Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: ES Mariembourgeoise (1956-1992) / RES Couvin-Mariembourg (1992-2019, 2022-2024) / RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire (2019-2020) / RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire (B) (2020-2022) / US Couvinoise (2024-2025) / ES Petigny-Frasnes (2025-)

Stade du Roi Soleil, Mariembourg (ES Petigny-Frasnes, formerly ES Mariembourgeoise / A & B ground of RES Couvin-Mariembourg / RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire / US Couvinoise)

Belgium, province: Namur = Namen

16 XI 2013 / RES Couvin-Mariembourg - RCS Onhaye 0-0 / National Division 4D (= BE level 4)

2 VIII 2026 / ES Petigny-Frasnes - Erpion-Lacs de l'Eau d'Heure B 1-1 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1932 / Foundation of a football club in the town of Mariembourg, situated in the far south of Belgium, near the French border. The new club, which takes on the name Etoile Sportive (ES) Mariembourgeoise, joins the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under registration number 1882 and is placed in the regional divisions of the Province of Namur. It is unclear if ES Mariembourgeoise played its football at the location now known as Stade du Roi Soleil.
1934 / After an existence of barely two years, ES Mariembourgeoise ceases its activities due to a considerable debt with the Belgian FA.
1936 / As registration number 1882 of ES Mariembourgeoise is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists after two years of inactivity, a phoenix club sees the daylight in Mariembourg, which takes on the exact same name as its predecessor, but with a new registration number; 2430. The club is only admitted to the Belgian FA after paying the debts of the old club. It is unclear if this second incarnation of ES Mariembourgeoise played its football at the location now known as Stade du Roi Soleil.
1953 / The second incarnation of ES Mariembourgeoise folds, ceasing all activities; registration number 2430 is erased from the Belgian FA’s membership list.
1956 / Foundation of a new club in Mariembourg, which takes on the exact same name as its two predecessors, Etoile Sportive (ES) Mariembourgeoise. The new club, accepted into the Belgian FA with registration number 5984, plays its football at the ground now known as Stade du Roi Soleil from the outset; possibly, the ground, which may in fact date back to the origins of football in Mariembourg in the 1930s, was originally not accessed via the Avenue du Roi Soleil, as nowadays, but via the Rue des Sports at its northern end. Also, the ground may have been referred to in the old days as Terrain derrière la Baraque.
1971 / With club history having been poorly documented, a first trace of ES Mariembourgeoise as a competitive club can be found in the 1971-72 season, when the club qualifies for the Belgian Cup, knocking out CS Bossièrois in R1 (2-1), bowing out in R2 against K Sport Sint-Genesius-Rode (5-0).
1973 / ES Mariembourgeoise qualifies for R1 of the Belgian Cup for the second time, suffering elimination in a home game against WA Namur (1-1 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
1978 / ES Mariembourgeoise qualifies for R1 of the Belgian Cup for the third time, in which the club is knocked out by FC Ligny (0-2).
1989 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 2, ES Mariembourgeoise wins promotion to Provincial League 1.
1992 / ES Mariembourgeoise concludes a merger with RFC Avenir Couvinois, resulting in the foundation of Royale Entente Sportive (RES) Couvin-Mariembourg. The merger club retains registration number 248 of Avenir, with Mariembourgeoise’s number 5984 being erased from the Belgian FA’s official membership list. First team football of the new club moves to the Stade du Roi Soleil in Mariembourg, with the pitches at Rue de la Foulerie in Couvin remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions. Most probably, the current clubhouse and covered stand at the Stade du Roi Soleil were constructed in the years following the merger with a subsidy being put at the disposal of the club by local authorities.
1996 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 2B, 4 points ahead of closest rivals RCS Florennois, RES Couvin-Mariembourg wins promotion to Provincial League 1.
1999 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 1, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RUW Ciney, RES Couvin-Mariembourg accedes to National Division 4 – the first time ever the national level is reached in the history of football in the municipality of Couvin.
2000 / Finishing in second-last place in National Division 4D, RES Couvin-Mariembourg drops back into Provincial League 1 after just one season, alongside RFC Farciennes, RA Marchiennoise des Sports, and bottom club RLC Walcourt.
2002 / Runaway champions in Namur’s Provincial League 1, 13 points ahead of closest followers RFC Spy, RES Couvin-Mariembourg manages a return to National Division 4 after an absence of two years.
2005 / Finishing in fourth place in National Division 4D, RES Couvin-Mariembourg qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by K Rupel Boom FC (0-1).
2009 / Finishing in third-last place in National Division 4A, RES Couvin-Mariembourg drops back into Provincial League 1 after seven years, alongside KWSC Lauwe and bottom club VG Oostende.
2010 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 1, 6 points ahead of closest rivals RFC Meux, RES Couvin-Mariembourg manages an immediate return to National Division 4.
