NETHERLANDS: RKSV Stormvogels '28 (1969-2023) / SJO SSA MSH Maasduinen (C) (2023-2026) / MSH Maasduinen (C) (2026-)

Gemeentelijk Sportpark 't Eindpunt, Siebengewald (C ground of MSH Maasduinen, formerly RKSV Stormvogels '28 / C ground of SJO SSA MSH Maasduinen)

Netherlands, province: Limburg

21 V 2023 / RKSV Stormvogels '28 - RKSV Meterik 5-2 / District South II, Sunday League 4F (= NL level 9)

Timeline

• 1928 / Foundation of Rooms-Katholieke Sportvereeniging (RKSV) Stormvogels '28, most probably the first football club in the village of Siebengewald. The first meeting, at which Th. Weijers is elected club chairman, takes place in the café of Anton Peeters, nicknamed 'Toontje de Mof'. The idea to name the club 'Stormvogels' came from Anton Janssen, the club's first treasurer, who was an ardent supporter of IJVV Stormvogels from faraway IJmuiden in North Holland. In the future, the name would lead to some confusion occasionally - for example, one time in the 1950s or 1960s, when a referee showed up in Siebengewald, while he had been scheduled to lead a match in IJmuiden. After the foundation in 1928, the club refrains from joining the official Netherlands' FA (NVB), instead applying for membership of the so-called Rooms-Katholieke Limburgse Voetbalbond (RKLVB), a Roman-Catholic league of clubs. Stormvogels starts its life in the lowest division, Division 2 Maasbuurt, but, in the course of the 1930s, the club manages to win promotion 3 times, working its way up to Division 2 of IVCB - the so-called Interdiocesane Voetbalcompetitiebond (IVCB), another Roman-Catholic football association, of which RKLVB used to be a feeder league. Stormvogels' first ground, where the club plays from 1928 onwards and all through the 1930s, is situated at the back of Café Anton Peeters, situated in the hamlet Groote Horst, referred to locally as 'De Hei' (near modern-day Gochsedijk 33).
• 1940 / With the German occupation of the Netherlands, all football associations apart from the official Netherlands' FA (NVB) are dissolved. Given the option between folding or making the leap to NVB, RKSV Stormvogels '28 chooses the latter, thus making its debut in regular Sunday league football.
• 1944 / Due to the havocs of the latter stages of World War II, regular league football came to a practical standstill. It is unclear if RKSV Stormvogels '28's pitch at Café Anton Peeters still existed when the village was liberated in the fall of 1944. Probably, in part due to the lack of footballing activity, the pitch was removed and turned into farmland again in 1942 or shortly after - and a 1944 RAF aerial photo does not betray the presence of a pitch on the pre-war location. Shortly after the war, the location of the former pitch was used for the construction of several new houses (Gochsedijk 17 to 31).
• ± 1946 / In 1945 or 1946 - but in 1948 at the latest -, RKSV Stormvogels '28 settled at a newly laid-out pitch near the crossroads of Augustinusweg and Gochsedijk, at a stone's throw from the German border. The plot of land was originally owned by the Gaesdonck seminary, situated just across the German border, but was probably sold to local authorities some years after the football club's arrival. According to local folklore, the owners of Café Van Riswick "Jagershof" at Augustinusweg gave their permission to lay out the pitch at the back of their pub only on the condition that the entrance to the park would be via Augustinusweg rather than Gochsedijk - which obviously assured them of some extra clientele on Sunday afternoons.
• 1956 / Having played in Sunday League 4 from the resumption of regular league football after the liberation ot the Netherlands onwards, RKSV Stormvogels now clinches the title in District South II's Sunday League 4G following a decisive victory on vv Resia '42. Thus, access is obtained to Sunday League 3 for the first time. One of Stormvogels' players at the time is Jaap Kersten, who also was a keen cyclist - and signed a professional contract as a cyclist in 1957. Kersten took part in 5 editions of the Tour de France (1957-61), making it to Paris on all 5 occasions and being one of the key domestiques of Luxembourg's Charly Gaul in his 1959 Tour win; in his own right, Kersten also finished in 5th place in the 1959 Tour of Flanders. During his professional cycling career, which lasted until 1962, Kersten continued playing first team football for Stormvogels whenever he was available.
