BELGIUM: RCS Verlaine (1941-2016, 2016-)

Stade des Six Bonniers, Verlaine (RCS Verlaine)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

26 III 2015 / RCS Verlaine - FC Trooz 2-1 / Liège, Provincial Cup semi

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.
• 1942 / CS Verlaine is joined by the brothers Emile and Edgard Bellefroid, both of whom had played at R Standard de Liège in the 1930s, midfielder Emile between 1931 and 1939; and defender Edgard between 1933 and 1935. Emile stayed with Verlaine for five years, hanging up his boots in 1947, while the younger brother, Edgard, remained faithful to the club for ten seasons.
• 1946 / A mere five seasons after its first competitive match, CS Verlaine wins promotion to the national level, alongside RC Vottem, being placed in the third tier of the Belgian pyramid, Promotion.
• 1947 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Promotion C, CS Verlaine drops back into the provincial divisions after just one season, along with FC Hannutois, CS Andennais, RC Vottem, Saint-Nicolas FC Liège, and bottom club CS Saint-Louis Athus. In the following decades, CS Verlaine alternates spells in Liège’s Provincial Leagues 1, 2, and 3.
• 1981 / Former CS Verlaine youth goalkeeper Gilbert Bodart, who had been picked up by the academy of R Standard de Liège in 1976, makes his league debut for that club at the age of 19. Defending the goal of the Sclessin club for fifteen years, Bodart goes on to have spells at FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Brescia Calcio, US Ravenna, KSK Beveren, and KSK Wevelgem City, ultimately hanging up his boots in 2007 at the age of 44. Gilbert Bodart also won 12 caps for the Belgian national team between 1985 and 1995, being part of his country’s squads for the 1986 and 1990 World Cups as a stand-in for Jean-Marie Pfaff and Michel Preud’homme respectively.
• 1982 / Winning the title in Provincial League 2A, CS Verlaine accedes to Liège's Provincial League 1 – staying up in the 1982-83 season, but probably suffering relegation back into Provincial League 2 in 1984.
• 1990 / Upon its 50th anniversary, CS Verlaine acquires the royal epithet, adapting its name to become Royal Cercle Sportif (RCS) Verlaine. Also in 1990, the club wins promotion to Liège’s Provincial League 1; it is unclear how long Verlaine’s spell at that level lasted.
• 2008 / Gaining promotion from Liège’s Provincial League 2A, RCS Verlaine manages a return to Provincial League 1.
• 2011 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Liège’s Provincial League 1, RCS Verlaine drops back into Provincial League 2 after three years, along with KFC Weywertz, R Herve FC, RDC Cointe, R Oreye Union, FC Trooz, and bottom club FC Eupen 1963.
• 2012 / Runner-up in Liège’s Provincial League 2A, 16 points behind runaway champions Solières Sports, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out R1 by RSFC Ivoz-Ramet (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
• 2013 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 2A, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1, yet again following defeat against RSFC Ivoz-Ramet (2-4).
• 2014 / Runaway champions in Liège’s Provincial League 2A, 23 points ahead of nearest follower R Oreye Union, RCS Verlaine manages a return to Provincial League 1 after a three-year absence.
• 2015 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 1, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out Patro Lensois in R1 (2-1), only to suffer defeat in the final against FC United Richelle (0-2). However, due to two other clubs from Liège from the national level having to cease activities, RCS Visé and RCS Verviétois, Verlaine and even Patro Lensois are placed in National Division 4 as additional promotion winners. This heralds a return of RCS Verlaine to the national level after an absence of 68 years. Moreover, RCS the club also wins the final of Liège's Provincial Cup. In the 2015-16 nationwide Belgian Cup, Verlaine sees off RE Rossignol and R Stade Waremmien FC in the first two rounds before bowing out in a home game against K Londerzeel SK (1-3). 
• 2016 / In the club's first season at the national level in 69 years, RCS Verlaine finishes 14th in National Division 4D, thereby narrowly avoiding relegation. In the spring of 2016, a thorough renovation of the club's Stade des Six Bonniers is undertaken, involving the construction of a new covered stand as well as the putting in place of a synthetic surface – as well as a small stand – on the ground’s new B pitch. While the works are underway, RCS Verlaine's first team temporarily plays its home games at RSC Entité Engis' Stade des Fagnes. Because the works have not been completed by the start of the new season, the club's first team plays its home matches at Waremme's Stade Edmond Leburton from August until early October 2016. For the 2016-17 season, which is the first after a reorganisation of Belgium's national league pyramid, RCS Verlaine is placed in ACFF Amateur Division 3, the new fifth and lowest tier of the national divisions.
• 2017 / Finishing in third place in ACFF Amateur Division 3B, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RFC Tilleur in R1 (4-5) and FC United Richelle in R2 (4-0), only to narrowly suffer defeat in the final against RUS Rebecquoise (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
• 2019 / Finishing in fourth place in ACFF Amateur Division 3B, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eliminates RCS Brainois in R1 (2-1), going on to edge past RUS Givry in the final (1-2). As such, RCS Verlaine manages a historic promotion to ACFF Amateur Division 2, the fourth step of the Belgian league pyramid.
• 2025 / Finishing in third-last place in ACFF Amateur Division 2, RCS Verlaine descends into Amateur Division 3 after six years, along with La Louvière Centre and bottom club KAS Eupen B.
• 2026 / Runner-up in ACFF Amateur Division 3B, 7 points behind champions KAS Eupen B, RCS Verlaine qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out Stade Everois RC in R1 (4-2), only to suffer defeat in the semis against RUSG Tertre-Hautrage (3-2).
  

Note - Below, a compilation of photos showing the pre-2016 and post-2016 situations: pictures 1-16 = match visit, March 2015 / pictures 17-19 = non-matchday visit, February 2019.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker (co-edited by J.C. te Boekhorst) / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author