NETHERLANDS: vv Puth (1993-2016)

Sportterrein In 't Veldje, Puth (formerly vv Puth)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

June 2025 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1963 / In Puth, a hamlet in the south of the Netherlands’ part of Limburg, a football pitch is laid out at the back of the local playground at Beatrixstraat. Stopping short of founding a veritable football club, the local playground association has in mind to create a pitch to allow local youths to have a kickabout. The pasture, in use as a fruit orchard until that point, is put at the association’s disposal by the two owners, Mr Alofs and Mr Lemans. After the remaining thirty trees have been removed and the meadow levelled, a pitch is laid out, with the facilities being blessed upon their completion by the village priest, Fr Lebens. Two recreational teams are put together; Spaarkas, the team of Café Janssen, and Nooit Gedacht, put together of inhabitants of the village’s post-war neighbourhood. An inaugural match is held between the two teams. 
• 1964 / Players of the two recreational teams in Puth take the decision to join forces to apply for membership of the Limburg sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB), Afdeling Limburg. However, due to the measurements of the pitch at Beatrixstraat not being in accordance with KNVB regulations, the request is turned down. In the following years, a team of players from Puth takes part in recreational tournaments across the southeast of Limburg, mainly held in the summer months (referred to in the Netherlands as ‘zomeravondvoetbal’, literally translated, summer evening football).
• 1966 / After having taken part as a unified force in the preceding years, the players of Nooit Gedacht and Spaarkas take the decision to officially merge into one as Puther Boys, with the club starting its life with one senior squad as well as two youth teams. In the following years, the club is a regular feature at recreational football tournaments in Limburg.
• 1968 / With the pitch at Beatrixstraat having to be given up for housing, Puther Boys has to move all of its training sessions and home matches to the facilities of nearby KNVB club SV Sweikhuizer Boys, Terrein Bergstraat. 
• 1970 / After two years of groundsharing with SV Sweikhuizer Boys at Terrein Bergstraat, Puther Boys ceases its activities. Notwithstanding the adverse circumstances, in the following years, a delegation of footballers from Puth continues to take part in the odd summer tournament using the name Puther Boys.
• 1976 / Puther Boys is officially re-established on June 5th, 1976 – however, only as an indoor football club. Around that same time, a second indoor football club sees the daylight in Puth; Tilly Boys, named after Tilly Smeets, the wife of the canteen manager at the local parish hall, where matches are played. In the following years, the two teams in Puth develop a staunch rivalry, with both of them celebrating several titles in indoor football competitions.
• 1990 / Following a positive advice by the Netherlands’ Football Association about the creation of a football pitch in Puth, the local community offers a petition with more than 1,600 signatures – over double the number of inhabitants of the village of Puth – to Schinnen’s municipal authorities, requesting support from the townhall in the creation of a club in Puth. The authorities indicate they are only willing to intervene on the condition that the two indoor football clubs merge into one football club.
• 1991 / A merger is concluded between Puther Boys and Tilly Boys, resulting in the foundation of a field football club in Puth, which takes on the name Voetbalvereniging (vv) Puth. A first proposal by Puther Boys to take on the name Puther Boys, on the grounds that this name would include the first word of Puther Boys and the second of Tilly Boys, is naturally rejected by the membership of the latter – only underlining the still existing rivalry between the two. On the first board meeting on July 19th, 1991, Jo van de Broek is elected as vv Puth’s first chairman.
• 1992 / After one year of preparation, vv Puth is the first-ever club from Puth to join the Netherlands’ Football Association, being placed in (Sunday) Division 4N of Afdeling Limburg, the Limburg sub-branch of the Netherlands’ FA, organising all football in the Province of Limburg below the level of District South II’s (Sunday) League 4. Meanwhile, works have gotten underway on the laying out of a football pitch at Sittarderweg. Due to the building works on the clubhouse and the pitch taking longer than expected, vv Puth has to play the 1992-93 season as groundsharers at Terrein Bergstraat, the ground of neighbouring club SV Sweikhuizer Boys.
• 1993 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Limburg’s Division 4N in its first competitive season, vv Puth wins promotion to Afdeling Limburg Division 3. Towards the end of the successful season, on April 29th, 1993, the newly laid-out Sportpark In ‘t Veldje at Sittarderweg in Puth, consisting of just one pitch, is inaugurated with a gala match between vv Puth and professional league club Roda JC, ending in an emphatic 20-0 win for the top flight side from Kerkrade (5 goals by Stefan Janssen, 4 by Michel Haan, 2 by Berthil ter Avest & Peter Hofstede, 1 by Michel Broeders, Eric van der Luèr, Erwin Vandenbroeck, Max Huiberts, Roel Doomen, Bernd Romero, and reserve goalkeeper Roy Derksen). On the following Sunday, May 2nd, the pitch is officially blessed by Fr Kleynen, Puth’s village priest, in a special mass held in a tent on the football pitch itself.
• 1994 / Winning its second title in a row, vv Puth finishes in first place in Afdeling Limburg’s Division 3J, thus gaining promotion to Division 2 of this league pyramid.
• 1996 / As Afdeling Limburg and all other KNVB sub-branches are abolished in a reorganisation of the football pyramid, vv Puth is placed in the newly created Sunday League 6 of District South II.
• 1999 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 6B, vv Puth goes on to win the promotion play-offs to accede to Sunday League 5.
• 2000 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 5B, 8 points ahead of closest followers RKVV Heksenberg, vv Puth wins promotion to Sunday League 4 – the club’s fourth promotion in existence of eight years. Also in 2000, SV Sweikhuizer Boys, the club where vv Puth had groundshared in its first competitive season (1992-93), folds after an existence of 54 years. Terrein Bergstraat in Sweikhuizen is abandoned.
• 2001 / In the best season in club history, vv Puth finishes in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4D. The successful coach is Paul Barra.
• 2007 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 4C with coach Guido Leunissen, vv Puth drops back into Sunday League 5, along with the club in second-last place, vv Passart.
• 2008 / Coached by Marcel Krijnen, vv Puth finishes bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 5C, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, descending into Sunday League 6 along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Mariarade. In the following seasons, vv Puth would find itself near the bottom of the bottom division of District South’s league pyramid.
• 2013 / Dirk-Jan Derksen joins vv Puth as its head coach. Derksen, an inhabitant of Puth, is a former professional league striker, who had an eighteen-year long (1990-2008), very colourful career with spells at BVV Den Bosch, FC Den Bosch, Roda JC, MVV, Dordrecht ’90, FC Zwolle, FK Austria Wien, Cambuur-Leeuwarden, BV Emmen, Fortuna Sittard, VVV-Venlo, and Helmond Sport. Derksen combines his role as coach in Puth with a job as a trainer at Roda JC Kerkrade's youth academy.
• 2014 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 6A, vv Puth qualifies for the promotion play-offs, being drawn in a group with vv Sanderbout and SV Vilt, with two places in Sunday League 5 at stake. Winning its match against vv Sanderbout (3-2) and losing its away match in Vilt (3-2), vv Puth finishes in second place in the group, enough to reclaim its place in Sunday League 5 after an absence of six years. The successful coach is Dirk-Jan Derksen.
• 2016 / In its last season as an independent club, vv Puth finishes bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 5B with just 4 points (originally 7, but the club suffered a three-point penalty in the course of the season). Following the 2015-16 season, vv Puth concludes a merger with RKSV Schinnen and RKVV ADVEO, resulting in the foundation of vv Alfa Sport. Given that RKVV Schinnen had moved to the newly laid-out Sportpark De Pollack Zuid, adjacent to RKVV ADVEO’s Sportpark De Pollack Noord, in 2007, the logical option is chosen to merge the two parks into one upon the merger. RKVV Schinnen’s main pitch is chosen as vv Alfa Sport’s main pitch, with two side pitches of ADVEO’s park being incorporated into the new set-up. RKVV ADVEO’s main pitch is abandoned, as is vv Puth’s Sportpark In ‘t Veldje; the clubhouse in Puth is retained as a community home.