• 1963 / Given the rather Spartan conditions of the park at Augustinusweg, RKSV Stormvogels '28 files a request with municipal authorities to improve the state of the sole pitch as well as the dressing rooms - asking for, amongst other things, connection to water supply.
• 1966 / Exasperated at the state of the pitch at Augustinusweg, officials of the Netherlands' FA (KNVB) forbid further official matches being played here. In the following 3 seasons (1966-69), RKSV Stormvogels '28 groundshares with RKVV Montagnards at Sportpark Venhorst in Nieuw Bergen, while using RKVV HRC '27's Terrein Melkweg in Afferden as well as vv Heijen's Sportpark De Heikamp for training sessions. For Stormvogels' youth academy, a solution is found in the shape of a temporary pitch, laid out on one of the pastures of a local farmer, Boer Rutten (a location now taken by Siebengewald's fishing pond, crossroads Gochsedijk - Kanunnik Geurtsstraat).
• 1969 / After 3 years in exile, RKSV Stormvogels '28 returns to Terrein Augustinusweg, where the main pitch has been given a quarter turn, giving it its current position. One extra pitch is added to the set-up. Some years later, in the first half of the 1970s, a competition is organised in Siebengewald to give the premises a fitting new name - a contest won by Stormvogels' chairman, who suggested the name ''t Eindpunt' ('the Final Destination'), given that the park was the last stop before crossing the border with West Germany.
• 1982 / Having played 26 (!) consecutive seasons in League 3, RKSV Stormvogels '28 obtains the title in Sunday League 3D, thus winning promotion to League 2 for the first time. The decisive points are won in a match against vv Sparta '18.
• 1983 / In the best season in club history, Stormvogels manages a 6th place in Sunday League 2B.
• 1988 / Having come closer and closer to the red line in the previous seasons, RKSV Stormvogels '28 now fails to avoid the drop following a last place in Sunday League 2B. The club returns to League 3 after 6 years.
• 1990 / Due to an 11th place in Sunday League 3D, Stormvogels descends into League 4 - a level at which the club last played 34 years previously.
• 1994 / Following a 11th place finish in Sunday League 4H, RKSV Stormvogels '28 drops into the ranks of LVB (Limburgse Voetbalbond), the association of Limburg clubs playing their football below Sunday League 4, for the first time - a lowpoint in club history.
• 1997 / The foundations having been laid in November 1997, a new clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportpark 't Eindpunt.
• 2000 / Having spent several years in Sunday Leagues 5 and 6 (which replaced LVB Divisions 1 & 2 in 1996), RKSV Stormvogels '28 finds the way back up the league ladder following a 5th place in Sunday League 5D and a successful set of promotion play-offs. In the following 13 seasons, the club alternates spells in League 4 (2000-01, 2003-11, 2012-13) and League 5 (2001-03, 2011-12).
• 2010 / At Gochsedijk, right in front of Stormvogels' clubhouse, a new park is built for Siebengewald's tennis club. In the process, the entrance of the football ground is replaced from Augustinusweg to Gochsedijk.
• 2011 / The club's youth academy merges with their counterparts of RKVV HRC '27 from Afferden. Henceforth, youth teams consisting of players of both clubs compete under the denomination ST (Samenwerkende Teams) HRC '27/Stormvogels '28.
• 2012 / Finishing runners-up in District South II's Sunday League 5G, 7 points behind vv Excellent, Stormvogels, trained that season by John Janssen, wins the promotion play-offs to return to League 4. 
