Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KFC Rita Berlaar (1995-2000) / SK Berlaar (2000-2015) / K Lyra TSV (2014-2018) / SK Rita Berlaar (2015-2020, 2021-) / K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar (2018-2025) / Jong Rita Berlaar (2020-2021)

Luc De Rijckstadion = Doelvelden, Berlaar (SK Rita Berlaar, formerly KFC Rita Berlaar / SK Berlaar / K Lyra TSV / K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar / Jong Rita Berlaar)

Belgium, province: Antwerp = Antwerpen

4 VII 2012 / SK Berlaar - KSK Heist 0-4 / Pre-season friendly
28 II 2015 / K Lyra TSV - KFC Zwarte Leeuw 2-2 / National Division 4C (= BE level 4)

Timeline

1938 / Foundation of a football club in Berlaar, a small town in the Province of Antwerp, not far from Lier (Lierre). The new club is given the name FC Rita Berlaar, being accorded registration number 2693 upon joining the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). It is unclear where the new club, which starts its life in Antwerp’s Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke), played its home matches until moving to the Doelvelden area in 1995.
1942 / In spite of clinching the title in Antwerp’s Regional League 2B, FC Rita Berlaar is not given the chance to win promotion to Provincial League 2 due to no promotion places being at stake in the second footballing season following the German occupation of Belgium.
1944 / Clinching the title in Antwerp’s Regional League 2B, FC Rita Berlaar wins promotion to Provincial League 2 – the highest level of Antwerp’s league pyramid, below the three national divisions, at that time.
1949 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2, FC Rita Berlaar drops back into Regional League 2.
1952 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Regional League 2B, FC Rita Berlaar descends into the newly created Provincial League 3.
1954 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3G, FC Rita Berlaar wins promotion to Provincial League 2 – by now, following the introduction of a Provincial League 1 in 1952, the second-highest level of the provincial divisions.
1957 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2A, FC Rita Berlaar wins promotion to Provincial League 1 for the first time.
1962 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 1, FC Rita Berlaar drops back into Provincial League 2.
1965 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2C, FC Rita Berlaar descends into Provincial League 3.
1967 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, FC Rita Berlaar finds its way back to Provincial League 2.
1970 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, FC Rita Berlaar is retrograded into Provincial League 3 again.
1975 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, FC Rita Berlaar descends into Provincial League 4 for the first time.
1976 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, FC Rita Berlaar manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
1977 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, FC Rita Berlaar wins back-to-back promotions, acceding to Provincial League 2.
1984 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, FC Rita Berlaar wins promotion to Provincial League 1 after an absence of 22 years at that level.
1986 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 1, 1 point behind champions VV Leest, FC Rita Berlaar wins promotion to National Division 4 for the first time in club history.
1988 / Upon the club’s fiftieth anniversary, FC Rita Berlaar acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Rita Berlaar.
1994 / Having been a force to be reckoned with at the national level in the past seasons, KFC Rita Berlaar now clinches the title in National Division 4B, 5 points ahead of closest followers Racing Jet Wavre, thus winning promotion to National Division 3. Also in 1994, the municipal authorities in Berlaar purchase a plot of land at Welvaartstraat, Terrein Doelvelden, with the goal of building the club a new stadium there – given that Rita needs a better ground at the level where the club is playing at that moment.
1995 / The new stadium at Doelvelden / Welvaartstraat is inaugurated, with the new ground being named after Luc De Rijck, who had joined FC Rita Berlaar from K Lierse SK in 1985. Only playing for the club for one season, De Rijck moved away to KFC Turnhout, where he was still playing in 1991 when he passed away suddenly following a grave medical mistake. As such, the new ground is confusingly known by two names, Luc De Rijckstadion (by the club) and Gemeentelijk Sportstadion Doelvelden (by authorities).
1996 / In the best season in club history, KFC Rita Berlaar finishes in third place in National Division 3B. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club is knocked out in R1 by R Union Saint-Gilloise (2-0).
1999 / Finishing in third-last place in National Division 3B, KFC Rita Berlaar goes on to suffer defeat at the hands of KSK Maldegem in the promotion-relegation play-offs (3-5), thus dropping back into National Division 4 after five years, along with K Beerschot VAC and bottom club KVO Aarschot.
2000 / Finishing bottom of the table in National Division 4B, KFC Rita Berlaar suffers back-to-back relegations, dropping back into the provincial divisions along with KSK Heist and KSC Hoegaarden. However, due to financial difficulties brought about by heavy investments in the past decade to compete at the national level, the club folds, ceasing all activities. Instantly, a successor club is founded, Sportkring (SK) Berlaar, which acquires registration number 9375 upon joining the Belgian FA, being placed in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4 for the start of the 2000-01 season. SK Berlaar takes the place of KFC Rita Berlaar at the Luc De Rijckstadion / Doelvelden.
2001 / One year after the club’s demise, registration number 2693 of KFC Rita Berlaar is officially erased from the Belgian FA’s member list.
2005 / Placing third in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4C, SK Berlaar wins promotion via the play-offs, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 along with champions KFC Grobbendonk, which had finished 15 points ahead of them.
2006 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C, SK Berlaar drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with K Noordstar VV, K Immer Voort FC, KFC Grobbendonk, KFC De Vrijheid Herselt, KVC Booischot, and bottom club KFC Putte.
2009 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4B, 14 points ahead of closest followers KFC Putte, SK Berlaar wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
2011 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, SK Berlaar drops back into Provincial League 4 after two years, along with K Oelegem SK and bottom club KSOC Maria-ter-Heide.
