VV UNA (Netherlands)

VV UNA

Ground: Sportpark Zeelst

Capacity: 2,000

Club Founded: 1929

League: Derde Divisie B - 4th Tier (current level)

VV UNA, or Voetbalvereniging UNA, to give their full title, is a semi-professional football club from the Zeelst area of the town of Veldhoven, which is located close to the southwest of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Club History

Early Years

VV UNA's origins can be traced to the dissolution of de Kemphanen, a previous local club. A replacement was wanted, with UNA chosen as the name, as it was translated to ‘United’ from Latin. Jan Spelbrink became the club's first chairman. 

Players had to leave the club to work in Germany from occupied Holland. It didn’t stop UNA winning the league title following championship matches against DOSKO of Duizel in the 1940-41 season to lift the club to the KNVB Vierde, fourth Klasse. Promotion meant that their Hagendorenseweg ground was unsuitable. 

New Grounds and Financial Issues

The club managed to acquire land on Hoogstraat behind café De Kleine Man. The new ground was officially blessed by Father van Wely in 1948. UNA won promotion in 1953 to reach the third tier of amateur football. The club appealed door-to-door to local residents of Zeelst as the club struggled financially a couple of years later. 

Further upheaval came when the land at Hoogstraat was required for new housing. The meant UNA moving once again, this time a hundred metres south, to the new Sportpark Zeelst on Sportlaan. The new ground was opened in 1958 by Mayor Ras. In 1962-63, the team under trainer Harrie van Elderen was promoted to the second amateur level, Tweede Klasse. 

Success, then Relegation

The 1964-65 campaign was the club's most successful yet, as UNA won another title to join amateur football’s elite Eerste Klasse. New seating and standing areas were added to Sportpark Zeelst, while a year later, the clubhouse was opened. Club membership grew after the team went down and was then promoted.

Trainer Meeuwissen led the club to further glory in 1976 when victory over the Breda club Baronie took UNA up to the Hoofdklasse. Another relegation and promotion under trainer Guus de Graaf followed before demotion to the Eerste Klasse as the club's structure was reorganised.

A new clubhouse was opened, and eight years later, the grandstand was replaced with a new structure as the team found itself in the Tweede Klasse. Further facilities were added, while promotion was won in 1989-90 under Theo Raymakers. UNA recovered from relegation to the third amateur tier before trainer Eus Marijnissen led them to the Hoofdklasse.

The status allowed UNA to enter the KNVB Cup. In 2002, they qualified for the first round and played Eredivisie leaders RKC Waalwijk. The game was moved to the Jan Louwers Stadion in Eindhoven as Sportpark Zeelst didn’t have sufficient lighting. UNA put in a fine display before going out 2-0 in front of 1,500 fans.

UNA won their Sunday Hoofdklasse division in 2010-11 and were promoted to Topklasse football for the first time. Their spell lasted just one campaign. They returned twelve months later under the leadership of Mark Schenning. The 2014-15 season ended in playoff success, as UNA won promotion following a 1-0 win against HSC '21.

Their reward was a place in the new third-tier Tweede Divisie for 2016-17, which proved too steep a jump. The play-offs, in search of promotion, ended in a defeat on penalties to Jong Almere City. From the start of the 2023-24 season, UNA were placed in the fourth-tier Derde Divisie B, with Jurriaan van Poelje arriving as trainer at the end of the season.

My visit

Stadium Visit - Tuesday 21st January 2014

My adventure over a long weekend around matches and football clubs of the Netherlands was coming to an end. My last bus ride out of Eindhoven was the number 15 service to Julianastraat in Veldhoven before I walked around the corner to Sportlaan.

The entrance to Sportpark Zeelst was unfortunately locked, but I still had good views of the impressive venue, which had hard standing all the way around. As is familiar in the Netherlands, there were also many raised advertising hoardings, giving the impression of a well-run club. 

The grandstand was a decent-sized structure down the far side, with the clubhouse and facilities all behind the near goal. With my task complete, it was time to take the bus back from close to UNA’s former home, back towards Eindhoven, and one last club before heading to the airport.