Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: RKVV ZAP (1955-1967) / vv Breezandse Boys (1958-1970) / SV ZAP (1967-1982) / vv ZAP (1982-)

Sportpark De Zwaluw, Breezand (vv ZAP, formerly RKVV ZAP / vv Breezandse Boys / SV ZAP)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

7 VI 2026 / vv ZAP - RKSV RODA '23 3-1 / District West I, Sunday League 2 - promotion play-off R2 (= NL level 7)

Timeline

1922 / Foundation of a football club in Kleine Sluis, a hamlet to the east of Anna Pauwlona, a village in the far north of the Province of North Holland; the new club, which is non-confessional, takes on the name vv Excelsior, joining the so-called West-Friesche Voetbalbond (WFVB), a local league association.
1923 / Foundation of a football club in Spoorbuurt, a hamlet situated halfway between Anna Pauwlona and the village of Breezand, with Jan van den Berg and Kees Wildenburg being the founding fathers of vv Concordia, which draws its membership from the Roman Catholic communities in the municipality of Anna Pauwlona. The new club joins the WFVB, settling on Terrein Willem Komen, a plot of farmland in Spoorbuurt. Also in 1923, a new club is formed in Breezand proper, BFC, Breezandsche Football Club; like its local rivals, BFC joins the WFVB.
1925 / Leaving the WFVB, which folds in 1926, vv Excelsior and vv Concordia join the so-called Noord-Hollandsche Voetbalbond (NHVB), the North Holland sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association (NVB, later renamed KNVB), with both clubs taking on new names, as vv Excelsior becomes vv Kleine Sluis and vv Concordia changing its name to become Roomsch-Katholieke Voetbalvereeniging (RKVV) Anna Pauwlona – with the name changes being brought about due to older NHVB member clubs already having taken on those denominations. BFC also makes the move to the NHVB, but this club is allowed to retain its original name.
1926 / Clinching the title in NHVB (Sunday) Division 3D, RKVV Anna Pauwlona wins promotion to NHVB Division 2.
1929 / A merger is concluded between BFC and vv Kleine Sluis, resulting in the foundation of Breezand-Kleine Sluis Combinatie, BKC.
1930 / Being expelled from the NHVB membership list after five years due to debts incurred to the association, RKVV Anna Pauwlona is re-established under a new name, RKVV Zwaluwen Anna Pauwlona (ZAP), joining Roman Catholic league association RKF (Roomsch-Katholieke Federatie) – more specifically its sub-branch in the northwest of the Netherlands, the so-called Diocesane Haarlemsche Voetbalbond (DHVB). For the 1930-31 season, RKVV ZAP is placed in DHVB Division 3.
1932 / Foundation of a club in Breezand proper, RKVV Racing Club Breezand (RCB), which settles on a pitch laid out at Zwarteweg (modern-day Burgemeester Lovinkstraat). Like ZAP, RKVV RCB joins the DHVB league association. Also in 1932, the Protestant (Evangelical) community in Breezand forms its own football club, Christelijke Voetbalvereeniging (CVV) Alles Door Oefening (ADO); it is unclear where the pitch of this club was situated.
1934 / CVV ADO joins the so-called CNVB, Christelijke Nederlandsche Voetbalbond.
1935 / Finishing as runner-up behind vv Berdos in DHVB Division 3, RKVV ZAP qualifies for the promotion play-offs, with RKAFC and, again, vv Berdos being its opponents. Following a 2-2 draw away against RKAFC, ZAP wins the play-off round, resulting in the club gaining promotion to DHVB Division 2. Also in 1935, ZAP absorbs RKVV RCB, without changing its name as a result and with all activities moving to Terrein Willem Komen in Spoorbuurt.
1936 / After an existence of barely four years, the last two of which were spent as a member club of the CNVB, CVV ADO folds, ceasing all activities.
