NETHERLANDS: ABS

Sportpark De Looënk, Bathmen (ABS)

Netherlands, province: Overijssel

18 VI 2023 / vv Lemelerveld - SV Barbaros 2-3 / District East, Sunday Leagues 2 & 3 - promotion-relegation play-off final (neutral venue) (= NL levels 7 & 8)

Timeline

• 1930 / Foundation of a multi-sports club in Bathmen, which is given the name Algemeene Bathmense Sportvereeniging (ABS). Initially, there are only branches for gymnastics and football, but other sports are added to the set-up later onwards, including handball, volleyball, and judo. ABS's first chairman is G. Rutgers. The club's first football pitch, Terrein Oude Molen, was situated to the north of Bathmen proper. At some point, the club moved to Terrein Vegerinkskamp, but it is unclear when exactly.
• 1932 / Although Bathmen is situated in Overijssel, ABS' football branch joins a football association from a neighbouring province, the so-called Geldersche Voetbalbond (GVB). GVB (officially renamed Afdeling Gelderland in 1940) organised feeder leagues of the regular Netherlands' FA's District East Sunday League 4.
• 1961 / ABS wins the title in GVB Sunday Division 1A, but fails to clinch promotion in the ensuing round of play-offs.
• 1964 / Having played in the divisions of GVB for over 3 decades, ABS finally accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4. After winning the GVB Sunday Division 1A title, the club qualifies from the promotion play-offs against fellow champions vv MEC, KCVO, Sportclub Groessen, and SV Steenderen. 
• 1971 / Winning the title in District East's Sunday League 4H, ABS accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time, holding its own at that level for 2 seasons before dropping back.
• 1975 / Winning the title in Sunday League 4G, ABS sets out on a prolonged spell in Sunday League 3.
• 1978 / Abandoning Terrein Vegerinkskamp, ABS moves into the newly built Sportpark De Looënk.
• 1982 / In the best season in club history, ABS finishes runners-up in Sunday League 3B. 
• 1987 / Following back-to-back relegations, ABS finds itself in GVB (Afdeling Gelderland) for the 1st time in 23 years. It takes the club 2 seasons to find the way back up into Sunday League 4.
• 1999 / Having played in Sunday League 4 for the past 10 seasons, ABS finishes in 10th place in Sunday League 4G, thus dropping into Sunday League 5 (which succeeded GVB Division 1 in 1996).
• 2000 / Winning the title in Sunday League 5H, ABS returns to League 4 immediately.
• 2005 / Finishing runners-up in Sunday League 4H, ABS eventually wins promotion to League 3 via a round of play-offs.
• 2006 / ABS hosts AFC Ajax in a pre-season friendly at Sportpark De Looënk, not unexpectedly losing the encounter emphatically (11-0).
• 2010 / Finishing 12th and last in Sunday League 3B, the club drops back into League 4.
• 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the COVID lockdown, ABS is awarded the title in Sunday League 4G on the basis of 16 of 24 matches - with a 6-point margin over closest followers vv Holten. ABS wins promotion to Sunday League 3.
• 2023 / Having finished in 12th place in Sunday League 3D, ABS drops back into League 4 along with UVV Albatross and SV Turkse Kracht.
• 2024 / Finishing in seventh place in District East's Sunday League 4B, ABS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by GWVV (2-1 A.E.T.).
• 2026 / Runner-up in District East's Sunday League 4F, 4 points behind champions vv Holten, ABS qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs. Eliminating UVV Albatross in R1 (4-3), ABS goes on to defeat vv Eldenia in the final, played at Sportpark De Veldhof in Beekbergen. As a result, ABS manages a return to League after an absence of three years.

