between 1950 and 1981.
2005 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 5F, 4 points ahead of closest followers SV Real Lunet, RKVV Emplina wins promotion to Sunday League 4. The successful trainer is Koos Meesters.
2009 / RKVV Emplina finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4F, 3 points behind champions vv Hedel, but the club fails to win promotion in the subsequent play-off round.
2011 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 4F, 9 points ahead of runners-up GVV Raptim, RKVV Emplina wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful trainer is Hans Lathouwers.
2014 / Erik Meulendijk takes over the role as head coach at RKVV Emplina. Meulendijk was a professional league player at BVV Den Bosch and FC Den Bosch for eleven years (1989-2000).
2015 / Runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, 3 points behind champions SV Real Lunet, RKVV Emplina qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RKVV Dommelen in R1 (4-2 aggr.), before suffering elimination in R2 at the hands of RKSV Braakhuizen (6-4 aggr.).
2016 / Coached by Erik Meulendijk, RKVV Emplina clinches the title in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, finishing 6 points ahead of closest followers RKJVV. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time ever.
2017 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 2F, RKVV Emplina qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by SC Unitas ’30 (1-1 aggr. & penalty shoot-out).
2018 / Erik Meulendijk leaves RKVV Emplina after having been head coach for four seasons, moving to RKVV Prinses Irene to serve in the same capacity at that club.
2019 / The main pitch at Sportpark Empel-Zuid is equipped with a synthetic surface.
2023 / Coached by Jeroen van Bezouwen, RKVV Emplina obtains the title in Sunday League 2D, 8 points ahead of runners-up vv TSC. As such, the club achieves a historic promotion to League 1. After the 2022-23 season, Van Bezouwen leaves the club, with his successor being Anthony Lurling, former professional league player (1994-2016) at FC Den Bosch, SC Heerenveen, Feyenoord Rotterdam, NAC Breda, 1. FC Köln, and RKC Waalwijk. In September 2023, an small uncovered stand is inaugurated at Sportpark Empel-Zuid.
2024 / In its first season in District South I’s League 1, RKVV Emplina manages a respectable seventh place.