1940 / As the RKF and its sub-branch DHVB are abolished under pressure of German occupation authorities following the occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, RKVV ZAP joins the Netherlands’ FA (KNVB, renamed NVB at the behest of the Germans for the duration of the war) – or more specifically its sub-branch Afdeling Noord-Holland, the successor of the pre-war NHVB. For the 1940-41 season, ZAP is placed in a league of Roman Catholic clubs, Afdeling Bijzonder (Sunday) Division 1.
1941 / As the specifically Roman Catholic divisions under the aegis of the NVB are abolished under pressure of German occupation authorities, RKVV ZAP is placed in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 2G.
1942 / As German occupation authorities make life harder and harder for the Catholic column in the Netherlands, RKVV ZAP sees no other option but to fold, ceasing all activities. Much of the membership temporarily leaves for BKC in Kleine Sluis.
1944 / RKVV ZAP is re-established, with a new pitch, Terrein Brandenburg, being laid out on a plot of farmland owned by Jac. van den Berg at Molenvaart, Spoorbuurt.
1945 / In the first post-war season, as the club re-joins the KNVB and Afdeling Noord-Holland, RKVV ZAP is placed in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 2.
1946 / Runaway champions in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 2I, 9 points ahead of its closest followers, RKVV ZAP goes on to win the championship play-off against SV Watervogels Reserves, resulting in the club acceding to Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1. Also in 1946, RKVV ZAP founds its youth academy, while also moving away from Terrein Brandenburg to settle on a newly laid-out pitch, also situated at Molenvaart in Spoorbuurt, at the back of Café Gerrit Mereboer. The new pitch is blessed at its inauguration by the local priest, Fr Verhoeff.
1947 / RKVV ZAP finishes as runner-up in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1C behind champions RKAFC. In the summer of 1947, ZAP signs coach Wil Zuidema from derby rivals SV Geel Zwart ’30. Zuidema, a former Sunday League 2 player at SVV in Schiedam (1929-37 & 1943-45), would go on to lead ZAP in three different spells between 1947 and 1965.
1948 / RKVV ZAP finishes as runner-up in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1C for the second time running, 3 points behind champions BSV Bergen. The successful coach is Wil Zuidema.
1949 / Champions in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1C, RKVV ZAP qualifies for the championship play-offs, in which the club eventually manages a second place, thus gaining promotion alongside vv Schoorl at the expense of SV DESS, LSVV and vv Sporters. The decisive points are clinched in a 6-0 win over vv Sporters, obtained in a tie played at Stadion Alkmaarderhout of vv Alkmaarsche Boys. As such, the club wins an unprecedented promotion to KNVB District West I’s Sunday League 4, the fourth tier of the Netherlands’ football pyramid at the time. The successful coach is Wil Zuidema.
1951 / RKVV ZAP finishes as runner-up in District West I’s Sunday League 4B, 1 point behind champions SV Texel. Also in 1951, 19-year-old defender Kees Kuijs, who had joined RKVV ZAP from BKC several years before, leaves the club, signing a contract with Sunday League 1 club HFC Haarlem, going on to have a subsequent spell at NAC – ultimately hanging up his boots in 1963. During his time in Breda, Kuijs also won no fewer than 43 caps for the Netherlands (1955-62).
1952 / Municipal authorities of Anna Pauwlona purchase a plot of flower bulb fields in Breezand from smallholder C.C. van Geest, for the purpose of constructing a new sports complex for RKVV ZAP.
1955 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 4A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals vv Succes, RKVV ZAP wins direct promotion to Sunday League 3 – no championship play-offs are organised after the 1954-55 season due to extra promotion places being available following the introduction of professional league football in the Netherlands, which lures away many teams in the higher reaches of the Sunday pyramid. Also in 1955, abandoning Terrein Café Gerrit Mereboer at Molenvaart, RKVV ZAP settles at the newly laid-out Sportpark aan het Ceresplein in Breezand proper.
1956 / With a covered stand being added to the set-up, costing RKVV ZAP 13,500 guilders, the new Sportpark aan het Ceresplein in Breezand is officially inaugurated by the mayor of Anna Pauwlona, Mr Mijnlieff. Later on, the park is renamed Sportpark De Zwaluw.
