NETHERLANDS: vv Oosterwolde (1956-±1977) / SV De Griffioen (1959-1969, ±1996-2020) / vv Oosterwolde (B) (±1977-1980) / vv DIO-Oosterwolde (B) (1980-1996)

Sportpark Oostenburg West, Oosterwolde Fr. (formerly vv Oosterwolde / SV De Griffioen / B pitch of vv Oosterwolde & vv DIO-Oosterwolde)

Netherlands, province: Frisia = Friesland

May 2026 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1922 / In the early decades of the 20th century, football is slow to take root in the village of Oosterwolde, in the southeastern part of the Province of Frisia in the Netherlands. With netball being a more popular pastime among youngsters, the few footballers join a newly founded club in the neighbouring village of Appelscha, notably joining AVC (Appelschasche Voetbalclub?) from Oud-Appelscha or Vitesse from Appelscha proper. In 1922, AVC and Vitesse merge, taking on the name AOC, an abbreviation of Appelscha-Oosterwolde Combinatie – due to the ever-increasing number of players from Oosterwolde joining. Football is being played in the so-called Friesche Voetbalbond (FVB), the Frisia sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB, later renamed KNVB). The pitch of AOC is situated at the back of Café J. Zwart in Appelscha.
• 1924 / AOC wins the title in its branch of the FVB, probably in FVB (Sunday) Division 3, with the decisive points being obtained in a 2-1 away win at HVC in Heerenveen. That same year, a leisure organisation in Oosterwolde, the so-called Vereeniging voor Vreemdelingen-Verkeer (VVV), which had seen the daylight in 1904, purchases a plot of land on the northern fringes of the village, which is used in subsequent years for sports activities as well – notably netball and gymnastics in the early years. However, AOC from nearby Appelscha also starts making use of the location for some of its home matches in 1924 and 1925.
• 1925 / Foundation of a sports club in Oosterwolde, which is given the name Gymnastiek- en Athletiekvereeniging (GAV) ‘Door Inspanning Ontspanning’ (DIO). As the full club name betrays, football is not part of the myriad of activities of the new club, which naturally settles at the VVV-terrein.
• 1926 / AOC withdraws its membership of the FVB, folding altogether later that same year. Football activities continue in Appelscha, with new clubs such as vv Appelscha (AFC?) and a re-established Vitesse seeing the daylight. 
• 1927 / GAV DIO widens its activities with the foundation of a netball branch. That same year, football returns to the VVV-terrein with the foundation of vv Quick Boys – in actual fact the continuation of a local boys’ team called Sparta. Also in 1927, GAV DIO organises a demonstration football match between a team of its membership and vv Asscher Boys, the champions in (Sunday) Division 1 of the Drentsche Voetbalbond (DVB), FVB’s pendant in the neighbouring Province of Drenthe, with the DIO XI managing a surprise 3-2 win. Thereupon, a football branch is founded under the aegis of GAV DIO, but activities are constrained to training sessions for the time being, with no membership of the FVB being requested – just like vv Quick Boys, which sticks to playing friendlies against teams from neighbouring villages in the following years.
• 1930 / Foundation of a boys’ football club in Oosterwolde, which is given the name Jupiter.
• 1932 / GAV DIO and vv Quick Boys both join the FVB. The latter takes its place in FVB (Sunday) Division 3, with DIO not being admitted to league football as yet.
• 1933 / Due to the acronym DIO already turning out to be in use by another FVB member, the football branch of this club is ordered to change its name. After initial suggestions of GDIO (Gymnastiekvereeniging DIO) and GADIO (Gymnastiek- en Athletiekvereeniging DIO) being turned down by FVB officials, the club takes on the name vv Oostenburg – Oostenburg being the name of the part of Oosterwolde to the north of the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart canal. For the start of the 1933-34 season, vv Oostenburg is placed in FVB Division 3. Due to drainage issues, vv Quick Boys and vv Oostenburg temporarily have to move away from the VVV-terrein in 1933, with home matches being moved to the municipal pitch at the back of a local primary school at Snellingerdijk.
