Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKSVA (1951-1979) / SV Avanti '31 (1979-)

Sportpark De Molenheide, Schijndel (SV Avanti '31, formerly RKSVA)

Netherlands, province: North Brabant = Noord-Brabant

1 II 2026 / SV Avanti '31 - vv Gilze 1-2 / Combined Sunday & Saturday League 1D (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1931 / At the instigation of the local parish, specifically Fr De Beer and Fr Pessers (chaplain and priest respectively), a football club is founded in Schijndel, more specifically on its northern outskirts in the hamlet of Boschweg. The new club takes on the name RKVV (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging) Avanti. A pitch is laid out at the back of the St Lidwina Colony (Sint-Lidwinagesticht), with the club moving to a new pitch laid out on a piece of farmland, owned by J. van Kronenburg, at the back of the local boys’ school, one or two years later.
1932 / RKVV Avanti joins the Roman Catholic Football Federation of the Netherlands (RKF, Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie) – more specifically its Den Bosch sub-branch, RKVB (Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalbond) Den Bosch.
1934 / RKVV Avanti absorbs another RKVB Den Bosch club from Schijndel, RKVV Ever Quick (founded in 1928), without a name change resulting.
± 1935 / Moving away from Terrein Van Kronenburg, RKVV Avanti settles on a pitch laid out opposite of Café Gerardus van Oorschot at Boschweg.
1937 / Marking the first title in club history, RKVV Avanti clinches first place in RKVB Den Bosch Division 2 following a 1-0 win over local rivals RKSV Schijndel. It is unclear if the title resulted in promotion to Division 1.
1939 / RKVV Avanti changes its name to become RKSVA, standing for Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereniging Avanti.
1940 / RKSVA wins a second RKVB Den Bosch title, but it is unclear in which division. Having spent the first near-decade of its existence in the ranks of the RKVB Den Bosch, RKSVA is now constrained to make the step to the official Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, renamed NVB following the German oppression of the Netherlands in May 1940, with the royal epithet ‘koninklijk’ being withdrawn for obvious reasons) as all other football associations are abolished by German occupation authorities. The club is placed in Afdeling Noord-Brabant Sunday Division 1, i.e. the level below the regular (K)NVB Sunday League 4.
1943 / RKSVA wins the title in its division, but due to the hardships of German occupation being ever more felt, no promotion competitions are held in the Netherlands following the 1942-43 season.
1944 / Although narrowly escaping relegation in the 1943-44 season, RKSVA is given the opportunity to compete in the championship play-offs with all title winners of the previous two seasons. Taking on DVG, RKVV Haarsteeg, RKVV Helvoirt, and (RKVV?) Drunen, the club goes on to clinch its ticket for Sunday League 4 following a 1-0 away win over Drunen. In the fall of 1944, as the southern half of the Netherlands is liberated from the German yoke, the pitch of RKSVA in the vicinity of Café Gerardus van Oorschot at Boschweg is destructed completely due to acts of war. No regular league football is played in 1944-45.
1945 / As the club is left without a pitch following the destruction of its ground near Café Gerardus van Oorschot, RKSVA considers a merger with village rivals RKSV Schijndel, but talks with that club are broken off when a location is found for a new pitch at Boschweg, on a plot of farmland owned by Janus van den Oetelaar. With a one-year delay, RKSVA takes its place in Sunday League 4.
1946 / Finishing as runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 4 points behind champions RKVV ODC, RKSVA wins promotion to Sunday League 3 as extra promotion places are available.
1947 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, RKSVA drops back into League 4 after just one season.
1951 / Moving away from Terrein Janus van den Oetelaar after six years, RKSVA settles on the newly laid-out Terrein aan de Molenheide – later renamed Sportpark De Molenheide – with the new pitch being blessed at its inauguration by Fr Pessers.
1952 / Finishing in joint last place in District South I’s Sunday League 4C with vv Nooit Gedacht, RKSVA escapes relegation following a successful tie-break match against the team from Geffen in Vught (4-1). Also in 1952, a first canteen is constructed at Terrein aan de Molenheide.
1953 / RKSVA finishes as runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 3 points behind champions vv Zaltbommel.
1954 / RKSVA finishes as runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point behind champions GVV ’12.
1956 / RKSVA finishes as runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4B, 2 points behind champions RKSV Rhode.