Note – Most of the information concerning the period 1963-1992 has been derived from an article by Michel Drenth from 2012, which used to be part of the (now defunct) website of vv Puth. Further crucial information regarding the club’s performances in the 1990s was provided by Joost Voncken. Thanks to both gentlemen for their help!

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

NETHERLANDS: FC Hoensbroek

Sportpark Overbroek, Hoensbroek (FC Hoensbroek)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

15 VI 2025 / RKSV Bekkerveld - vv Alfa Sport 4-2 A.E.T. / Sunday Leagues 1 & 2, promotion-relegation play-off final - neutral venue (= NL levels 6 & 7)

Timeline

• 1936 / Foundation of a football club in Hoensbroek, a town to the east of Heerlen in the south of the Netherlands’ half of Limburg. The new club is given the name Football Club Hoensbroek, abbreviated as FCH. Unlike many other clubs in the region, FCH does not join the RKLVB, Limburg’s sub-branch of the Roman Catholic football association RKF – successfully applying for membership of the Limburgse Voetbalbond (LVB), the Limburg sub-branch of the official Netherlands’ Football Association (KNVB).
• 1937 / Foundation of a new football club in Hoensbroek, which, strikingly, takes on a German name, Glück Auf. This new club joins the RKLVB, being placed in RKLVB Division 2D for the 1937-38 season.
• 1938 / Glück Auf changes its name to become SHS – the meaning of this acronym being unclear.
• 1939 / Following two promotions in the ranks of the LVB, FCH wins promotion to the lowest regular KNVB Division in District South, (Sunday) League 3.
• 1940 / Going from strength to strength, FCH wins the title in its first season in League 3, 1 point ahead of runners-up SV Schuttersveld. There is no promotion to Sunday League 2 on the table, however, probably due to no championship play-offs being held due to the mobilisation of the Netherlands’ army and the subsequent invasion of the country by the Germans. Also in 1940, following the occupation, all football associations except for the official Netherlands’ FA (renamed NVB for the duration of the war) cease their activities to prevent being wound up by German authorities. As so many other RKF clubs, SHS now joins the NVB, being placed in the ranks of its Limburg sub-branch LVB, which is officially renamed Afdeling Limburg that same year.
• 1942 / SHS is absorbed into FCH without the latter club changing its name as a result.
• 1944 / In its last competitive season, FCH finishes in sixth place in one of District South’s League 3 divisions. No league football is played in 1944-45 in any part of the Netherlands.
• 1945 / After one year of inactivity, FCH allows itself to be absorbed into SV Hoensbroek, which, in its turn, would go on to conclude a merger with SC Emma in 1964, resulting in the foundation of EHC (Emma-Hoensbroek Combinatie).
• 1946 / In Nieuw-Lotbroek, a neighbourhood of Hoensbroek, FCH is re-established with a new name, Rooms-Katholieke Football Club Hoensbroek (RKFCH), with Thei Bodde being mentioned by sources as the club’s founding father. At the founding meeting at Café Station, Mr Peukens is chosen as the new club’s first chairman, with Fr Moonen taking over the role of spiritual advisor – an obligatory feature in any Roman Catholic club at that time. A pitch is laid out for the club at the crossroads of Prins Hendrikstraat and Stationsstraat, in the immediate vicinity of the Plaatwellerij machine factory. Having been founded too late to be allowed to take part in the 1946-47 season in Afdeling Limburg, RKFCH has to content itself with friendly matches, the first of which results in a 3-1 defeat against RKVV Waubach.
• 1947 / Making its debut as a competitive club in the ranks of the KNVB, RKFCH is placed in Afdeling Limburg (Sunday) Division 2.
• ± 1950 / Moving away from its first ground at Prins Hendrikstraat, RKFCH now settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Overbroekerstraat, at the back of Café Doven.
• 1953 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 2, RKFCH wins promotion to Division 1 of this league system.
• 1954 / With the decisive points being obtained in an encounter against its last remaining rival, SV Kakertse Boys (2-1), RKFCH clinches the title in Afdeling Limburg Division 1, thus acceding to KNVB District South II’s (Sunday) League 4 for the first time.
• 1956 / RKFCH finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 3 points behind champions KVC Oranje.
• 1960 / RKFCH crowns itself champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RKSVV Olympia. The decisive points are clinched in the last match of the season against RKSNE (5-3). Following the title, the club takes part in the championship play-offs against RVU, RKVV Urmondia, and RKSV Rapid to contest two places in Sunday League 3. Managing a second place against RKVV Urmondia, RFCH achieves promotion to that level for the first time. The decisive point is obtained in the away match at RVU. The successful coach is Willy Groen. In the summer of 1960, RKFCH abandons Terrein Overbroekerstraat, settling at the newly laid-out Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek at Frisostraat – in fact often referred to as Sportpark Prinsenstraat, due to the fact that Frisostraat is a side-road of this thoroughfare. The new facilities are inaugurated with a gala match against professional league side SV Limburgia. 
• 1964 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, RKFCH drops back into Sunday League 4 after four seasons, along with the club in second-last position, RKVV Schimmert.
• ± 1968 / A clubhouse is added to the set-up at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek.
• 1971 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 1 point ahead of closest followers VCT, RKFCH achieves a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of nine years. On the last day of the season, RKFCH manages an away win at GVCG (1-3), while VCT suffers defeat on their own pitch at the hands of lowly RKVV Mariarade (0-1). RKFCH’s successful coach is Hans Kessels. In the summer of 1971, RKFCH changes its name to become FC Hoensbroek. In December 1971, fate strikes, as the dressing rooms and equipment shed at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek, all constructed in wood, are consumed in a fire. The facilities are rebuilt in the following months thanks to donations from various other clubs, including AFC Ajax.
• 1972 / Finishing bottom of the table in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek suffers relegation to Sunday League 4 along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Waubach.
• 1974 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 5 points behind champions RKVV De Leeuw.
• 1975 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C with RKSV Sylvia, FC Hoensbroek meets the club from Landgraaf in a tie-break match, played at SV Limburgia’s ground, Sportterrein aan de Venweg, in front of some 4,500 spectators. Going on to win the encounter (3-2), FC Hoensbroek manages a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of three years.
• 1979 / The clubhouse at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek is extended, with a boardroom being added to the set-up.
• 1981 / Finishing in second-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B with RKSVV Olympia, FC Hoensbroek meets the club from Schinveld in a tie-break match, played at SV Langeberg’s ground, which results in a 2-0 win. As a result, the club staves off relegation.
• 1982 / Finishing in joint-last place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 4 along with bottom club RKVV Waubachse Boys.
• ± 1983 / A covered stand is added to the set-up at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek.
