Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SV Nieuwleusen

Sportpark Het Klaverblad, Nieuwleusen (SV Nieuwleusen)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

11 X 2025 / SV Nieuwleusen - SV Bon Boys 0-3 / Combined Sunday & Saturday League 1G (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1957 / Foundation of a football club in the village of Nieuwleusen in the northwest of the Province of Overijssel. The new club, which takes on the name Sportlust, is intended for the village’s Protestant community, as the Roman Catholics and neutrals already have their Sunday club, Union Sportvereniging (USV) Nieuwleusen, founded in 1930. After attempts to form a Saturday branch under the aegis of USV Nieuwleusen falls through, the foundation of Sportlust is undertaken, with K. Kouwen taking on the role of the new club’s chairman. Apart from a football branch, a branch for netball is founded – though it proves to be short-lived. The club settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Paltheweg, used henceforth by USV Nieuwleusen as well, as this club moves its first team football away from Terrein achter de Openbare Lagere School C. The new pitch is inaugurated with a friendly between the two clubs (USV Nieuwleusen - Sportlust 5-2) in October 1957. Later that same month, K. Kouwen is informed by officials of the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB) that the name Sportlust is not accepted, as several other member clubs already bear this epithet. Thereupon, the name Sportvereniging (SV) Nieuwleusen is adopted.
1958 / SV Nieuwleusen is placed in the Saturday divisions of Afdeling Zwolle (alternatively known as Noord-Centrale Voetbalbond, NCVB), the KNVB sub-branch for the west of Overijssel and the northwestern area of Guelders and the far south of Drenthe, starting its life in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 3.
1967 / Moving away from its groundshare with USV Nieuwleusen at Terrein Paltheweg, SV Nieuwleusen settles on two newly laid-out pitches at the back of the local swimming pool ‘De Meule’, at Burgemeester Backxlaan.
1970 / Runners-up in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 3, SV Nieuwleusen wins promotion to Division 2 of the said league system.
1973 / SV Nieuwleusen suffers relegation from Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 2, dropping back into Saturday Division 3.
1974 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 3, SV Nieuwleusen manages an immediate return to Division 2 of the said league system. The decisive points are clinched in an away encounter at vv DOS ’63.
1979 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 2, SV Nieuwleusen wins promotion to Division 1 of the said league system. The decisive points are clinched in a home win over vv d’Olde Veste ’54.
1980 / As a third pitch is added to the set-up at SV Nieuwleusen’s park, first team football is transferred to this pitch – which has remained the main pitch of the park until the present day –, with the entrance of the park moving to Koningin Julianalaan. A new clubhouse is inaugurated by the club’s founding member Evert Bosch. That same year, USV Nieuwleusen moves away from Terrein Paltheweg to settle at Sportpark Hulsterlanden, just across the road from SV Nieuwleusen’s park.
1986 / Champions in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 1 following an away win at ASV Swift ’64, SV Nieuwleusen wins promotion to KNVB District East’s Saturday League 4 for the first time. The successful coach is Jan Stoffer.
1987 / As a covered stand is inaugurated at SV Nieuwleusen’s main pitch, the park as a whole is renamed Sportpark Het Klaverblad. Several more renovations are undertaken in the following two decades.
1989 / SV Nieuwleusen finishes as runners-up in District East’s Saturday League 4D, 1 point behind champions vv DOS ’37.
1991 / SV Nieuwleusen finishes as runners-up in District East’s Saturday League 4C, 1 point behind champions ZZVV.
1993 / Coached by Henny Krosman, SV Nieuwleusen finishes in joint third-last place in District East’s Saturday League 4C. As such, the club has to save its skin in a relegation play-off against SVM, played at SC Rouveen’s park at Korte Kerkweg. Suffering defeat in this tie-breaker, the club drops back into Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 1 along with bottom club VSW.
1995 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 1 following a positive result away at BAS Voetbal, SV Nieuwleusen manages a return to Saturday League 4 after two years. The successful coach is Jeroen Willemsen.