1958 / Foundation of a new football club in Breezand, vv Breezandse Boys. Whereas RKVV ZAP is a Roman Catholic club, vv Breezandse Boys aims to serve the small Protestant (Evangelical) community in the village, which had briefly had its own football club in the 1930s, CVV ADO (1932-36). The new club joins the Saturday divisions of Afdeling Noord-Holland, groundsharing with RKVV ZAP at Sportpark aan het Ceresplein.
1961 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, RKVV ZAP drops back into Sunday League 4 after six years.
1963 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4A, RKVV ZAP descends into the ranks of Afdeling Noord-Holland after fourteen years.
1964 / RKVV ZAP manages a second place in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1C, 2 points behind champions vv SRC.
1965 / Champions in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1C, 6 points ahead of closest followers SV Wieringerwaard, RKVV ZAP qualifies for the championship play-offs, in which the club sails past SV Westfriezen and SVA with two comprehensive wins. As a result, ZAP manages a return to Sunday League 4 after two years. The successful coach is Wil Zuidema.
1967 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4A alongside vv Flevo and SV Watervogels, RKVV ZAP meets these two clubs in a relegation play-off. Going on to suffer defeat in its encounter with both, ZAP drops back into Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1. Following the 1966-67 season, RKVV ZAP merges with local handball club Vliegens Vlug, resulting in the foundation of Sportvereniging (SV) ZAP – thus doing away with the Roman Catholic epithet RK, as so many sports clubs in the Netherlands did following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the deconfessionalisation of the 1960s.
1969 / Finishing as runner-up in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1, behind champions vv Kolping Boys, SV ZAP qualifies for the newly created top division of the NHVB pyramid, Afdeling Noord-Holland Zondag Hoofdklasse.
1970 / Runner-up in Afdeling Noord-Holland Zondag Hoofdklasse, SV ZAP wins promotion to Sunday League 4. Also in 1970, vv Breezandse Boys, groundsharers of SV ZAP at Sportpark aan het Ceresplein, move away to Sportpark Kleine Sluis in Anna Pauwlona, going on to take on the new name SVAP ’74 (Sportvereniging Anna Pauwlona) following its merger with netball club TOG in 1973 – and eventually merging with BKC to become SV Kleine Sluis in 2012.
1971 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West I’s Sunday League 4A, SV ZAP drops back into the ranks of Afdeling Noord-Holland after just one season.
1973 / Coached by Piet Tummer, SV ZAP finishes in second-last place in Afdeling Noord-Holland Zondag Hoofdklasse, thus tumbling back into Division 1 of the said league system. Also in 1973, branches for volleyball and basketball are added to the set-up at SV ZAP.
1978 / Coached by Piet Tummers, SV ZAP finishes bottom of the table in Afdeling Noord-Holland Zondag Hoofdklasse, thus descending into NHVB Sunday Division 1, alongside the club in second-last place, CSV (Castricum).
1982 / The football branch of SV ZAP breaks away from the omnisports club, thus officially becoming Voetbalvereniging (vv) ZAP – with SV ZAP falling apart, as all other branches choose to become independent as well, with the shared facilities henceforth being organised in the newly formed Sportfederatie (SF) ZAP.
1984 / Champions in Afdeling Noord-Holland Sunday Division 1A, 2 points ahead of runner-up VVS ’46, SV ZAP wins promotion to NHVB Zondag Hoofdklasse. The decisive points are clinched in a win over vv DWB. The successful coach is Ton Korevaar. Also in 1984, after works which took the best part of a year, a new clubhouse and sports hall are inaugurated at Sportpark De Zwaluw, following a design by Architectenbureau Fred Groen.
1985 / Runner-up behind BSV Bergen, vv ZAP wins promotion to KNVB District West I’s Sunday League 4 directly, due to extra promotion places being available, after an absence of fourteen years at that level. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-1 away win against the champions. The successful coach is Bart Deckers.