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

NETHERLANDS: vv Musselkanaal

Gemeentelijk Sportpark - Parklaan, Musselkanaal (vv Musselkanaal)

Netherlands, province: Groningen

17 VI 2023 / vv SJS - vv Onstwedder Boys 2-3 A.E.T. / Sunday Leagues 3 & 4 - promotion-relegation play-off final (neutral venue) (= NL levels 8 & 9)

Timeline

• ± 1919 / Foundation of 2 first football clubs in Musselkanaal, MIA (Musselkanaal in Actie) and VOMOS (Vele Oefeningen Maken Ons Sterk), which both seem to have originated from netball clubs with the same name. MIA played at Terrein Sluisstraat, while VOMOS was home at Terrein Verbindingsweg. Both football clubs were short-lived, though, mainly due to local politics; as the dominant Protestant-Christian church demanded strict Sunday rest, football matches played on that day were frowned upon. After the demise of VOMOS and MIA, many football enthusiasts from Musselkanaal sought refuge at vv Nieuw Buinen, across the provincial border in Drenthe.
• 1931 / Foundation of vv Musselkanaal in a meeting at Hotel Schot, during which J. Ebels is appointed the new club's first chairman. The club joins the so-called GVB (Groningsche Voetbalbond), a league of clubs from Groningen playing their football below KNVB District North's Sunday League 3. It is unclear where vv Musselkanaal's home ground was situated in those pre-war years.
• 1937 / Winning the title in GVB Division 1, vv Musselkanaal accedes to District North's Sunday League 3. 
• 1949 / vv Musselkanaal wins the title in Sunday League 3C, but misses out on promotion due to play-off defeat at the hands of vv Veelerveen.
• 1950 / vv Musselkanaal wins the title in Sunday League 3C a 2nd time running, but misses out on promotion due to play-off defeat at the hands of vv BNC.
• 1951 / Winning the Sunday League 3C title for a 3rd time in a row thanks to a 5-0 defeat of vv ZBC, vv Musselkanaal seems to have acceded to Sunday League 2 without having to go through the motions of promotion play-offs. The joy about finally reaching League 2 was short-lived, though, with relegation duly following in 1952.
• 1955 / Winning the title in Sunday League 3C, vv Musselkanaal accedes to Sunday League 2 for a 2nd time. Also in 1955, the club moves into the new municipal sports park at Parklaan, home of the club until the present day.
• 1962 / Following 7 seasons at League 2 level, vv Musselkanaal suffers relegation to League 3 following a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of vv Noordster - the result being a last place in Sunday League 2B.
• 1963 / Having descended into League 3 the previous year, vv Musselkanaal now clinches the Sunday League 3C title, thus managing an immediate return to League 2. This time, the club's stay at that level lasts 3 seasons, with relegation following in 1966.
• 1968 / Finishing in joint-first place in Sunday League 3C with DVC '59, vv Musselkanaal meets the club from Nieuw-Dordrecht in a two-legged tie-break, in which a 3rd match - played at a neutral venue, vv Weerdinge's ground - is required to determine a winner; eventually, vv Musselkanaal comes out on top with a 1-0 win in this 3rd match. Thus, the club returns to League 2.
• 1975 / Having suffered relegation from League 2 in 1973, vv Musselkanaal now descends into League 4 for the 1st time in club history following an 11th place finish in Sunday League 3C.
• 1976 / A first round of renovations is carried out at Gemeentelijk Sportpark Parklaan.
• 1977 / Following back-to-back titles (in League 4G in 1976 and in League 3D in 1977), vv Musselkanaal manages a return to Sunday League 2 at breakneck speed. The new spell at this level lasts for 3 seasons, with relegation into League 3 following in 1980.
• 1979 / Inauguration of a covered stand at Sportpark Parklaan, which had been worked on for about a year. The construction offers space for some 250 spectators. Also in 1979, vv Musselkanaal's clubhouse in consumed in a fire. A successor is constructed in the following year.
• 1981 / In its first season back in League 3, vv Musselkanaal secures the Sunday League 3D title, thus returning to League 2 immediately. It is the start of a new, 5-year period at this level.
