Wednesday, 26 August 2026

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All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author
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Sunday, 9 August 2026

BELGIUM: ES des Frontières

Stade Jean Henrard, Cul-des-Sarts (ES des Frontières)

Belgium, province: Namur = Namen

9 VIII 2026 / ES des Frontières - RJS Leignon 0-14 / Namur, Provincial Cup R2

Timeline
  • 1958 / Foundation of a football club in L’Escaillère, a hamlet in the far southeast of the Province of Hainaut, near the border with France. The new club is given the name FC L’Escaillère, acquiring registration number 6098 upon joining the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). The ground of the club was situated in the heart of the hamlet, possibly at Place de l’Escaillère.
  • 1960 / After two years as a non-competitive club, FC L’Escaillère is placed in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3 for the 1960-61 season.
  • 1971 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3C, FC L’Escaillère descends into Provincial League 4, the new bottom level of the Hainaut’s provincial pyramid created the year before, alongside the club in second-last place, derby rivals US Rièzoise.
  • 1972 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4D, 16 points ahead of closest followers US Rièzoise, FC L’Escaillère manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
  • 1973 / In Cul-des-Sarts, a village only a stone’s throw away from L’Escaillère, but just across the provincial border in Namur, a football club is formed; the new club, Union Sportive (US) Cul-des-Sartoise, settles on a pitch situated to the west side of the Grand Place.
  • 1974 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3C, FC L’Escaillère drops back into Provincial League 4 after two years, alongside bottom club FC Ransart Sport. Meanwhile, across the provincial border in Namur, one year after its foundation, US Cul-des-Sartoise joins the Belgian FA, acquiring registration number 8115 and being placed in Namur’s Provincial League 4 for the 1974-75 season.
  • 1976 / With the municipalities of Cul-des-Sarts and L’Escaillère about to be merged into the larger entities of Couvin and Chimay respectively on January 1st, 1977, the last mayor of Cul-des-Sarts, Dr. Georges André, who doubled as the chairman of US Cul-des-Sartoise, instigated merger talks with FC L’Escaillère, with the latter club finding it ever more difficult to bring together a competitive team. André promises the projected merger of the two clubs a completely new stadium, for which he puts aside a sum of money from the last municipal budget of Cul-des-Sarts. 
  • 1978 / In its last season as an independent club, FC L’Escaillère manages a ninth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H. Following the 1977-78 season, FC L’Escaillère concludes a merger with US Cul-des-Sartoise, resulting in the foundation of Entente Sportive (ES) des Frontières, which retains registration number 8115 of Cul-des-Sarts, with number 6098 of L’Escaillère being erased from the Belgian FA’s membership list. Jean Henrard, the chairman of FC L’Escaillère, takes on the same role in the new club, which continues its existence in the provincial divisions of Namur. With the merger having been in the pipeline for two years, the newly created entity can move into a newly created ground at the start of its existence. With the main of its two football pitches surrounded by a gravel track, the new stadium, situated at Chaussée de l’Europe halfway between the centre of Cul-des-Sarts and the French border, is given the name Stade Jean Henrard.
  • 1995 / The Stade Jean Henrard is given a thorough refurbishment; this probably coincides with the construction of the two-tiered clubhouse which has been in place ever since.
  • 1998 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 4B, 5 points ahead of closest rivals RES Philippeville, ES des Frontières wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 2000 / Finishing in third place in Namur’s Provincial League 3B behind champions JS Morialmé and runner-up ES Gimnée-Mazée, ES des Frontières goes on to win an unprecedented promotion to Provincial League 2 via the play-offs.
  • 2002 / After two years in Namur’s Provincial League 2, ES des Frontières drops back into Provincial League 3.
  • 2013 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Namur’s Provincial League 3B, ES des Frontières descends into Provincial League 4, along with RES Philippeville B, JS Falisolle-Aisemont, and bottom club FC Clermont.
  • 2014 / Finishing in third place in Namur’s Provincial League 4E, ES des Frontières qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is drawn into a group with ES Boninne and FC Ciergnon. Managing a home win against the former (4-0) and an away win against the latter (1-3), ES des Frontières finishes top of the group, resulting in the club gaining promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 2016 / Finishing bottom of the table in Namur’s Provincial League 3B, ES des Frontières drops back into Provincial League 4 alongside UBS Auvelais, RCS Florennois, and R Ham FC.
  • 2018 / The gravel track surrounding the main pitch of the Stade Jean Henrard is replaced by a tarmac surface.
  • 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, ES des Frontières finds itself in second place in Namur’s Provincial League 4E behind US Thy-le-Château B at the point of the league being stopped. However, due to US Thy B being ineligible for promotion to Provincial League 3 due to the club’s main squad playing at that level, the honour goes to ES des Frontières instead.
  • 2023 / Finishing in second-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3C, ES des Frontières drops back into Provincial League 4, along with RCS Hastièrois and bottom club ES Ardennaise.
  • 2024 / Finishing in third place in Namur’s Provincial League 4C, ES des Frontières qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by R Anhée FC B (1-3).
  • 2025 / Finishing in sixth place in Namur’s Provincial League 4A, ES des Frontières qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RES Philippeville B (3-2).
  • 2026 / Finishing in fifth place in Namur’s Provincial League 4A, ES des Frontières qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by ES Petigny-Frasnes B (2-1).
Note – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-7 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 8-23 = match visit, August 2026.























