Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: SV Apollo '69

Sportpark De Zuudoek, 's-Gravenpolder (SV Apollo '69)

Netherlands, province: Zealand = Zeeland

13 VI 2026 / vv Wemeldinge - vv Nieuwland 0-3 / District South I, Saturday Leagues 4 & 5 - promotion-relegation play-off final (neutral venue)

Timeline

1949 / Foundation of football club Voetbalvereniging (vv) De Beren in Baarland, a hamlet in the Province of Zealand – more specifically on the island of Zuid-Beveland – with F. van der Putte taking on the role of chairman. Given that the population of Baarland is predominantly of the Conservative Protestant (Evangelical) faith, vv De Beren plays its football on Saturdays rather than on Sunday, the day of Sabbath.
1950 / With vv De Beren acquiring a plot of land at Hellenburgstraat, situated halfway between Baarland and Oudelande, for their pitch, the club joins the Saturday pyramid of Afdeling Zeeland, the Zealand sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB).
1967 / Foundation of two new Saturday football clubs in villages not far from Baarland; Sportvereniging (SV) Hoedekenskerke and Sportvereniging (SV) ‘s-Gravenpolder – with Ton Hulshof taking on the role of chairman of the latter. Following the establishment of SV Hoedekenskerke, part of the membership of vv De Beren chooses to join this club. Meanwhile, SV ‘s-Gravenpolder, not disposing of a pitch within the confines of the village, starts its existence as a competitive club in Afdeling Zeeland’s Saturday Division 3 as groundsharers of vv Kwadendamme at Sportpark De Liesjes. Initially, most of the training sessions are held on the pitch of the ‘s-Heer Abtskerke netball club.
1968 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 3D in its first season as a competitive club, SV ‘s-Gravenpolder wins promotion to Division 2 of the said league system. The decisive points are clinched in a 3-1 away win at SV Wissenkerke. The club’s top goalscorer is Karel van Oosten, who netted no fewer than 75 (!) of the 174 goals that season. The successful coach is F. Boerhave. Somewhat later, towards the end of 1968, the municipality of ‘s-Gravenpolder gives the green light for a football pitch within the confines of the village.
1969 / A merger is concluded between SV ‘s-Gravenpolder and vv De Beren, who had seen its membership dwindle to the point of extinction following the foundation of SV Hoedekenskerke in 1967; the two clubs merge into one under the name Sportvereniging (SV) Apollo ’69, with all activities moving to Sportterrein Hellenburgstraat in Baarland for the time being. The name Apollo is chosen as a reference to the Apollo space programme. Apart from football, SV Apollo also has a table tennis branch. The first match of the newly formed football club results in a 4-5 home defeat at the hands of vv Terneuzense Boys Reserves.
1970 / Inauguration of the new football ground of SV Apollo ’69 at Langeweg in ‘s-Gravenpolder, consisting of one pitch – still the main pitch of the park today – and a training area. The pitch has been laid out under the auspices of the Association for Wasteland Redevelopment (Nederlandse Heidemaatschappij), while a clubhouse was constructed following a design by architect J. de Jonge. The new facilities are officially inaugurated on October 31st, 1970, by former ‘s-Gravenpolder mayor Quarles van Ufford, who had always been a wholehearted supporter of bringing football to the community, upon which the inaugural match between Apollo and SVD is played. Rather than giving up the pitch in Baarland, Sportterrein Hellenburgstraat remains in use for lower team football and training sessions.
1973 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 2, 5 points ahead of closest rivals vv Borssele, SV Apollo ’69 wins promotion to Division 1 of the said league system.
1974 / The table tennis branch of SV Apollo ’69 ceases its activities.
1976 / Suffering relegation from Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 1 with coach D. Mos, SV Apollo ’69 drops back into Division 2 of the said league system.
1978 / Runner-up in Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 2, 1 point behind champions vv ‘s-Heer Arendskerke, SV Apollo ’69 manages a return to Division 1 of the said league system after two seasons.
1980 / Obtaining the title in Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 1, 2 points ahead of closest followers vv Veere, SV Apollo ’69 wins promotion to District South I’s Saturday League 4 for the first time in club history. Also in 1980, the extended version of the clubhouse is inaugurated by the mayor of ‘s-Gravenpolder, C.G.C. van den Heuvel; moreover, a second pitch is added to the set-up at Terrein Langeweg. Following this, the pitch at Hellenburgstraat in Baarland is abandoned; this pitch is later taken over by tennis and dog agility clubs.