• 1990 / vv Musselkanaal wins 1st place in Sunday League 3D, just 1 point ahead of vv Oosterparkers. The title is secured with a 5-1 win over vv Muntendam on the last day of the season. Also at Sportpark Parklaan, 2 tie-break matches are played between SC Stadskanaal and vv Nieuw Buinen, as both clubs finished in joint-first place in Sunday League 2B; in the 1st encounter, attended by 5,000 spectators, the clubs draw 1-1 A.E.T. (with former professional league player Boy Nijgh scoring the Stadskanaal goal), and, 1 week later, with a mind-blowing attendance of 5,500, SC Stadskanaal finally comes out on top (1-0), thus gaining promotion to Sunday League 1.
• 1992 / In the best season in club history, vv Musselkanaal finishes in joint-first place in Sunday League 2B, obtaining 31 points from 22 matches along with vv Nieuw Buinen. A tie-break match is organised at SC Stadskanaal's Sportpark Het Pagedal; in the encounter, attended by 3,700 spectators, vv Nieuw Buinen comes out on top with a 3-1 win. Thus missing out on direct promotion, vv Musselkanaal qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in the group stage (along with vv Hoogezand) by vv Zwartemeer. After the 1991-92, 20-year old Musselkanaal player Wessel Woortman is signed by professional league side BV Emmen. Having a relatively good first season at Sportpark De Meerdijk, Woortman never really manages to make his mark in Emmen, eventually bowing out of professional football in 1996.
• 1997 / Following 2 relegations in 3 seasons, vv Musselkanaal finds itself in League 4 for the 1st time in 21 years.
• 1999 / Thanks to a title win in Sunday League 4E in 1998 and a promotion play-off win in 1999 (following a 3rd-place finish in Sunday League 3B), vv Musselkanaal manages a return to League 2.
• 2005 / After back-to-back relegations, the club descends into Sunday League 4 yet again.
• 2008 / Winning the title in Sunday League 4E, vv Musselkanaal wins promotion to League 3.
• 2012 / Securing the title in Sunday League 3D with a narrow margin of just 1 point over vv ASVB, vv Musselkanaal accedes to League 2.
• 2013 / Finishing 13th in Sunday League 2L, vv Musselkanaal drops back into League 3 along with bottom club FC Ter Apel '96.
• 2018 / Finishing in twelfth place in District North's Sunday League 3C, vv Musselkanaal has to play a set of promotion-relegation play-offs to assure itself of a prolonged stay at that level - which the club eventually manages to do with successive victories over vv De Blesse (3-5) and vv Wijster (7-0).
• 2022 / Following 9 years in League 3, vv Musselkanaal clinches the Sunday League 3C title with a 5-point advantage over closest followers vv HOC, thus managing a return to League 2.
• 2023 / Due to a reorganisation in the football pyramid, a 9th place in Sunday League 2K is not sufficient for vv Musselkanaal to assure itself of a prolonged stay at that level. In a round of play-offs, the club fights its way past vv Oerterp to qualify for the final against vv Drachten, played at vv VKW's Sportpark Perkenslag. Winning the match 4-2, the club eventually stays up in League 2, condemning their Frisian adversaries to a descent into League 3.
• 2024 / Finishing in eleventh place in Sunday League 2I, vv Musselkanaal has to play a set of relegation play-offs. Defeating SV VENO in R1 (3-1), the club is eliminated in R2 by vv EHS '85 (3-2), thereby descending into Sunday League 3 after two seasons.
• 2025 / Runners-up in Sunday League 3O, 2 points behind champions SVZ, vv Musselkanaal qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out SC Erica in R1 (4-1), thus qualifying for the final against SC Stadskanaal, played at FC Ter Apel '96's Sportpark 't Heem. Going on to win that all-important encounter (2-1), vv Musselkanaal manages an immediate return to Sunday League 2.
• 2026 / Finishing in second-last place in Sunday League 2H, vv Musselkanaal drops back into League 3 after just one season, alongside SVZ and bottom club vv Akkrum.

Note - In the match I attended at Gemeentelijk Sportpark Parklaan, vv Onstwedder Boys secured promotion to Saturday League 3, while vv SJS went the opposite way, descending into Saturday League 4.

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