1989 / Former ZAP youth academy player, 18-year-old defender Aloys Wijnker, makes his professional league debut at Telstar.
1990 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 4A, 7 points ahead of closest followers RKVV WGW, vv ZAP wins promotion to Sunday League 3, marking a return to that level after an absence of 29 years. The successful coach is Klaas Bijl.
1991 / Following a two-year spell as a professional league player at Telstar, Aloys Wijnker returns to vv ZAP, going on to have two spells at the club (1991-93, 1994-99) before turning to youth academy coaching at AZ.
1992 / vv ZAP finishes as runner-up in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points behind champions SV De Valken.
1993 / Finishing in joint first place in District West I’s Sunday League 3A with SV De Rijp, vv ZAP goes on to defeat that club in a tie-break match, which takes place at Sportpark Nes Noord in Schagen in front of a crowd of 2,000 (3-0); as such, ZAP wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time. The successful coach is Rob Kramer.
1995 / Finishing as joint runner-up in District West I’s Sunday League 2A with VVSB, 6 points behind champions ASC KBV, vv ZAP qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In those play-offs, the club manages successive wins over VVSB (2-1), AFC DWS (1-3), and SO Soest (8-1), resulting in a historic promotion to Sunday League 1. The successful coach, Rob Kramer, is succeeded by Job Dragtsma.
1996 / In the best season in club history, vv ZAP finishes in fourth place in Sunday League 1A, with only non-league powerhouses USV Elinkwijk, FC Hilversum, and SV Argon obtaining more points. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, ZAP just falls short of another sensational promotion, with successive draws against FC Hilversum (1-1) and SV Argon (0-0) proving insufficient to progress from the group stage. After the 1995-96 season, coach Job Dragtsma leaves the club, eventually going on to have spells as head coach at FC Volendam and FC Inter Turku.
1997 / Coached by Mart Nooij, vv ZAP reaches the final of District West I’s Regional Cup (Districtsbeker), in which the club suffers defeat against RKSV AFC ’34. Following the 1996-97 season, his only year at the helm of ZAP’s first team, Mart Nooij leaves the club, eventually going on to have spells at African club teams Santos FC (South-Africa) and Saint George FC (Ethiopia) as well as the national teams of Mozambique and Tanzania.
1998 / Coached by Peter Tania, former professional league player at Telstar (1987-89), vv ZAP finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 1A, thus descending into Sunday League 2 after three years, along with bottom club RKSV ZPC.
1999 / Champions in Sunday League 2A, 1 point ahead of closest rivals SV WSV ’30, vv ZAP manages an immediate return to Sunday League 1.
2005 / Coached by Gerrit Boerman, vv ZAP finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 1A, resulting in the club being retrograded into Sunday League 2, along with second-last HFC EDO.
2006 / Coached by Goos Stins, vv ZAP finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2A, resulting in the club suffering back-to-back relegations, descending into Sunday League 3 alongside bottom finishers vv HSV.
2008 / vv ZAP finishes as runner-up in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points behind champions vv Kolping Boys.
2009 / The old grandstand at Sportpark De Zwaluw has to make way for a much bigger successor, which follows the design of the stands at Sportpark De Toekomst West and Sportpark De Toekomst Oost in Duivendrecht. Also in 2009, vv ZAP is joined by goalkeeper Wencho Farrell of HCSC, who had previously had spells in the youth academies of FC Groningen and AZ. Farrell had won 5 caps for the Netherlands’ Antilles in 2008, going on to win 2 more for Curaçao in 2011.
2010 / Champions in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, 6 points ahead of closest followers FC Den Helder, vv ZAP manages a return to Sunday League 2 after four years. The successful coach is Sem Wokke.
2011 / Joint runner-up in Sunday League 2A with VSV, 21 points behind runaway champions ASV De Dijk, vv ZAP qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Edging past SV Hoofddorp in R1 (2-2 aggr. & penalty shoot-out), the club goes on to defeat KFC in the final (4-0). As such, vv ZAP manages a return to Sunday League 1 after an absence of six years at that level. The successful coach is Sem Wokke.
