Netherlands, province: North Brabant = Noord-Brabant
23 II 2025 / vv Holthees-Smakt - SV Oostrum 3-3 / District South II, Sunday League 5F (= NL level 10)
Timeline
- 1935 / Foundation of a football club in Holthees and Smakt, two hamlets situated to the north of Venray – Holthees on the North Brabant side of the provincial border, Smakt just across it in Limburg. The new club, which is given the name RKHSVV (Rooms-Katholieke Holthees-Smakt Voetbalvereniging), joins the so-called Rooms-Katholieke Limburgse Voetbalbond (RKLVB), a sub-branch of the Rooms-Katholieke Federatie (RKF), the Netherlands’ Roman Catholic Football Association, being placed in RKLVB Division 3 for the 1935-36 season. The first pitch of the club, little more than a sandy plain, is situated in Smakt and inaugurated on August 11th, 1935, by Fr Rector. The first clubhouse is a pub nearby, Café Jos Nellen, which also offers the players the opportunity to change clothes.
- 1936 / Moving away from the pitch in Smakt after the club’s first season, RKHSVV settles on a plot of land situated at Loonseweg in Holthees – in fact, the location still in use today – at the back of the new clubhouse, Café W. Loonen, in the summer of 1936.
- 1937 / A newspaper article in the Nieuwe Venlosche Courant mentions a tie-break match for the title in RKLVB Division 3 between RKHSVV and RKVV Excelsior ’18 Reserves (from Broekhuizenvorst) being scheduled at RKVV Wansum’s ground, but no documentation is available about the result.
- 1940 / Having spent the first five years of its existence in Division 3 of the RKLVB (RKF), RKHSVV is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands in May 1940, with the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ being withdrawn for obvious reasons) as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. For the 1940-41 season, the club is placed in one of the lower divisions of the so-called LVB (Limburgse Voetbalbond), the NVB sub-branch organising league football in the Province of Limburg below the level of (K)NVB Sunday League 4.
- 1947 / Following the war years, in which club activities had ground to a halt, the club is revived by a group of enthusiasts, who decide to change the name to become RKVV (Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging) Excelsior – and applying for membership of the NBVB (Noord-Brabantse Voetbalbond), the North Brabant KNVB sub-branch, instead of the LVB. Due to the name Excelsior already being in use by several other clubs, the club is officially registered as RKVV Holthees-Smakt, with local media usually referring to the club as ‘RKVV Holthees’ or simply ‘Holthees’. Locally, though, ‘Excelsior’ remains the officious club name for at least two more decades.
- 1948 / In the first season following the refoundation of the club, RKVV Holthees-Smakt wins the title in NBVB Sunday Division 3, acceding to Division 2 for the new season.
- 1949 / Clinching the title in NBVB Sunday Division 2, RKVV Holthees-Smakt manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to NBVB Sunday Division 1.
- 1950 / RKVV Holthees-Smakt goes on to conquer its third title in a row, finishing in first place in NBVB Sunday Division 1, but the club fails to win promotion to Sunday League 4 in the subsequent round of championship play-offs.
- 1955 / RKVV Holthees-Smakt is retrograded from NBVB Sunday Division 1 to Division 2.
- 1958 / Due to the pitch at Terrein Loonseweg being laid out anew, RKVV Holthees-Smakt groundshares with RKSV Geijsteren at Terrein Oostrumseweg for the 1958-59 season.
- 1959 / Obtaining the title in NBVB Sunday Division 2 following a win over RKVV Volharding Reserves, RKVV Holthees-Smakt goes on to win a set of championship play-offs, resulting in the club returning to NBVB Sunday Division 1 after four years. Also in 1959, the club returns to Terrein Loonseweg after one year of groundsharing at RKSV Geijsteren.
- 1965 / Abandoning its membership of the NBVB (KNVB Afdeling Noord-Brabant), RKVV Holthees-Smakt joins the Limburg sub-branch of the KNVB, the LVB (Limburgse Voetbalbond).
