Voetbal Vereniging Rigtersbleek to give them their full title is an amateur football club based close to the centre of Enschede in the north east of The Netherlands. The club were formed on the 10th August 1910 by workers of the Rigtersbleek textile factory and being owned by the Van Heck family.
The club became district champions several times before joining the national first division in 1953, with star player Wim Bleijenberg winning three international caps for Holland. The following year the club turned semi professional playing in Erste Divisie and then Hoofdklasse. In 1956 Bleijenberg was sold to Ajax as Rigtersbleek struggled.
After relegation in 1960, the club returned to its amateur status playing in regional football for many seasons. After climbing up from Derde (third) Klasse to Erste (first) Klasse for the 2007-08 campaign, Rigtersbleek won promotion to Hoofdklasse, which is the second level of amateur football, and the fourth tier in total.
The club were relegated back to the third tier Erste Klasse on a Sunday at the end of the 2012-13 season.
vv Rigtersbleek will play in Erste Klasse Zontag Ooste (First Class Sunday – East) in the 2013-14 season.
My visit
Saturday 18thJanuary 2014
I was in The Netherlands to enjoy my long weekend off work and to educate myself watching matches and visiting clubs had never previously heard of. It would keep me fit and appreciate the fabric of the game in a country I’ve always had marked down as being very progressive.
As ever I planned to fit in as much as I could, so I was out of bed in Hengelo bright and early. Apart from it wasn’t too bright. The hours time difference meant that 8.30 am in Holland was the same as 7.30 in the UK and the same murky light.
The bus from Hengelo station ran on time, and the display told me when I was getting close to the club. The no.9 went down Hengelostraat before dropping my at the Alleeweg stop. The ground was a hundred yards down Gookatenweg, before I turned right into GJ van Heekstraat and soon came across the entrance.
There were a couple of folks around the clubhouse. The venue had two artificial surfaces. I walked down to the main pitch, which had a decent sized seated stand on the far side and hard standing all the way around the railed pitch. A fine collection of raised advertising boards gave the ground an enclosed feel.
Having completed my task I headed to the Toekonstraat bus stop where within a few minutes the no.1 had arrived and was taking me down to Enschede station.
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