Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: FC Hoensbroek

Sportpark Overbroek, Hoensbroek (FC Hoensbroek)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

15 VI 2025 / RKSV Bekkerveld - vv Alfa Sport 4-2 A.E.T. / Sunday Leagues 1 & 2, promotion-relegation play-off final - neutral venue (= NL levels 6 & 7)

Timeline

1936 / Foundation of a football club in Hoensbroek, a town to the east of Heerlen in the south of the Netherlands’ half of Limburg. The new club is given the name Football Club Hoensbroek, abbreviated as FCH. Unlike many other clubs in the region, FCH does not join the RKLVB, Limburg’s sub-branch of the Roman Catholic football association RKF – successfully applying for membership of the Limburgse Voetbalbond (LVB), the Limburg sub-branch of the official Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB).
1937 / Foundation of a new football club in Hoensbroek, which, strikingly, takes on a German name, Glück Auf. This new club joins the RKLVB, being placed in RKLVB Division 2D for the 1937-38 season.
1938 / Glück Auf changes its name to become SHS – the meaning of this acronym being unclear.
1939 / Following two promotions in the ranks of the LVB, FCH wins promotion to the lowest regular KNVB Division in District South, (Sunday) League 3.
1940 / Going from strength to strength, FCH wins the title in its first season in League 3, 1 point ahead of runners-up SV Schuttersveld. There is no promotion to Sunday League 2 on the table, however, probably due to no championship play-offs being held due to the mobilisation of the Netherlands’ army and the subsequent invasion of the country by the Germans. Also in 1940, following the occupation, all football associations except for the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB for the duration of the war) cease their activities to prevent being wound up by German authorities. As so many other RKF clubs, SHS now joins the NVB, being placed in the ranks of its Limburg sub-branch LVB, which is officially renamed Afdeling Limburg that same year.
1942 / SHS is absorbed into FCH without the latter club changing its name as a result.
1944 / In its last competitive season, FCH finishes in sixth place in one of District South’s League 3 divisions. No league football is played in 1944-45 in any part of the Netherlands.
1945 / After one year of inactivity, FCH allows itself to be absorbed into SV Hoensbroek, which, in its turn, would go on to conclude a merger with SC Emma in 1964, resulting in the foundation of EHC (Emma-Hoensbroek Combinatie).
1946 / In Nieuw-Lotbroek, a neighbourhood of Hoensbroek, FCH is re-established with a new name, Rooms-Katholieke Football Club Hoensbroek (RKFCH), with Thei Bodde being mentioned by sources as the club’s founding father. At the founding meeting at Café Station, Mr Peukens is chosen as the new club’s first chairman, with Fr Moonen taking over the role of spiritual advisor – an obligatory feature in any Roman Catholic club at that time. A pitch is laid out for the club at the crossroads of Prins Hendrikstraat and Stationsstraat, in the immediate vicinity of the Plaatwellerij machine factory. Having been founded too late to be allowed to take part in the 1946-47 season in Afdeling Limburg, RKFCH has to content itself with friendly matches, the first of which results in a 3-1 defeat against RKVV Waubach.
1947 / Making its debut as a competitive club in the ranks of the KNVB, RKFCH is placed in Afdeling Limburg (Sunday) Division 2.
± 1950 / Moving away from its first ground at Prins Hendrikstraat, RKFCH now settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Overbroekerstraat, at the back of Café Doven.
1953 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 2, RKFCH wins promotion to Division 1 of this league system.
1954 / With the decisive points being obtained in an encounter against its last remaining rival, SV Kakertse Boys (2-1), RKFCH clinches the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1, thus acceding to KNVB District South II’s (Sunday) League 4 for the first time.
1956 / RKFCH finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 3 points behind champions KVC Oranje.