• 1934 / Clinching the title in FVB Division 3 following a tie-break match against Vitesse from Appelscha, vv Quick Boys goes on to win the championship play-offs, in which the win against SDO (from Jubbega) on the Wijnjeterpterrein, situated halfway between Oosterwolde and Jubbega, proves decisive. As such, vv Quick Boys gains promotion to FVB Division 2. 
• 1935 / One year after its village rivals, vv Oostenburg also manages to win promotion to FVB Division 2. That same year, vv Quick Boys is ordered by FVB authorities to change its name to vv Oosterwolde.
• 1936 / Clinching the title in FVB Division 2, vv Oosterwolde wins promotion to Division 1 of the said league system.
• 1938 / Clinching the title in FVB Division 2 and going on to win the subsequent round of championship play-offs, vv Oostenburg accedes to Division 1 of the said league system. The successful coach is B. van der Luik. Meanwhile, village rivals vv Oosterwolde go the other way, suffering relegation into FVB Division 2. However, following the 1937-38 season, a merger is concluded between both clubs, resulting in the foundation of a new vv Oosterwolde as a sub-branch of GAV DIO. The first chairman of the football branch is J. van Olfen. 
• 1941 / Finishing as runner-up in FVB Division 1, 2 points behind champions DOG Wolvega, but 9 points ahead of the team placing third, vv Oosterwolde files a request to be admitted to NVB Sunday League 3 – with no Sunday League 4 being organised in District North as yet. With the request being honoured, the club leaves the ranks of the FVB for the first time. To this end, the club has to lay out its pitch in a slightly different position on the VVV-terrein, due to a lime tree being situated on the original pitch – an anomaly which had been turned a blind eye to in the FVB, but which was not accepted in regular league football.
• 1949 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Sunday League 3B, vv Oosterwolde descends into Sunday League 4 – finally introduced in the northern district after World War II – alongside the club in second-last place, vv Willemsoord.
• 1951 / The municipality of Oosterwolde purchases a plot of land to the north of the VVV-terrein from a local smallholder, F. Koops, with the purpose of creating a sports park here and re-using the old VVV-terrein for housing.
• 1955 / vv Oosterwolde manages a runner-up position in District North’s Sunday League 4B, 4 points behind local rivals vv Stânfries from Appelscha. Meanwhile, also in 1955, the new pitches on the plot of land purchased by local authorities four years previously have been laid out, with first tentative football matches being played there.
• 1956 / Official inauguration of the new Sportpark Oostenburg, consisting of two pitches – nowadays the two westernmost pitches of the park – and a smaller training pitch. The entrance gate is situated at the south side of the main pitch, at Kuipenstreek. The old VVV-terrein was situated on the location now taken by the townhall of Oosterwolde.
• 1957 / The new clubhouse and dressing rooms at Sportpark Oostenburg are inaugurated.
• 1958 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 4B, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv De Kooi, vv Oosterwolde qualifies for the championship play-offs against vv ONB, vv De Vogels, and MKV ’29 – in the end qualifying for Sunday League 3 alongside the first-mentioned club. The successful coach is Mr Vogelzang.
• 1959 / With vv Oosterwolde being a non-confessional club, playing its football on Sundays, the presidency refuses to form a Saturday league branch for its relatively small Protestant (Evangelical) membership. Thereupon, a breakaway club sees the daylight, Sportvereniging (SV) De Griffioen, with S. Groote becoming the chairman of this new club, which becomes a groundsharer of vv Oosterwolde at Sportpark Oostenburg. Like GAV DIO, of which vv Oosterwolde is the football branch, SV De Griffioen becomes an omnisports club, with branches for other sports seeing the daylight in subsequent years, including netball, gymnastics, indoor football, badminton, and table tennis – one more successful and long-lasting than the other.
• 1960 / In its first competitive season, SV De Griffioen is placed in FVB Saturday Division 2.
• 1963 / Under the aegis of player-coach H. Hulshof, vv Oosterwolde finishes in second-last place in District North’s Sunday League 3A, thus descending into Sunday League 4 alongside bottom club vv Lemmer.