• 1988 / Finishing in joint first place in District South II’s Sunday League 4D with vv Treebeek, FC Hoensbroek goes on to meet the club from Heerlen in a tie-break match, played at EHC’s Sportpark De Dem West. As the first encounter ends in a 2-2 draw (A.E.T.), vv Treebeek goes on to win a second match, played at the same venue. As such, FC Hoensbroek misses out on promotion.
• 1989 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 6 points behind champions LHBMC.
• 1990 / FC Hoensbroek finishes as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4D, 1 point behind champions VKC ’89. Before the last match of the season, FC Hoensbroek was in joint first place along with not only VKC ’89, but RKDFC as well. With FC Hoensbroek and RKDFC drawing their encounter (1-1) attended by over 1,000 spectators, VKC ’89 clinched the title by winning its last match. In the promotion play-offs, a new feature from the 1989-90 season onwards, FC Hoensbroek was eliminated in R1 by RKSNE (2-1).
• 1991 / Finishing as runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, 2 points behind champions RKBSV, FC Hoensbroek goes on to win the promotion play-offs via a 2-0 defeat of SV Coriovallum. As such, the club manages a return to Sunday League 3 after an absence of nine seasons.
• 1992 / Finishing in tenth place in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 4 after just one season, along with RKVV Vijlen, RKVV Weltania, and bottom club RKVV Voerendaal. 
• 1993 / Finishing in fourth place in District South II’s Sunday League 4C, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, reaching the final, played at RKSV Minor’s ground, in which the club edges past RKVV Voerendaal (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out, in which goalkeeper Roger Bijlsma stops three of Voerendaal’s five penalties). As such, the club manages an immediate return to Sunday League 3.
• 1998 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 1 point behind champions RKSV Wit Groen VC, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers elimination at the hands of NEC ’92 in R1 (4-1).
• 1999 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 7 points ahead of closest followers SV Simpelveld, FC Hoensbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time in club history. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-1 away win at vv Walram in the second-last match of the season. The successful coach is Paul Bisschops.
• 2000 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by vv RIOS ’31 (4-3 aggr.).
• 2001 / Finishing in third place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RKSV Blerick (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
• 2003 / Coached by former professional league midfielder Roger Knarren (contract player at MVV, 1992-97), FC Hoensbroek finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 2G, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 after four seasons, along with the club in second-last place, RKVV Buchten.
• 2006 / Moving away from Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek at Frisostraat (Prinsenstraat), FC Hoensbroek moves to the newly laid-out Sportpark Overbroek, situated at Frederikstraat, where the club has the luxury of three pitches, of which two – including the main pitch – have a synthetic surface. The clubhouse at the new park has been designed by the Moederscheim-Moonen architecture firm. The covered stand which had graced the main pitch at Sportpark Nieuw-Lotbroek from the early 1980s onward is taken along and rebuilt at the new location. 
• 2007 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 4 points behind champions SC Susteren, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out against vv Scharn. Also in the 2006-07 season, the club reaches the quarterfinals of District South II’s Regional Cup (Districtsbeker), in which elimination is suffered at the hands of RKSV Groene Ster.
• 2008 / Champions in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 3 points ahead of runners-up RKVV Almania, FC Hoensbroek wins promotion to Sunday League 2 after an absence of five years at that level. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-0 away win at SV Haslou in the last match of the season, with Rick Merken scoring both goals. The successful coach is Wim Zagar.
• 2009 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2G, 3 points behind champions Laura Hopel Combinatie, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past RKVV Volharding in R1 (draw on aggregate & penalty shoot-out) before bowing out against SV Someren in R2 (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
• 2010 / Finishing in fifth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by SVC 2000 (6-3 aggr.).
• 2011 / Finishing in fourth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of BSV Limburgia in R1 (5-3 aggr.), only to be eliminated in R2 by HVV Helmond (8-4 aggr.).
• 2012 / Jacques van Dijck, FC Hoensbroek's treasurer, withdraws from the club's board after a tenure of many years. In recognition of his merits for the club, the covered stand at Sportpark Overbroek is renamed Jacques van Dijck-tribune; all the more appropriate, given how much energy Van Dijck had invested in the negotations with Heerlen’s municipal authorities in the years running up to the move to the new ground.
• 2013 / Finishing in twelfth place in Sunday League 2G, FC Hoensbroek has to save its skin in a set of promotion-relegation play-offs. Having the better of PSV ’35 in R1 (8-3 aggr.), the club is knocked out in R2 by SVME (4-3 aggr.). Due to extra places in Sunday League 2 being available, a lucky loser competition is held, in which FC Hoensbroek defeats RKSV Leonidas-W (4-0). As a result, the club stays up by the skin of its teeth.
• 2014 / Coached by Ger Vroomen, FC Hoensbroek finishes in twelfth place in Sunday League 2G, thus having to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs for the second year running to avoid the drop. Eliminating OVCS in R1 (8-2 aggr.), the club suffers defeat at the hands of FC Geleen-Zuid in R2 (4-3 aggr.). As such, FC Hoensbroek drops back into Sunday League 3 after six seasons, along with RKHSV and bottom club RKVV Vaesrade.
• 2016 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 7 points behind champions RKVV Veritas, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past SCM in R1 (6-5 aggr.). Subsequently, the club is drawn into a group with SVME and SHH, managing a 3-0 away win at the former and a 2-2 draw against the latter. Due to SHH also having beaten SVME 3-0, a penalty shoot-out has to determine which club will accede to Sunday League 2 – and with FC Hoensbroek drawing the lucky straw, the club eventually wins promotion. The successful coach is Roger André.
• 2017 / Champions in Sunday League 2G, 6 points ahead of closest followers Geusselt Sport, FC Hoensbroek manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to Sunday League 1 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Roger André.
• 2018 / Coached by Roger André, FC Hoensbroek finishes bottom of the table in Sunday League 1G, thus descending into Sunday League 2 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, RKWSV Wilhelmina ’08. 
• 2019 / Finishing in second-last place in Sunday League 2G with coach René Smeets, FC Hoensbroek suffers its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with RKVV Heksenberg and bottom club SV Simpelveld.
• 2023 / Runners-up in District South II’s Sunday League 3B, 5 points behind champions vv Alfa Sport, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out vv Spaubeek (4-2) to qualify for the final against RKSV Heer, played at FC Gulpen’s Sportterrein aan de Ringweg. However, suffering an emphatic 5-1 defeat, FC Hoensbroek has to leave the honours to the club from Maastricht.
• 2024 / Finishing in third place in District South II’s Sunday League 3A, FC Hoensbroek qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by SV Budel (3-1).

