Sunday 10 March 2024

BELGIUM: KFC Excelsior Bouwel (1934-1939, 1945-)

Stadion Georges Bosschaert de Bouwel, Bouwel (KFC Excelsior Bouwel)

Belgium, province: Antwerp = Antwerpen

10 III 2024 / KFC Excelsior Bouwel - VV Laakdal 7-1 / Antwerp, Provincial League 4F (= BE level 9)

Timeline
  • 1924 / Foundation of a first football club in Bouwel, VC (Voetbalclub) Hooger-Op Bouwel. Joining Belgium’s Football Association that same year, VC HO Bouwel settles at Terrein Langenheuvel; at some point in the following years, the club switched to Terrein ‘t Motteke at Molendreef (site of modern-day Lourdes Cave in Bouwel).
  • 1926 / Upon the introduction of the Belgian FA’s register of registration numbers, VC HO Bouwel receives number 412.
  • 1927 / VC HO Bouwel enters a first team in Antwerp’s Regional League 3 (3e Gewestelijke) for the first time.
  • 1928 / Following a fourth place in Regional League 3A, HO Bouwel is placed in Regional League 2 for the new season. The stay at that level is short-lived, though, with relegation following immediately in 1929.
  • 1930 / Finishing in third place in Regional League 3C, HO Bouwel wins promotion to Regional League 2 for a second time.
  • 1934 / Following financial difficulties, VC Hooger-Op Bouwel withdraws from first team football, with the club officially being wound up two years later, in 1936. Still in 1934, a new club is founded in Bouwel, FC Excelsior Bouwel, which joins Belgium’s FA receiving registration number 2155. A new pitch is put at the disposal of the new club by a local nobleman, Georges Bosschaert de Bouwel, at Molenstraat – still the main pitch of the club today. The first club chairman is August Janssens.
  • 1935 / After one season of only playing friendly matches, FC Excelsior Bouwel is placed in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3.
  • 1936 / Clinching the title in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3A, FC Excelsior Bouwel wins promotion to Provincial League 2 following a round of play-offs.
  • 1939 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, FC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 3. Following the mobilisation of Belgium in the summer of 1939, the club withdraws from first team football, remaining inactive for the following years. For the duration of the war, only friendly matches between teams of Bouwel’s various neighbourhoods are organised. Meanwhile, the pitch at Molenstraat falls into disrepair.
  • 1944 / Upon the liberation of Belgium in the latter stages of 1944, FC Excelsior Bouwel resumes its activities. While the pitch at Molenstraat is laid out anew, the club temporarily moves to a makeshift pitch, Terrein Delen-Van Doninck.
  • 1945 / Returning to Terrein Molenstraat, FC Excelsior Bouwel resumes its activities in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3E.
  • 1949 / Coached by Karel Willems, FC Excelsior Bouwel wins the title in Provincial League 3E, thus acceding to Provincial League 2 for the first time since the end of the war.
  • 1957 / Winning the title in Provincial League 2B with trainer Louis Moons, FC Excelsior Bouwel gains promotion to Antwerp’s Provincial League 1 for the first time in history. Uniquely, the club’s successful side includes six brothers from the Scheurmans family. 
  • 1958 / Coming close to the title and promotion to National Division 4 in the club’s best season ever, FC Excelsior Bouwel eventually has to settle for third place in Antwerp’s P1 in its first season at that level, leaving the title to KSK Hoboken and the extra promotion place to VC Vlug & Vrij Terhagen.
  • 1962 / Coached by the duo Frans Scheurmans and René Cavens, FC Excelsior Bouwel finishes in joint-thirteenth place in Provincial League 1 with VV Vosselaar. The two clubs have to play a tie-break match to determine which of them will be relegated to P2; eventually it takes four (!) matches to separate the clubs; with the first two, played in Sint-Pieters-Lille, finishing 1-1 and 2-2, and the third, played at VV OG Vorselaar’s ground, also in 1-1, the fourth encounter, taking place in Vorselaar as well, finishes in a 2-1 win for Vosselaar. As such, FC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into P2 after a five-year spell in Provincial League 1.