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

Terrain du Pavé, Tarcienne (FC Espoir Tarciennois)

Belgium, province: Namur = Namen

9 VIII 2026 / FCE Tarciennois - RFC Somzée 3-3 - Somzée wins penalty shoot-out (2-3) / Namur, Provincial Cup R2

Timeline
  • 1915 / A photo has been preserved of a group of football players in Tarcienne, sporting a plate ‘Foot-Ball Club de Tarcienne’. This club – if it was ever officially founded – never joined the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) and it is unlikely that it survived the hardships of the German occupation of Belgium in World War I.
  • 1956 / Foundation of a football club in Tarcienne, a village in the Province of Namur, just beyond the southern outskirts of Charleroi; the new club, founded by three local youngsters who had previously played for ROC Charleroi, Arthur Montel, Léon Dupont, and Michel Vandenbosch, takes on the name Espoir Tarciennois, with M. Monroy taking on the role of chairman. 
  • 1957 / Espoir Tarciennois joins the Belgian Football Association, acquiring registration number 6004 upon being accepted as a new member club. A pitch is laid out at Rue de Noisetiers, close to the American Military Cemetery; the ground is usually referred to as Terrain du Pavé, but please note that this does not coincide with the pitch where the club settled later on, in the 1980s. For the 1957-58 season, Espoir Tarciennois is placed in Namur’s Provincial League 3.
  • 1964 / Espoir Tarciennois manages a runner-up finish in Namur’s Provincial League 3.
  • 1965 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 3, Espoir Tarciennois wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The skipper of the successful team is Emile Philippe.
  • 1969 / Suffering relegation from Namur’s Provincial League 2 after four years, Espoir Tarciennois finds itself in Provincial League 3 again.
  • 1970 / The new board of Espoir Tarciennois plans to move the club to a newly laid out pitch, the Terrain des Marais in the village centre, but as the soil proves too marshy, an emergency solution has to be found, with the club settling on a temporary ground, the Terrain du Calvaire, a plot of farmland put at the disposal of the local footballers by a local smallholder, E. Vandenbroeck.
  • 1979 / Thanks to the intervention of the municipal authorities of Walcourt, the Terrain des Marais in the village centre is finally brought in order, with Espoir Tarciennois moving to this pitch in the summer of 1979.
  • 1981 / On the club’s 25th anniversary, the name Espoir Tarciennois is officially adapted to become Football Club (FC) Espoir Tarciennois, often abbreviated as FCE Tarciennois or FCE Tarcienne.
  • ± 1983 / Moving away from the Terrain des Marais, FC Espoir Tarciennois settles on a newly laid-out pitch alongside the N4 highway, with this new ground being referred to as the Terrain du Pavé. 
  • 1997 / Runner-up in Namur’s Provincial League 4B, 1 point behind champions JS Morialmé, FC Espoir Tarciennois goes on to win promotion to Provincial League 3 via the play-offs, holding out at that level until at least 2001.
  • 2009 / Finishing in second-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3B, FC Espoir Tarciennois descends into Provincial League 4 along with R Ham FC and bottom club REFC Moustier.
  • 2014 / Runner-up in Namur’s Provincial League 4E, 5 points behind champions RCS Florennois, FC Espoir Tarciennois qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is drawn into a group with FC Auvelais B and REFC Evelette-Jallet; suffering an away defeat against the former (3-1) and managing a home win against the latter (4-3), the club finishes in second place – sufficient for promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 2015 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Namur’s Provincial League 3B, FC Espoir Tarciennois drops back into Provincial League 4, along with RFC Somzée B, Etoile Taminoise, and bottom club REFC Moustier.
  • 2016 / Champions in Namur’s Provincial League 4F, 2 points ahead of closest rivals Flavion Sport B, FC Espoir Tarciennois manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
  • 2018 / Runner-up in Namur’s Provincial League 3C, 4 points behind champions ES Petigny-Frasnes, FC Espoir Tarciennois qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club finishes top in its group of three following successive wins over Jeunesse Taviétoise (0-2) and US Beauraing 61 B (1-0). As such, Tarcienne wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
  • 2019 / Finishing bottom of the table in Namur’s Provincial League 2B, FC Espoir Tarciennois drops back into Provincial League 3 after one season only, alongside RSFC Bièvre and RUS Assesse.
  • 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, FC Espoir Tarciennois finds itself top of the table in Namur’s Provincial League 3C after 22 of 30 matches played, 2 points ahead of closest rivals RFC Bioul 81. On that basis, Tarcienne is placed in Provincial League 2 for the new season.
  • 2024 / Finishing in fifth place in Namur’s Provincial League 2B – in what may have been the club’s best-ever performance – FCE Tarciennois qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by ES Petigny-Frasnes (2-1).
  • 2025 / A new clubhouse is constructed alongside the touchline on the south side of the main pitch at Terrain du Pavé.
Note – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-6 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 7-19 = match visit, August 2026.



