1957 / Finishing in joint first place in District South I’s Sunday League 4B with RKVV OJC, RKSVA meets the club from Rosmalen in a tie-break match, held at Terrein De Wolfsdonken, the ground of Concordia-SVD in Den Bosch. With the encounter finishing in 2-2 A.E.T., a second match is held at the same venue. Attended by 3,000 spectators, RKSVA wins this replay 1-0, with the sole goal being scored by Grad Bijsterbosch (who had also signed both RKSVA goals in the first encounter). As such, RKSVA crown themselves champions in their division. The successful coach is Servé Voss. In the subsequent round of championship play-offs, taking on RKSV Deurne, RKSV Rood-Wit V, and RKSV UDI ’19, RKSVA fails to win promotion to Sunday League 3, as the play-off competition is won by UDI ’19.
1959 / Finishing in joint first place in District South I’s Sunday League 4B with RKVV OJC for the second time in three seasons, RKSVA meets the club from Rosmalen in a tie-break match, organised at Park Molenwijk in Boxtel, the ground of RKVV ODC. With an impressive attendance of 5,000 looking on, RKSVA manage to win the tie 1-0, with Wim van Houtum scoring the all-important goal. As such, the club crowns itself champions in its division. In the subsequent round of championship play-offs, taking on RKVV Bladella, vv Budel-Schoot, and SV Blauw Geel ’38, RKSVA goes on to clinch a spot in Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Berend Scholten. Also in 1959, RKSVA's Martin Kastelijn becomes the first-ever player of the club to move to a professional league club, RKVV Wilhelmina, where he would complete five seasons before bowing out into non-league.
1962 / RKSVA acquires the luxury of an extra pitch for youth academy matches and training sessions at Zonnebloemstraat. The pitch, situated at Zonnebloemstraat, is laid out on a plot of land owned by Mr Witlox at the back of the former boys’ school – close to a location used by the club in its nascent years. Around this same time, an uncovered terrace is added to the set-up at Terrein aan de Molenheide.
1965 / A new clubhouse is erected alongside the eastern touchline of Terrein aan de Molenheide – in fact the clubhouse has remained in use until the present day, although extension and renovation works were carried out successively in 1972, 1985, and 1998. The old, much more modest clubhouse on the west side of the pitch is removed.
1971 / RKSVA finishes as runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, 3 points behind champions SV Blauw Geel ’38.
1974 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, 5 points ahead of RKVV OJC, RKSVA wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time. The successful coach is Harrie Weber.
1978 / Moving away from its second pitch at Zonnebloemstraat, RKSVA finds itself a new training pitch at the crossroads of Bloempad and Leemweg.
1979 / Shedding the references to its Roman Catholic origins, RKSVA changes its name to become Sportvereniging (SV) Avanti 1931 (’31).
1980 / Finishing in second-last place in District South I’s Sunday League 2A, SV Avanti ’31 descends into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club HVV Helmond.
1981 / A covered grandstand is constructed alongside the western touchline of the main pitch of Sportpark De Molenheide. Around the same time, the training pitch at Leemweg is abandoned in favour of a pitch at Zwembadweg.
1983 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 3B, 3 points ahead of runner-up DVG, SV Avanti ’31 wins promotion to Sunday League 2.
1984 / Runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 2A, 2 points behind champions vv De Valk, SV Avanti ’31 gets to play in a tie-break encounter (two matches) against WVO for one additional promotion place, but the club suffers defeat against its opponent from Oosterhout.
1987 / SV Avanti ’31 finishes as runners-up in District South I’s Sunday League 2A, 2 points behind champions vv De Valk.
± 1989 / With enough pitches being available at Sportpark De Molenheide, SV Avanti ’31 abandons its training pitch at Zwembadweg.
1991 / Champions in District South I’s Sunday League 3A, 3 points ahead of closest followers vv DBS, SV Avanti ’31 wins promotion to Sunday League 1 – the second-highest level in the non-league pyramid – for the first time in club history. The decisive point is clinched in the away match at RKVV Bergeijk (1-1).
1992 / Unable to cope with the level attained, SV Avanti ’31 finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 1E, thus dropping back into Sunday League 2 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, SV DOSKO.
1993 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South I’s Sunday League 2A, SV Avanti ’31 suffers back-to-back relegations, descending into Sunday League 3 along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Best Vooruit. Also in 1993, former RKSVA winger Pascal Langenhuijsen, who had moved to FC Netezonen in Belgium previously, makes his professional league debut at Dordrecht '90. Only staying at Stadion de Krommedijk for half a season, Langenhuijsen moved on to KVC Westerlo in Belgium before bowing out into lower league football, including a spell at KFC Schoten SK.