- 1966 / A first set of wooden dressing rooms are inaugurated at Terrein Loonseweg.
- 1967 / Floodlights are added to the set-up at Terrein Loonseweg, enabling midweek training sessions during the winter months.
- 1971 / As extensive building works are undertaken at Terrein Loonseweg, involving the laying out of two new pitches, RKVV Holthees-Smakt concludes a groundsharing agreement with RKVV Overloon, with all football temporarily moving to that club’s Sportpark De Raaij.
- 1973 / Upon completion of the works at Terrein Loonseweg, RKVV Holthees-Smakt moves back to its home ground after two seasons. At the inauguration ceremony, the new facilities are blessed by the village priest, Fr Ludovicus.
- 1977 / Winning the title in LVB Sunday Division 1, RKVV Holthees-Smakt wins promotion to KNVB District South II’s Sunday League 4 for the first time in club history.
- 1978 / In the best season in club history, RKVV Holthees-Smakt manages a third place in District South II’s Sunday League 4H. Also in 1978, Terrein Loonseweg, home of the club since 1936, is officially renamed Sportpark De Halt.
- 1983 / Following a fire, in which the dressing rooms erected seventeen years previously were consumed, new stone changing facilities – as well as a renovated clubhouse – are inaugurated at Sportpark De Halt in November 1983. During the building works in the summer and fall of 1983, RKVV Holthees-Smakt temporarily groundshared with RKVV Volharding at Sportpark Soetendaal in Vierlingsbeek.
- 1986 / Finishing in joint last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4H with three (!) other clubs – SV Lottum, RKVV Hegelsom, and RKSV Meterik – RKVV Holthees-Smakt has to take part in a tie-break competition to avoid the drop. Drawing its match against RKVV Hegelsom (1-1), but suffering defeat in the two other encounters (1-0 against RKSV Meterik & 0-1 against SV Lottum), RKVV Holthees-Smakt finishes in last place, thus descending into LVB Sunday Division 1 after nine years.
- 1996 / Following the abolition of all KNVB sub-branches, including the LVB, RKVV Holthees-Smakt is placed in District South II’s Sunday League 6.
- 2001 / Having played 25 consecutive seasons in RKVV Holthees-Smakt’s first team, ultimate clubman Sjaak Janssen now hangs up his boots following a anniversary match. Janssen continues to serve the club in various other capacities in subsequent years.
- 2006 / RKVV Holthees-Smakt finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6E, 5 points behind champions SV Oostrum.
- 2008 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 6E, 3 points ahead of closest rivals RKSV Griendtsveen, RKVV Holthees-Smakt wins promotion to Sunday League 5. The successful coach is German-born Hans Winkelhag.
- 2011 / Coached by Twan Bloemen, RKVV Holthees-Smakt finishes bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 5E, thus dropping back into Sunday League 5 after three seasons. Also in 2011, abandoning a partnership deal with nearby RKVV Volharding, which had taken over vv Holthees’ youth players, RKVV Holthees-Smakt henceforth allows its academy players to be integrated into RKVV SSS '18’s youth academy.
- 2012 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 6E, RKVV Holthees-Smakt qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is drawn in a group with SV Merselo and SC Sint Hubert. Following a 0-5 home defeat at the hands of Merselo and a 2-3 away win in Sint Hubert, RKVV Holthees-Smakt has to leave first place and promotion to SV Merselo.
- 2015 / Finishing in sixth place in District South II’s Sunday League 6C, RKVV Holthees-Smakt wins automatic promotion to Sunday League 5 due to Sunday League 6 being abolished for the new season. Also in 2015, the club officially drops the reference to its Roman Catholic origins, being known henceforth as vv Holthees-Smakt instead of RKVV Holthees-Smakt.
- 2016 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 5G, vv Holthees-Smakt qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by SV Stiphout Vooruit (7-1 aggr.).
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