Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV Bonifatius Boys (1977-1979) / RKSV Bonifatius Boys (1979-1996) / SV Bon Boys (1996-)

Sportpark De Greune, Haaksbergen (SV Bon Boys, formerly RKVV Bonifatius Boys / RKSV Bonifatius Boys)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

26 III 2025 / SV Bon Boys - RKSV Achilles '29 2-0 / District East, Regional Cup (Districtsbeker) - last 16

Timeline

1934 / In the hamlet of Veldmaat, on the northern outskirts of Haaksbergen in Overijssel, a football club is formed. The club derives its name from the newly formed parish church, Heilige Bonifatius en Gezellen, becoming Rooms-Katholieke Voetbalvereniging (RKVV) Bonifatius Boys, with the local priest, Fr Brandsma, taking on the role as the club’s first spiritual advisor. The club’s first pitch is situated at Veldmaterstraat, but before the start of the 1934-35 season, a move is made to a newly laid-out pitch at the crossroads of Weertseriet and Lijsterstraat. Instead of joining the official Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB), RKVV Bonifatius Boys successfully applies for membership of the so-called Rooms-Katholieke Utrechtse Voetbalbond (RKUVB), a sub-branch of the Rooms-Katholieke Federatie (RKF), an association of Roman-Catholic clubs. For its first season, the club is placed in RKUVB Division 4.
1937 / Moving away from Terrein Weertseriet, RKVV Bonifatius Boys settles at Terrein De Klomp, a newly laid-out pitch on a piece of farmland owned by a local smallholder, Mr Ten Voorde, at Veldmaterstraat – not far from the club’s original location.
1939 / Managing its first tangible success, RKVV Bonifatius Boys wins promotion from RKUVB Division 4 to Division 3. Also in or around 1939, the club settles on a newly laid-out pitch< Terrein Ooink, situated at Veldmaterstraat just like its previous pitch.
1940 / Upon the occupation of the Netherlands by German forces, all football associations merge into the KNVB – renamed NVB to avoid association with the Orange family (‘Koninklijk’) for the duration of the war. RKVV Bonifatius Boys also makes the step to the ranks of the ‘neutral’ association, being placed in Sunday Division 2 of NVB’s sub-branch in Twente, the so-called Twentse Voetbalbond (TVB).
1950 / Finishing in first place in TVB Sunday Division 2, RKVV Bonifatius Boys goes on to play in a promotion competition, in which the club takes on TAR Reserves and EFC Prinses Wilhelmina Reserves. Following a tie-break match against the latter side, played at GFC’s Terrein Deldensestraat in Goor, resulting in a 4-1 win, RKVV Bonifatius Boys accedes to TVB Sunday Division 1 for the first time.
± 1952 / Moving away from Terrein Ooink, RKVV Bonifatius Boys settles at Terrein Enschedestraat, situated opposite of Café Het Nieuwe Haasje.
1953 / Finishing in joint first position in TVB Sunday Division 1 with RKSV De Zweef and TVC ’28, RKVV Bonifatius Boys plays a tie-break competition against those two clubs – and, finishing in first place, the club wins promotion to KNVB District East’s Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1955 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 5 points ahead of runners-up vv Unisson, RKVV Bonifatius Boys wins promotion to Sunday League 3 for the first time. The decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 win over local rivals vv Haaksbergen. The successful coach is Mr De Ruiter.
1956 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A with coach De Ruiter, RKVV Bonifatius Boys drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season. That same year, the club moves back from Terrein Enschedestraat to Terrein Ooink at Veldmaterstraat.
1960 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4B, RKVV Bonifatius Boys descends into TVB Sunday Division 1.
1966 / Finishing in second-last place in TVB Sunday Division 1A, RKVV Bonifatius Boys is retrograded to TVB Sunday Division 2 along with bottom club vv Haarlese Boys.
1968 / Runners-up in TVB Sunday Division 2A along with vv Roombeek, 1 point behind champions VSV ’50, RKVV Bonifatius Boys gets to play a tie-break match against vv Roombeek for one extra promotion place. However, losing the encounter 4-1, the club misses out on a return to TVB Sunday Division 1.
1969 / Champions in TVB Sunday Division 2A, 5 points ahead of closest rivals SV Zenderen Vooruit, RKVV Bonifatius Boys wins promotion to TVB Sunday Division 1. The successful coach is Mr Van Heesch.