1996 / Although finishing in a rather anonymous eighth place in District East’s Saturday League 4C, SV Nieuwleusen is placed in Saturday League 3 for the new season thanks to the introduction of a Zaterdag Hoofdklasse as the new top tier of the Saturday non-league pyramid.
2000 / Champions in District East’s Saturday League 3C, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv DES, SV Nieuwleusen wins promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time. The decisive points are obtained in an away match at SCD ’83. The successful coach is Herman van de Belt.
2002 / Coached by Herman van de Belt, SV Nieuwleusen finishes in second-last place in Saturday League 2J, thus dropping back into Saturday League 3 along with bottom club ZVV De Esch.
2008 / Coached by Jan Peter Jonkman, SV Nieuwleusen finishes in second-last place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, thus suffering relegation to Saturday League 4 along with bottom club SC Lemele.
2009 / Champions in District East’s Saturday League 4C, 4 points ahead of runners-up SV Zwolsche Boys and without suffering a single defeat all season, SV Nieuwleusen manages an immediate return to Saturday League 3. The decisive points are obtained in an away win at VSW. The successful coach is Jan Peter Jonkman.
2010 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out following a heavy defeat at the hands of SVVN (10-0 aggr.).
2011 / Champions in District East’s Saturday League 3C, SV Nieuwleusen manages a return to Saturday League 2 after an absence of nine years at that level. The decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 home win over the last remaining rival, CSV ’28, which eventually finishes as runners-up at a distance of 8 points. The successful coach is Jan Langevoord.
2012 / The main pitch at Sportpark Het Klaverblad is named after SV Nieuwleusen’s founding member Evert Bosch, who had passed away in 2006 at the age of 85.
2013 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 2H, SV Nieuwleusen suffers relegation to Saturday League 3 along with vv Bergentheim, SV DZC ’68, and CVV Oranje Nassau Almelo. Coach Hans Roeland leaves the club, with Alex Booij being signed as his successor. Booij is a former professional league midfielder at PEC Zwolle, PEC PEC Zwolle ’82, SC Heracles ’74, and FC Zwolle (1979-92).
2015 / Finishing in fifth place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by CVV Oranje Nassau Almelo (9-3 aggr.). Coach Alex Booij leaves the club after two seasons.
2016 / Works get underway on the construction of a new clubhouse at Sportpark Het Klaverblad, as a result of which the covered stand – dating back to 1987 – has to make way.
2017 / Runners-up in District North’s Saturday League 3D, 11 points behind runaway champions SV DESZ, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Knocking out vv Noordwolde in R1 (5-2 aggr.), the club goes on to edge past League 2 side GSVV The Knickerbockers in the final (4-3 aggr. A.E.T.), thus gaining promotion to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is David Leeuw.
2018 / Coached by David Leeuw, SV Nieuwleusen finishes bottom of the table in Saturday League 2J, thus suffering immediate relegation back into Saturday League 3, along with GV Groen Geel and vv Zuidhorn.
2019 / Finishing in third place in District North’s Saturday League 3D, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by vv Omlandia (3-0). Also in 2019, after nearly three years of construction works, the new clubhouse and covered stand at Sportpark Het Klaverblad are inaugurated.
2022 / Runaway champions in District North’s Saturday League 3D, 15 points ahead of closest followers ZZVV, SV Nieuwleusen wins promotion to Saturday League 2. The decisive points are clinched in an away win at vv Avereest (1-3). The successful coach is Jeroen Elzinga.
2023 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 2J, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv DOS Kampen (4-1).
2024 / Runners-up in Saturday League 2I, 5 points behind vv ATC ’65, SV Nieuwleusen qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is allowed to skip R1, going on to knock out SV Grol in R2 (4-1). However, in the final, the door to Saturday League 1 is barred once again by vv DOS Kampen (1-2).
2025 / Champions in Saturday League 2I, 1 point ahead of closest rivals vv WVF, SV Nieuwleusen clinches a historic promotion to the Combined Sunday & Saturday League 1. The decisive points are obtained on the last day of the season in an away encounter at vv Hoogezand (0-2). The successful coach still is Jeroen Elzinga.