History
History
Drs. Vijfje was founded on Thursday, March 27, 2003, by Mark Imandt and Sybrand Jissink. Both were members of the ACLO Executive Board in 2001/2002. A few years earlier, during a different board term, the student football club G.S.V.V. The Knickerbockers had inquired with the ACLO about starting a futsal division, but the initiative failed at the time. Mark and Sybrand, who were also members of The Knickerbockers, decided after their ACLO board year to take steps themselves to establish a futsal division or independent club. Former ACLO board member Erik Böhm briefly joined the Futsal working group, and Riepko Buikema represented The Knickerbockers board. The initiative officially began on September 27, 2002, led by Sybrand. This date is considered the conception date of Drs. Vijfje.
A promotional campaign started in January 2003, and interested students could pre-register online. By early March, more than 100 people had signed up. Efforts to create a futsal division met with considerable resistance, both from the ACLO and within The Knickerbockers. In March 2003, The Knickerbockers’ board withdrew their support. However, the overwhelming interest inspired Mark and Sybrand to continue and establish an independent futsal association. The founding board consisted of Mark Imandt, Arjan Soer, Jonnes Bouma, and Ben van der Veer. Due to his position on the ACLO General Board, Sybrand could not officially join the board.
The Groninger Student Futsal Association Drs. Vijfje was officially founded on Thursday, March 27, 2003, at around 6:00 PM in the Computing Center of the University of Groningen—exactly six months after the "conception date." Mark and Sybrand were present and drafted the founding minutes on the spot. That same evening at 8:00 PM, a new ACLO meeting was scheduled, during which Drs. Vijfje received temporary recognition as an ACLO-affiliated club.
The name "Drs. Vijfje" was coined by Arthur Hendriks. Drs. Vijfje was a character from the Dutch TV show Voetbal ’80 by Maarten Spanjer, known for always having half a football (a "vijfje") on his head. The name also subtly refers to the phasing out of the Dutch academic title "drs." (Doctorandus).
After recognition, the founders and the founding board worked on the club's statutes, internal regulations, budget, logo and colors, facilities, coaches, number of teams to register, and forming a full board for the 2003/2004 season. On May 27, 2003, during the General Assembly, the club's formal structure was established and the first official board—consisting of Ignas van den Einde, Vincent Fokke, Hans Haselhorst, and Diony Kentie—was appointed.
