Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: FC Diables Noirs Harchies (1961-1992) / ROC Diables Noirs Harchies (1992-2005) / FC Harchies-Bernissart (2006-)

Terrain du Foyer, Harchies (FC Harchies-Bernissart, formerly FC Les Diables Noirs d'Harchies / ROC Diables Noirs Harchies)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

7 III 2018 / Péruwelz FC - Standard Club Pâturageois 1-0 / Hainaut, Provincial Cup QF (neutral venue due to Péruwelz's Stade de la Verte Chasse lacking floodlights)

Timeline

1960 / Foundation of a football club in Harchies, a village in Hainaut to the west of Mons, not far from the French border. The club takes on the original name FC Les Diables Noirs (DN) d’Harchies, acquiring registration number 6430 upon joining Belgium’s Football Association. It is unclear if, yet probable that, the club played its football at Terrain du Foyer from the outset.
1961 / Starting its life as a competitive club, FC DN Harchies is placed in Provincial League 3, the bottom level of Hainaut’s provincial divisions at that time.
1964 / Conquering the title in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A ahead of runners-up RSC Templeuvois, FC DN Harchies accedes to Provincial League 2.
1966 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC DN Harchies drops back into Provincial League 3 along with the club in second-last place, RRC Nimysien.
1967 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, yet again ahead of runners-up RSC Templeuvois, FC DN Harchies manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2.
1968 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC DN Harchies drops back into Provincial League 3 along with the club in second-last place, Stade Antoing.
1976 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 16 points ahead of closest followers SC Naastois, FC DN Harchies wins promotion to Provincial League 2 after an absence of eight years at that level.
1981 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A following a tie-break match for the title against AS Saint-Léger, FC DN Harchies still wins promotion to Provincial League 1 – either as best number two in Provincial League 2 or after winning a set of promotion play-offs.
1983 / Having managed two years in the highest provincial division, FC DN Harchies now finishes bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1, thus dropping back into Provincial League 2, along with the club in second-last place, FC Flénu-Sport.
1984 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC DN Harchies suffers back-to-back relegations, descending into Provincial League 3, along with the club in second-last place, AC Morlanwelz.
1988 / FC DN Harchies finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 4 points behind champions RRC Nimysien.
1989 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 11 points ahead of closest followers RUS Leuzoise, FC DN Harchies wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
1990 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 8 points ahead of closest rivals RFC Wiersien, FC DN Harchies wins its second promotion in a row, acceding to Provincial League 1 after an absence of seven years at that level.
1991 / In the best season in club history, FC DN Harchies finishes in sixth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1.
1992 / In its last season as an independent club. FC DN Harchies manages a seventh place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1. Following the 1991-92 season, FC Les Diables Noirs d’Harchies concludes a merger with Provincial League 4 club Olympic Club (OC) Blaton from the nearby village of Blaton. OC Blaton, founded in 1966 (registration number 6940), had never reached a higher level than Provincial League 3. The result of the merger is the foundation of Olympic Club (OC) Diables Noirs (DN) Harchies, which retains Harchies’ registration number 6430. First team football is played at Terrain du Foyer in Harchies, while Blaton’s Terrain de la Rue des Sapins is retained for lower team football and training sessions.
1993 / In its only season, OC DN Harchies finishes bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1, thus descending into Provincial League 2, along with the club in second-last place, RSC Pâturageois. Strikingly, only one year after the merger between OC Blaton and FC DN Harchies, a new merger is concluded, this time between Olympic Club Diables Noirs Harchies and Provincial League 2 club Daring Club (DC) Bernissartois from the nearby village of Bernissart. DC Bernissartois, founded in 1943 (registration number 4247) had never reached a higher level than Hainaut’s Provincial League 2. The result of the merger is the foundation of Olympic Club (OC) Diables Noirs (DN) de Bernissart, which retains DC Bernissartois’ registration number 4247. First team football is played at Terrain du Foyer in Harchies, while Terrain de la Rue des Sapins in Blaton and Terrain du Préau in Bernissart remain in use for lower team football and training sessions.
1995 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, OC DN Bernissart descends into Provincial League 3, along with the club in second-last place, RFC Wiersien.
1997 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 1 point ahead of closest rivals RFC Wiersien, OC DN Bernissart wins promotion to Provincial League 2. Also in 1997, the club acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Royal Olympic Club (ROC) Diables Noirs (DN) de Bernissart.
1999 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 5 points ahead of runners-up RFC Entité Enghien Sports, ROC DN Bernissart wins promotion to Hainaut’s Provincial League 1.
2002 / In the best season in club history, ROC DN Bernissart finishes in third place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1, with only champions RFC Athois and runners-up R Châtelet SC, which both accede to National Division 4, obtaining more points.
2004 / Finishing in twelfth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 1, ROC DN Bernissart drops back into Provincial League 2 along with RFC Farciennes, R Châtelet SC, ASC Havinnes, and bottom club R Excelsior Biévène.
2005 / ROC DN Bernissart finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 6 points behind champions ASC Havinnes.
2006 / In its last season, ROC DN Bernissart finishes in seventh place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A. Probably due to having run into debt, the club folds in mid-2006, ceasing all activities. Registration number 4247 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. Straightaway, a phoenix club sees the daylight, FC Harchies-Bernissart, which acquires membership of the Belgian FA with registration number 9490. The new club plays its first team football at Harchies’ Terrain du Foyer, with Terrain de la Rue des Sapins in Blaton and Terrain du Préau in Bernissart remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions. FC Harchies-Bernissart has to start its existence as a competitive club at the bottom of Hainaut’s league ladder, in Provincial League 4.
2007 / Finishing as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, 7 points behind champions URS Quiévrainoise, FC Harchies-Bernissart manages to win the subsequent round of promotion play-offs, thus breaking down the door to Provincial League 3.
2009 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 7 points behind champions FC Havré, FC Harchies-Bernissart goes on to win the promotion play-offs, resulting in the club winning promotion to Provincial League 2.
2013 / In the best season in club history so far, FC Harchies-Bernissart finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 2 points behind champions FC Ostiches. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, the club edges past Péruwelz FC in R1 (3-3 & penalty shoot-out), only to be knocked out by AC Anvaing in R2 (1-1 & penalty shoot-out).
2018 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC Harchies-Bernissart drops back into Provincial League 3 along with RFC Wiersien and bottom club RUS Herseautoise.
2022 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 12 points behind champions RUS Hensies, FC Harchies-Bernissart is eliminated in R1 of the promotion play-offs. Also in 2022, the club is constrained to abandon its youth academy ground at Rue des Sapins in Blaton.
2023 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, FC Harchies-Bernissart qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of R Goutroux Sports in R1 (0-5) and FC Casteau in R2 (1-2). As such, the club manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of five seasons.
2024 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC Harchies-Bernissart drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, along with bottom club FC Esplechin.
2025 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 9 points behind champions CS Pays Vert Ostiches-Ath B, FC Harchies-Bernissart qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out AS Vaudignies in R1 (3-0) and RFCE Maurage in R2 (1-4). As such, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2.