Extreme Football Tourism: NETHERLANDS: CSV '28

Sportpark De Verbinding, Zwolle Stadshagen (CSV '28)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

3 X 2026 / CSV '28 - SV Nieuwleusen 2-1 / Combined Sunday & Saturday League 1G (= NL level 6)

Timeline

1928 / Foundation of a Reformed Christian football club in Zwolle, Christelijke Sportvereniging (CSV) 1928, during a meeting held at the Eigen Gebouw on Badhuiswal, chaired by Henk Bos. Tom Groeneveld was appointed the club’s first chairman. Following its foundation, CSV '28 rented its first playing field from ZAC at Veerallee for a fee of 1½ Dutch guilders. The foundation of CSV '28 coincides with the foundation of a football club by the less orthodox Dutch Reformed (Nederlands Hervormde) community of Zwolle, CSV Be Quick '28.
1929 / CSV ‘28 moves to its second playing field, known as Het Bleekien, located behind Thijssen's tea garden. The ground was also used by PEC and RKSC Zwolle.
1930 / CSV '28 establishes a permanent home ground at De Pelikaan, situated on Meppelerweg. The ground was owned by a gentleman known locally as Opoe Diek, associated with the well-known Café Dijk. In the same year, CSV ‘28 began competing in Division 1 of the Zwolle district of the so-called Christelijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (CNVB), a football association for Protestant clubs unwilling to play their football on Sundays; this federation had been founded one year previously.
1934 / CSV '28 finishes as runner-up in Division 1 of the Zwolle district of the CNVB, two points behind champions vv DOS Kampen.
1935 / On 27 April, CSV '28 wins the Division 1 title of the CNVB Zwolle district after drawing 2-2 against Go-Ahead Kampen. The club subsequently contests the quarter-finals of the national CNVB championship, where it loses 7-4 to CVV Sparta Enschede in a tie played at a neutral ground in Nijverdal. During this period, CSV ‘28 plays on one of the side-pitches of Sportpark De Vrolijkheid, which was destined to make way for a motorway later on.
1940 / The start of World War II and the occupation of the Netherlands brings about a merger of the CNVB football federation with the official, non-confessional Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB, renamed NVB for the duration of the war). As such, in the 1940-41, CSV ’28 is placed in Saturday Division 1 of Afdeling Zwolle, the western Overijssel NVB sub-branch, organising all football below the level of Sunday & Saturday League 4.
1946 / Having become inactive during the latter stages of World War II, CSV ’28 resumes operations, re-entering competition in Saturday Division 2 of Afdeling Zwolle. The club initially plays on a meadow belonging to a farmer near the Agnietenberg, some kilometres to the north of the city.
1947 / Struggling to field a full team, CSV ’28 is relegated from Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 1 to Division 2.
1948 / CSV '28 leaves the Agnietenberg ground, briefly settling on a field owned by the Reinders salad oil factory.
1949 / CSV '28 leaves the Reinders field, renting a ground at the municipal sports park alongside the Nieuwe Vecht River, a site later used by SC Hanze. Other clubs playing at the sports park at the time include PEC, CSV Be Quick ’28, and RKSC Zwolle. In a small committee room in the new changing-room building, the club begins its first tentative canteen activities.
1951 / CSV ’28 wins the title of Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 2A, finishing 5 points ahead of runner-up vv OWIOS. Under coach E. Gruis, the club subsequently wins the promotion play-offs against Go-Ahead Kampen Reserves (2-1 aggr.), thus securing promotion to Division 1.
1955 / Under coach Jaap Holvast, CSV ’28 wins the title in Afdeling Zwolle Saturday Division 1A, finishing 1 point ahead of closest rivals WZC. The club then competes in the championship play-offs against vv Vroomshoopse Boys and vv Mariënberg. Losing both matches against vv Vroomshoopse Boys, CSV ’28 has the better of vv Mariënberg in both of its encounters with this club, thus finishing as runner-up in the play-offs – sufficient to secure promotion to KNVB District East Saturday Division 4 for the first time.
1960 / CSV ’28 finishes as joint runner-up in District East's Saturday League 4B, level on points with vv HHC and 6 points behind champions ESC.