  • 1968 / Coached by Jean Bottelberghs, FC Excelsior Bouwel finishes in fourteenth place in P2B – and eventually being condemned to relegation to Provincial League 3 after an unsuccessful set of play-offs.
  • 1971 / Inauguration of the first clubhouse at Terrein Molenstraat; this canteen is enlarged two years later.
  • 1973 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Provincial League 3C with coach Frans Marien, FC Excelsior Bouwel has to play a set of relegation play-offs in a group with K Putte SK and SK Sint-Amands. Eventually, the club finishes in second place – with only group winner K Putte SK earning a ticket for P3. As such, Bouwel is retrograded to Provincial League 4, the newly created bottom division of Antwerp’s provincial league system.
  • 1975 / The pitch at Molenstraat is equipped with a concrete enclosure.
  • 1976 / In the summer of 1976, works get underway to lay out a second pitch at Terrein Molenstraat; this pitch, situated between the clubhouse and Herenthoutse Steenweg, is inaugurated in January 1977, along with a second extension of the clubhouse.
  • 1977 / Finishing in third place in P4D, FC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by VV Leest (1-0).
  • 1978 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4C, FC Excelsior Bouwel, coached by André Struyfs, wins automatic promotion to P3. On October 27th, 1978, with the first floodlighted match being played at the ground, Terrein Molenstraat is officially renamed Stadion Georges Bosschaert de Bouwel in honour of the nobleman who put a pitch at the club’s disposal 44 years previously.
  • 1981 / A new, small covered terrace – to be seen in the photos below – is put in place at the southern end of the main pitch at Molenstraat.
  • 1984 / Upon the club’s fiftieth anniversary, FC Excelsior Bouwel acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Excelsior Bouwel.
  • 1989 / Runners-up in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel wins promotion to Provincial League 2 – possibly after a round of play-offs. It is 21 years ago the club last played at this level.
  • 1993 / Finishing last in P2B, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 3.
  • 1994 / Finishing last in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 4.
  • 1998 / Champions in P4C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 2001 / Champions in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
  • 2003 / Finishing in fourteenth place in P2B, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 3.
  • 2009 / Finishing in twelfth place in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 4.
  • 2011 / Finishing in fourth place in P4D, KFC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Defeating K Bevel FC in R1 (4-2 aggr.), the club is eliminated in the final by KFC Horendonk (3-2 aggr.). However, due to extra promotion places being available following the demise of KVC Willebroek-Meerhof, KVC Rosselaar-Hulsen Sportief, and Zandvliet Sport, the club is placed in Provincial League 3 for the new season as a lucky loser.
  • 2014 / Finishing in fourth place in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by KFC Putte (6-5 aggr.).
  • 2015 / Finishing in fifth place in P3A, KFC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by KFC Vrij Arendonk (5-5 aggr., FC Vrij wins on away goals).
  • 2016 / Finishing in fourteenth place in P3A, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 4 along with KSOC Maria-ter-Heide and K Massenhoven VC.
  • 2017 / Finishing in fifth place in P4D, KFC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Successively defeating K Oelegem SK (7-3 aggr.) and RC Westmeerbeek (5-3 aggr.), the club wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 2018 / Finishing in fifth place in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is eliminated in R1 by FC Turksport Antwerpen (8-3 aggr.).
  • 2023 / Finishing in fifteenth place in P3C, KFC Excelsior Bouwel drops back into Provincial League 4 along with KFC De Kempen Tielen-Lichtaart B and bottom club KFC Excelsior Vorst.
Note – Much of the information above was found in a booklet compiled on the occasion of FC Excelsior Bouwel’s fiftieth anniversary in 1984.
















