Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: vv Lunteren

Sportpark De Wormshoef, Lunteren (vv Lunteren)

Netherlands, province: Guelders = Gelderland

10 VI 2026 / vv Lunteren - vv ATC '65 2-3 A.E.T. / Sunday & Saturday Leagues 2, promotion play-off - lucky loser round semi (= NL level 7)

Timeline

1931 / Foundation of a leisure club in a town in the Province of Guelders (Gelderland), Lunteren; the new club takes on the name Amacitia – probably thought up by a weak Latin student, as the name is probably a reference to the Latin word for friendship, amicitia.
1932 / A football branch is set up as part of the Amacitia club, with a pitch being laid out next to the local forest pool. The new football team joins the so-called Utrechtsche Provinciale Voetbalbond (UPVB), the Utrecht sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB) – a striking choice, given that Lunteren is situated in the Province of Guelders rather than in Utrecht, although close to the mutual border. In spite of Lunteren being a predominantly Protestant (Evangelical) town, the football club plays its matches on Sundays, leading to part of the local community not being keen to join up.
1933 / The football branch of Amacitia breaks away from the mother club, taking on the name ASNOD – an acronym of Al Strevend Naar Ons Doel. The first chairman of ASNOD is J. Meppeler.
1935 / Giving up its UPVB membership after three years, ASNOD joins the Arnhemse Voetbalbond (AVB), the Arnhem sub-branch of the KNVB.
1937 / Moving away from the pitch at the local forest pool, ASNOD settles at a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Zwarte Water, near Spoordijk, to the southeast of Lunteren.
1940 / ASNOD clinches the title in AVB Sunday Division 1, however not winning promotion – as the 1939-40 season had been organised as an emergency competition following the mobilisation of the Netherlands’ armed forces in the summer of 1939. That same year, ASNOD moved to a newly laid-out pitch, also at Spoordijk, very close to the old location.
1943 / ASNOD clinches the title in AVB Sunday Division 1, but yet again, no championship play-offs are organised due to the hardships of World War II – thus depriving the club yet again of the opportunity to reach Sunday League 4.
1946 / The myriad of activities at ASNOD is widened with branches of gymnastics and walking sports, with the club changing its name accordingly to become Sportvereniging (SV) Lunteren.
1949 / To serve the Protestant community in Lunteren, SV Lunteren enters a new first team in the Saturday divisions of Afdeling Arnhem, as the AVB was renamed in 1940 – starting its existence in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 2. The Saturday team coexists with the club’s Sunday team in Afdeling Arnhem Sunday Division 1.
1950 / The Saturday team of vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 2. Also in 1950, with the three parts of SV Lunteren continuing their existence independently, the football branch changes its name to become Voetbalvereniging (vv) Lunteren.
1951 / The Saturday team of vv Lunteren clinches the title in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 2, thus gaining promotion to Saturday Division 1 of the said league system.
1953 / vv Lunteren Sunday team player Jan Knevel moves to WVV Wageningen, going on to play professional league football with that club from 1955 onwards.
1954 / Due to recurring rows between the Sunday and Saturday branches of vv Lunteren as well as a dwindling membership, the club folds, ceasing all activities.
1955 / vv Lunteren is re-established as a Saturday club, entering a team in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 2.
1959 / Obtaining the title in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 2, vv Lunteren wins promotion to Division 1 of the said league system.
1962 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Arnhem Saturday Division 1, vv Lunteren wins promotion to District East’s Saturday League 4 for the first time.
1963 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 4A, 7 points behind champions ASV Sparta ’57.
1966 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 4A, 8 points behind champions SKV. Also in 1966, moving away from their pitch at Spoordijk after 26 years, vv Lunteren settles at the newly laid-out Sportpark De Wormshoef, which is inaugurated officially on October 15th, 1966.