2012 / Finishing in third-last place in Sunday League 1A, vv ZAP suffers a 6-5 (aggr.) defeat against SV Concordia in R1 of the promotion-relegation play-offs. As such, the team of coach Sem Wokke drops back into Sunday League 2 after just one season, alongside LVV Roda ’46 and bottom club BVV De Kennemers. Following the 2011-12 season, goalkeeper Wencho Farrell leaves ZAP in favour of HVV Hollandia.
2014 / Following one-year spells at HVV Hollandia and HCSC, Antillean international goalkeeper Wencho Farrell returns to vv ZAP.
2016 / ZAP and Netherlands Antilles’ international goalkeeper Wencho Farrell hangs up his boots at the age of 34.
2017 / Finishing bottom of the table in Sunday League 2A with coach André Rijnders, vv ZAP descends into Sunday League 3 along with SV United-DAVO and ZSGOWMS.
2018 / Runner-up in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, 2 points behind champions FC Den Helder, vv ZAP qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Following a win over RKAV Volendam (zo) in R1 (3-2), the club goes on to knock out vv Texel ’94 in R2 (1-2 A.E.T.). As such, ZAP manages an immediate return to Sunday League 2. In the summer of 2018, ZAP signs a new coach, Hans de Koning. De Koning, a former professional league goalkeeper at AZ ’67, AZ, and FC Twente (1978-93), had previously had spells as a professional league manager at AZ, Fortuna Sittard, FC Dordrecht, TOP Oss, AGOVV Apeldoorn, Helmond Sport, FC Volendam, Go Ahead Eagles, and RKC Waalwijk.
2019 / Having joined FC Volendam as caretaker manager in the course of the 2018-19 season, while still performing his duties as head coach at vv ZAP, Hans de Koning now leaves the club, taking on the role of manager at VVV-Venlo in the 2020-21 season.
2023 / Finishing in eighth place in Sunday League 2A, vv ZAP qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers elimination at the hands of vv Sporting Martinus in R1 (1-0).
2024 / Finishing in third-last place in Sunday League 2A with coach Marcel Ris, vv ZAP goes on to suffer defeat in R1 of the promotion-relegation play-offs against vv Hooglanderveen (0-1). As a result, the club descends into Sunday League 3 alongside RKVV Saenden, vv Assendelft, Schagen United, and bottom club FC Medemblik. In the summer of 2024, Hans de Koning rejoins vv ZAP as head coach for a second spell.
2025 / Runaway champions in District West I’s Sunday League 3A, 15 points ahead of closest followers Schagen United, vv ZAP manages an immediate return to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Hans de Koning.
2026 / Runner-up in Sunday League 2A, 4 points behind champions vv HSV, vv ZAP qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, going on to defeat RKSV RODA ’23 in R2 (3-1, cp. photos below); however, in the final, played at Sportpark De Zwaluw after drawing lots with adversaries – and firm derby rivals vv JVC – ZAP draws the short straw, suffering a 3-1 defeat. Also in 2026, the best footballer ever to have played for ZAP, Kees Kuijs, passes away at the age of 94.

Note 1 – Much of the information above has been derived from two valuable sources; first, there is a booklet published on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of SV ZAP: “Sportvereniging Zwaluwen Anna Pauwlona. Vijftig Zwaluwjaren in vogelvlucht”, by Fred Groen (ed. SV ZAP: Breezand 1980); secondly, there is a more comprehensive book, published on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of vv ZAP: “75 jaar ZAP – 1930-2005. Van knollenveld tot bolwerk”, by Daniël Rewijk (ed. ROWA: Breezand 2005). Thanks to the board of vv ZAP for putting copies of these two publications at my disposal.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two visits to Sportpark De Zwaluw: picture 1 = non-matchday visit, July 2018 / pictures 2-16 = match visit, June 2026.