Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: K Alt-Hoeseltse VV (± 1938-2016) / KVV Hoeselt (2016-2018)

Terrein aan de Smisstraat, Alt-Hoeselt (formerly K Alt-Hoeseltse VV / KVV Hoeselt)

Belgium, province: Limburg

15 IV 2018 / KVV Hoeselt - K Zutendaal VV 2-2 / Limburg, Provincial League 2B (= BE level 7)

Timeline

± 1919 / Foundation of a first football team in Alt-Hoeselt, a hamlet in the south of the Belgian Province of Limburg. The new team takes on the name De Morgenstern. Although not joining any league organisation, a chairman is chosen, Julien Fagard.
± 1922 / After the demise of De Morgenstern, haphazard football matches are played on a plot of farmland referred to locally as Het Hoam.
1926 / Foundation of a new football club in Alt-Hoeselt; this new club, which is given the name Alt-Hoeselt Voetbalvereeniging (VV), does not join the Belgian Football Association as yet, instead sticking to playing friendly matches for the time being.
1929 / Three years after its foundation, Alt-Hoeselt VV (AVV) joins the Belgian FA, acquiring registration number 1479 upon being accepted as a new member club. The club settles on a pitch known locally as Terrein Beis, but changes to Terrein Gijzenakker in one of the following years.
1931 / Two years after joining the Belgian FA, Alt-Hoeselt VV starts its life as a competitive club in Limburg’s Regional Division 4.
1932 / Runner-up in Limburg’s Regional Division 4C, Alt-Hoeselt VV wins promotion to Regional Division 3, which is renamed Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke) in the course of the 1930s. The successful captain of the AVV team is Wim Vanlessen.
1934 / Clinching the title in Limburg’s Regional League 2B, Alt-Hoeselt VV wins promotion to Provincial League 2, the top tier of the Limburg regional pyramid at that time.
± 1935 / Moving away from Terrein Gijzenakker, Alt-Hoeselt VV settles on a newly laid-out pitch behind the local train station, known locally simply as Terrein achter de Statie.
± 1938 / Moving away from Terrein achter de Statie, Alt-Hoeselt VV settles on a newly-laid out pitch at Smisstraat, which would remain the club’s home for the remainder of its existence.
1946 / Finishing bottom of the table in Limburg’s Provincial League 2, Alt-Hoeselt VV drops back into Regional League 2 – which is renamed Provincial League 2 in 1952 following the introduction of a Provincial League 1.
1953 / Acquiring the royal epithet, Alt-Hoeselt VV officially changes its name to become Koninklijke Alt-Hoeseltse Voetbalvereniging, commonly abbreviated as K Alt-Hoeselt(se) VV or even KAVV.
1956 / Finishing in second-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2B, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV descends into Provincial League 3.
1958 / Finishing in third place, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV wins promotion to Provincial League 2 – with two groups of P2 being extended to three, with extra promotion places being on offer as a result.
1969 / Finishing bottom of the table in Limburg’s Provincial League 2C, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV drops back into Provincial League 3 after eleven years.
1970 / Champions in Limburg’s Provincial League 3A, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Erik Vanlessen.
1978 / Finishing in second-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2C, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV drops back into Provincial League 3.
1984 / Finishing in second-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 3B, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV descends into Provincial League 4 for the first time in club history.
1989 / Clinching its first post-war title following a 2-1 home win over runner-up KVC Hoger-Op Mal, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV finishes top of the table in Limburg’s Provincial League 4A, thus gaining promotion to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is Etienne Mouchaers.
1995 / Clinching the title in Limburg’s Provincial League 3E with coach Jean Raedts, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of seventeen years at that level.
1997 / Finishing in fourth place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2B, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV qualifies for the promotion play-off, but the club ultimately fails to book its ticket for Provincial League 1.
1999 / Coached by Etienne Mouchaers, who replaced Eric Eurlings in the course of the season, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV finishes in second-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2A, thus dropping back into Provincial League 3.
2002 / Runner-up in Limburg’s Provincial League 3C, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Chris Bastiaens.
2007 / Finishing in eleventh place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2C, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV drops back into Provincial League 3 alongside Riemst Vooruit, K Bilzerse VV, VC Kesselt, Genker VV, CS Mechelen-aan-de-Maas, SK Munsterbilzen, and bottom club K Wit-Ster Beverst – with three P3 series being reduced to two, more teams than usual were condemned to relegation.
2009 / Champions in Limburg’s Provincial League 3D, 1 point ahead of closest rivals SK Rooierheide, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Marc Jacobs, who also helped the club to conquer the South-Limburg Cup (Beker van Zuid-Limburg), in which SK Munsterbilzen is defeated in the final. Qualifying for the 2009-10 edition of the Belgian Cup as a result, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV bows out in R1 of this tournament against K Lutlommel VV (0-3).
2010 / Finishing in second-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2B, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, along with K Godsheide VV and bottom club Genker VV.
2011 / Champions in Limburg’s Provincial League 3D, 8 points ahead of closest followers KV Heur VV, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Patrick Hensen.
2015 / Finishing in third-last place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2B, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV staves off relegation in a play-off against the team in the same position in P2A, KVV Stal Sport (7-2 aggr.).
2016 / In its last season as an independent club, K Alt-Hoeseltse VV finishes in tenth place in Limburg’s Provincial League 2B. Following the 2015-16 season, the club concludes a merger with KSV Hoeselt, resulting in the foundation of Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging (KVV) Hoeselt, which retains registration number 1479 of K Alt-Hoeseltse VV. For the time being, first team football moves to Terrein aan de Smisstraat in Alt-Hoeselt, with the historic Caetsbeekstadion of KSV Hoeselt as well its training ground, Terrein aan de Plasstraat in Schalkhoven, remaining in use for lower team football. The merger club is given the word of Hoeselt’s local authorities that a new stadium is to be built for the club in Hoeselt, though no exact date is given to its inauguration.
2018 / Two seasons after the merger, Terrein aan de Smisstraat in Alt-Hoeselt is abandoned to make way for housing. First team football of KVV Hoeselt moves to the Caetsbeekstadion in Hoeselt proper.
2025 / With the Caetsbeekstadion being abandoned, KVV Hoeselt finally settles at its newly laid-out Sportpark Hoeselt at Industrielaan.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-28 = match visit, April 2018 / pictures 29-36 = non-matchday (ruin) visit, July 2021.