All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

Friday 8 March 2024

BELGIUM: K Patro Maasmechelen (2002-2005) / K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen (2005-)

Gemeentelijk Sportparkstadion - Kolenmijn Limburg-Maaslaan, Maasmechelen Eisden (K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, formerly K Patro Maasmechelen)

Belgium, province: Belgian Limburg

9 X 2010 / K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen - KFC Zwarte Leeuw 1-0 / National Division 4C (= BE level 4)
8 III 2024 / K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen - KRC Genk B 2-2 / 1e klasse B (= BE level 2)

Timeline
  • 1938 / Foundation of a Roman-Catholic football club in Eisden, VV Patro Eisden. Instead of joining the official Belgian Football Association (KBVB), VV Patro Eisden joins the Vlaamsche Voetbalbond (VVB). The club settles at Terrein Kastanjelaan in Eisden-Tuinwijk.
  • 1942 / After four years in the VVB, VV Patro Eisden makes the leap to the official Belgian FA, acquiring registration number 3434. The club is placed in Limburg’s Regional League 2 for the 1942-43 season.
  • 1950 / After eight years in Limburg's regional and provincial divisions, Patro Eisden accedes to Promotion, the third and lowest level of the Belgian national league pyramid.
  • 1957 / Although no complete certainty is to be had, VV Patro Eisden probably changed its name to become Patro Eisden in 1957.
  • 1960 / Patro Eisden reaches the top flight of the Belgian national league pyramid for the first and only time in its history - with relegation following immediately in 1961.
  • 1992 / Upon the fiftieth anniversary of the club’s KBVB membership, Patro acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Patro Eisden.
  • 1998 / In an attempt to widen its appeal to the wider region – and compete with the new merger club KRC Genk – K Patro Eisden changes its name to become K Maasland Maasmechelen.
  • 2001 / K Maasland Maasmechelen changes its name to become K Patro Maasmechelen.
  • 2002 / Abandoning Stadion Kastanjelaan after the 2001-02 season, K Patro Maasmechelen moves into the newly built Gemeentelijk Sportparkstadion (alternatively referred to as Gemeentelijk Sportstadion or Patrostadion) at Kolenmijn Limburg-Maaslaan, with a grandstand and a covered terrace (total capacity 9,600); Stadion Kastanjelaan and the surrounding pitches remain in use as the club’s youth academy ground.
  • 2003 / Coached by former player Nico Claesen, K Patro Maasmechelen finishes last in National Division 2. Thanks to two D1 teams not meeting the licensing requirements and being retrograded to D3 (KV Mechelen and KFC Lommel SK), the club avoids the drop. Also in 2003, upon completion of the last works on the new ground, the Gemeentelijk Sportstadion – meanwhile in use for a full season already – is inaugurated officially on June 6th, 2003, by Maasmechelen’s mayor Wim Terwingen.
  • 2005 / Coached by René Trost, K Patro Maasmechelen finishes second-last in National Division 2, thus dropping back into D3 along with bottom club VC Eendracht Aalst 2002. After being declared technically insolvent and several administrative mistakes by the club’s board, however, the club is retrograded one extra division, thus finding itself in D4. In the summer of 2005, K Patro Maasmechelen changes its name to become K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen.
  • 2011 / Champions in National Division 4C, 14 points ahead of Excelsior Veldwezelt, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, coached by Norbert Beuls, manages a return to National Division 3.
  • 2013 / Coached by Eric Eurlings, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen finishes in third place in National Division 3B. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club defeats K Bocholter VV in R1 (4-1 aggr.) only to be eliminated by KRC Mechelen in R2 (2-1 aggr.).
  • 2014 / Still coached by Eric Eurlings, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen finishes in third place in D3B for the second year in a row. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club successively defeats K Hoogstraten VV (4-2 aggr.) and R Union Saint-Gilloise (4-1 aggr.) to accede to National Division 2 after an absence of nine years. Also in 2014, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen qualifies for the round of last 32 of the Belgian Cup after defeating K Sporting Hasselt; drawing a home game against RSC Anderlecht, Patro bows out after extra time (3-5).
  • 2015 / Finishing third from bottom in National Division 2, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, coached by Eric Eurlings, stays up thanks to fellow D2 club SC Eendracht Aalst failing to meet the licensing requirements and RAEC Mons going bankrupt. In the 2015-16 season, Patro reaches the round of last 32 in the Belgian Cup, being knocked out in a home game by Club Brugge KV (0-4).
  • 2016 / In a reorganisation of the national league pyramid, the bottom half of National Division 2 is retrograded to the newly created Amateur Division 1; Patro, finishing fifteenth, is one of the unlucky clubs dropping back into this new division.
  • 2018 / Coached by caretaker manager Aziz Redji in the last stages of the season, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen finishes bottom of the table in Amateur Division 1, thus descending into VFV Amateur Division 2 along with KFC Vigor Wuitens Hamme and K Berchem Sport.
  • 2019 / Clinching the title in VFV Amateur Division 2B, 6 points ahead of closest followers K Sporting Hasselt, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen – coached by Stijn Stijnen – finds its way back to Amateur Division 1 after just one year.
  • 2020 / As new side pitches are inaugurated at the Gemeentelijk Sportparkstadion, Patro finally abandons its historic ground at Kastanjelaan – which had remained in use as youth academy ground for the past eighteen seasons.
  • 2023 / Still coached by Stijn Stijnen, K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen clinches the title in Amateur Division 1 in the last match of the season, a 3-0 home defeat against KFC Dessel Sport. As such, the club wins promotion to National Division 1B, the second tier of Belgium’s football pyramid, along with numbers 2 and 3 RFC Liège (which had actually won the same number of points as Patro) and Francs Borains.
  • 2024 / In order to meet the requirements for top flight football, a temporary stand of 4,020 seats is put in place behind the western end of the Gemeentelijk Sportparkstadion, thus increasing total capacity of the ground (which had decreased due to seats being added to the covered terrace several years previously) to 8,100. he stand is inaugurated in the home game against KRC Genk B in March 2024.
Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different match visits: pictures 1-11, 13-22, 24-27 & 29 = March 2024 / pictures 12, 23 & 28 = October 2010.




