• 2013 / Winning the title in Sunday League 4H with a 4-point gap with closest rivals SV Milsbeek, RKSV Stormvogels '28, coached by Jeroen Tax, manages its 2nd promotion in a row, acceding to League 3 after a 23-year absence.
• 2014 / In Sunday League 3D, Stormvogels, still trained by Jeroen Tax, finishes in 4th place behind title winners vv Nooit Gedacht, RKSV Margriet, and vv Boekel Sport. In the ensuing play-offs, the club edges past RKSV Blerick in R1 to accede to the final, which is played against IVO. Managing a 2-1 aggregate win (with goals by Ingo Custers and former NEC player Zoran Borojević), Stormvogels manages its 3rd promotion in a row. Also in the 2013-14 season, the club reaches the semi-finals of District South II's Regional Cup (Districtsbeker), in which it suffers a 3-0 defeat at the hands of JVC Cuijk. On the back of this cup run, Stormvogels qualifies for the Nationwide Cup (KNVB-Beker) for the first time, being defeated comprehensively in R1 by SV Kozakken Boys (7-0). For the 2014-15 season, Stormvogels' squad is reinforced by 31-year old attacker Harrie Gommans, who had a career as a professional league player behind him at Fortuna Sittard, SBV Excelsior, KVC Westerlo, MVV, SBV Vitesse, Roda JC, KSV Roeselare, KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren, and BV De Graafschap. Stormvogels signs Gommans from Belgian lower league side Spouwen-Mopertingen.
• 2015 / Avoiding direct relegation in Sunday League 2H by finishing just ahead of vv Sparta '18 and SVC 2000, who both descend into League 3 directly, RKSV Stormvogels '28 is given the opportunity to extend its spell in League 2 via the promotion play-offs. In R1, however, the club suffers a comprehensive 10-4 aggregate defeat at the hands of FC Uden, resulting in relegatino. Harrie Gommans leaves the club after just one season, moving on to MMC Weert.
• 2017 / Finishing in 3rd place in Sunday League 3C behind Sportclub Irene and vv Sparta '18, RKSV Stormvogels '28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Reaching the finals, the club misses out on promotion due to defeat in a penalty shoot-out following a 6-6 aggregate score against RKSV Venhorst. 
• 2018 / Coached by Roy de Haan, RKSV Stormvogels finishes 2nd-last in Sunday League 3D, with only vv Hapse Boys picking up fewer points. As such, the club descends into League 4.
• 2019 / Finishing runners-up in Sunday League 4G behind walk-away winners FCV, RKSV Stormvogels '28 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. After defeating RKSV Festilent in R1, the club is eliminated by GFC '33 (1-2 A.E.T.) - thus missing out on a return to League 3. Alson in 2019, the combined youth academies of HRC/Stormvogels conclude a partnership with RKVV Montagnards, merging part of their youth teams under the name ST (Samenwerkende Teams) Maasduinen.
• 2022 / A complete merger of the youth academies of RKVV HRC '27, RKSV Stormvogels '28, and RKVV Montagnards is brought about, with all youth teams henceforth taking part in regular competitions under the name SJO (Samenwerkende Jeugdorganisatie) Maasduinen.
• 2023 / In its last season as an independent club, RKSV Stormvogels '28 finishes in 9th place in Sunday League 4F (the encounter with RKSV Meterik, at which the photo series below was taken, being the last home match of that season). Following the 2022-23 season, a provisional merger is concluded between RKVV Montagnards, RKSV Stormvogels '28, and RKVV HRC '27, resulting in the foundation of SSA (Samenwerking Seniorenafdeling) MSH (Montagnards-Stormvogels-HRC) Maasduinen. With first team football moving to RKVV Montagnards' Sportpark Venhorst, the grounds in Afferden and Siebengewald remain in use for lower team football and training sessions.
• 2026 / 2026 / Following the 2025-26 season, separate votes were held among the memberships of RKVV Montagnards, RKVV HRC '27, and RKSV Stormvogels '28, resulting in the three clubs merging into one definitively as MSH Maasduinen.