• 1964 / vv Oosterwolde finishes in second place in District North’s Sunday League 4C, 5 points behind champions SV Haulerwijk
• 1965 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point ahead of closest followers vv Bakkeveen, vv Oosterwolde manages an immediate return to Sunday League 3. The successful player-coach is H. Hulshof.
• 1966 / Runner-up in FVB Saturday Division 2A, 6 points behind champions CVVO, SV De Griffioen wins promotion to FVB Saturday Division 1.
• 1967 / Finishing bottom of the table in FVB Saturday Division 1B, SV De Griffioen drops back into Division 2 of the said league system after just one year.
• 1968 / Finishing in joint first place in FVB Saturday Division 2B with vv ONT, SV De Griffioen goes on to suffer defeat in a tie-break match for the title against the club from Opeinde (3-1). Nonetheless, promotion to Saturday Division 1 is achieved.
• 1969 / Finishing in joint last place in District North’s Sunday League 3B with vv Peize and vv Groninger Boys, vv Oosterwolde meets these two clubs in a relegation play-off, with vv Groninger Boys eventually being the only club to avoid relegation into Sunday League 4. Also in 1969, SV De Griffioen ends its existence as groundsharer at Sportpark Oostenburg, moving to a new ground, Sportpark De Boekhorst, consisting of two pitches and a training pitch, laid out on a plot of farmland, purchased by Oosterwolde’s municipal authorities from a local smallholder, S. van Weperen.
• 1970 / vv Oosterwolde finishes as runner-up in District North’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point behind champions vv Buitenpost.
• 1971 / Finishing bottom of the table in FVB Saturday Division 1A, SV De Griffioen drops back into Division 2 of the said league system.
• 1973 / vv Oosterwolde finishes as runner-up in District North’s Sunday League 4C, 3 points behind champions SV Houtigehage. Also in 1973, municipal authorities of Oosterwolde purchase a plot of farmland to the east of Sportpark Oostenburg, with the purpose of extending the park with four more pitches, which are laid out in the following two years.
• 1974 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 4C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv TFS, vv Oosterwolde manages a return to Sunday League 3 after five years. The successful coach is Bennie Boerstra.
• 1975 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Sunday League 3A, vv Oosterwolde descends into Sunday League 4 after just one season, alongside the club in second-last place, vv Wolvega. Meanwhile, down in FVB Saturday Division 2C, SV De Griffioen clinches the title, 4 points ahead of closest followers SV RWF, thus achieving a return to Saturday Division 1 after four years.
• 1976 / In a well-nigh incredible achievement, vv Oosterwolde clinches the Regional Cup (Districtsbeker) of District North, defeating CVV Germanicus, a club playing its football four levels higher than them, in Zondag Hoofdklasse, 1-0 at Sportpark Oostenburg in the final.
• 1977 / New dressing rooms are constructed in the heart of the four new pitches laid out at the eastern end of Sportpark Oostenburg. Around this time, first team football of vv Oosterwolde – renamed vv DIO-Oosterwolde in 1980 – must have been moved to the easternmost pitch of the park, which sports a terrace alongside its west-side touchline. 
• 1979 / Finishing in second-last place in FVB Saturday Division 1B, SV De Griffioen drops back into Division 2 of the said league system, alongside bottom club CSV Be Quick Dokkum.
• 1980 / SV De Griffioen finishes as runner-up in FVB Saturday Division 2C, 1 point behind champions vv Eastermar. 
• 1984 / On December 22nd, 1984, the new clubhouse of vv DIO-Oosterwolde is inaugurated. Replacing the old clubhouse at the southwestern end of Sportpark Oostenburg, quite a walk away from the main pitch, the new facility is located right beside it. 
• 1987 / Champions in FVB Saturday Division 2D, 2 points ahead of closest rivals SC Boornbergum, SV De Griffioen manages a return to Division 1 of the said league system after eight years.
