VOSTA (Holland)

VOSTA or Vooruit Omhoog Sportief Trots Alles is an amateur football club based in north Enschede in the north east of The Netherlands. The club were formed on the 15^th September 1926 by Mr A Moss at cafe Oostburg.

In 1931 VOSTA began playing at a ground on Steenweg, before moving to Sportpark Schreurserve at Minkmaatstraat four years later. The first clubhouse was opened in 1962 when the team found themselves playing Erste (first) Klasse football, when that was the highest grade of the amateur game.

 

On the 15^th March 1980 VOSTA opened a brand new clubhouse, but by then the first team had slipped down the divisions.

VOSTA will play in the Vierde Klasse Zontag Oost (Fourth Class Sunday – East) in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Saturday 18^th January 2014

To be perfectly honest I had never heard of VOSTA until I came across their neat venue when visiting cvv Sparta Enschede who occupied the rest of Sportpark Schreurserve. When taking photos of their venue I saw another ground with separate facilities, so naturally I went to take a look.

VOSTA’s headquarters were suited to a higher grade of football. A decent seated stand was on the same side as the clubhouse and changing rooms. The grass pitch had a rail and hard standing all the way around it as well as turf beyond. At the Minkmaatstraat end a sand volleyball court was set out. In front of the clubhouse was a concourse with chairs and tables with a fenced playground in front.

The football enthusiast certainly had the best of both worlds with two impressive football clubs, playing on different days of the weekend to hold their attention.

My luck was definitely in. I had previously considered a bus ride up to Oldenzaal to visit Be Quick, but time was extremely tight. I stumbled across the Hyacintstraat bus stop virtually outside the ground and within minutes the no.6 was taking me back to Enschede station in time to catch a waiting train back to Hengelo.

cvv Sparta Enschede (Holland)

cvv Sparta Enschede, or Christelijke Voetbalvereniging Sparta Enschede to give them their full title, are an amateur football club based in the northern edge of the city of Enschede in the north east of The Netherlands. The cvv in the title refers to the Christian background to the club when it was first formed on April 21^st 1921.

Sparta play their football on a Saturday owing their background. The period before World War Two were probably the clubs most halcyon period as they lifted the CNVB championship in 1935, 1937, 1938 and 1938.

Sparta returned to honours in 2004 when they won the Derde (third) Klasse title and promotion. In 2012 there were further celebrations at Sportpark Schreurserve as the Tweete (second) Klasse championship was secured meaning that the club would be playing in the third tier of amateur football, and the fifth tier nationally for the 2012-13 campaign.

cvv Sparta will play in Erste Klasse Zaterdag Oost (First Class Saturday - East) in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Saturday 18^th January 2014

It was my first day adventuring in Holland and I was keen to have a look at the amateur set up near to the towns I was staying in. After arriving in central Enschede after a trip to vv Rigtersbleek I took the no.62 to Kotkampweg, from where I just had to cross over Oldenzaalsestraat to find the entrance to the venue open.

Several parents were dropping off their young girls for football training on the artificial pitch near to the clubhouse. I walked around the corner to the main pitch, to find an impressive set up around the artificial surface at Sportpark Schreurserve.

A fine seated stand straddled the half way line to my right, with the dug outs and a raised scoreboard opposite. Hard standing and then grass surrounded the floodlit arena. As with many amateur set ups there were several raised advertising boards and flags on display.

I was pleased with my work, yet another venue across the hedge was catching my attention. Although I did keen research before hand I was unaware of another club sitting adjacent. My ‘bonus’ club turned out to be VOSTA.

vv Rigtersbleek (Holland)

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 10^th 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 18^thJanuary 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.

FC Twente (Holland)

FC Twente are a professional football club from the north east city of Enschede in The Netherlands. The club were formed on the 1^st July 1965 following the merger of Sportclub (SC) Enschede and Enschedese Boys.

SC Enschede had been formed on the 1^st June 1910 and quickly going on to become a leading football club in the country. In 1926 SC were crowned as national champions as well as winning the Eastern League five times. When the national Eredivisie was formed in 1956, SC Enschede became one of the top sides, but by 1965 they were saddled with debts, which led to the merger.

Enschedese Boys were originally called Lotisco when formed on the 20^th June 1906. They had a severe rivalry with SC who were supported by the middle class and factory owners, whereas Boys were the working class club. It was said that fans of De Boys refused to wear black shoe laces as that was the colour of Sportclub, whereas their fans supposedly would not eat erwtensoep as it was the green colour of Boys.