1960 / RKFCH crowns itself champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RKSVV Olympia. The decisive points are clinched in the last match of the season against RKSNE (5-3). Following the title, the club takes part in the championship play-offs against RVU, RKVV Urmondia, and RKSV Rapid to contest two places in Sunday League 3. Managing a second place against RKVV Urmondia, RFCH achieves promotion to that level for the first time. The decisive point is obtained in the away match at RVU. The successful coach is Willy Groen. In the summer of 1960, RKFCH abandons Terrein Overbroekerstraat, settling at the newly laid-out Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek at Frisostraat – in fact often referred to as Sportpark Prinsenstraat, due to the fact that Frisostraat is a side-road of this thoroughfare. The new facilities are inaugurated with a gala match against professional league side SV Limburgia.
1964 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, RKFCH drops back into Sunday League 4 after four seasons, along with the club in second-last position, RKVV Schimmert.
± 1968 / A clubhouse is added to the set-up at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek.
1971 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 1 point ahead of closest followers VCT, RKFCH achieves a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of nine years. On the last day of the season, RKFCH manages an away win at GVCG (1-3), while VCT suffers defeat on their own pitch at the hands of lowly RKVV Mariarade (0-1). RKFCH’s successful coach is Hans Kessels. In the summer of 1971, RKFCH changes its name to become FC Hoensbroek. In December 1971, fate strikes, as the dressing rooms and equipment shed at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek, all constructed in wood, are consumed in a fire. The facilities are rebuilt in the following months thanks to donations from various other clubs, including AFC Ajax.
1972 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek suffers relegation to Sunday League 4 along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Waubach.
1974 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 5 points behind champions RKVV De Leeuw.
1975 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C with RKSV Sylvia, FC Hoensbroek meets the club from Landgraaf in a tie-break match, played at SV Limburgia’s ground, Sportterrein aan de Venweg, in front of some 4,500 spectators. Going on to win the encounter (3-2), FC Hoensbroek manages a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of three years.
1979 / The clubhouse at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek is extended, with a boardroom being added to the set-up.
1981 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B with RKSVV Olympia, FC Hoensbroek meets the club from Schinveld in a tie-break match, played at SV Langeberg’s ground, which results in a 2-0 win. As a result, the club staves off relegation.
1982 / Finishing in joint-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKVV Waubachse Boys.
± 1983 / A covered stand is added to the set-up at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek.
1988 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 4D with vv Treebeek, FC Hoensbroek goes on to meet the club from Heerlen in a tie-break match, played at EHC’s Sportpark De Dem West. As the first encounter ends in a 2-2 draw (A.E.T.), vv Treebeek goes on to win a second match, played at the same venue. As such, FC Hoensbroek misses out on promotion.
1989 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 6 points behind champions LHBMC.
1990 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 1 point behind champions VKC ’89. Before the last match of the season, FC Hoensbroek was in joint first place along with not only VKC ’89, but RKDFC as well. With FC Hoensbroek and RKDFC drawing their encounter (1-1) attended by over 1,000 spectators, VKC ’89 clinched the title by winning its last match. In the promotion play-offs, a new feature from the 1989-90 season onwards, FC Hoensbroek was eliminated in R1 by RKSNE (2-1).
1991 / Finishing as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 2 points behind champions RKBSV, FC Hoensbroek goes on to win the promotion play-offs via a 2-0 defeat of SV Coriovallum. As such, the club manages a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of nine seasons.
1992 / Finishing in tenth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season, along with RKVV Vijlen, RKVV Weltania, and bottom club RKVV Voerendaal.
1993 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, reaching the final, played at RKSV Minor’s ground, in which the club edges past RKVV Voerendaal (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out, in which goalkeeper Roger Bijlsma stops three of Voerendaal’s five penalties). As such, the club manages an immediate return to Sunday League 3.
1998 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 1 point behind champions RKSV Wit Groen VC, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers elimination at the hands of NEC ’92 in R1 (4-1).
1999 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 7 points ahead of closest followers SV Simpelveld, FC Hoensbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-1 away win at vv Walram in the second-last match of the season. The successful coach is Paul Bisschops.
2000 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv RIOS ’31 (4-3 aggr.).