Note – Thanks to FC Hoensbroek’s chairman Karel Knaps for providing some crucial additional information included in the write-up above.

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

NETHERLANDS: GVAV-Rapiditas

Sportcentrum Kardinge veld 2, Groningen (GVAV-Rapiditas)

Netherlands, province: Groningen

9 VI 2025 / GVAV-Rapiditas - SV Twedo 3-1 / Districts North & East, Sunday League 2 - relegation play-off (= NL level 7)

Timeline

• 1915 / Foundation of a football club in the city of Groningen, which takes on the name Unitas. The club settles on a pitch laid out at the back of the laundry shop of Mr Kloppenburg at Frieschestraatweg. Unitas joins the so-called GVB or Groninger Voetbalbond, the Groningen sub-branch of the Netherlands’ Football Association NVB (later renamed KNVB).
• 1916 / Moving away from Terrein Kloppenburg, Unitas settles at a newly laid-out pitch at Peizerweg.
• 1917 / Abandoning Terrein Peizerweg after just one year, Unitas settles on a newly laid-out pitch, Terrein Keuning, situated in the southern neighbourhood Helpman. Also in 1917, an athletics club sees the daylight in Groningen, Groningsche Athletiekvereeniging (GAV) Rapiditas. This club was a breakaway of another athletics club, GRA Groningen. GAV Rapiditas had a football branch which played in the GVB under the name Rapid.
• 1919 / Either in 1919 or 1917 – the available sources present conflicting information – Unitas changes its name to become Groningsche Voetbal- en Athletiekvereeniging, abbreviated as GVAV. According to the (ostensibly) most reliable source, the club had to change its name when it won promotion from the ranks of GVB to NVB District North’s (Sunday) League 3, which was in 1919. Also in 1919, GVAV as well as GAV Rapiditas move to Terrein Stadspark, a vast recreational area newly laid out by Groningen’s city-council on the southwestern outskirts of the city.
• 1920 / In its first season in District North’s League 3, GVAV manages a respectable second place, 4 points behind a side from Assen called Attila.
• 1921 / In its last season as an independent club, GVAV finishes in fourth place in District North’s League 3. In mid-1921, GVAV and GAV Rapiditas conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Groningsche Sportvereeniging (GSV) GVAV-Rapiditas, with A.J.G. Strengholt being the new club’s first chairman. Football and athletics are not the only two branches of sports of the new merger club, with swimming, gymnastics, and walking sports also being part of the myriad of activities. Due to the football branch taking over the place of GVAV in League 3, locals hardly ever use the full club name GVAV-Rapiditas when referring to the football team.  
• 1922 / GSV GVAV-Rapiditas (referred to by its colloquial name GVAV below) finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3A, 3 points behind champions vv Warffum.
• 1923 / Champions in District North’s League 3A, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv Winschoten, GVAV accedes to League 2 for the first time.
• 1926 / Finishing in joint first place in District North’s League 2B with vv Bato, GVAV meets the club from Winschoten in a tie-break match, played at HSC’s Terrein Achter Hommes in Sappemeer. Going on to win the match 2-1 (goals by Teun Prins & Fré van der Velde), GVAV qualifies for the championship play-offs against vv Sneek and the aforementioned HSC. Proceeding to win this competition, with a 2-1 home win over vv Sneek proving decisive, the club eventually wins promotion to (Sunday) League 1, the top division of the Netherlands’ football pyramid at the time. In the following years, GVAV hardly ever makes headlines, with city-rivals GV&QV Be Quick and GVV Velocitas being far more successful. Importantly, also in 1926, the footballers of GSV GVAV-Rapiditas move to the newly laid-out Veld II (Pitch 2) at Terrein Stadspark, the first football pitch to have facilities for spectators in the shape of three stands, all on one side of the ground, of which the middle one has been equipped with a roof. Until 1929, and then from 1933 onwards, GVAV shares Stadspark Veld II with GVV Velocitas. The lower teams of both clubs, as well as a smaller local club called GVV, make use of the side-pitch of Terrein Stadspark, often referred to as Terrein Renbaan (probably the pitch used by GVAV’s first team between 1919 and 1926).
• 1933 / At the behest of Groningen’s city-council, a new set of football pitches has been laid out at Zaagmuldersweg in the Oosterparkwijk neighbourhood on the eastern outskirts of the city-centre. At the outset, the main pitch of the so-called Oostersportpark, later referred to universally as Oosterpark, does not have any facilities for spectators. Due to this fact, the League 1 clubs in the city are reluctant to move into the new park, with lower league side BRC (Blauw Rood Combinatie, founded in 1922 as DOSKO) being the only football club to make use of the new facilities in the 1933-34 season.
• 1934 / Moving away from Terrein Stadspark Veld II and Terrein Renbaan, the football branch of GSV GVAV-Rapiditas moves all its activities to the Oostersportpark as groundsharers of BRC, with the athletics branch staying behind at Stadspark.
• 1935 / GVAV manages a second place in District North’s League 1, 4 points behind champions GVV Velocitas.
• 1937 / GVV Velocitas star striker Otto Bonsema joins GVAV after a brush with KNVB authorities due to allegedly having accepted payment for his activities as a footballer – an almost deadly sin in the days when professional league football was strictly forbidden in the Netherlands. Having won his first cap for the Netherlands’ national side in 1932 and having received several more call-ups in subsequent years, Bonsema goes on to add one more cap to his tally during his time at GVAV, being part of his country’s squad in a 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Belgium in 1939. Bonsema would play a pivotal part in GVAV’s first League 1 title in 1940, while remaining at the club as a coach after his playing career.
• ± 1938 / Earthen ramparts are added to the Oostersportpark as a first facility for spectators. However, it would take until the post-war years before the ground would be recreated, step by step, as a veritable stadium.
• 1940 / Sensationally, after years of being dominated by city-rivals GVV Velocitas, GVAV manages its first and only title in District North’s League 1, 9 points ahead of closest followers HSC and vv Veendam. The decisive points are clinched in a 4-2 home win over vv Heerenveen. Due to the occupation of the Netherlands by the German army in May 1940, the nationwide title competition has to be postponed by two months. Eventually, GVAV finishes in last place in this competition, far behind winners RVV Feijenoord, with ASV Blauw-Wit, AVC Heracles, and V&AV Juliana being the other participants.