1968 / Finishing in joint first place in District East’s Sunday League 4B with SV ‘t Harde, vv Lunteren meets its rivals in a tie-break match, played at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark in Ermelo, where some 3,000 spectators witness a 3-0 win for the team from Lunteren. As such, vv Lunteren wins promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time.
1973 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 2 points behind champions vv Bennekom.
1974 / Champions in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 8 points ahead of closest followers DTS ’35, vv Lunteren wins promotion to Saturday League 2 – the second-highest tier of the Saturday non-league pyramid in that era – for the first time. The decisive points are obtained in a 2-0 win over SC Genemuiden.
1977 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in Saturday League 2C, 8 points behind champions vv DOS Kampen.
1979 / Coached by Wim van der Gaag, vv Lunteren finishes in second-last place in Saturday League 2D, resulting in the club dropping back into Saturday League 3, along with bottom club vv Olympia ’28.
1981 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 7 points behind champions IJVV.
1984 / vv Lunteren finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 1 point behind champions vv Kesteren.
1985 / Runaway champions in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 13 points ahead of closest followers vv VSCO ’61, vv Lunteren manages a return to Saturday League 2 after an absence of six years. The successful coach is Joop Kools.
1986 / Champions in Saturday League 2D, 1 point ahead of closest rivals DTS ’35, vv Lunteren accedes to the top level of the Saturday non-league pyramid, Saturday League 1, for the first time. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-0 away win at SVZW, with Peter van Eck and Jan van den Berg being the goalscorers.
1988 / vv Lunteren hosts FC Barcelona in a pre-season friendly at Sportpark De Wormshoef. Ultimately, Johan Cruijff’s side manages a meagre 1-0 win thanks to a late Urbano Ortega goal.
1992 / As the club celebrates its sixtieth anniversary – with the one-year break in 1954-55 being conveniently overlooked – the membership of vv Lunteren helps the club building a covered stand alongside the western touchline of its main pitch. The construction is inaugurated in the summer of 1992 with a pre-season friendly against top flight club FC Twente (2-3). Later on that same year, vv Lunteren also entertains AFC Ajax at Sportpark De Wormshoef (1-9, Lunteren goal by Ömer Tirgil).
1993 / In the most successful season in club history, coached by Henk Hofstra, vv Lunteren clinches the title in Saturday League 1C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals SC Genemuiden. In the subsequent nationwide Saturday non-league title competition, vv Lunteren takes on the League 1A and 1B winners, vv Katwijk and SV Kozakken Boys, in the end having to leave the honours to the former by just 1 point. Meanwhile, to top it off, vv Lunteren also won the Regional Cup (Districtsbeker) in District East, resulting in the club qualifying for the nationwide cup (KNVB-Beker) for the 1993-94 season. Drawing BV Veendam in R1, vv Lunteren manages a shock away win against the professional league side (2-3), in the end bowing out in R2 away at top flight team MVV (4-3).
1994 / vv Lunteren signs coach Jan Rab, former professional league player at SVV and C&FC Hermes-DVS, as well as a former manager at professional league sides Telstar, FC Utrecht, and FC Dordrecht.
1995 / Coached by Jan Rab, vv Lunteren finishes in third-last place in Saturday League 1B, resulting in the club descending into Saturday League 2 after nine seasons, alongside Excelsior Maassluis and bottom club VVGZ.
1996 / Runner-up in Saturday League 2C, 12 points behind runaway champions SDC Putten, vv Lunteren wins automatic promotion to Saturday League 1. However, with a Zaterdag Hoofdklasse being introduced as the new top level of the Saturday pyramid for the 1996-97 season, the club is given the opportunity to vie for a place at this level in a special promotion competition, in which it suffers defeat in the final against RKAV Volendam (3-1). As such, vv Lunteren in effect remains at the second tier of the non-league ladder – never to reclaim its position in the top flight in subsequent years.
1998 / Exhausted by the debts incurred in previous years, vv Lunteren finishes bottom of the table in Saturday League 1C, resulting in the club suffering relegation into Saturday League 2, alongside second-last placed derby rivals DTS ’35.