1970 / A new pitch is laid out for RKVV Bonifatius Boys at Geukerdijk. While holding on to Terrein Ooink, the club moves its first team football to the new location. One year later, somewhat further down Geukerdijk, two new training pitches are laid out for the club, meaning that RKVV Bonifatius Boys now disposes of three different grounds.
1976 / Haaksbergen municipal authorities make a start with the laying out of a new sports park for RKVV Bonifatius Boys by connecting the two locations at Geukerdijk.
1977 / Champions in TVB Sunday Division 1B, 7 points ahead of runners-up MVV ’29, RKVV Bonifatius Boys manages a return to Sunday League 4. The decisive point was clinched in a goalless draw away at RKSV Saasveldia. Following the promotion, the club also lays its hands on the TVB title by defeating D1A champions ASVO (7-5 aggr.). The successful coach is Bernard Kleinsman. Also in 1977, after one year of works, the new Sportpark De Greune is inaugurated, with RKVV Bonifatius Boys moving its first team football to one of the new pitches – the current main pitch, which is ready for use for the start of the 1977-78 season. In October 1977, the new clubhouse is inaugurated.
1979 / Probably, in 1979, as a baseball branch is founded at RKVV Bonifatius Boys – which takes on the name ‘Hittem 79’ – RKVV Bonifatius Boys officially changes its name to become RKSV (Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereniging) Bonifatius Boys (often abbreviated to SV Bonifatius Boys or SV Bon Boys). Even though Hittem 79 ceases its activities in 1993, the club never reverts to the prefix RKVV or VV.
1980 / After the final works at Sportpark De Greune have been completed, RKSV Bonifatius Boys now has the benefit of seven pitches – one of which has to be given up to tennis club TVV in the course of the decade. Also in 1980, floodlights are inaugurated around the main pitch at Sportpark De Greune, with the facilities being inaugurated with a gala match against professional league side SC Heracles ’74 (1-3).
1983 / RKSV Bonifatius Boys finishes as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 8 points behind champions vv Victoria ’28.
1986 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points ahead of closest followers SV Losser, RKSV Bonifatius Boys manages a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of thirty seasons.
1987 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Bonifatius Boys drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, RKSV Avanti-Wilskracht.
1989 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 4B, RKSV Bonifatius Boys drops back into TVB Sunday Division 1 along with the club finishing in second-last place, SV TVO. Also in 1989, former Bon Boys youth academy player Erik ten Hag makes his debut as a professional league footballer at FC Twente. The midfielder goes on to have a thirteen-year-long professional league career, which also takes him to spells with BV De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk, and FC Utrecht. After hanging up his boots, Ten Hag started a coaching career, becoming assistant coach at PSV and several other clubs, before taking on the main role at Go Ahead Eagles, FC Bayern München Reserves, FC Utrecht, AFC Ajax, and Manchester United FC.
1990 / A covered stand is inaugurated at Sportpark De Greune.
1991 / RKSV Bonifatius Boys finishes as runners-up in TVB Sunday Division 1A, 2 points behind SV TVO.
1992 / Champions in TVB Sunday Division 1A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals FC Het Centrum, RKSV Bonifatius Boys manages a return to District East’s Sunday League 4. Also in 1992, former Bon Boys youth academy defender Edwin Hilgerink makes his professional league debut at FC Twente. Following spells at SC Heracles ’74, Heracles Almelo, and again FC Twente, Hilgerink withdraws into non-league in 2002.
1994 / Former Bon Boys youth academy striker Niki Leferink makes his professional league debut at SC Heracles ’74, going on to have spells at Heracles Almelo, VVV, Go Ahead Eagles, and FC Emmen, before withdrawing into non-league in 2008.
1995 / Finishing in fourth place in District East’s Sunday League 4A, RKSV Bonifatius Boys goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Sunday League 3.