• 1942 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 15 points behind runaway champions vv Heerenveen.
• 1945 / BRC, the club with which GVAV shares the Oostersportpark, concludes a three-way merger with Groen Wit (founded in 1933) and Oostelijke Boys (founded as Velox in 1930), resulting in the foundation of vv Oosterparkers.
• 1946 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 6 points behind champions vv Heerenveen.
• 1950 / GVAV finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 1, 13 points behind runaway champions vv Heerenveen.
• 1954 / As the Netherlands’ FA finally gives in to the pleas to allow professional league football, GVAV is one of two clubs from Groningen to take the leap, along with GV&QV Be Quick (renamed GSV Be Quick that same year). One year later, GVV Velocitas and vv Oosterparkers would follow suit. For a full survey of GVAV’s professional league adventures, check the article dedicated to successor club FC Groningen / Stadion Euroborg.
• 1957 / The first stone of the new-to-be-built B ground of GVAV, the so-called Van Starkenborghcomplex, is laid by GVAV founding father Jac. Haccou on January 27th, 1957, with the ground being inaugurated on May 11th of the same year by Groningen’s mayor Jan Tuin. In the following years, this ground was used by GSV GVAV-Rapiditas’ lower teams. 
• 1963 / With the professional league club GVAV suffering under an ever-increasing amount of debt, GSV GVAV-Rapiditas receives the support from Groningen’s city-council and a collective of local entrepreneurs, with each of the three parties taking over one-third of the ownership of a new foundation, separating the professional league football club from GSV GVAV-Rapiditas under the official name Stichting Betaald Voetbal (SBV) GVAV. Now that the professional leaguers have become a separate entity, GSV GVAV-Rapiditas files a request to the Netherlands’ FA to be allowed to enter GVAV’s former third team as its regular first team in the non-league pyramid, but no permission is given as yet, due to FA authorities still considering GSV GVAV-Rapiditas and SBV GVAV as one and the same club.
• 1964 / After failed merger talks between SBV GVAV and GSV Be Quick, the latter club voluntarily withdraws into non-league, leaving GVAV as the only professional league club in Groningen.
• 1965 / After two years of fruitless pleas following the creation of the separate entity SBV GVAV, the club’s third team is finally allowed into the non-league pyramid under the ‘old’ club name GVAV-Rapiditas (without the ‘old’ prefix GSV), being placed in Sunday League 4. GVAV-Rapiditas plays its home matches at the Van Starkenborghcomplex. 
• 1966 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 4D, 7 points ahead of closest followers vv Gruno, GVAV-Rapiditas crowns its first season as a non-league club with promotion to Sunday League 3. The successful coach is Jan Hardenbol.
• 1968 / GVAV-Rapiditas finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3B, 4 points behind champions vv Helpman.
• 1969 / GVAV-Rapiditas finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3B for the second year running, 6 points behind champions vv Harkema-Opeinde.
• 1970 / GVAV-Rapiditas finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3B for the third year running, 3 points behind champions vv Roden. In September 1970, as GVAV-Rapiditas still finds itself burdened by the debts incurred prior to the creation of SBV GVAV in 1963, the non-league club announces its withdrawal from the joint venture once and for all as of mid-1971.
• 1971 / As the separation between GVAV-Rapiditas and SBV GVAV has now been completed, the latter chooses to take on the new name FC Groningen. That same year, GVAV-Rapiditas is joined at the Van Starkenborghcomplex by another club, DIO-Groningen, which is allowed to use the pitch farthest away from the ground’s clubhouse as its main pitch.
• 1972 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 3D, 2 points ahead of runners-up vv Helpman, GVAV-Rapiditas wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The decisive points are obtained in a 3-2 away win at vv Rolder Boys. The successful coach is Jan de Grooth.
• 1976 / Coached by Gabe Westerdiep, GVAV-Rapiditas finishes in second-last place in District North’s Sunday League 2A, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club vv Dokkum.
• 1977 / GVAV-Rapiditas finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3D, 5 points behind champions vv Musselkanaal.
• 1981 / The facilities of GVAV-Rapiditas’ athletics branch at Sportpark Stadspark are completely renovated and upgraded.
• 1984 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 3B, 1 point ahead of closest rivals SV Olyphia, GVAV-Rapiditas manages a return to Sunday League 2 after an absence of eight seasons. The decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 away win at SV Marum. The successful coach is Henk Polman. After the season, the team’s talented top scorer, 20-year-old Willem van der Ark, is signed by professional league side SC Cambuur. Van der Ark would go on to have spells at Willem II, Aberdeen FC, FC Utrecht, and ADO Den Haag, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1996.
• 1988 / Following a thorough renovation, the new clubhouse of the Van Starkenborgcomplex is inaugurated by Otto Roffel, a legendary former GVAV player who defended the goal of the club’s first team for seventeen seasons (1947-64).
• 1989 / Having spent its entire history at the Oosterparkstadion, vv Oosterparkers, former professional league side and groundsharers with FC Groningen at the stadium, now move into the Van Starkenborghcomplex as groundsharers of GVAV-Rapiditas and DIO-Groningen. As its two neighbours, vv Oosterparkers has the luxury of its own main pitch at the ground.
• 1991 / Former GVAV-Rapiditas youth academy striker Martin Drent makes his professional league debut at FC Groningen at the age of 21. Drent would go on to have spells at FC Groningen and two other northern clubs, BV Veendam and BVO Emmen, eventually hanging up his boots in 2007, having scored 110 goals.
• 1992 / Finishing bottom of the table in District North’s Sunday League 2A, GVAV-Rapiditas drops back into Sunday League 3 along with the club finishing second from bottom, vv Harkema-Opeinde. Also in 1992, works get underway on a new-to-be laid-out recreation facility on the northeastern outskirts of Groningen, Sportcentrum Kardinge, hemmed in between the Beijum and Lewenborg neighbourhoods. 