2011 / Finishing in third-last place in National Division 4D, RES Couvin-Mariembourg descends into Provincial League 1 after just one season, alongside RRFC Montegnée and bottom club RFC Hannutois.
2012 / Runner-up in Namur’s Provincial League 1, 3 points behind champions RJS Taminoise, RES Couvin-Mariembourg qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RUS Loyers in R1 (1-0) and R Jeunesse Aischoise in R2 (0-2); thus qualifying for the interprovincial play-offs, the club bows out in R1 of this second phase against RUS Genly-Quévy (1-0).
2013 / Runner-up in Namur’s Provincial League 1, 9 points behind champions RCS Onhaye, RES Couvin-Mariembourg qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out R Jeunesse Aischoise in R1 (3-1) and OC Nismes in R2 (1-3); thus qualifying for the interprovincial play-offs, the club earns a bye in R1 of this second phase thanks to VG Oostende withdrawing (5-0 ff.), going on to beat R Gosselies Sports in the final (R2, 1-2). As such, RES Couvin-Mariembourg gains promotion to National Division 4 after an absence of two years at that level.
2016 / Finishing in fourth place in National Division 4D, RES Couvin-Mariembourg qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by Racing Charleroi-Couillet-Fleurus (2-1 A.E.T.). However, due to one extra promotion place being available, the club accedes to the newly created ACFF Amateur Division 2, the fourth tier of the national league pyramid, through the backdoor.
2017 / Finishing in thirteenth place in ACFF Amateur Division 2, RES Couvin-Mariembourg descends into Division 3, the fifth and lowest tier of the Belgian national divisions, alongside RUS Givry, Racing Charleroi-Couillet-Fleurus, and bottom club UR Namur.
2018 / Finishing in fifth place in ACFF Amateur Division 3A, RES Couvin-Mariembourg qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RCS Onhaye in R1 (2-3), going on to suffer defeat against URSL Visé in the final (R2, 2-0); however, in a lucky loser play-off against R Jeunesse Aischoise, RESCM manages a 1-3 win, thus managing an immediate return to Amateur Division 2 through the backdoor.
2019 / RES Couvin-Mariembourg absorbs Jeunesse Sportive (JS) Fraire to become RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire, with Fraire’s registration number 8461 being erased from the Belgian FA’s official membership list. The following two years, the two pitches at Rue de Morialmé in Fraire are used for selected lower team matches and training sessions.
2020 / Due to floodlight failure at the Stade du Roi Soleil, first team football of RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire is moved from Mariembourg to the synthetic pitch at Rue de la Foulerie in Couvin, with the former remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions.
2022 / Finishing in third-last place in ACFF Amateur Division 2, RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire descends into Amateur Division 3, alongside RUS Givry and bottom club Entente Durbuy. With a new club being formed in Fraire, Entente Sportive (ES) Fraire, RES Couvin-Mariembourg-Fraire drops the name of the village of Fraire from its name, thus reverting to the old RES Couvin-Mariembourg; in fact, the club had already abandoned the facilities in Fraire one year previously. In the summer of 2022, with the floodlights in Mariembourg having been repaired, first team football returns from the Parc des Sports in Couvin to the Stade du Roi Soleil.
2023 / Finishing in thirteenth place in ACFF Amateur Division 3A, RES Couvin-Mariembourg goes on to suffer a 2-3 defeat against FC Herstal in a relegation play-off; however, in the end, due to extra places in Amateur Division 3 being created, the club staves off relegation. Meanwhile, a new club sees the daylight in Couvin, Union Sportive (US) Couvinoise, which joins the Belgian FA under registration number 9808. Refraining from fielding a first team, US Couvinoise competes with just a reserves’ team and several youth squads; in the 2023-24 season, the new club makes use of two grounds, the Terrain à la Rue de la Foulerie in Couvin (thus groundsharing with RES Couvin-Mariembourg’s youth academy) and the Terrain de la Rue de la Prairie in Dailly, with the only senior team playing its home matches in the former in the first half of the season and moving to Dailly after the winter break.
2024 / Finishing bottom of the table in ACFF Amateur Division 3A, RES Couvin-Mariembourg suffers relegation into Provincial League 1, alongside RJS Taminoise and RFC Rapid Symphorinois. Following the 2023-24 season, the club effectively abandons the Stade du Roi Soleil in Mariembourg altogether, moving all activities, including first team football, to the pitches at Rue de la Foulerie in Couvin. Meanwhile, US Couvinoise fields a first team in Namur’s Provincial League 4 for the 2024-25 season, with local authorities allowing this club to use the Stade du Roi Soleil in Mariembourg for home matches; training sessions are held at Rue de la Prairie in Dailly or, when weather conditions prove harsh, on the synthetic pitch at Rue de la Foulerie in Couvin.
2025 / US Couvinoise, which had withdrawn its first team from Namur’s Provincial League 4 in the course of the 2024-25 season, folds after an existence of only two years. At the behest of local authorities, the Stade du Roi Soleil is taken over by another local club, ES Petigny-Frasnes; playing in Namur’s Provincial League 1 at the time, this club moves its first team football from its own Stade Robert Dubuc to Mariembourg.
2026 / Finishing in second-last place in Namur's Provincial League 1, ES Petigny-Frasnes descends into Provincial League 2, along with CS Wépionnais, RFC Rhisnois, and bottom club RUS Pondrôme.