ASV Blauw-Wit (Netherlands)

ASV Blauw-Wit is an amateur football club from the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, who were formed on the 10th May 1902, following a meeting at a warehouse on Fred.Hendrikstraat. It was decided that the club name would be Victoria. N. Walstra became the first chairman of the club, with games being played in a public area on Hugo de Grootstraat. 

This was soon replaced by  Zwarte Land, where Fred Hendrikplantsoen now stands. Victoria was unable to join the KNVB as they did not have a proper ground. They were prevented from playing on occasions, as one of their rivals, V.I.O.S., had a player whose father was a policeman who made things difficult for Victoria.

In 1907, a merger took place with the Holland club. The Dutch FA allowed the club to play in the 3e klasse. The club played in blue and white hooped shirts and became known as the Zebras. It was from this that the club became known as Blauw-Wit. Matches were played near Hembrug Aantal, with promotion to 2e klasse being achieved.

In 1911, Blauw-Wit rented a ground at the Watergraafsmeer complex on Middenweg. Five years later, the club played its first game against rivals Ajax. A year later, it would be a match against Ajax that would seal promotion to 1e klasse in controversial circumstances.

It was claimed that a shot from Grootmeyer of Ajax had been saved behind the line by Blauw-Wit goalkeeper Schindler. Ajax appealed after the game but were rejected, leaving Blauw-Wit to win promotion under revolutionary English trainer Jack Reynolds. He caused quite a furore in 1920 when he departed to lead Ajax. 

In 1922, Blauw-Wit moved into the Harry Elte Stadium and gained access to training pitches and a new clubhouse next door. The new venue saw many a battle both on the pitch and on the terraces, before the club moved into the Olympisch Stadion following the 1928 Summer Games. Henry Teunisse composed a new club anthem: The Blue White-March. 

The club became district champions before losing out to Go Ahead in the national championship play-offs. Another district title was collected in 1930, as support for the club mainly grew from the Kinkerbuurt area of the city. In 1940, the team won won of the 1e Klasse divisions, ending up as national runners-up to Feyenoord, before collecting another district title two years later.

1950 saw the next district title, before finishing as Dutch runners-up to Limburgia, and retaining the district championship crown the following year. In 1954, professional football was introduced into the Netherlands, with Blauw-Wit competing at the highest level. 

They were given a severe setback as they remained amateur while most of their players jumped ship to the professional outfit, BVC Amsterdam. In 1955, the club introduced the first football lotto to raise funds, leading to the opening of a new clubhouse three years later. In 1960, the team was relegated to Eerste Divisie after a play-off defeat to Elinkwijk at De Kuip in Rotterdam.

The club employed new trainers and brought in new players, which led to an immediate return to the Eredivisie. Throughout the onset of the professional era, Blauw-Wit also retained an amateur team. They moved to Sportpark Sloten in 1965. They won promotion to the amateur Derde klasse in 1970.

In 1972, the professional section of the club merged with DWS to form FC Amsterdam in an attempt to challenge the dominance of Ajax in the city. In 1974, Volenwijckers joined forces with the new club. Meanwhile, Blauw-Wit began to prosper in its own right at Sloten. 

They won promotion to Erste klasse in 1975 before winning elevation to Hoofdklasse two years later, which was the leading amateur league of the time. De Zebra went back down to Erste Klasse in 1980. They were still faring better than FC Amsterdam, who were dissolved in May 1982. In 1987, Blauw-Wit regained their Hoofdklasse spot following a title win.

The pitch at Sportpark Sloten was rotated 90 degrees in 1990. The change of geography didn’t bring any luck as the team was relegated the year after. Worse was to come as two further demotions saw De Zebras playing Derde Klasse football by 1996. They went back up one step with a championship win in 1999 before a merger in 2001. 

This was with Osdorp-Sport, which saw the club renamed as Blauw-Wit Osdorp, leading to a link-up with once-bitter rivals Ajax. In 2002, the club celebrated their centenary before other local clubs; KBV, Neerlandia/SLTO, and Sparta Amsterdam all joined forces with Blauw-Wit Osdorp

They struggled through a combination of lack of finances, volunteers, and facilities. The club was named Blauw-Wit Amsterdam. A place became available in the Hoofdklasse, which Blauw-Wit grabbed. They were relegated back to Erste Klasse in 2004, but following yet another successful international tournament, the club was able to extend its canteen and changing rooms while building a new terrace.

In 2008, the pitch at Sloten was converted to an artificial surface. The Gestion Copa Amsterdam invitational cup was held at the club for the last time in 2009, much to the disappointment of all, as it was moved to the Olympisch Stadion.

In 2011, Blauw-Wit joined the newly introduced Topklasse, the highest-ranked amateur league and the third national tier under trainer Roy van der Mije, later replaced by Ulrich Landvreugd. Subsequent relegations saw the club in Derde, third Klasse, Sunday football. Another merger came about in the summer of 2015 as VV Beursbengels joined forces with the club, being renamed Blauw-Wit Beursbengels. 

The team competed in the Saturday Derde klasse, finishing fourth in 3E Klasse B before winning the title in 2016-17 with Barry Schep in charge of the team. This was backed up in 2017-18 with a runners-up finish in 2E Klasse A before a disappointing campaign the following season, which saw Blauw-Wit relegated after finishing second bottom. 

FC Blauw-Wit Beursbengels changed its name in 2021 to ASV Blauw-Wit, playing out the following season in the tenth-tier Zondag Vijfde Klasse B, before changing to a Zaterdag, Saturday team, continuing at the same level in Vijfde Klasse C. The 2024-25 season saw the side finish in tenth position.

ASV Blauw-Wit will play in Zaterdag Vijfde Klasse B in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Wednesday 27th January 2016

I awoke at the plush flat of my pal Dave Kenwery in not too pristine a condition. We had really hammered Australia Day before and after the Ajax game. It was getting on for 3am when we eventually got home.

It was no good sitting there moaning. I had places to go and see. DK dropped me off at Centraal Station before heading to work. I did a bit of sightseeing while I regained the will to live. My fantastic host had forwarded my print-off ticket for the following night's Feyenoord game during our frivolities, so I had to find an internet café to reprint it from an email.

With my task completed in a very tiny internet café, I headed to the station, where my pre-planning had told me that I needed to catch the number 2 tram to Oudenaardeplantsoen. From there, it was a short walk down paths next to the small drainage dikes to Sloterweg, where I found Sportpark Sloten.

I walked past the velodrome and found the home of Blauw-Wit, taking pictures at the far end first, just in case I couldn’t find a better angle. It was a tidy enough venue, with a slightly raised bench seated stand down one side in two parts, being separated by a glassed-in section in the centre. Opposite was a raised TV gantry on the halfway line. 

The rest of the ground consisted of flat open concrete and grass, with the artificial playing surface offering maximum opportunities for matches at the venue. A large clubhouse and changing facilities were behind the west goal. I walked back and then down Johan Huizingalaan under the A4 motorway to catch the 197 bus to the Olympisch Stadium.