2001 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RKSV Blerick (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
2003 / Coached by former professional league midfielder Roger Knarren (contract player at MVV, 1992-97), FC Hoensbroek finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 2G, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 after four seasons, along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Buchten.
2006 / Moving away from Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek at Frisostraat (Prinsenstraat), FC Hoensbroek moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark Overbroek, situated at Frederikstraat, where the club has the luxury of three pitches, of which two – including the main pitch – have a synthetic surface. The clubhouse at the new park has been designed by the Moederscheim-Moonen architecture firm. The covered stand which had graced the main pitch at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek from the early 1980s onward is taken along and rebuilt at the new location.
2007 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 4 points behind champions SC Susteren, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out against vv Scharn. Also in the 2006-07 season, the club reaches the quarterfinals of District South II’s Regional Cup (Districtsbeker), in which elimination is suffered at the hands of RKSV Groene Ster.
2008 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 3 points ahead of runners-up RKVV Almania, FC Hoensbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 2 after an absence of five years at that level. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-0 away win at SV Haslou in the last match of the season, with Rick Merken scoring both goals. The successful coach is Wim Zagar.
2009 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2G, 3 points behind champions Laura Hopel Combinatie, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past RKVV Volharding in R1 (draw on aggregate & penalty shoot-out) before bowing out against SV Someren in R2 (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
2010 / Finishing in fifth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by SVC 2000 (6-3 aggr.).
2011 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of BSV Limburgia in R1 (5-3 aggr.), only to be eliminated in R2 by HVV Helmond (8-4 aggr.).
2012 / Jacques van Dijck, FC Hoensbroek's treasurer, withdraws from the club's board after a tenure of many years. In recognition of his merits for the club, the covered stand at Sportpark Overbroek is renamed Jacques van Dijck-tribune; all the more appropriate, given how much energy Van Dijck had invested in the negotations with Heerlen’s municipal authorities in the years running up to the move to the new ground.
2013 / Finishing in twelfth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek has to save its skin in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs. Having the better of PSV ’35 in R1 (8-3 aggr.), the club is knocked out in R2 by SVME (4-3 aggr.). Due to extra places in Sunday League 2 being available, a lucky loser competition is held, in which FC Hoensbroek defeats RKSV Leonidas-W (4-0). As a result, the club stays up by the skin of its teeth.
2014 / Coached by Ger Vroomen, FC Hoensbroek finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 2G, thus having to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs for the second year running to avoid the drop. Eliminating OVCS in R1 (8-2 aggr.), the club suffers defeat at the hands of FC Geleen-Zuid in R2 (4-3 aggr.). As such, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 3 after six seasons, along with RKHSV and bottom club RKVV Vaesrade.
2016 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 7 points behind champions RKVV Veritas, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past SCM in R1 (6-5 aggr.). Subsequently, the club is drawn into a group with SVME and SHH, managing a 3-0 away win at the former and a 2-2 draw against the latter. Due to SHH also having beaten SVME 3-0, a penalty shoot-out has to determine which club will accede to Sunday League 2 – and with FC Hoensbroek drawing the lucky straw, the club eventually wins promotion. The successful coach is Roger André.
2017 / Champions in Sunday League 2G, 6 points ahead of closest followers Geusselt Sport, FC Hoensbroek manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Roger André.
2018 / Coached by Roger André, FC Hoensbroek finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 1G, thus descending into Sunday League 2 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08.
2019 / Finishing in second-last place in Sunday League 2G with coach René Smeets, FC Hoensbroek suffers its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with RKVV Heksenberg and bottom club SV Simpelveld.
2023 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 5 points behind champions vv Alfa Sport, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out vv Spaubeek (4-2) to qualify for the final against RKSV Heer, played at FC Gulpen’s Sportterrein aan de Ringweg. However, suffering an emphatic 5-1 defeat, FC Hoensbroek has to leave the honours to the club from Maastricht.
2024 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by SV Budel (3-1).