Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: R Francs Borains matr. 167 (1988-2008) / R Boussu Dour Borinage (2008-2014) / R Francs Borains matr. 5192 (2014-)

Stade Robert Urbain "Stade Vedette", Boussu Boussu-Bois (R Francs Borains matr. 5192, formerly R Francs Borains matr. 167 / R Boussu Dour Borinage)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

11 IV 2010 / R Boussu Dour Borinage - RAEC Mons 2-1 / National Division 2 (= BE level 2)
22 II 2015 / R Francs Borains - RRC Waterloo 4-1 / National Division 4B (= BE level 4)

Timeline

1922 / Foundation of a football club in Boussu, a mining town in the Borinage region in the Province of Hainaut, with the new club taking on the name Sporting Club (SC) de Boussu-Bois. SC Boussu-Bois settles in the Stade Saint-Charles.
1926 / Upon the introduction of the system of registration numbers by the Belgian FA, SC Boussu-Bois acquires number 167.
1951 / Acquiring the royal epithet, SC Boussu-Bois officially changes its name to become Royal Sporting Club (RSC) de Boussu-Bois.
1982 / A merger is concluded between RSC Boussu-Bois and neighbour club FC Elougeois. The new club, created in a tight partnership between the respective chairman, Robert Urbain of RSC Boussu-Bois and Jean Zarzecki of FC Elougeois, is given the name R Francs Borains Boussu-Bois Elouges, which retains registration number 167 of RSC Boussu-Bois; number 2195 of FC Elougeois is struck from the Belgian FA’s membership list. Jean Zarzecki, who had devised the name Francs Borains to widen the appeal of the new merger club to the region as a whole, becomes the new club’s first chairman. Following the merger, all activities are moved to the Stade Saint-Charles in Boussu-Bois. The merger had been brought about with the active support of Boussu’s municipal authorities, who promise the club financial support for the construction of a new stadium, matching the ambition of especially Jean Zarzecki to create a club which is a force to be reckoned with the national divisions.
1985 / The name of R Francs Borains Boussu-Bois Elouges is simplified to become R Francs Borains. Also in 1985, the club achieves its second title in three years, acceding to National Division 3.
1988 / Moving away from the Stade Saint-Charles, R Francs Borains settles at the newly-built Stade Vedette, named after the eponymous coalmine nearby. The two grounds are literally just a stone’s throw away from each other, with the Stade Saint-Charles remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions.
1995 / Finishing in second-last place in National Division 3A, R Francs Borains descends into National Division 4, along with KFC Avenir Lembeek and bottom club KFC Izegem.
1997 / Finishing in third place in National Division 4D, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by K Lyra TSV (0-2). Several weeks after, the club is declared financially bankrupt, resulting in its retrogradation into Provincial League 1, along with direct drop-outs FC Le Lorrain Arlon, SC Lambusart-Fleurus, and RLC Bastogne.
1998 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1, 11 points ahead of closest followers SC Lambusart-Fleurus, R Francs Borains wins promotion to National Division 4.
1999 / Runaway champions in National Division 4D, 10 points ahead of closest followers AFC Tubize, R Francs Borains achieves its second promotion in a row, acceding to National Division 3.
2001 / Runner-up in National Division 3B, 8 points behind champions R Excelsior Virton, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out by Zultse VV in R1 (5-4 aggr.).
2002 / Finishing in fourth place in National Division 3B, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 against R Wallonia Walhain Chaumont-Gistoux (4-2 aggr.).
2006 / Runner-up in National Division 3B, 12 points behind runaway champions KVK Tienen, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against R Cappellen FC (3-2 aggr.).
2008 / The municipality of Dour agrees to invest in the club on the condition that R Francs Borains includes the name of the municipality in its name, which leads to its renaming to R Boussu Dour Borinage, often abbreviated colloquially to RBDB. That same year, the Stade Vedette is officially renamed Stade Robert Urbain in honour of the chairman of SC Boussu-Bois at the time of the merger with FC Elougeois in 1982.
2009 / Finishing in third place in National Division 3A, R Boussu Dour Borinage qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eases past KFC Racing Mol-Wezel (5-1 aggr.) and KFC Vigor Wuitens Hamme (4-1 aggr.) in the first two rounds, going on to defeat KV Woluwe Zaventem in the final (5-1 aggr.). As a result, R Boussu Dour Borinage wins promotion to National Division 2 – the first time in history a club from the Borinage region manages to find its way up to this level of the Belgian football pyramid.
2010 / R Boussu Dour Borinage finishes in fifth place in National Division 2, the best result in club history – with a repeat of this achievement being attained in 2013. On both occasions, the club just misses out on the promotion play-offs.
2014 / In its last season, R Boussu Dour Borinage finishes in a safe ninth place in National Division 2. However, by this time, the club finds itself in grave financial problems, with the ownership allowing its registration number 167 to be purchased by a Provincial League 1 club from Liège, RFC Sérésien (supported by its French owners, who are bent on making it a satellite club for FC Metz), which takes on the new name Seraing United, replacing R Boussu Dour Borinage in National Division 2. Meanwhile, national league football continues to be played in Boussu-Bois thanks to registration number 5192 of R Charleroi-Fleurus being sold by its owner, Charleroi businessman Sergio Leone, to the new board of the football club in Boussu; this results in the re-establishment of R Francs Borains, but now with registration number 5192 rather than 167. In a well-nigh incomprehensible magic trick, Leone allows the now disappearing club of R Charleroi-Fleurus to be absorbed into FC Charleroi – also owned by him – to become Racing Charleroi Couillet Fleurus (RCCF), which retains FC Charleroi’s registration number 94. With everything said and done, the new entity of R Francs Borains takes the place of R Charleroi-Fleurus in National Division 4.
2015 / Runner-up in National Division 4B, 7 points behind champions Tempo Overijse, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by SC City Pirates Antwerpen (1-1 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
2016 / Finishing in twelfth place in National Division 4B, R Francs Borains is placed in the newly created ACFF Amateur Division 3, the fifth and lowest tier of the completely reconstructed national league pyramid.
2017 / Finishing in third place in ACFF Amateur Division 3A, 1 point behind champions RWDM and runner-up RUS Rebecquoise, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against RRC Mormont (3-2).
2018 / Runner-up in ACFF Amateur Division 3A, 3 points behind champions RAAL La Louvière, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RFC Tournai in R1 (1-4), going on to defeat RJ Aischoise in the final round (4-0); as such, promotion to ACFF Amateur Division 2, the fourth tier of the Belgian football pyramid, is achieved. Also in 2018, Robert Urbain, the former chairman of SC Boussu-Bois, after whom the Stade Vedette in Boussu-Bois was officially named in 2008, passes away at the age of 87.
2019 / Finishing in fourth place in its first season in ACFF Amateur Division 2, R Francs Borains qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RAAL La Louvière in qualifying round 1 (3-1 A.E.T.), bowing out in qualifying round 2 against URSL Visé (1-2).
2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, R Francs Borains finds itself top of the table in ACFF Amateur Division 2, 4 points ahead of RFC Meux, with 24 of 30 matches played. On that basis, the club is placed in Amateur Division 1, the third tier of the Belgian football pyramid, in the 2020-21 season.
2023 / Finishing in third place in Amateur Division 1, R Francs Borains wins promotion to National Division 1B, along with champions K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen and runner-up RFC Liège.
2026 / Former FC Elougeois and R Francs Borains chairman Jean Zarzecki passes away at the age of 92. The memorial ceremony is held at the Stade Vedette.