Note - Important parts of the information given above were provided by Jaap Kersten (born 1934, former Stormvogels player and professional cyclist) and Hens Borkent, webmaster of a great site dedicated to the history of Siebengewald. Many thanks to both of them!

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

NETHERLANDS: SVW '27 (1936-2026)

Sportpark De Kabel, Heerhugowaard (SVW '27)

Netherlands, province: North Holland = Noord-Holland

20 V 2023 / SVW '27 - CVV Blauw-Wit (W) 1-1 / District West I, Saturday League 4A (= NL level 9)

Timeline

• 1923 / Foundation of a Roman-Catholic football club in Heerhugowaard, which is given the name DTV (abbreviation for De Trekvogels). The club joins NHVB (Noord-Hollandsche Voetbalbond), North Holland's branch of the official Netherlands' FA (NVB, Nederlandsche Voetbalbond). The club's pitch is situated at Middenweg.
• 1925 / After 2 years, DTV folds, ceasing all activities.
• 1927 / Refoundation of DTV under a new name: SVW' 27 (Steeds Voorwaarts). The club's first chairman is Jan Kamp. Also Roman-Catholic in its origins, SVW '27 does not join NHVB, preferring to play its football in an exclusively Catholic football association, the so-called Diocesaan Haarlemsche Voetbalbond (DHVB). SVW '27 settles at the pitch formerly used by DTV at Middenweg.
• 1928 / In its 1st season, SVW '27 wins the title in DHVB Division 4A, thus acceding to DHVB Division 3.
• 1931 / Finishing runners-up in DHVB Division 3A behind Victoria-O, SVW '27 wins promotion to DHVB Division 2, playing at that level for the following 9 seasons.
• 1936 / Abandoning the pitch at Middenweg, SVW '27 settles at a new ground at Sportlaan, later extended and renamed Sportpark De Kabel - where the club is still home today. Initially, the ground consisted of just one pitch (the pitch shown in the photos below), but various extensions were made later onwards, in the post-war years.
• 1940 / As German occupation authorities abolish all football associations in the Netherlands except NVB, SVW '27 joins the official FA, being placed in NHVB Sunday Division 2A for the 1940-41 season.
• 1943 / In 1942 or 1943 - the source material is rather sketchy -, SVW '27 wins the title in NHVB Division 2B, thus making the leap to NHVB Sunday Division 1, the level directly below NVB Sunday League 4.
• 1949 / Finishing second-last in NHVB Division 1C, SVW '27 drops back into Division 2.
• 1954 / In what can be described as the nadir of club history, SVW '27 finishes dead-lat in NHVB Division 2C, thus suffering a relegation to NHVB Division 3, the lowest possible league level.
• 1956 / Obtaining the decisive points in a 6-1 win over vv DWOW (3 goals by Jan Tamis, 2 by Piet Jak, and 1 by Dirk Tromp), SVW '27 clinches the title in NHVB Sunday Division 3B with a 1-point advantage over SV ZDH and vv Vesdo, thus winning promotion to NHVB Division 2.
• 1962 / With SVW '27 and vv De Blokkers finishing in joint-1st place in NHVB Division 2B, the two clubs face each other at vv SEW's ground in Nibbixwoud for a tie-break match. In an encounter attended by some 1,500 spectators, SVW, captained by Siem Vlaar, wins the match 2-0 with both goals being scored by Cor Steur. The successful coach is Piet de Boer.
• 1963 / SVW '27 wins its 2nd title in a row, finishing in 1st place in NHVB Division 1B, with the decision falling elsewhere, as the club's last remaining rival, SV Westfriezen, drops decisive points against vv HOSV. In the ensuing promotion play-offs against the title winners in the two other NHVB D1 competitions, SV Watervogels and RKVV Saenden, the two available promotion spots are clinched by SV Watervogels and SVW '27. Thus, the team, coached by Klaas Wit, accedes to KNVB Sunday League 4 for the first time.
• 1964 / With players previously being used to changing clothes in the groundsman's house, nearby the pitch at Sportlaan, a first set of dressing rooms is now inaugurated at SVW '27's ground. 
• 1966 / A first clubhouse is erected. Around this time, a first covered stand is added to the set-up as well, a steel construction.
• 1968 / In its 5th season at League 4 level, SVW '27 finishes in 1st place in Sunday League 4B with an equal number of points as RKVV Limmen. In a tie-break match, attended by nearly 7,000 (!) spectators at AZ'67's Alkmaarderhout, SVW, coached by Piet Lingbeek, wins 2-1, with the club's two goals being scored by Sjaak Beers and Arie Bakker. As such, the club accedes to Sunday League 3 for the first time in club history.