De Boys also suffered with financial problems and also suffered on the pitch. The city of Enschede wanted one club to challenge for honours, so the merger came about, although they both continued as separate amateur clubs playing in regional football.

The new club moved into the multi purpose Diekman Stadion. They faired well in Eredivisie with a few top five finishes, before nearly lifting the title in 1973-74. They travelled to De Kuip to challenge Feyenoord in the league decider, but lost the game 3-2. As a consolation Twente (which is the name of the region in which Enschede lies) were placed in the UEFA Cup for the following season.

FC Twente went all the way to the UEFA Cup Final of 1975 before losing to Borussia Monchengladbach 5-1 on aggregate after defeating Juventus in the semi finals. In 1977 FC Twente won the KNVB Cup following a 3-0 final win over PEC Zwolle at De Goffert in Nijmegen.

‘De Tukkers’ were relegated to Eerste Divisie in 1983, but returned to the top flight after just a seasons abstinence. The club re-established itself and qualified for the UEFA Cup on a few occasions. Hans Meyer led the side to a third place finish in 1997. The club left Diekman Stadion for the brand new Arke Stadion in March 1998, which was built between the city centres of Enschede and Hengelo.

In 2001 PSV were defeated on penalties in the final the KNVB Cup although the Ultra Vak-P fans ran amok soon at the new surroundings following a slump in the teams form soon after. During the 2002-03 season the club was declared bankrupt, but a new company was quickly formed with businessman Joop Munsterman taking over as chairman.

FC Twente were defeated by FC Utrecht in the 2004 KNVB Cup Final before major developments arrived at the club in 2008. Steve McClaren was appointed as the new head coach as the team played in the Champions League qualifiers. The Arke Stadion was renamed De Grolsch Verde in a sponsorship deal with the local brewers as the arena was extended. The team finished as Eredivisie runners up in 2008-09 as well as losing KNVB finalists after going down to SC Heerenveen in the final.

FC Twente went on to win their first Eredivisie in 2009-10 losing only two games all season. MCClaren resigned and moved to Wolfsburg, to be replaced by Belgian Michel Preud’homme. His side lifted their third KNVB Cup after coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Ajax 3-2. A week later FC Twente had to go to play Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA, leading the league by one point going into the final game. Ajax won the game 3-1 to leave FC Twente as runners up.

Co Adriaanse took over in the managers seat from Preud’homme for 2012-13, but a sixth placed finish led to Michael Jansen taking over.

FC Twente will play in Eredivisie in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

FC Twente 3 Heracles 1 (Friday 17^th January 2014) Eredivisie (Att: 29,750)

I was in need of an annual venture over to Europe to watch some football for a weekend. After looking at possibilities for Germany and Belgium, I plumped for The Netherlands as my monthly long weekend off work coincided with the resumption of fixtures after the winter break.

After strategic advanced planning I flew to Eindhoven from Stanstead after hearing the end of the demoralising ODI between Australia and England and purchased an Anonymous OV Chipcard for all travel in the country on arrival. It was like an Oyster card, only covering everything. What a sensible idea! My long train ride had a couple of changes in Utrecht and Apeldoorn before I arrived in Hengelo, where I was to stay for the night.

The Hampshire City Hotel was a top class choice, as it was only a couple of minutes from the station. The helpful staff provided me with a continental plug adaptor as I’d left mine at home. De Grolsche Veste was located between there and Enschede and just a five minute train ride away, with Enschede Drienerlo station serving the stadium.

The club had been most helpful sorting me a ticket, after initially saying it may have been tough as it was the first game back following the break and a local derby to boot..I had to pay €43.50 for my ticket, which I collected at the stadium booth near to the station exit. A sensibly priced and sized programme cost me €1. The small size like some clubs issued in the 60's in the UK with all the required info, but it fitted into a back pocket.

I wandered around before going inside, even getting access into the fans bar. Unfortunately the place was predictably packed, so getting a beer was going to be hard work. I decided to give it a miss and go in search of my turnstile. After a big climb up the stairs I reached the concourse level, when I grabbed a quick look outside, before returning in search of a beer. A token system was in operation to buy plastic club munts (coins) from a machine, which were then exchanged for food and drink.

I enjoyed a lovely sweet dark local Grolsch, followed by a light one with a smoked hot dog, before heading to my seat and also take some photos from different angles. Beers could be taken to your seat like at all grounds I came across in Holland and Germany when I’ve visited.

The stadium was excellent, with two tiers around three sides and a lower side by the railway. My seat was right up on the top deck towards the byline offering great views of the action. It took some climbing to the top. The visitors from Almelo had one block of seats allocated, although their fans made themselves heard. Home fans in Vak P created plenty of atmosphere including their own take on "You'll Never Walk Alone" before kick off.