2000 / Finishing in joint first place in Saturday League 2D with AVV Swift (zo), 11 points ahead of closest followers HSV Zuidvogels, vv Lunteren goes on to win a tie-break match for the title against the team from Amsterdam, resulting in promotion to Saturday League 1. The successful coach is Henny de Man.
2002 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 1D, vv Lunteren goes on to reach the final of the promotion play-offs, in which the club has to leave the honours to vv Drachtster Boys (2-1).
2003 / Coached by former professional league goalkeeper Harry Suvee (UA&VV Velox, FC Utrecht, WVV Wageningen, and FC Wageningen), vv Lunteren finishes in second-last place in Saturday League 1A, resulting in the club dropping back into Saturday League 2 alongside bottom side vv Montfoort. In mid-2003, Harry Suvee is succeeded as coach at vv Lunteren by former professional league striker Hans van Arum (1989-2002: SBV Vitesse, Willem II, RKC, RKC Waalwijk, and Go Ahead Eagles).
2004 / As the old clubhouse of vv Lunteren is knocked down, the club has to make do with temporary constructions, while a successor is constructed, alongside a new state-of-the-art indoor sports hall.
2005 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 2I, vv Lunteren qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eventually fails to book a League 1 ticket. Following the 2004-05 season, coach Hans van Arum leaves vv Lunteren; in subsequent years, Van Arum would have spells as professional league manager at SBV Vitesse, AGOVV Apeldoorn, and Dutch Lions FC.
2006 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 2I, vv Lunteren qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eventually fails to book a League 1 ticket for the second year running. Also in 2006, after two years of works, the new two-storey clubhouse of vv Lunteren is inaugurated.
2009 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 2G with coach Dick Eijlander, vv Lunteren descends into Saturday League 3 alongside the club in second-last place, vv Zeewolde – entailing a return to the League 3 level after an absence of 24 years.
2011 / Runaway champions in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 13 points ahead of runner-up SV Excelsior (Zetten), vv Lunteren manages a return to Saturday League 2. The successful coaching duo consists of Jan Veldhuizen and Maarten Boekenoogen.
2012 / Coached by Peter van Eck, vv Lunteren finishes in eleventh place in Saturday League 2G, going on to suffer defeat at the hands of SKV in R1 of the promotion-relegation play-offs (5-2 aggr.). As such, the club drops back into Saturday League 3 along with vv Advendo ’57, vv Zeewolde, and bottom club SV Zwolsche Boys.
2013 / Runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 7 points behind champions FC Lienden, vv Lunteren qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out vv Zeewolde in R1 (3-2 aggr.), going on to have the better of vv Advendo ’57 in the final (8-5 aggr.). As a result, the club manages an immediate return to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Amir Hashemi.
2014 / Coached by Amir Hashemi, vv Lunteren proves unable to cope with the league 2 level, finishing bottom in Saturday League 2G, and thus dropping back into Saturday League 3 after just one season, along with SKV and VVOP.
2015 / Champions in District East’s Saturday League 3A, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv Advendo ’57, vv Lunteren, yet again, manages an immediate return to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Bart Schreuder.
2016 / Runner-up in Saturday League 2G, 13 points behind runaway champions vv DUNO, vv Lunteren qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs. Edging past vv Den Ham in R1 (3-2 aggr.) and SV Lelystad ’67 in R2 (3-3 aggr. & penalty shoot-out), the club ultimately suffers defeat in the final, played at Sportpark Bovenmolen in Oldebroek, against vv Hulzense Boys (3-2).
2026 / Runner-up in Saturday League 2G, 5 points behind champions Go-Ahead Kampen, vv Lunteren qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs for the first time in ten years. Having the better of SC Varsseveld in R1 (5-3 A.E.T.), the club bows out in R2 against vv Unicum (2-1 A.E.T.). In a lucky loser play-off, organised due to the withdrawal of SV Juliana ’31 from National Division 4, vv Lunteren suffers defeat in the semis against vv ATC ’65 (2-3 A.E.T., cp. photos below).