All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author
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BELGIUM: RCS Verlaine (B) (2016-)

Stade des Six Bonniers terr. 2, Verlaine (B pitch of RCS Verlaine)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

9 VIII 2026 / RCS Verlaine B - RFC Liège U21 1-3 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline
  • 1940 / Foundation of a football club in Verlaine, a village in the western half of the Province of Liège; the new club takes on the name Cercle Sportif (CS) Verlaine. Upon joining Belgium's FA in December 1940, CS Verlaine obtains registration number 2871.
  • 1941 / CS Verlaine takes part in Liège's local divisions, more specifically in Regional League 3, for the first time. It is unclear when exactly the club settled at its Stade des Six Bonniers, but it must have been quite early on in its history – probably already in the 1940s.
  • 2016 / In the spring of 2016, a thorough renovation of the Stade des Six Bonniers is undertaken, involving the construction of a new covered stand alongside the main pitch as well as a reorganisation of the side-pitches. The two first side-pitches, situated at the back of the main pitch, are given up to make way for one synthetic pitch, which is given a quarter’s turn in comparison to the lay-out of the two old pitches; moreover, the hillside on which the two old pitches had been situated, was levelled to allow the new pitch to be perfectly level. Also in 2016, the newly created B team of RCS Verlaine, which played most of the 2015-16 season at the Stade des Fagnes in Engis while the works in Verlaine were going on, eases to the title in Liège’s Provincial League 4E, 17 points ahead of runner-up RC Entente Amay B; as such, the team wins promotion to Provincial League 3, settling on the synthetic side-pitch of the Stade des Six Bonniers in the fall of 2016.
  • 2017 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 3A, RCS Verlaine B qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RFC Wallonia Thisnes in R1 (6-4) and Huccorgne Sports in R2 (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out), going on to edge past Etoile Verviétoise in the final (2-3). As such, the team wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
  • 2025 / Runner-up in Liège’s Provincial League 2A alongside RJS Fizoise, 9 points behind champions FC Ans, RCS Verlaine B qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the team knocks out REH Braives in R1 (2-1), only to suffer defeat in R2 against RFC Wallonia Thisnes (2-1).
  • 2026 / Finishing in sixth place in Liège’s Provincial League 2A, RCS Verlaine B qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against REH Braives (2-1).












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