Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht (1979-1996) / RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht (1996-)

Sportpark Het Zoutendijk, Enschede (RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht, formerly RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

13 II 2025 / RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht - vv Drienerlo 2-1 / Saturday League 3N (= NL level 8)

Timeline

1917 / Foundation of a first Roman Catholic football club in Glanerbrug, a village hemmed in between Enschede and the border with the German Empire. The club is given the name GVV (Glanerbrugsche Voetbalvereeniging). It is unclear where GVV’s pitch was situated.
1921 / After a short existence of only four years, GVV folds, ceasing all activities. By this time, three new football clubs have seen the daylight in Glanerbrug, but none of them are geared specifically to the Roman Catholic community: GVV Eilermark, Sportclub, and Arminia. The two latter clubs would go on to merge in 1922, forming SAC (Sportclub-Arminia-Combinatie) – and taking on the name vv Glanerbrug in 1923.
1930 / At the explicit instigation of the bishopric, the leadership of which had been unhappy about Roman Catholic youths in Glanerbrug joining secular football clubs, a new Roman Catholic club is founded, which takes on the name RKSV (Roomsch-Katholieke Sportvereeniging) Avanti. The club’s first chairman is G. Kaalverink. RKSV Avanti joins the so-called RKUVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Utrechtsche Voetbalbond), one of the sub-branches of the RKF, the Netherlands’ Roman Catholic football association. Settling on a pitch laid out at Kremersveenweg, which is referred to locally as Terrein De Goudmijn, RKSV Avanti loses its first official match in the RKUVB divisions emphatically; 1-7 against DOS ’19.
1931 / After the defeat in their first RKUVB match in the fall of 1930, RKSV Avanti has an excellent first season, winning the title in their division and acceding to a higher level. Also in 1931, the Protestant community of Glanerbrug also forms a club, CVV Sportlust (to be renamed SV Sportlust Glanerbrug some time in the 1970s).
1932 / Foundation of a Roman Catholic gymnastics club in Glanerbrug, which takes on the name Wilskracht (literally translated: ‘willpower’). In the following years, Wilskracht and RKSV Avanti develop a cordial relationship, with Wilskracht’s coach providing indoor training sessions for the football club during the winter months.
1935 / A set of dressing rooms is added to the set-up at RKSV Avanti’s Terrein De Goudmijn.
1936 / A hiking branch is added to RKSV Avanti. Later on in the 1930s, the myriad of activities is extended further with an offshoot for athletics as well.
1940 / In the last season under the auspices of the RKUVB, RKSV Avanti wins the title – although it is unclear in which division. In mid-1940, having spent the first years of its existence in the RKUVB (RKF), RKSV Avanti 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. Also in 1940, a new sports park is laid out in Glanerbrug, Sportpark Het Bultserve, with vv Glanerbrug and CVV Sportlust moving into the new ground straightaway. While GVV Eilermark disposes of its own ground at Ekersdijk since 1935, RKSV Avanti also plans a move to Sportpark Het Bultserve, which, however, is postponed for the time being for unknown reasons.
1941 / Clinching the title in TVB Sunday Division 1, RSKV Avanti wins promotion to District East’s Sunday League 4.
1942 / After twelve seasons at Terrein De Goudmijn, RKSV Avanti settles at Sportpark Het Bultserve, sharing the facilities with vv Glanerbrug and CVV Sportlust.
1946 / In a combined meeting of the membership of RKSV Avanti and Gymnastiekvereniging Wilskracht, a partnership deal is thrashed out between the two clubs – apparently stopping short of a fully-fledged merger, as both clubs retain their original names.
1950 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4A, RKSV Avanti saves its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. The club had faced a serious depletion of its squad due to some players being called up for service in the Netherlands’ army to fight the revolution in the Dutch East Indies.
1951 / RKSV Avanti finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 6 points behind champions DOS ’19. Also in 1951, a supporters’ club is founded for RKSV Avanti and Gymnastiekvereniging Wilskracht, which takes on the name RK Supportersvereniging ‘Avanti-Wilskracht’.
1952 / Remaining unbeaten all season, RKSV Avanti clinches the title in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 1 point ahead of runners-up ASVO. The club goes on to win the championship play-offs, thus winning promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Henny Wiegerink.
1953 / Finishing in joint first place in District East’s Sunday League 3A with KVV Quick ’20, RKSV Avanti meets the club from Oldenzaal in a tie-break match at HVV Tubantia’s Veldwijkstadion in Hengelo – losing the match 2-1 and thus having to leave the title to their rivals.
1954 / Finishing in joint first place in District East’s Sunday League 3A with SV VOSTA, RKSV Avanti meets the club from Enschede in a tie-break match at SC Enschede’s Gerrit Jan van Heekpark, with an attendance of over 9,000 – losing the match 2-1 and thus having to leave the title to their rivals.
1959 / Following the partnership deal, concluded in 1946, RKSV Avanti and Gymnastiekvereniging Wilskracht now blend into one once and for all, with the merger club taking on the name Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereniging (RKSV) Avanti-Wilskracht. By this time, the club consists of five branches: football, gymnastics, hiking, handball, and athletics. Moreover, two years later, in 1961, volleyball is added to the myriad of activities.
1963 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht descends into Sunday League 4 after eleven years.
1967 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points ahead of runners-up EV&AC De Tubanters, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The decisive points are clinched in a 3-1 home win over RKSV EMOS.
1969 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht drops back into Sunday League 4. That same year, Avanti’s player Rudi Tip is called up for the Netherlands’ national amateur team.
1971 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4A, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht drops back into the ranks of the TVB for the first time.
1974 / Runners-up in TVB Sunday Division 1A, 2 points behind champions vv TAR, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht manages a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of three years.