• 1993 / Former GVAV-Rapiditas youth academy defender Arjan Ebbinge makes his professional league debut at FC Groningen at the age of 18. Ebbinge would go on to have spells at BV Veendam, SC Heerenveen, Helmond Sport, NEC, RBC Roosendaal, and FC Den Bosch, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2009. Also in 1993, the newly laid-out Sportcentrum Kardinge is inaugurated, with a covered ice rink being the focal point of the new facility. An ice hockey hall and swimming pool would be added in the following years. Football pitches are not part of the set-up yet. 
• 1994 / Finishing in seventh place in District North’s Sunday League 3D, GVAV-Rapiditas qualifies for the promotion play-offs, being drawn in a group with FC Lewendorp and vv Wildervank. In the end, the promotion spot eludes GVAV-Rapiditas on goal difference, with vv Wildervank drawing the lucky straw.
• 1995 / Runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3B, 8 points behind champions vv GOMOS, GVAV-Rapiditas qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Having the better of vv ONB in R1 (0-1) and vv Oerterp in R2 (11-2!), the club eventually stumbles over vv Akkrum in the final, played in Drachten (3-2). 
• 1996 / Former GVAV-Rapiditas youth academy wingback Kurt Elshot makes his professional league debut at FC Groningen at the age of 19. Elshot would stay with FC Groningen for nine seasons, following which he spent another five years at NAC Breda, eventually hanging up his boots in 2010.
• 1998 / GVAV-Rapiditas finishes as runners-up in District North’s Sunday League 3B, 12 points behind champions vv Harkema-Opeinde. 
• 1999 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 3C, 6 points ahead of closest followers vv Roden, GVAV-Rapiditas wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Dick Scholtens. Also in 1999, with the Van Starkenborghcomplex being abandoned by GVAV-Rapiditas along with DIO-Groningen and vv Oosterparkers, the three clubs settle at the newly laid-out football pitches of Sportcentrum Kardinge, with each having its own clubhouse as well as its own main pitch. With vv Oosterparkers settling on pitch 1 and DIO-Groningen on pitch 6, the first team of GVAV-Rapiditas plays its matches on pitch 2. The Van Starkenborghcomplex is removed to make way for housing.
• 2000 / Coached by Martin Koops, GVAV-Rapiditas finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2L, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 after just one season, along with bottom club vv Oerterp. Also in 2000, former GVAV-Rapiditas’ youth academy defender Said Bakkati makes his professional league debut at SC Heerenveen at the age of 18. Bakkati would go on to have spells at ADO Den Haag, Go Ahead Eagles, PEC Zwolle, and FC Emmen, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2009.
• 2001 / Finishing in third place in District North’s Sunday League 3C, GVAV-Rapiditas proceeds to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Fred Schreuder.
• 2003 / The athletics branch of GVAV-Rapiditas breaks away from its mother club to conclude a merger with ARGO ’77, resulting in the foundation of Groningen Atletiek. All athletics activities take place at Sportpark Stadspark. As such, GVAV-Rapiditas has been a pure football club from this moment on, with all activities taking place at Sportcentrum Kardinge.
• 2005 / Coached by Freddy Strating, GVAV-Rapiditas finishes in second-last place in Sunday League 2L, thus dropping back into Sunday League 3 along with bottom club vv Ruinerwold.
• 2008 / Champions in District North’s Sunday League 3C, 7 points ahead of closest followers SC Gronitas, GVAV-Rapiditas wins promotion to Sunday League 2. The successful coach is Jacob Bosman.
• 2009 / Runners-up in Sunday League 2K, 6 points behind champions SC Gronitas, GVAV-Rapiditas goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a second promotion in a row and acceding to Sunday League 1 for the first time since the club’s return to non-league football in 1965. The successful coach is Jacob Bosman. Also in 2009, former GVAV-Rapiditas’ youth academy midfielder Leandro Bacuna makes his professional league debut at FC Groningen at the age of 18. Bacuna goes on to have spells at Aston Villa FC, Reading FC, Cardiff City FC, and Watford FC, eventually returning to FC Groningen in 2023. Moreover, Bacuna also represents Curaçao at an international level.
• 2010 / While the focus remains firmly on Sunday football, GVAV-Rapiditas enters a team into the Saturday league pyramid for the first time, which is placed in District North’s Saturday League 6C for its first season.
• 2011 / Finishing in sixth place in Sunday League 1F, GVAV-Rapiditas qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by vv Rigtersbleek (3-1 aggr.).
• 2015 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 1F with coach Jans Deenen, GVAV-Rapiditas has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs, but the club bows out in R1 against vv Hoogezand (5-3 aggr.). As such, GVAV-Rapiditas drops back into Sunday League 2 after six years. 
• 2018 / Having spent eight seasons in the lower reaches of the Saturday pyramid, with two seasons in League 4 as the highlight, GVAV-Rapiditas’ Saturday team withdraws from regular league football.
• 2022 / Champions in Sunday League 2L, 5 points ahead of closest followers vv Valthermond, GVAV-Rapiditas manages a return to Sunday League 1 after an absence of seven seasons. The successful coach is Bas Veldman.
• 2023 / In the best season since the club’s return to non-league in 1965, GVAV-Rapiditas finishes in fourth place in Sunday League 1. Qualifying for the promotion-relegation play-offs, the club is knocked out in R1 by RKVV EVV (4-1).
• 2024 / Finishing in tenth place in League 1J with coach Dennis van den Driessche in the first season of Sunday and Saturday teams being combined into League 1, GVAV-Rapiditas has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Cruising past vv Valthermond in the first match (3-0), the club is eliminated in the following round by SC Stiens (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). As such, GVAV-Rapiditas drops back into League 2 along with vv Hoogezand and bottom club WKE ’16.
• 2025 / Coached by Anne Semplonius, GVAV-Rapiditas finishes in eleventh place in Sunday League 2H, having to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Defeating SV Twedo in the first match (3-1, cp. photos below), the club qualifies for the final against SC Stadspark, played at Sportpark Noorden veld 2, the pitch of vv Groningen. Going on to win that all-important encounter handsomely (5-2), GVAV-Rapiditas assures itself of at least one more season in Sunday League 2.
• 2026 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 2J, GVAV-Rapiditas drops back into League 3 alongside FC Zuidlaren and vv LTC.

