Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: Sporting ST (2011-2024) / SSA-SJO SVEB-Sporting ST (2024-)

Sportpark Kerkebos, Swolgen (SSA-SJO SVEB-Sporting ST, formerly Sporting ST)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

5 VII 2025 / VVV-Venlo - Borussia Mönchengladbach U23 4-3 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1920 / Foundation of a football club in Swolgen, a village in the northern half of the Province of Limburg, Netherlands. The new club, which takes on the name RKVV Wilhelmina, starts its life on a pitch laid out at modern-day Lambertusstraat, at the back of the church. The name of the club is a derivation of Café Zaal Wilhelmina, a local pub, which also served as the clubhouse and dressing room for the players. RKVV Wilhelmina joined the so-called RKLVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Limburgsche Voetbalbond), the Limburg branch of Roman Catholic Football Federation RKF.
1922 / RKVV Wilhelmina is temporarily suspended by the RKLVB for unknown reasons. Probably, the club folded at this point or shortly afterwards.
1927 / Foundation of a football club in Tienray, a village about a kilometre to the west of Swolgen. The new club is given the name RKVV TOP (‘Tot Ons Plezier’). RKVV TOP joins the RKLVB, as does a new club in Swolgen, which is given the straightforward name RKVV Swolgen. Whereas not much information is available about the whereabouts of TOP’s pitch or pitches, RKVV Swolgen probably started its life on a piece of wasteland referred to locally as the Swolgenerheide (modern-day Jan van Swolgenstraat), with the club moving to Terrein Harrie Janssen at Molenzijweg not long afterwards. After two seasons at this ground, the club moved to Terrein Willem Beurskens, at modern-day Molenstraat, at some point in the early 1930s.
1932 or 1933 / RKVV Swolgen clinches the title in IVCB Overgangsklasse F (which means that the club must have managed at least two promotions previously, from RKLVB Division 2 and Division 1), winning promotion to IVCB Division 2 – IVCB standing for Interdiocesane Voetbalcompetitiebond, the nationwide RKF league system.
1934 / RKVV Swolgen drops back from IVCB Division 2 to the Overgangsklasse.
1937 / Withdrawing from RKLVB Division 1J, RKVV TOP becomes inactive for some time. Not much more information is available about the pre-war history of this club.
1940 / Following the occupation of the Netherlands by the German Reich, 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, RKVV Swolgen and RKVV TOP join the ‘neutral’ federation, with both being placed in the NVB Limburg sub-branch, Afdeling Limburg. At some point in the following years, RKVV Swolgense Boys changed its name to become RKSV (Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereniging) Swolgense Boys.
1942 / At the behest of NVB authorities, who want to avoid confusion with SV TOP from Oss, RKVV TOP has to change its name, becoming RKVV Tienray and – not much later – RKVV TOP ’27.
1946 / RKSV Swolgense Boys wins promotion from Afdeling Limburg Division 1 to KNVB District South II’s (Sunday) League 4 for the first time.
1947 / RKSV Swolgense Boys finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, 3 points behind champions vv EWC ’46. Also in 1947, the club moves away from Terrein Willem Beurskens, settling on a newly laid-out pitch at Kerkebos.
1949 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4E, with an equal number of points as RKVV Quick Boys ’31, RKVV Swolgense Boys goes on to win a tie-break match for the title. Subsequently, the club fails to win promotion to Sunday League 3 in the championship play-offs against SV Hercules Reuver and RKSV Swift ’36.
1956 / RKSV Swolgense Boys finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, 10 points behind runaway champions RKSV Stormvogels ’28.
1958 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, RKSV Swolgense Boys drops back into Afdeling Limburg Division 1 after twelve seasons.
1962 / RKSV Swolgense Boys manages a return to Sunday League 4 after four years in Afdeling Limburg Division 1.
1965-66 / While Terrein Kerkebos is undergoing renovation, with new dressing rooms and a practice pitch being added to the set-up, RKVV Swolgense Boys spends the entire 1965-66 season on a temporary pitch, Terrein Jac. Kleeven at Hulsweg.
1966 / RKVV TOP ’27 wins promotion from Afdeling Limburg Division 1 to Sunday League 4 for the first time.
1968 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4H, RKVV Swolgense Boys drops back into Afdeling Limburg Division 1.
1970 / In the best season in club history, RKVV TOP ’27 finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4H, 10 points behind runaway champions SV Vitesse ’08. Meanwhile, a second pitch is added to the set-up at Terrein Kerkebos, with first team football being moved to this new pitch.
