VV Nieuwerkerk (Netherlands)

VV Nieuwerkerk is a Dutch amateur football club from the town of Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel, which is located on the right bank of the Hollandse Ijssel river, around ten kilometres northeast of Rotterdam. ‘De Rode Boeren’, The Red Farmers, were formed on the 20th July 1929.

Football in the town had a rich heritage, with the game being played in informal mode at S-Gravenweg, de Kerklaan and de Vijf Boeken. Some years later a team called DOS was formed from workers at 'De Struischvogel' glassworks. When the factory went bankrupt, the team ceased.

The club trundled along for several decades playing Zondag Sunday, Vierde fourth, and Vijfde fifth Klasse football. In 2008-09, the team led by Ed Graper won the Vijfde klasse title. In 2001-02, trainer Willem den Besten’s side won the Vierde Klasse championship.

In the 2011-12 season, De Rode Boeren were promoted to the Tweede klasse. The run nearly continued the following season, but Nieuwerkerk were defeated in the play-offs 3-1 to DVC at the home of VV Cappelle in front of 3,000 spectators.

Ron Timmers was in charge of the team in 2006-07 as the team finished as runners-up in Tweede klasse before losing out 4-2 in the play-offs to ADO Den Haag Amateurs. Club membership reached the 1,000 mark in 2006 as Nieuwerkerk continued to prosper.

At last, the club won the Tweede Klasse title in 2010-11, seeing off nearest challengers Jai Hind Rotterdam. After a couple of seasons finishing as runners-up in the Eerste Klasse B, Nieuwerkerk won promotion to the Hoofdklasse at the culmination of the 2014-15 season.

Their spell at the higher level would last just one season as Nieuwerkerk were relegated through the play-offs back down to Zondag Eerste Klasse B, where a fifth-place finish was achieved, which was backed up with third place in 2017-18.

The club decided to switch to Saturday football, winning the 4E Klasse F title in 2018-19 to progress to Derde Klasse C, where they were in second place when the season was ended early owing to the Coronavirus outbreak. The 2021-22 season ended in triumph as the league title was lifted, seeing Nieuwerkerk go up to Tweede Klasse F.

The side was switched to the D and then the C section of the same level to accommodate the right number of teams in each. Ron Luijten was the trainer until the 2023-24 campaign, when Michel van Noort succeeded him. The team finished fourth in 2024-25, which was enough to win promotion before the appointment of new trainer Raymond Kraaijbeek.

VV Nieuwerkerk will play in Eerste Klasse C in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Friday 29th January 2016

It was only a few days before my departure that I came across both BVV Barendrecht of the Topklasse and VV Nieuwerkerk, who competed in the Hoofdklasse. Both venues seemed reasonably accessible from Rotterdam Centraal station and were worth a visit.

I only just caught the train east, which went by Alexander station, which I’d gone by on my way into Rotterdam the previous day. If only I’d have researched a bit more! It was a sixteen-minute journey on the Sprinter train to Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel before another twelve-minute walk along Batavierlaan to Sportpark Dorrestein.

The venue had two full-sized artificial pitches, three more for juniors, and three full-sized turf pitches aside from the main arena. Hockey was also catered for with two artificial pitches. It really was a tremendous venue. Naturally, there was a large dressing room block and clubhouse, which backed onto the first team pitch.

This also had a fine raised seated main stand down one side, with the rest of the ground being made up of open hard standing being backed by raised advertising boards surrounding its artificial pitch. Although the ground was locked, I got a great view over the wire gate from one end.

As trains only ran every half hour, I was soon on my way. Despite carrying my rucksack to save on another discussion with staff at Rotterdam station, I made the train with plenty of time to spare and had to hide from the inclement weather.