2012 / Placing fourth in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, SK Berlaar qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats Red Boys Elzestraat in R1 (8-2 aggr.) and K Reet SK in R2 (3-1 aggr.). As a result, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
2014 / A groundsharing agreement is signed between SK Berlaar and K Lyra TSV, allowing the latter club to move into the Luc De Rijckstadion (Doelvelden) for the time being, as it is evicted from its old Lyrastadion at Mechelsesteenweg, which is condemned to make way for housing after an existence of 102 years. A new ground has been projected for the National Division 4 club at Hoge Velden, to the south of Lier’s town centre.
2015 / SK Berlaar adds the epithet of its predecessor to its name, thus becoming SK Rita Berlaar.
2016 / Finishing bottom of the table in National League 4C, K Lyra TSV descends into Antwerp’s Provincial League 1 along with K Bilzerse Waltwilder VV and KFC Lille. Meanwhile, SK Rita Berlaar has an unsuccessful season as well, finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, dropping back into Provincial League 4 along with FC Molenzonen Hallaar, SC Mechelen, and bottom club Zennester Hombeek.
2017 / Finishing in fourth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 1, K Lyra TSV qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by VC Herentals (3-2 aggr.). That summer, Lyra manages to retrieve its old registration number 52, which had been given up when KVV Lyra merged with K Lierse SK in 1972 – prompting the refoundation of the club as K Lyra TSV under number 7776 that same year. The last-mentioned number is now erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists.
2018 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 1, 12 points ahead of closest followers KFC Lille, K Lyra TSV wins promotion to VFV Amateur Division 3, the fifth and lowest national league level since the carrying out of a thorough reform of the league pyramid in 2016. Meanwhile, down in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, SK Rita Berlaar finishes in fourth place; qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club knocks out KVC Booischot in R1 (4-3 aggr.), going on to edge past KVC Oostmalle Sport in R2 (final / 4-4 aggr. & away goals). As such, the club wins promotion to Provincial League 3. In the summer of 2018, as K Lierse SK goes bankrupt, ceasing all activities, two clubs make an attempt at jumping into the void. Whereas KFC Oosterzonen takes on the name Lierse Kempenzonen, winning the right to play at Lierse’s Herman Vanderpoortenstadion, K Lyra TSV changes its name to become K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar – with Berlaar being an obligatory addition due to the club playing its football in that municipality rather than in Lier proper – and taking over the entirety of Lierse’s youth academy, which is moved in part to Terrein Broechemsesteenweg in Vremde, where the club has four pitches at its disposal. As a result, the support of the old K Lierse SK splits into two, with one part making the move to Lierse Kempenzonen (renamed K Lierse SK in 2024) and another joining the Lyra-Lierse project.
2019 / Finishing in third place in VFV Amateur Division 3B, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eliminates KAC Betekom in R1 (1-0), only to be knocked out by KSK Voorwaarts Zwevezele in the final, played at Torhout’s Stadion De Velodroom (2-0). In a lucky loser final, played against KFC Houtvenne, Lyra-Lierse suffers another defeat (1-2) – which, in retrospect, was inconsequential, given that no additional promotion place was available, as a result of which Houtvenne was deprived of access to VFV D2 as well. Meanwhile, down in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, SK Rita Berlaar finishes in second-last place, as a result of which the club drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with KFC Lint, FC Merksem, and bottom club VVH Lippelo.
2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short in March 2020 due to the first COVID lockdown, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar finds itself top of the table in VFV Amateur Division 3B, 1 point ahead of closest rivals SC City Pirates and FC Heur-Tongeren, after 24 of 30 matches played. On that basis, the club accedes to VFV D2. Also in 2020, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar and SK Rita Berlaar conclude an agreement to merge part of their youth academies, prompting the latter club to change its name to become Jong Rita Lyra-Lierse Berlaar.
2021 / After just one year of being called Jong Rita Lyra-Lierse Berlaar, the Provincial League 4 club reverts to its old denomination of SK Rita Berlaar.
2022 / Finishing in third place in VFV Amateur Division 2B, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out KVV Zelzate in R1 (0-3), only to be eliminated in R2 by K Olsa Brakel (1-2). In a lucky loser play-off, the club edges past Belisia Bilzen SV (3-3 & penalty shoot-out), but due to no extra promotion places turning out to be available, the club misses out on a ticket for Amateur Division 1. Also in 2022, the main pitch of the Luc De Rijckstadion (Doelvelden) is laid out anew with a synthetic surface.
2023 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, 18 points ahead of closest followers SK Peulis, SK Rita Berlaar manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of four seasons. Also in 2023, finally, an agreement is concluded between K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar and the City of Lier, allowing the former to move into the projected Sportpark Lier at Hoge Velden in Lier proper upon its completion.
2024 / Finishing in third place in VFV Amateur Division 2B, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out K Rupel-Boom FC (5-0) – which proves sufficient for promotion to the newly created VFV Amateur Division 1. In the 2024-25 season, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar reaches the quarterfinals of the Belgian Cup, in which the club is knocked out in the most honourable of ways – away at R Standard de Liège and after extra time (3-2).
2025 / After eleven years of groundsharing at the Luc De Rijckstadion (Doelvelden) in Berlaar, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar finally gets the go ahead sign to move back to Lier, as the ground officially known as Sportpark Lier at Hoge Velden (Marieke Vervoortlaan) is finally inaugurated, a park with a main pitch and no fewer than six side-pitches. Upon its move back to Lier, K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar can finally drop the obligatory reference to the town where it had spent its exile, thus becoming K Lyra-Lierse.