1996 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3A, RKSV Bonifatius Boys drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season, along with the club finishing in second-last place, DSVD. That same year, the club officially drops the reference to its Roman-Catholic origins by taking away the ‘RK’ element from the prefix RKSV as well as by abbreviating ‘Bonifatius’ to ‘Bon’, which had already been in use for decades colloquially. As such, the club is officially called SV Bon Boys from now on.
2002 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points ahead of runners-up vv Victoria ’28, SV Bon Boys wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Haico Groener.
2004 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points ahead of closest rivals Sportclub Markelo, SV Bon Boys accedes to Sunday League 2 for the first time. The successful coach is Haico Groener.
2005 / The first experience of SV Bon Boys in Sunday League 2 ends in misery, as the club finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 2J with coach Haico Groener, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 immediately, along with the club in second-last place, Sportclub Markelo.
2006 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3C with coach Bert-Jan Heupers, SV Bon Boys suffers its second relegation in a row, descending into Sunday League 4 along with the club in second-last position, Sportclub Eibergen. Also in 2006, a thorough renovation of the clubhouse at Sportpark De Greune is undertaken.
2010 / Runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point behind champions FC Trias, SV Bon Boys misses out on qualification for the promotion play-offs. Also in 2010, the main pitch at Sportpark De Greune is laid out anew as a 3G.
2013 / Finishing in fourth place in District East’s Sunday League 4C, SV Bon Boys qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Knocking out RKPSC in R1 (7-3 aggr.), the club is eliminated in R2 by vv Gendringen (6-1 aggr.).
2014 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4B, 3 points ahead of vv Twenthe, SV Bon Boys accedes to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Gerard Bos.
2016 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Sunday League 3A, SV Bon Boys qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by AV&CV Robur et Velocitas 1892 (6-1 aggr.). That summer, the club signs Berthil ter Avest, former professional league midfielder at FC Twente, Roda JC, FC Groningen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and BV De Graafschap (1989-2003), as its new coach.
2017 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 3C, 6 points ahead of runners-up vv DVC ’26, SV Bon Boys wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Berthil ter Avest.
2018 / SV Bon Boys finishes in joint first place in Sunday League 2J with SV Voorwaarts and KSV Achilles ’12, but has the worst goal difference of the three – having to leave the title to the club from Twello for that reason. Adding insult to injury, the club is eliminated in R1 of the promotion play-offs away at RKSV De Zweef (0-0 & penalty shoot-out). Also in 2018, a new entrance gate is created at Sportpark De Greune, seeing the facilities being officially renamed Ontmoetingspark De Greune.
2021 / After five years, Berthil ter Avest relinquishes his post as head coach at SV Bon Boys to work at FC Twente’s youth academy.
2022 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2J, 7 points behind champions RKSV NEO, SV Bon Boys qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it eliminates vv DVC ’26 in R1 (3-0), before being knocked out by KSV Achilles ’12 in R2 (0-2).
2023 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2I, only 4 points behind champions RKVV Stevo, SV Bon Boys qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Easing past vv Oldeholtpade in R1 (6-0), the club is knocked out once again in R2, this time by vv Roden (2-1).
2024 / Runaway champions in Sunday League 2H, 12 points ahead of closest followers RKSV De Tukkers, SV Bon Boys achieves a historic promotion to League 1. The successful coach is Matthijs Blijham.

Note – Thanks to SV Bon Boys’ board for giving me access to several valuable sources, including, most notably, a booklet released by the club on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary in 1984: “SV Bonifatius Boys 50 jaar 1934-1984”.