• 1969 / Finishing in joint-10th place in Sunday League 3A, with an equal number of points as RKAFC, the two clubs face each other in a set of 2 tie-break matches, in which RKAFC comes out on top. As such, SVW '27 descends back into League 4 after just one season.
• 1972 / Having finished runners-up in the previous season, SVW '27, guided by trainer Bram Wiertz, now wins the title in Sunday League 4A, thus returning to League 3 after 3 years.
• 1974 / Construction of a new clubhouse, 'De Kink' (to be seen on the far left in photo 11 below). 
• 1975 / SVW '27 loses its extra training pitches at Sportpark De Vork, as a newly founded club, HSV Waard '75, settles at this ground.
• 1976 / As SVW '27 finishes in joint-first place in Sunday League 3A with vv HSV, the two teams face each other head-to-head in a tie-break match played at RKSV AFC '34's ground. In front of a crowd of 2,500, SVW, coached by Fred Vonk, wins the match confidently (3-0, goals by Ab Vreeker, Henny Visscher, and Paul Kramer). Thus, the club wins promotion to Sunday League 2 for the first time.
• 1977 / In its first season in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27, still trained by Fred Vonk, wins the title with a gap of 6 points over RKSV Vitesse '22 and RKVV DEM. The decisive points are won in an away match at BVV De Kennemers. 
• 1978 / In the best season in club history, SVW '27 finishes in 6th place in Sunday League 1A. Also in 1978, the first edition of the so-called SVW '27 Tournament is held. The first edition is won by the home side following defeats of respected non-league sides HFC EDO and ASV DWV. Always held in the month of August, the SVW Tournament is held well into the 21st century - with SVW also winning the 1981 and 1991 editions.
• 1979 / Fred Vonk, the most successful coach in SVW '27's history, has to step back due to his not having the correct certificates to lead a League 1 team - he had been given a 2-year dispensation by KNVB authorities for the 2 previous seasons. Meanwhile, Cor Brink, co-founder of the club, lays the foundation stone of a new, large grandstand to be built at Sportpark De Kabel. The building works are taken care of by the contracting company of Piet Groenveld, who also is a member of the club's board at the time.
• 1980 / The new grandstand, with a total of 750 seats, is officially inaugurated by Alderman Ed Huisman.
• 1982 / Having spent 5 years in Sunday League 1A, with performances getting worse each season, SVW '27 eventually descends into League 2 following a 12th and last place in the 1981-82 season.
• 1983 / Goalkeeper Jan Rensen, who had made his debut in SVW '27's first team in 1966 aged 20, plays his 500th match for the club. Rensen, who had turned down an offer to join professional league side DVV Go Ahead in the late 1960s, eventually hangs up his boots in 1984.
• 1985 / Finishing last in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 descends into League 3. In the following 3 seasons, the club finishes runners-up in Sunday League 3A (behind RKAV Volendam, vv West Frisia, and vv Kolping Boys successively), thus just missing out on promotion 3 times in a row.
• 1990 / Yet again, SVW '27 finishes in 2nd place in Sunday League 3A, as LSVV walks away with the title. With the 1989-90 season being the first in which promotion play-offs are held, SVW '27 qualifies for those post-season matches, but the club bows out in R1 against SC Spirit '30.
• 1991 / Having managed a 4th place in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs again, but it is eliminated in the group stage against SC Spirit '30 and HFC Helder.
• 1993 / Finishing 7th in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated following defeats at the hands of SV Texel and SV De Rijp.
• 1994 / Managing a 4th place in Sunday League 3A, the club is eliminated in the play-offs yet again, this time by VAVV Alcmaria Victrix and HFC Helder.
• 1996 / Following another 4th place finish in Sunday League 3A, SVW '27 survives the first 2 play-off rounds, seeing off vv VZV and vv HSV, only to lose the final (2-1 A.E.T.) against vv De Brug. In an additional 'lucky loser' final, held due to an extra promotion place being available, SVW faces vv Legmeervogels - with the Uithoorn club walking away as winners (4-3 A.E.T.). 