1982 / Following an impressive third place in District South I’s Saturday League 4A the previous year, SV Apollo ’69 now finishes bottom of the table in this same division, thus dropping back into Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 1 after two years, alongside the club in second-last place, vv Nieuwland.
1984 / The entrance to the two pitches at ‘s-Gravenpolder is moved from Langeweg to Egelantierstraat.
1990 / Suffering relegation from Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 1, SV Apollo ’69 drops back into Division 2 of the said league system – managing a return to Division 1 in one of the following five seasons. Also in 1990, former Apollo youth academy midfielder Romeo van Aerde, who had moved to the academies of vv GOES and RBC subsequently, makes his professional league debut at the age of 23 with VC Vlissingen. Van Aerde goes on to have subsequent spells at VCV Zeeland, RKC, RKC Waalwijk, and Dordrecht ’90, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2003.
1996 / Winning promotion from Afdeling Zeeland Saturday Division 1 without winning the title, SV Apollo ’69 wins promotion to District South I’s Saturday League 4 after an absence of fourteen years at that level.
1998 / Champions in District South I’s Saturday League 4A, 3 points ahead of closest followers vv Nieuwdorp, SV Apollo ’69 wins promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time.
2000 / As the ground in ‘s-Gravenpolder is renamed Sportpark De Zuudoek as a result of a vote among the membership, a covered stand is inaugurated alongside the western touchline of the main pitch in the summer of 2000. 125 plastic chairs are added later that same year, which the club has purchased from RBC, who are about to leave their old ground, Sportpark De Luiten.
2001 / Marking the best result in club history, SV Apollo ’69, guided by coach Hans de Bruine, finishes as runner-up in District South I’s Saturday League 3A, 16 points behind runaway champions AZVV.
2003 / Coached by Jacco Oostdijk, SV Apollo ’69 finishes in second-last place in District South I’s Saturday League 3A, thus descending into Saturday League 4 along with bottom club vv Bevelanders.
2004 / The clubhouse at Sportpark De Zuudoek is further extended.
2007 / Finishing in third place in District South I’s Saturday League 4A, SV Apollo ’69 goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Saturday League 3 after four years. The successful coach is Henk Sprong.
2008 / Coached by Bart Dierckx, SV Apollo ’69 finishes in second-last place in District South I’s Saturday League 3A, thus descending into Saturday League 4 along with bottom club vv Krabbendijke.
2012 / Finishing in sixth place in District South I’s Saturday League 4A, SV Apollo ’69 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is drawn in a group with vv Kogelvangers and vv Veere; going on to book an away win against the former (1-2) and a home win against the latter (4-3) subsequently, Apollo wins promotion to Saturday League 3. The successful coach is Bram Kot.
2013 / Coached by Jos Wesdorp, SV Apollo ’69 finishes bottom of the table in District South I’s Saturday League 3A, thus tumbling back into Saturday League 4 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, vv ‘s-Heer Arendskerke.
2014 / The clubhouse at Sportpark De Zuudoek is extended with a patio cover.
2017 / Finishing in fifth place in District South I’s Saturday League 4B, SV Apollo ’69 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by VVC ’68 (7-5 aggr.).
2018 / Runner-up in District South I’s Saturday League 4B, 19 points behind runaway champions RKSV Halsteren (za), SV Apollo ’69 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv De Noormannen (1-5).
2024 / Finishing in ninth place in District South I’s Saturday League 4B with coach Joffrey Geldof, SV Apollo ’69 descends into the newly created Saturday League 5 alongside MZVC, vv Wemeldinge, vv Rillandia, SV Jong Ambon, and bottom club SC Waarde.
2025 / Champions in District South I’s Saturday League 5A, 8 points ahead of runners-up MZVC and vv Cadzand, SV Apollo ’69 wins promotion to Sunday League 4. The successful coach is Joffrey Geldof.
2026 / Coached by Joffrey Geldof, SV Apollo ’69 finishes in second-last place in District South I’s Saturday League 4A, going on to suffer defeat in R1 of the promotion-relegation play-offs against vv Wolfaartsdijk (4-4 & penalty shoot-out). As a result, the club drops back into Saturday League 5 after just one season.

Note – Essential parts of information provided in the article above have been derived from a booklet published on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of SV Apollo ’69: “Apollo. Vijftig jaar voetbal – 1967-2017”, by Ad Tramper (ed. SV Apollo ’69: 2017). Thanks to the board of SV Apollo ’69 for providing me with a copy of this publication.