Note – Part of the information above has been derived from two anniversary books of (GSV) GVAV-Rapiditas: “GVAV-Rapiditas 1921-1951”, by J. Hekman (ed. Oppenheim, Groningen 1951) and “GVAV-Rapiditas Groningen 1951-1996”, by Piet Goed, Klaas Sants & Harry Weitering (ed. GVAV-Rapiditas, Groningen 1996). Thanks to the board of GVAV-Rapiditas for allowing me to use these two important sources.

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

NETHERLANDS: vv Spirit

Sportpark Ouderkerk - Sportlaan, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel (vv Spirit)

Netherlands, province: South Holland = Zuid-Holland

7 VI 2025 / vv Spirit - vv De Meeuwen 5-1 / District South I, Saturday League 3 - promotion play-off R2 (= NL level 8)

Timeline

• 1945 / Foundation of a Saturday football club in Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, a village in South Holland. The three founding members, Jo de Hoop, Aart Mourik, and Aris Maat, choose to take on the name Door Volharding Verkregen, abbreviated as DVV.
• 1946 / When applying for membership of the Netherland’s Football Association (KNVB) in the fall of 1946, DVV is ordered to change its name to avoid confusion with the older DVV Delft and vv DVV from Duiven. Thereupon, the club takes on the name vv Spirit. A pitch is laid out at De Zijde, referred to locally as Terrein Van Haaften.
• 1947 / vv Spirit starts its competitive life in Saturday Division 3 of the Rotterdam KNVB sub-branch Afdeling Rotterdam (often referred to by its previous name RVB, Rotterdamse Voetbalbond), making its debut with a 5-1 away defeat at the hands of vv Grafabor. In one of the following years, vv Spirit makes the leap to the Saturday divisions of Afdeling Gouda (GVB, Goudse Voetbalbond).
• 1952 / Winning promotion from Afdeling Gouda Saturday Division 1, vv Spirit accedes to KNVB District West II’s Saturday League 4 for the first time.
• 1953 / Finishing bottom of the table in District West II’s Saturday League 4C, vv Spirit drops back into Afdeling Gouda Saturday Division 1 after just one season.
• 1955 / Clinching the title in Afdeling Gouda Saturday Division 1, vv Spirit manages a return to Saturday League 4. The decisive points are obtained in a 4-1 away win at vv De Rijnstreek.
• 1960 / Works get underway on the projected clubhouse of vv Spirit at Dekkerstraat, with the first pile being driven by the club’s chairman, I.C. de Rek.
• 1961 / Inauguration of the newly laid-out Sportpark Ouderkerk at Dekkerstraat by Ouderkerk’s mayor, Mr Neet. Originally, the park consisted of just one pitch (the northernmost pitch of modern-day Sportpark Ouderkerk). 
• 1966 / vv Spirit narrowly avoids relegation from District West II’s Saturday League 4C by managing a 1-1 home draw against champions CS Unicum in front of a crowd of some 1,500. 
• 1969 / Champions in District West II’s Saturday League 4D, 2 points ahead of closest rivals vv Haaften, vv Spirit wins promotion to Saturday League 3 for the first time. Also in 1969, Sportpark Ouderkerk is extended with a training pitch, situated to the west of pitch/veld 1.
• 1977 / Finishing in joint last place in District West II’s Saturday League 3A with vv Vlaardingen, vv Spirit goes on to defeat that club in a tie-break match at vv Capelle’s Sportpark 't Slot (3-1 A.E.T.), thus avoiding relegation. Also in 1977, I.C. de Rek, vv Spirit’s chairman in the past 25 years, passes away unexpectedly.
• 1978 / Runner-up in District West II’s Saturday League 3A, 1 point behind champions SV Bolnes (za), vv Spirit wins promotion to Saturday League 2 for the first time due to extra promotion places being available. The successful coach is Dick van der Burg. That same year, works get underway on laying out two extra pitches to the south of the main pitch – much needed extra space, given that the club had seen an enormous growth of its youth academy in the previous years.
• 1981 / Works get underway on the construction of a new clubhouse and dressing rooms, situated to the south of the original first pitch – halfway between this pitch and the two new pitches, works on which had commenced three years previously.
• 1982 / With works on the new clubhouse having been completed, the completely renovated Sportpark Ouderkerk is inaugurated by Ouderkerk’s mayor J.G. de Zeeuw. As the entrance of the park is moved to the south side, at Sportlaan, the southwesternmost pitch of the park now becomes the main pitch. The original clubhouse at Dekkerlaan, dating back to 1961, remains in use by the local shooting club.
• 1985 / Former Spirit youth striker Jeroen Boere, who had moved to SBV Excelsior’s youth academy at the age of ten in 1978, makes his professional league debut for the Rotterdam club, going on to have spells at BV De Graafschap, VVV, Roda JC, Go Ahead Eagles, West Ham United FC, Portsmouth FC, West Bromwich Albion FC, Crystal Palace FC, Southend United FC, and Omiya Ardija, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1999. Boere passed away at the age of 39 in 2007.
• 1986 / Finishing in second-last place in District West II’s Saturday League 2B, vv Spirit drops back into Saturday League 3 after eight years, along with bottom club CVV Be Fair.
• 1991 / Finishing in seventh place in District West II’s Saturday League 3B, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by SSV HBSS.
• 1995 / Champions in District West II’s Saturday League 3A, 5 points ahead of closest followers SV Voorschoten, vv Spirit manages a return to Saturday League 2 after an absence of nine years. The successful coach is Harry Loerts.
• 1996 / Finishing in tenth place in District West II’s Saturday League 2B, which would have entailed relegation to Saturday League 3, vv Spirit stays up thanks to the introduction of a Zaterdag Hoofdklasse as the new top level of the Saturday pyramid, with extra places in Saturday League 2 being on offer as a result.