1998 / Finishing in joint tenth place in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, SV Avanti ’31 goes on to suffer defeat in a tie-break encounter against vv Helvoirt (4-3 aggr.). As a result, the club has to attempt to stave off relegation in a round of play-offs. Seeing off BSV Boeimeer (3-2) and vv Bavel (3-1) in the first two rounds, the club is eliminated in the final by vv SCI (3-1). As a result, SV Avanti ’31 descends into Sunday League 4 along with direct drop-outs RKVV Den Dungen and vv Maaskantse Boys. It is the first time in 39 years that Avanti finds itself at this lowly level of the non-league pyramid.
1999 / On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the supporters club, SV Avanti ’31 invites professional league side Willem II for a gala match at Sportpark De Molenheide, resulting in a rather clear-cut 15-1 win for the club from Tilburg.
2000 / Runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4E, 10 points behind runaway champions vv RPC, SV Avanti ’31 fails to force a return to Sunday League 3 in the subsequent round of play-offs.
2001 / Runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 4G, 3 points behind champions – and derby rivals – RKSV WEC, SV Avanti ’31 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out EVVC in R1, only to be eliminated in R2 by vv SBC.
2002 / Being placed in District South II for the first time, SV Avanti ’31 clinches the title in Sunday League 4H, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RKSV DAW. As a result, the club wins promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Ben Hoek.
2006 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, 2 points ahead of closest followers RKOSV Achates, SV Avanti ’31 wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Tiny Verhoeven.
2007 / SV Avanti ’31 signs John van Nielen as its new coach. Van Nielen is a former professional league midfielder at FC Den Bosch ’67 and KFC Witgoor Sport Dessel (1980-91).
2009 / Former SV Avanti '31 youth midfielder Jasper Waalkens, who later completed spells at the youth academies of FC Den Bosch and PSV, makes his professional league debut at the age of twenty at Willem II. Waalkens went on to defend the colours of Helmond Sport, FC Eindhoven, Fortuna Sittard, NEC, and Almere City FC, going on to play non-league football at SV Spakenburg, vv DOVO, RKSV Halsteren, vv Gemert, and SV CHC.
2011 / Coached by John van Nielen, SV Avanti ’31 finishes in twelfth place in District South I’s Sunday League 3F. In the subsequent promotion-relegation play-offs, the club is eliminated in R1 by SV Marvilde (5-4 aggr). As a result, Avanti descends into Sunday League 3 along with direct drop-outs RKVV BMC and RKSV Rhode. Coach John van Nielen leaves the club after four years – tragically passing away at the untimely age of 52 three years later.
2012 / Finishing in fifth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, SV Avanti ’31 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by MMC Weert (2-1 aggr.).
2015 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3D, SV Avanti ’31 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against SC Irene (8-3 aggr.).
2016 / With the old dressing rooms being knocked down in February 2016, SV Avanti '31 temporarily moves its activities to Sportpark De Glorie in Wijbosch (RKSV WEC) and Sportpark Zuideinderpark in Schijndel (RKSV Schijndel) - until the inauguration of the new construction in September of the same year.
2018 / Runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, 4 points behind champions SV Real Lunet, SV Avanti ’31 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which RKSV Braakhuizen proves too strong in R1 (1-5).
2022 / Runner-up in District South I’s Sunday League 3C, 8 points behind champions – and ultimate derby rivals – RKSV Schijndel, SV Avanti ’31 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club cruises past PSV (AV) in R1 (3-1) and vv Zwaluw VFC in R2 (5-2), only to see the campaign end in tears in a penalty defeat against vv Hoogeloon in the final, played at Sportpark De Roode Beek in Liempde, the ground of DVG (1-1 A.E.T., decision after 26 (!) penalties).
2023 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3E, 3 points ahead of closest rivals RKSV Margriet, SV Avanti ’31 wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Stephan Hesemans.
2025 / Champions in Sunday League 2D, 9 points ahead of closest followers RKVV Erp, SV Avanti ’31 wins promotion to Sunday League 1 after an absence of 33 years at that level. The successful coach is Stephan Hesemans.
2026 (projected) / With Stephan Hesemans leaving the club, the role of coach at SV Avanti ’31 is taken over by John Laponder, former professional league defender at BVV Den Bosch, FC Den Bosch, SBV Eindhoven, and FC Eindhoven (1989-2006).