• 1997 / Runners-up in Sunday League 3A this time, 1 point behind RKVV WGW, SVW '27 has to settle for a round of play-offs yet again - but, this time, the club is more fortunate than on previous occasions, defeating HFC Helder and vv HSV in the first two rounds, ultimately having the better of IVV in the final, played at WFC's Wateringcomplex in Wormerveer (2-1 A.E.T.). The coach guiding SVW out of League 3 after 12 years is Jan Visscher. Also in 1997, SVW '27 12-year-old youth academy player Ron Vlaar, who had only joined the club from vv Apollo '68 the previous year, is picked up by an AZ talent scout - ultimately breaking into that club's first team in 2004 and going on to play for Feyenoord, Aston Villa FC, and (a second spell at) AZ, hanging up his boots in 2021. Ron Vlaar played a total of 32 caps for the Netherlands' national team, being part of his country's squad in the 2012 European Championships and the 2014 World Championships.
• 1998 / In its first season in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 does surprisingly well, finishing in 3rd place behind RKVV Velsen and vv Kolping Boys. In the subsequent promotion play-offs, the club is eliminated in a group with SV WSV 1930 and AFC DWS.
• 2000 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 is eliminated in the promotion play-offs by vv De Meern.
• 2001 / vv Reiger Boys, who occupy the southern half of Sportpark De Kabel, move away to a newly built park, Sportpark De Wending. Reiger Boys' premises are taken over by SVW '27, thus solving the club's chronic lack of pitches at one stroke - from now on, the club has a total of 7 pitches at its disposal.
• 2002 / Finishing 11th in Sunday League 2B, SVW '27 drops back into League 3 after 4 seasons.
• 2003 / Clinching the title in Sunday League 3A, the club returns to League 2 after just one year.
• 2010 / With a 5th place in Sunday League 2A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it obtains its ticket for Sunday League 1 following an emphatic 7-1 win over ASV De Flamingo's '64 - a match which took place at SV De Rijp's ground in front of a crowd of 1,200. SVW '27 returns to League 1 after a 28-year absence.
• 2011 / Finishing 14th and last in Sunday League 1A, SVW '27 drops back into League 2 after just one season, along with SV NVC.
• 2016 / Like the previous season, when relegation was staved off, SVW '27 finishes in 12th place in Sunday League 2A, ahead of directly relegated clubs SC Spirit '30 and FC Den Helder. In a relegation play-off, the club is defeated by SV United-DAVO (2-1 on aggregate), thus eventually dropping back into League 3, 13 years after last having played at that level.
• 2017 / Finishing 4th in Sunday League 3B, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In the play-off final, the club defeats JVC (Julianadorp) (4-2 on aggregate), thus managing an immediate return to League 2.
• 2019 / SVW '27 enters a first team in Saturday League 4 for the first time - in parallel to the Sunday team, which still plays in League 2.
• 2022 / With just 6 points from 24 matches, SVW '27's flagship team finishes rock-bottom in Sunday League 2A. After the 2021-22 season, the club withdraws its Sunday team, continuing with just a first team in the Saturday divisions.
• 2023 / Finishing in third place in District West I's Saturday League 4A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by HCSC.
• 2025 / Finishing in third place in District West I's Saturday League 4A, SVW '27 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out SV Diemen in the semis (7-3) to qualify for the final against vv Schoonhoven, played at Sportpark De Vryheit, DESTO's ground in Vleuten. With the club also winning that match (4-3), SVW '27 wins promotion to Saturday League 3 along with champions OFC and fellow play-off winners CVV Jong Hercules.
• 2026 / Finishing in third-last place in Saturday League 3A, SVW '27 has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Knocking out vv Kolping Boys (za) in R1 (4-2), the club goes on to suffer defeat in the final against SC Urban Talents, an encounter played at a neutral venue, the Zuidoosterpark in Zuidoostbeemster; as such, SVW '27 descends into Saturday League 4, alongside CVV Jong Hercules and bottom club vv IJmuiden. Meanwhile, in a major redevelopment of Sportpark De Kabel, getting underway in May 2026, the main pitch of the park has to make way for housing, with all activities moving to a new main pitch at the far end of the accommodation.