• 2000 / Finishing bottom of the table in Saturday League 2D, vv Spirit drops back into Saturday League 3 after five seasons, along with the club in second-last place, SV Bolnes (za). That same year, former Spirit youth midfielder Euzebiusz ‘Ebi’ Smolarek, the son of former Feyenoord Rotterdam striker Włodzimierz ‘Wlodi’ Smolarek, makes his debut in Feyenoord’s first team at the age of nineteen. Ebi Smolarek would go on to have spells at Borussia Dortmund, Real Racing Club Santander, Bolton Wanderers FC, Kavala FC, KS Polonia Warszawa, Al-Khor SC, ADO Den Haag, and Jagiellonia Bialystok SSA, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2013. Moreover, Ebi Smolarek also won 47 caps for Poland, representing his country at the 2006 World Cup as well as the 2008 European Championships.
• 2001 / Runner-up in District West II’s Saturday League 3D, 1 point behind champions CVV De Jodan Boys, vv Spirit manages to win promotion to Saturday League 2 in the ensuing round of play-offs. The successful coach is Harry Loerts.
• 2002 / Finishing in second-last place in Saturday League 2D with coach Harry Loerts, vv Spirit drops back into Saturday League 3 along with bottom club PVV Excelsior Pernis.
• 2003 / The main pitch of Sportpark Ouderkerk is laid out anew with a synthetic surface.
• 2005 / Runner-up in District West II’s Saturday League 3B, 13 points behind runaway champions ZSV Sportlust ’46, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffered elimination in the final at the hands of CVV De Jodan Boys. Also in 2005, the grandstand alongside the main pitch at Sportpark Ouderkerk is inaugurated.
• 2006 / Finishing in fourth place in District West II’s Saturday League 3C, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the semis.
• 2007 / Runaway champions in District West II’s Saturday League 3C, 15 points ahead of closest followers SV Lombardijen and VVOR, vv Spirit wins promotion to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Cees van der Poel.
• 2008 / Champions in Saturday League 2C, 4 points ahead of MVV ’27, vv Spirit manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to Saturday League 1 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Cees van der Poel.
• 2009 / Coached by Chris van der Weide, vv Spirit finishes in second-last place in Saturday League 1B, thus dropping back into Saturday League 2 after just one season, along with bottom club vv Strijen.
• 2010 / Coached by Michael van Noort, vv Spirit finishes in second-last place in Saturday League 2D, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, descending into Saturday League 3 along with bottom club SC Voorne. Also in 2010, former Spirit youth academy defender Stefan de Vrij, a native of Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, makes his debut in Feyenoord Rotterdam’s first team at the age of eighteen. De Vrij goes on to have spells at SS Lazio and FC Internazionale, while winning his first cap for the Netherlands in 2012, representing his country at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups as well as the 2020 and 2024 European Championships.
• 2011 / Champions in District West II’s Saturday League 3B, 6 points ahead of runners-up vv CION, vv Spirit manages an immediate return to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Patrick van Loo.
• 2014 / Runner-up in Saturday League 2D, 5 points behind champions vv Brielle, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RCL (7-4 aggr.). That same year, defender Wessel Dammers, a former vv Spirit youth player, who had moved away to SBV Excelsior’s youth academy, makes his debut as a professional league player at Feyenoord Rotterdam at the age of nineteen. Following his spell at Feyenoord, Dammers would go on to defend the colours of SC Cambuur, Fortuna Sittard, FC Groningen, Willem II, and Randers FC.
• 2016 / vv Spirit signs former professional league midfielder Warry van Wattum (spells at SBV Excelsior, SVV, Sparta Rotterdam, SVV Dordrecht ’90, Dordrecht ’90, FC Groningen, BV Veendam, and KSC Eendracht Aalst between 1986 and 2000) as its new coach. Van Wattum joined the club from vv Oude Maas.
• 2017 / Finishing in second-last place in Saturday League 2D, vv Spirit drops back into Saturday League 3 along with FC Binnenmaas, vv NSVV, and bottom club vv Alblasserdam. Following the season, Warry van Wattum leaves the club, being replaced as head coach by Richard van Cappellen.
• 2018 / Runner-up in District West II’s Saturday League 3C, 10 points behind champions vv Kethel Spaland, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Eliminating FC Binnenmaas (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out) and VDL-Maassluis (0-3) in the first two rounds, the club takes on vv Rijnmond Hoogvliet Sport in the final, crushing the club from Rotterdam (5-1) in a match at Sportpark Ouderkerk attended by some 1,500 spectators. As such, vv Spirit wins promotion to Saturday League 2. The successful coach is Richard van Cappellen.
• 2021 / Pitch/veld 4 of Sportpark Ouderkerk, the former main pitch of the park (1961-82), is laid out anew as a 3G.
• 2022 / Finishing in fourth place in Saturday League 2D, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against vv Heinenoord (4-1).
• 2023 / Runner-up in Saturday League 2F, 8 points behind champions RV&AV Sparta, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out by SV Den Hoorn (2-4).
• 2024 / Finishing in ninth place in Saturday League 2F, vv Spirit goes on to suffer defeat (1-2) at the hands of SV MOC 1917 in the promotion-relegation play-offs, thus dropping back into Saturday League 3 along with vv Rijsoord, ZVV Pelikaan, vv De Zwerver, and bottom club vv Streefkerk. Following the relegation, coach Richard van Cappellen leaves the club after a seven-year spell.
• 2025 / Runner-up in Saturday League 3J, 2 points behind champions vv De Zwerver, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion play-offs with coach Wout Ooms. Drawing a bye for R1, the club knocks out vv De Meeuwen for R2 (5-1) to qualify for the final against wvv WSC, played at Sportpark De Lockhorst in Sliedrecht. Suffering a 2-1 defeat in this all-important match, vv Spirit misses out on promotion.
• 2026 / Runner-up in Saturday League 3H, 1 point behind champions ZVV Pelikaan, vv Spirit qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club knocks out FC Axel in the semis (5-0), going on to bulldozer vv Hardinxveld in the final, played at Sportpark Ridderkerk II - Sportlaan (5-1). As such, vv Spirit manages a return to League 2 after two years.

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