1961 / CSV ’28 wins the championship of District East’s Saturday League 4B, finishing 1 point ahead of closest followers SV Hatto-Heim. In the subsequent championship play-offs, CSV competes with vv Voorwaarts V and DTS ’35 for two places in Saturday League 3, with CSV '28 and Voorwaarts securing promotion. At the time, League 3 is the highest level available to Saturday football clubs in District East. The successful coach is Leo Halle, the renowned former goalkeeper of DVV Go-Ahead and the Netherlands national team, nicknamed De Leeuw van Deventer ('The Lion of Deventer'). CSV ’28 top scorer is a striker with the proverbial name Hans Schot (26 goals).
1962 / Finishing in joint second-last place in District East’s Saturday League 3 with vv DOS ’37, CSV ’28 goes on to suffer a clear-cut defeat in a tie-break match against the club from Vriezenveen (5-0); as a result, CSV drops back into Saturday League 4. Coach Leo Halle is succeeded by Jan Westerbeek.
1964 / Under coach Jan Westerbeek, CSV ’28 finishes level on points with vv HHC and vv SVI at the top of District East’s Saturday League 4B. A play-off involving the three clubs is therefore required to determine the title and the automatic promotion place. With CSV managing two wins over SVI and a win and a draw against HHC, the club finishes top of the play-off group, thus securing the title and a return to Saturday League 3 after two seasons.
1966 / Finishing in second-last place in District East’s Saturday League 3 with coach Jan Westerbeek, CSV ’28 is relegated to Saturday League 4, alongside bottom-placed vv VRC.
1969 / CSV '28 moves to Veld (Pitch) 5 at Sportpark De Vrolijkheid. One year later, the club is joined at this park by SV Zwolsche Boys, which settles on the main pitch previously used by PEC, which relocates to Sportpark Oosterenk. During this period, CSV ’28 gradually moves away from its traditionally Reformed Christian identity, beginning to admit players from outside the orthodox Christian community, which contributes to the gradual growth of the club in the following decade.
1971 / Under coach Jan Westerbeek, CSV '28 wins the District East's Saturday League 4 championship for the third time, finishing 5 points ahead of vv DKB '44, IJVV, and SV HTC in Saturday League 4B. The title results in the club returning to Saturday League 3 after a five-year gap.
1975 / CSV '28 finishes as runner-up in District East's Saturday League 3A, 2 points behind champions vv Olympia '28.
1976 / Under coach Jan Westerbeek, CSV ’28 wins the title in District East’s Saturday League 3A, thus securing promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time in the club’s history. The end of the season proves dramatic. The match between CSV ’28 and ESC is abandoned after a player of the Elburg side throws the ball at the referee. On May 1st, 1976, the teams play the remaining 26 minutes, with CSV '28 preserving its 1-0 lead under intense pressure. The victory enables the club to finish 1 point ahead of its arch-rivals DTS ’35.
1977 / CSV ’28 moves from Sportpark De Vrolijkheid to the Aa-landen district of Zwolle, taking up residence at the newly laid-out Sportpark Het Hoge Laar, where it acquires its own clubhouse for the first time.
1980 / CSV '28 finishes joint second-bottom in District East’s Saturday League 2D, level with CVV Oranje Nassau Almelo. The two teams contest a tie-break match to determine which club retains its place. In front of 1,500 spectators at Sportpark Bovenmolen in Oldebroek, CSV '28 wins 4-1, thus staving off relegation.
1981 / CSV ’28 finishes as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 2D, 4 points behind champions DTS ’35.
1982 / Finishing bottom of the table in District East’s Saturday League 2D with coach Jan Westerbeek, CSV ’28 is relegated to Saturday League 3.
1983 / CSV ’28 finishes as runner-up in District East's Saturday League 3B, 3 points behind champions CSV Be Quick ’28.
1985 / After 23 years as coach, Jan Westerbeek leaves CSV ’28. That same year, Harold Borns, who had been top scorer for three consecutive seasons, moves to professional club PEC Zwolle ’82 – due to return to CSV after one season only.
1990 / Under coach Ton Heimerinkx, CSV ’28 wins the District East’s Saturday League 3A championship, finishing 4 points ahead of SDS ’55, DTS ’35, and CSV Apeldoorn, thus securing to Saturday League 2. Following the season, talented winger Max Huiberts leaves the club, signing a contract with professional league side FC Zwolle. Huiberts goes on to have spells with Roda JC, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and AZ, before retiring from professional football in 2003.