• 1988 / Runner-up in FVB Saturday Division 1A, with an equal number of points as champions VVI, but an inferior goal difference – probably, a tie-break match for the title was played, but no information is available regarding this matter – SV De Griffioen joins the club from Idskenhuizen in gaining promotion to Saturday League 4, acceding to the ranks of District North for the first time in club history. 
• ± 1996 / Moving away from Sportpark De Boekhorst after just over 25 years, due to the park having to make way for housing, SV De Griffioen moves back to Sportpark Oostenburg, taking its place at the original clubhouse, constructed in 1956-57, as well as the original main pitch, used by vv Oosterwolde between 1956 and the late 1970s.
• 1997 / Coached by Sjoerd Rozema, SV De Griffioen finishes in second-last place in District North’s Saturday League 4C, thus descending into Saturday League 5, created to replace FVB Saturday Division 1 one year previously, alongside bottom club UVV ’70.
• 1999 / Coached by Martin Reidsma, SV De Griffioen finishes in second-last place in District North’s Saturday League 5C, thus suffering relegation into Saturday League 5, along with bottom club vv Suameer.
• 2000 / Finishing in fourth place in District North’s Saturday League 6C, SV De Griffioen goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing an immediate return to Saturday League 5. The successful coach is Martin Reidsma.
• 2001 / Coached by E. Homan, SV De Griffioen finishes in second-last place in District North’s Saturday League 5B, thus dropping back into Saturday League 6 after just one season, alongside bottom club vv ODV.
• 2002 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 6C, 3 points ahead of runner-up vv Amicitia VMC, SV De Griffioen manages an immediate return to Saturday League 5. The successful coach is E. Homan.
• 2003 / Finishing in third place in District North’s Saturday League 5D, SV De Griffioen goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Saturday League 4 after an absence of six years at that level. The successful coach is Theo Donker.
• 2008 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 4D, 1 point ahead of closest rivals ZZVV, SV De Griffioen wins promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time. The successful coach is Piet van der Veen. Also in 2008, the youth academies of vv DIO-Oosterwolde, SV De Griffioen, and FC Fochteloo are merged under the name Jeugdvoetbal (JV) Oostenburg.
• 2011 / Finishing in third place in District North’s Saturday League 3D, SV De Griffioen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by vv ONR (3-2 aggr.).
• 2012 / Finishing in fourth place in District North’s Saturday League 3D, SV De Griffioen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out vv DZOH ’85 in R1 (5-4 aggr.), only to suffer elimination in R2 at the hands of vv Glimmen (6-3 aggr.).
• 2013 / Finishing in second-last place in District North’s Saturday League 3D with coach Edwin Prins, SV De Griffioen descends into Saturday League 4 alongside vv Borger and bottom club vv Sleen.
• 2016 / Runaway champions in District North’s Saturday League 4D, 12 points ahead of closest followers vv Waskemeer, SV De Griffioen manages a return to Saturday League 3. The successful coach is Jan Timmer.
• 2017 / Champions in District North’s Saturday League 3A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals vv DWP, SV De Griffioen wins promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Jan Timmer.
• 2019 / In the best achievement in club history, SV De Griffioen manages a fifth place in Saturday League 2J, however just missing out on the promotion play-offs.
• 2020 / Following the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, SV De Griffioen concludes a merger with vv DIO-Oosterwolde, resulting in the foundation of Sportvereniging (SV) Oosterwolde. First team football moves to DIO’s pitch on the eastern side of Sportpark Oostenburg, with the old main pitch of SV De Griffioen as well as the clubhouse being taken over by the local netball club.

Note – Essential parts of the information above have been derived from two booklets, released on the occasion of club anniversaries of vv DIO-Oosterwolde and SV De Griffioen: “DIO en haar voorlopers. 1910-1985”, by Kees Hofstra (ed. Van der Meer: Oosterwolde 1985) and “50 Jaar S.V. de Griffioen. Jubileum Treffer – voetbal & zaalvoetbal”, by Sven Jach – Alle Pool – Dirk Haayema – Arjen Haayema – Ron van den Hengel – Margriet Hiemstra – Minke Hiemstra – Jan van Egmond (ed. SV De Griffioen: Oosterwolde 2009).

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author