All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

BELGIUM: FC Lillonia 66 (1971-2013)

Terrein Hortelstraat, Lillo (formerly FC Lillonia 66)

Belgium, province: Limburg

March 2024 / no match visited

Timeline
  • 1966 / Foundation of FC Lillonia. It is unclear in which league association this club from Lillo played its football for the first five years of its existence.
  • 1971 / FC Lillonia joins Belgium’s Football Association as FC Lillonia 66. The club starts its life in Limburg’s Provincial League 3A.
  • 1976 / In the best season in club history, FC Lillonia 66 finishes in fourth place in P3B.
  • 1977 / Finishing last in Provincial League 3B, FC Lillonia 66 descends into Provincial League 4 for the first time.
  • 1978 / Runners-up in P4C, FC Lillonia 66 manages an immediate return to P3.
  • 1981 / After three seasons in Provincial League 3, FC Lillonia 66 finishes last in P3D, thus dropping back into P4.
  • 2002 / Following 21 consecutive seasons in P4, FC Lillonia 66 now finishes runners-up in P4C, eventually winning promotion to P3 via the play-offs.
  • 2004 / Finishing last in P3A, FC Lillonia 66 descends into Provincial League 4 after two seasons.
  • 2012 / Finishing in fifth place in P4A, FC Lillonia 66 qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Drawing a bye in R1, the club defeats Sporting Aalst in R2 (4-3 aggr.) before being comprehensively beaten by Heis Sport in R3 (7-2 aggr.).
  • 2013 / In the last season of its existence, FC Lillonia 66 finishes in thirteenth place in Limburg’s Provincial League 4A. The club withdraws its membership from Belgium’s FA.





All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author