1991 / CSV ’28 finishes in third place in District East’s Saturday League 2D, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which the team is drawn in a group with ESC and AZSV. Managing a draw against the former (2-2), CSV suffers defeat against the latter (3-0), resulting in its elimination in the group stage.
1993 / CSV ’28 finishes fourth in District East's Saturday League 2D, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which the team manages two draws in the group stage (3-3 against DTS ’35 and 2-2 against ESC), insufficient to progress to the final stage.
1994 / CSV ’28 finishes fourth in District East's Saturday League 2D but qualifies for the promotion play-offs after winning a period title in the 1993-94 season. In the Dutch league system, such a title is awarded for performance during a designated segment of the season, with qualification for the promotion play-offs being the prize. Finishing top in the play-off group stage following wins over AZSV (2-1) and CSV Be Quick ’28 (4-3), CSV ’28 faces Saturday League 1 side SV Spakenburg a deciding match for a place in the first class; however, Spakenburg proves too strong, winning 4-0 and thus denying CSV '28 promotion.
1996 / In spite of a modest ninth place finish in Saturday League 2D with coach Dick Bremmer, CSV ’28 is placed in Saturday League 1 in the new season following the introduction of the Zaterdag Hoofdklasse, a new top division above the first class.
1997 / Finishing in joint ninth place with SVZW in Saturday League 1D, CSV goes on to defeat the club from Wierden in a tie-break at Sportpark De Bovenmolen in Oldebroek, with Taïb Abdelghani scoring the only goal. As such, the club avoids relegation.
1998 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 1C with coach Han Wonink, CSV ’28 is relegated to Saturday League 2, alongside the club in second-last place, CVV Sparta Enschede.
2000 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 2J with coach Bert Rohde, CSV ’28 is relegated to Saturday League 3, along with the club in second-last place, vv ASC '62. The team is coached by Bert Rohde. In the same year, former CSV ’28 youth player Dominggus Lim-Duan makes his professional debut for FC Zwolle at the age of seventeen. The attacking midfielder has subsequent spells at SBV Excelsior and FC Eindhoven before ending his professional career in 2011.
2001 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating CVV Oranje Nassau Almelo in R1 (3-1 aggr.), followed by a 5-3 (aggr.) victory over vv SVI in R2. In the final against vv DOS ‘37, CSV ’28 manages a 1-0 win, with Rutger Smit scoring the decisive goal to secure promotion to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Eddy Zwijnenberg.
2005 / Coached by Marcel Beumer, CSV ’28 finishes bottom of the table in Saturday League 2J, thus dropping back into Saturday League 3 alongside second-bottom vv Bergentheim.
2006 / Runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3C, 8 points behind champions SCD '83, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by CSV DZSV (7-2 aggr.).
2007 / Finishing in fifth place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, CSV '28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against vv Enter Vooruit (3-1 aggr.).
2008 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club manages a 1-1 aggregate draw against CSV DZSV, being eliminated on the away-goals rule. That same year, CSV moves away from Sportpark Het Hoge Laar after 31 years, with hockey club HC Zwolle taking over the location next to the grounds of vv Dieze West, FC Ulu Spor, and vv Storica; meanwhile, CSV settles at a new sports complex in Stadshagen, a newly developed district in the northwestern part of Zwolle. The complex, named Sportpark De Verbinding, provides the club with five grass pitches, two artificial turf pitches (including the main pitch), ten changing rooms, and a spacious canteen with several meeting rooms on the first floor.
2009 / Finishing as runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3C, 3 points behind champions vv ASC ’62, CSV ’28 fails to qualify for the promotion play-offs.
2010 / Finishing in fifth place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers a clear-cut 5-1 aggregate defeat against ZVV De Esch in R1.
2011 / Runner-up in District East’s Saturday League 3C, 8 points behind champions SV Nieuwleusen, CSV ’28 enters the promotion play-offs. For the second consecutive year, the club faces ZVV De Esch in R1 – with the exact same result, a 5-1 aggregate defeat. and loses 5–1 on aggregate, resulting in elimination
2012 / Finishing in third place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 at the hands of vv Hulzense Boys (6-3 aggr.).
