Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SV OBW

Gemeentelijk Sportpark Hengelder Oost, Zevenaar (SV OBW)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

23 III 2025 / SV OBW - SV Schalkhaar 2-0 / Sunday League 3L (= NL level 8)

Timeline

± 1921 / Foundation of a football club in Ooy (alternatively spelled as Ooij), which takes on the name BWO (Blauw Wit Ooij). The club plays its football on a pitch laid out at the back of Café Van Uem. It is unclear if the club joined any football association in the first ten odd years of its existence.
1933 / BWO joins the so-called Roomsch-Katholieke Utrechtsche Voetbalbond (RKUVB), a sub-branch of the RKF (Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie), the Roman-Catholic football association in pre-war Netherlands – existing in rivalry with the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB).
1936 / After three years in the ranks of the RKUVB, BWO folds, ceasing all activities, probably due to financial difficulties.
1945 / In the aftermath of World War II, BWO is re-founded. However, upon applying for membership of Afdeling Arnhem, Arnhem’s sub-branch of the KNVB – all Roman-Catholic football associations had folded in 1940 – the club is ordered to change its name due to another KNVB member club already using the same acronym (KSV BWO from Hengelo Ov.). Thereupon, a practical solution is found, with club officials opting for the acronym OBW, Ooij’s Blauw Wit. The club settles on the pitch at the back of Café Van Uem previously used by BWO in the pre-war years.
1947 / Changing its allegiance, abandoning Afdeling Arnhem, OBW joins KNVB Afdeling Gelderland.
1952 / As a handball branch is added to the club, OBW now officially becomes Sportvereniging (SV) OBW. Around this same time, the club abandons Terrein Van Uem, settling at a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Panoven.
± 1959 / Moving away from Terrein Panoven, SV OBW settles at a newly laid-out pitch at Sint-Martinusweg in Oud-Zevenaar.
± 1971 / In 1971 or 1972, SV OBW moves away from Terrein Sint-Martinusweg, settling at the newly laid-out Gemeentelijk Sportpark Hengelder, where the club is allowed the use of the eastern half of the park. Local rivals SV DCS already moved into Sportpark Hengelder West one or two years previously.
1984 / SV OBW wins promotion from the ranks of the GVB to Sunday League 4 for the first time in club history.
1985 / Champions in its first-ever season in District East’s Sunday League 4D, 5 points ahead of runners-up AVC Vitesse 1892, SV OBW wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
1986 / SV OBW narrowly misses out on a third promotion in a row, finishing as runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 3C, 2 points behind champions V&AV Pax.
1991 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 3C, 2 points ahead of runners-up vv Loenermark, SV OBW wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time. Also in 1991, the covered stand at Sportpark Hengelder Oost is inaugurated.
1994 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2A, SV OBW drops back into Sunday League 3 along with the club finishing in second-last place, SC Varsseveld.
1996 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 3C, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv SDOUC, SV OBW manages a return to Sunday League 2.
2000 / Champions in Sunday League 2I, 6 points ahead of town rivals SV DCS, SV OBW wins promotion to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Willy van Bindsbergen.
2004 / In the best season in club history, SV OBW finishes in third place in Sunday League 1E with coach Ronald Grotenbreg, only 3 points behind champions vv Germania.
2007 / After several successful years in Sunday League 1, SV OBW, coached by Henry Golstein, now finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 1E, thus dropping back into Sunday League 2 along with bottom club KSV Achilles ’12.
2008 / Coached by Iwan Geurds, SV OBW finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2I, thus suffering a second relegation in a row and descending into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club RKSV Overasseltse Boys.
2009 / Coached by Iwan Geurds, SV OBW suffers its third relegation in a row, finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Sunday League 3C, dropping back into Sunday League 4 along with the club in second-last place, SV Loil.
2013 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 4D, 3 points ahead of runners-up HC ’03, SV OBW manages a return to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Wouter van der Ent.
2014 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Sunday League 3C, SV OBW qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Following successive defeats of SV Hatert (2-0 aggr.) and AV&CV Robur et Velocitas 1892 (5-1 aggr.), the club wins its second promotion in a row, acceding to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Wouter van der Ent.
2015 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2I, 9 points behind champions SC Woezik, SV OBW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out SV Helios in R1 (7-5 aggr.) before being eliminated in R2 by SV Orion (4-0 aggr.).
2017 / Finishing in second-last place in Sunday League 2I with coach Arthur Isselman, SV OBW descends into Sunday League 3 along with RKVV Rood Wit and bottom club SC Rheden.
2019 / Runners-up in District East’s Sunday League 3C, 3 points behind champions MASV, SV OBW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out vv Trekvogels in R1 (4-1) before being knocked out by VDZ in R2 (2-1).
2022 / Champions in District East’s Sunday League 3B, 2 points ahead of runners-up vv Witkampers, SV OBW accedes to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Martijn Bartels.
2023 / Finishing in ninth place in Sunday League 2H with coach Roberto Tuinstra, SV OBW has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by vv VIOD (1-2). As such, SV OBW drops back into Sunday League 3 after just one season.
2024 / Finishing in fourth place in District East’s Sunday League 3C, SV OBW qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by vv Vorden (5-1).