1978 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4H, RKVV TOP ’27 descends into Afdeling Limburg Division 1 after twelve years – only after losing a tie-break match for second-last place in the league with RKSV Melderslo.
1991 / RKVV Swolgense Boys manages a return to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 23 years.
1993 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4H, RKVV Swolgense Boys drops back into Afdeling Limburg Division 1 along with bottom club SV Lottum. In 1994 or 1995, the club must have suffered a second relegation, finding itself in Afdeling Limburg Division 2 as a result.
1996 / In a reorganisation of the non-league football pyramid, which sees the abolition of all KNVB sub-branches, RKVV Swolgense Boys and RKVV TOP ’27 are both placed in District South II’s Sunday League 6.
2001 / Finishing as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6D, 8 points behind champions RK BVV ’27, RKVV Swolgense Boys goes on to win promotion to Sunday League 5 in the subsequent round of play-offs. The successful coach is Cor Beekers.
2002 / Still coached by Cor Beekers, RKVV Swolgense Boys proves unable to cope with the level in Sunday League 5, finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 5F and dropping back into Sunday League 6 after just one season.
2003 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 6E following a tie-break match against vv RESIA ’42, played at Sportpark Oude Linde in Well (2-1), RKVV Swolgense Boys manages an immediate return to Sunday League 5. The successful coach is Jan Loock.
2005 / Finishing as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 5F, 3 points behind champions RKVV Excellent, RKVV Swolgense Boys goes on to win promotion to Sunday League 5 in the subsequent round of play-offs. Meanwhile, in Tienray, RKVV TOP ’27 finishes in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 6F, going on to win promotion to Sunday League 5 in the play-offs. The successful coach is Marcel Hovens.
2007 / Coached by Ruud Vermeer, RKVV Swolgense Boys finishes in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, resulting in the club being retrograded to Sunday League 5 with bottom club RKSV FCV. Meanwhile, RKVV TOP ’27 finishes in fifth place in Sunday League 5F, going on to win promotion in the play-offs – heralding a return of the club to Sunday League 4 after an absence of 29 years at that level. The successful coach is Peter Seuren.
2008 / Coached by Sjaak Verlinden, RKVV TOP ’27 finishes bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, thus dropping back into Sunday League 5 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, SV Oostrum. Meanwhile, RKVV Swolgense Boys manages to reconquer the lost territory, finishing as runaway champions in Sunday League 5F, 12 points ahead of runners-up RKVV Montagnards and thus taking TOP’s place in Sunday League 4. The successful coach is Henk de Bijl.
2010 / In their last season as independent clubs, RKVV Swolgense Boys manages a safe eighth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4G, while RKVV TOP ’27, coached by Gé Ummenthun, finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 4F, resulting in the club dropping back into Sunday League 6 with the club in second-last position, RKVV Holthees-Smakt. Following the 2009-10 season, (RK)SV Swolgense Boys and (RK)vv TOP ’27 conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Sporting Swolgen Tienray – commonly abbreviated as Sporting ST – taking the place of Swolgense Boys in Sunday League 4. While Sportpark Kerkebos in Swolgen is being completely renovated, the new merger club spends its first season at Sportpark ‘t Hoogeveld at Nehobolaan in Tienray, the ground of the former (RK)vv TOP ’27.
2011 / With a new main pitch, situated to the west of the former Sportpark Kerkebos, having been laid out in Swolgen, flanked by a completely new clubhouse, all activities of Sporting ST are moved to what is officially branded the Multifunctionele Accommodatie (MFA) Kerkebos. Sportpark ‘t Hoogeveld in Tienray is abandoned.
2014 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4F, Sporting ST descends into Sunday League 5 along with the club in second-last place, VCH.
2023 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 5D, 1 point ahead of runners-up Astrantia SV, Sporting ST wins promotion to Sunday League 4.
2024 / Stopping short of a fully-fledged merger for the moment, Sporting ST concludes a partnership agreement with SVEB from nearby Broekhuizenvorst, resulting in the creation of Samenwerking Seniorenafdelingen-Samenwerkende Jeugdopleidingen (SSA-SJO) SVEB-Sporting ST, with all senior and youth academy teams being merged and matches being subdivided between Sportpark Kerkebos in Swolgen and Sportpark ‘t Venneke in Broekhuizenvorst. First team football of SSA SVEB-Sporting ST is alternately played at both parks as well.
2025 / First team football is moved to Sportpark Kerkebos once and for all. The future of Sportpark ‘t Venneke in Broekhuizenvorst remains veiled in clouds for the moment.