2013 / Finishing in eleventh place in District East’s Saturday League 3C with caretaker coach Edwin Kwakkel, who had taken over from Arnie Pot in the early stages of the season, CSV ’28 enters a three-team relegation play-off. However, following successive defeats against vv Bruchterveld (1-0) and KVV Quick ’20 (za) (3-2), the club finishes bottom of the group, thus suffering relegation to Saturday League 4 after an absence of 42 years at that lowly level. Following the disastrous season, Martin Reijnders takes over as coach. Reijnders is a former professional league midfielder who played for PEC Zwolle ’82, PEC Zwolle, FC Zwolle, Nashville Metros, FC Jokerit, FC Haka Valkeakoski, FC Den Bosch, and BV Veendam. During his time with FC Haka, he won the Finnish league title on two occasions. Reijnders had ended his career at FC Zwolle in 2008.
2014 / Former CSV ’28 youth academy player Kingsley Ehizibue makes his professional debut for PEC Zwolle at the age of nineteen. The wing-back goes on to play for for 1. FC Köln, Udinese Calcio, and Genoa CFC.
2017 / Finishing in fifth place in District East's Saturday League 4C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs but loses to CVV Achilles in R1 (5-3 aggr.), resulting in instant elimination. That same year, former CSV '28 youth player Sepp van den Berg makes his professional debut for PEC Zwolle at the age of 16; the defender subsequently plays for Liverpool FC, Preston North End FC, FC Schalke 04, 1. FSV Mainz 05, and Brentford FC. Another former CSV youth player, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, also makes his professional league debut at PEC Zwolle, aged 19; in fact, Reijnders had only spent the 2015-16 season at Sportpark De Verbinding, following spells at the academies of PEC Zwolle and FC Twente. Following his league debut at PEC Zwolle, Reijnders would go on to wear the colours of Jong AZ, AZ, RKC Waalwijk, AC Milan, Manchester City, and Al-Qadsiah FC, while making his debut for the Netherlands’ national side in 2023; he was part of his country’s squads in the 2024 European Championships and the 2026 World Cup.
2018 / Finishing in fourth place in District East’s Saturday League 4C, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats WZC in R1 (2-0), going on to edge past vv Bruchterveld in R2 (3-2 A.E.T.; 2 goals by Rachid Lazal, 1 more by Mohammed El Bouhni). As such, the club secures promotion to Saturday League 3. The successful coach is Martin Reijnders.
2019 / CSV '28 and coach Martin Reijnders part ways midway through the season, with Emiel Diender taking over as manager. CSV ’28 finishes in second-last place in District East’s Saturday League 3C, going on to suffer defeat in a promotion-relegation play-off against vv Elspeet (1-4). As such, CSV descends into Saturday league 4 along with bottom-placed VSW.
2020 / Former CSV '28 youth player Rav van den Berg, Sepp’s younger brother, makes his professional debut for PEC Zwolle at the age of sixteen. The defender subsequently played for Middlesbrough FC and 1. FC Köln.
2023 / Finishing in second place in District East’s Saturday League 4E, with an equal numbe of points as champions vv 's-Heerenbroek, but with an inferior goal difference (+32 vs. +44), CSV ’28 misses out on direct promotion. In the play-offs, the club knocks out SV Rijssen in R1 (4-0), bowing out in R2 against SV Juliana ’31 (za) (2-0).
2024 / Under coach Sebastiaan Borgardijn, CSV ’28 clinches the District East’s Saturday League 4B title, finishing 1 point ahead of rivals FC Ulu Spor to secure promotion to Saturday League 3.
2025 / CSV '28 are runaway winners of the District East's Saturday League 3D championship, finishing 20 points ahead of closest followers FC Zuidwolde, thus managing back-to-back promotions and acceding to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is John Beijen.
2026 / Finishing in third place in Saturday League 2H, CSV ’28 qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club defeats vv Den Ham in R1 (1-4) and vv ATC '65 in R2 (1-2). As a result, the club wins its third promotion in a row, marking its return to Saturday League 1 after an absence of 28 years at that level. The successful coach is John Beijen.