Twente went in deservedly 1-0 ahead at the break although Heracles had plenty of play after winger Quincy Promes backheeled and then fired into the far corner of the Heracles net. There were other opportunities, but the interval score was about right. I was struggling by the break with tiredness after such a long day and was glad to get up and have a stretch.

A second goal came soon after the interval from Luc Castaignos following a couple of attempts being kept out. A straight red card to the last Heracles defender, Jeroen Veldmate made the visitor’s task even harder not long after. To their credit they kept going and pulled a goal back with a fine individual effort, not that Twente's fans appreciated it, as the German Mark Uth ran from the half way line with defenders backing off before planting a shot into the top corner of the net. 

It woke Twente from their complacency as they pushed forward and sealed the game with a penalty from Serbian forward Dusan Tadic with two minutes remaining. The result was a fair reflection on the game.

There was a hell of a crush trying to get through the turnstiles that led to the tunnel under the railway for the return ride. It was quite scary at one point, with the organisation poor. The normal entrance to the far platform was cut off, but without any signage. Many locals had made the same error as myself. It was a relief to get on a train heading back to my base.

I was in a pub with decent loud music sampling more Grolsch within half an hour after a brief look around the centre of Hengelo to round off a long but very enjoyable day. I slept very well that night!

To see a brief clip I took at the game, click on: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK628Zkipnw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUuIHNmGQ2lRbtwwp7tLYDDQ

Sutton Coldfield Town

Sutton Coldfield Town FC is a non league football club from the large suburb eight miles north of the centre of Birmingham of the same name. The club were formed in 1879 starting out playing at Sutton Park.

Town competed in the Central Birmingham League, Aston & District League, Small Heath League and the Suburban League. ‘The Royals’ moved to Coles Lane in 1920 as they competed in the Birmingham Alliance and Birmingham Combination as Sutton Town.

For 1962-63 Town played in the newly renamed West Midlands (Regional) League, changing their name to incorporate ‘Coldfield’ in its title in 1964. A year later Sutton moved to the Worcestershire Combination, which changed its name to the Midland Combination for the 1968-69 season.

After finishing league runners up in consecutive seasons at the turn of the 70’s, The Royals won their first championships in 1977-78 and 1978-79, resulting in a move to the higher West Midlands (Regional) League where they won the title at the first attempt. A fine FA Cup run in 1980-81 saw Town reach the First Round, where Doncaster Rovers ended the fun with a 2-0 win at Coles Lane.

Town won promotion to the Southern League Midland Division for 1982-83 after a second place finish in the West Midlands (Regional) League. Further success came when they were promoted to the Premier Division at the first attempt, but relegation came after just one season at the elevated status.

Town remained in the differently titled second tier of the Southern League for many years. They reached the play offs in 2003-04, but Banbury United ended any hopes of promotion. Following restructuring Sutton were allocated a place in Southern League Division One Midlands in 2006-07, but were transferred owing to the geographical location to the Northern Premier League Division One South for the 2010-11 campaign.

Sutton Coldfield Town FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One South for the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Romulus 4 Scarborough Athletic 2 (Saturday 7^th September 2013) Northern Premier League Division One South (att: 171)

For full details of my day out and my view of the match, please visit the Romulus page at: http://worldgroundhop.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Romulus

Here is my impression of Coles Lane.

The nice fifteen minute leisurely walk from the station took me down to Coles Lane, where gap between the houses took me to the ground entrance. A small shop selling drinks and groceries was by the entrance.

Cars were parked on the hard standing to the left hand end of the arena, next to the clubhouse with its refreshments serving hatch in front. Several building housed other activities such as the local Table Tennis and Sub Aqua Clubs. The left hand touchline had a cover and then a section of open standing. The far end had a cover over the hard standing directly behind the goal.

The final side was dominated by a superb old Main Stand, which was a raised seating deck with flat hard standing in front and changing rooms below the seats. The centre section had blue tip up seats for dignitaries, with the wings consisting of well worn benches. The view was magnificent from there once I’d negotiated the rickety old stairs.

A small section of what was becoming overgrown terracing was further down the touchline. It typified a slightly ageing and ramshackle look, but it I would rather have that than an identikit newly built ground any day. The lifeblood of the ground was the artificial 3G pitch, and the extra block of changing rooms and toilets stood next to it, which allowed the partitioning off of the playing area to hire whenever senior football was not being played.

Coles Lane had adapted to embrace new facilities in a traditional arena. If only all clubs could consider doing similar in the future.