1976 / RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points behind champions RKSV EMOS. Also in 1976, with Sportpark Het Bultserve and its two pitches having become too small to house three clubs, the decision is taken by Enschede’s municipal authorities to lay out a new sports park for RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht on a piece of farmland halfway between Glanerbrug and Enschede proper, hemmed in between Gronausestraat and Ekersdijk. A renovation is undertaken of the farmstead in situ, a construction dating back to 1869 and purchased by Enschede’s townhall from a private owner in 1973, with the building being reshaped as a clubhouse.
1978 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals VVDL, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The decisive points are clinched in a derby win over vv Glanerbrug, attended by some 400 spectators.
1979 / RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht moves into its newly laid-out sports park at Gronausestraat in October 1979, abandoning Sportpark Het Bultserve after 37 years. On the new location, the club has the luxury of four pitches, the easternmost of which becomes the club’s main pitch.
1980 / Official inauguration of RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht’s new ground by Enschede’s mayor, Ko Wieringa, on May 25th, 1980, with the facilities being named Sportpark Het Zoutendijk in honour of Mr Zoutendijk, the last smallholder to live in the farmstead which has become the clubhouse of the new park.
1986 / RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points behind champions KOSC.
1987 / Finishing second from bottom in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKSV Bonifatius Boys.
1988 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 3 points ahead of closest followers KSV BWO, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht manages an immediate return to Sunday League 3. The decisive points are obtained in a 3-0 derby win over vv Glanerbrug.
1993 / Finishing in second-last place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club KOSC.
1996 / As new articles of association are adopted by the club’s board, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht confirms its status as an omni-club officially in the obligatory name change, as the club is officially known as Rooms-Katholieke Omnisportvereniging (RKOSV) Avanti-Wilskracht henceforth. The prefix RKOSV is seldom used, though, with ‘Avanti-Wilskracht’ and ‘AW’ being the common ways to refer to the club.
2004 / Runaway champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 12 points ahead of closest followers vv Victoria ’28, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Erik van Zutphen.
2005 / Winning its second title in a row, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes top of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points ahead of runners-up RKSV VOGIDO. As a result, the club wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time. The successful coach is Erik van Zutphen. Also in 2005, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht is one of the first club in the region to have one of their pitches – more specifically: pitch 2 – equipped with a synthetic surface.
2006 / Finishing in joint first place in Sunday League 2J with SV Colmschate ’33, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht meets the club from Deventer in a tie-break match, played at vv Enter Vooruit’s Sportpark De Werf – and following a 1-0 win, Avanti-Wilskracht achieves a historic promotion to Sunday League 1. The successful coach still is Erik van Zutphen.
2008 / In the best season in club history, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht manages a seventh place in Sunday League 1E.
2009 / Coached by Erik van Zutphen, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 1E, thus dropping back into Sunday League 2 along with bottom club vv ATC ’65.
2010 / Coached by Remco Hammink, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2J, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club SV Zwolle.
2012 / Coached by Richard de Boer, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, thus being retrograded to Sunday League 4 along with SV Hector and derby rivals GVV Eilermark.
2014 / Finishing in eleventh place in District East’s Sunday League 4A, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht saves its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs by finishing in first place in a group of three, defeating BSC Unisson (5-1) and drawing against SV Raalte (3-3).
2017 / Runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4B, 11 points behind runaway winners SC Barbaros, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, going on to defeat LSV Lonneker in the final (4-2 aggr.). As such, a return to Sunday League 3 is managed after an absence of five years. The successful coach is Lars Weustink. Also in 2017, the club moves first team football from pitch 1 (the easternmost pitch) to pitch 4 (the northernmost pitch) of Sportpark Het Zoutendijk. Pitch 4 has been laid out as a 3G.
± 2021 / First team football is moved from pitch 4 (the northernmost pitch) to pitch 2 (the middle of the three southern pitches) of Sportpark Het Zoutendijk, after a new 3G has been laid out on that pitch.
2022 / Finishing in fifth place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats AV&CV Robur & Velocitas 1882 (1-2) and vv KCVO (1-3) in the first two rounds, only to be knocked out in the final by vv Reutum (2-1) and thus missing out on a return to Sunday League 2.
2023 / In its last season in the Sunday pyramid, RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht finishes in fifth place in District East’s Sunday League 3A. Switching to first team football on Saturdays after an uninterrupted tradition of over ninety years of Sunday football, the club is placed in District East’s Saturday League 3A for the 2023-24 season.

Note 1 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-4 = non-matchday visit, July 2018 (pitch 4 = main pitch) / pictures 5-16 = match visit, February 2025 (pitch 2 = main pitch).

Note 2 – Essential parts of the information provided above have been derived from a booklet published by RKOSV Avanti-Wilskracht on the occasion of the club’s 90th anniversary in 2020: “Avanti-Wilskracht 1930-2020. Jubileumuitgave ter gelegenheid van het 90-jarig bestaan van RK Omnisportvereniging Avanti-Wilskracht” (2020). Thanks to AW for putting at my disposal a copy of this publication.