Note - The main source for the information provided above is a book published on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the club: "SVW '27 75 jaar", by Jan Tamis & Jaap Bruijns (2002). Thanks to Oscar de Hoog, SVW '27's archivist, for providing me with a copy of this book.

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

BELGIUM: KFC Kattenbos Sport

Sportpark Kattenbos - Oude Diestersebaan, Lommel Kattenbos (KFC Kattenbos Sport)

Belgium, province: Limburg

18 V 2023 / KFC Kattenbos Sport - FC Maasland Noordoost 2-0 / Limburg, Provincial League 3 - promotion play-off final (= BE level 8)

Timeline

• 1936 / Foundation of Roode Duivels Kattenbosch by Jaak Hendriks (15 years old) and Jef Vandervee (17). The club's first ground is situated at Statieplein.
• 1937 / After one year of practicing, Roode Duivels Kattenbosch joins the so-called Noordlimburgse Verstandhouding, a local league. Also in 1937, a first board is put together, with Jaak Hendriks being one of the initial members, remaining in function until 1960.
• 1940 / The decision is taken to join the official Belgian Football Association, which involves an obligatory name change, given that Rode Duivels ('Red Devils') is the nickname of the Belgian national team. The chosen new name is FC Kattenbos Sport - and under that name, the club is accepted as new FA member, obtaining matricule 2900. Given that the pitch at Statieplein does not have the correct measurements for official matches, the club settles at a new ground at the back of Mathijs Cochet's café, situated in the area of modern-day Pater Eymardstraat. Also in 1940, a first coach is appointed, former Wezel Sport FC player Emiel Meutelaers.
• 1941 / FC Kattenbos Sport takes part in regular league football for the first time, being placed in Limburg's Regional League 2G (2e Gewestelijke G). Also in 1941, the club forms a youth academy.
• ± 1945 / Abandoning Terrein Mathijs Cochet, FC Kattenbos Sport moves to a pitch at the back of Café Hoeben, a local pub situated on the main road from Lommel to Leopoldsburg.
• 1952 / Winning the title in Limburg's Regional League 2A, FC Kattenbos Sport wins promotion to the newly formed Provincial League 1. In the remainder of the 1950s, the club spends a total of 5 seasons in P1, subdivided into 3 short spells (1952-54, 1955-57, and 1959-60), with an 11th place in the 1952-53 season being the best result in club history.
• 1969 / Having spent the previous 9 seasons in Provincial League 2, FC Kattenbos Sport now finishes bottom in P2B, thus suffering relegation to Provincial League 3 for the first time in club history.
• 1971 / Winning the title in Provincial League 3E, the club manages a return to P2.
• 1972 / Moving away from Café Hoeben, FC Kattenbos Sport settles at a newly laid-out ground at Oude Diestersebaan, later renamed Sportpark Kattenbos.
• 1973 / Winning the title in Provincial League 2A, FC Kattenbos Sport returns to Limburg's Provincial League 1 after a 13-year absence. 
• 1976 / Having narrowly escaped relegation in the previous 2 seasons, FC Kattenbos Sport now finishes 16th and last in Provincial League 1, thus dropping back into P2 after 3 years. In the following 30 seasons, the club alternates spells in P2 (1976-80, 1991-97, 1998-99) and in P3 (1980-91, 1997-98, 1999-2006), picking up one title in the process - in Provincial League 3B in 1991.
• 1990 / On the 50th anniversary of the club's KBVB membership, FC Kattenbos Sport acquires the royal epithet, thus becoming Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Kattenbos Sport.
• 2006 / With an advantage of 3 points over VK Gestel, KFC Kattenbos Sport clinches the P3A title. The spell in P2 lasts just one year, with relegation following in 2007.
• 2015 / KFC Kattenbos Sport wins the title in Provincial League 3A, finishing with 9 more points than closest followers K Achel VV and K Vrijheid Zolder. Yet again, the club spends just 1 season in Provincial League 2 before dropping back into P3.
• 2023 / Finishing runners-up in Provincial League 3B, just 1 point behind title winners Turkse FC, KFC Kattenbos Sport qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Having the fortune of being allowed to draw 3 consecutive home matches, the club successively works its way past Sporting Wijchmaal, Unico Tongeren, and FC Maasland Noordoost to return to Provincial League 2 after a 7-year absence.
• 2024 / Finishing in second-last place in Provincial League 2B, KFC Kattenbos Sport drops back into P3 after just one season, along with bottom club KESK Leopoldsburg.
• 2026 / Finishing in fourth place in Limburg's Provincial League 3B, KFC Kattenbos Sport qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club stumbles over the first hurdle, Juve Hasselt (2-4).

Note - Information regarding the various grounds used by the club in the course of its history was provided by André Schreppers, who, in different roles (club secretary, groundsman, etc.), has been involved with Kattenbos Sport from 1976 onwards.

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