Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: FC Gierle (2001-2022) / KVC Lille United (2022) / KVC Lille United (B) (2023-)

Tuesday 20 July 2021

BELGIUM: FC Gierle (2001-2022) / KVC Lille United (2022) / KVC Lille United (B) (2023-)

Sportcomplex Poeyelheide, Gierle (B ground of KVC Lille United, formerly FC Gierle)

Belgium, province: Antwerp

17 VII 2021 / FC Gierle - VC Immer Oost Oosterwijk 2-1 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1939 / Foundation of Voetbalclub (VC) Gierle, which joins Belgium's Football Association under matricule 2813. It is unclear if the club played at the ground situated at Kloosterstraat from the beginning onwards.
1965 / After long and rather anonymous years in Antwerp's Provincial League 3, VC Gierle wins the title in Provincial League 3C, thus acceding to Provincial League 2 for the first time.
1970 / Clinching the title in Provincial League 2C, VC Gierle manages to climb up to Antwerp's Provincial League 1 for the first time. That same year, the club's 19-year-old youth prodigy Walter Meeuws earns himself a transfer to KRC Mechelen. Meeuws will go on to have an impressive career with spells at Beerschat VAC, Club Brugge KV, R Standard de Liège, AFC Ajax, and KV Mechelen - not to mention his 46 caps for the Belgian National Team (1977-84). After hanging up his boots in 1987, Meeuws continues his career as a coach, having, amongst others, an (admittedly short and unsuccessful) spell as Belgium's national trainer.
1975 / In its fifth season in P1, VC Gierle wins the title, thus acceding to the national leagues.
1976 / Finishing second-last in National Division 4C, VC Gierle is relegated back to the provincial leagues along with Kabouters Opglabbeek and Aubel FC.
1978 / After a second-place finish in P1, VC Gierle manages a return to National Division 4.
1979 / Like in 1975-76, VC Gierle cannot hold its own in D4 for longer than one season, finishing 15th in National Division 4A returning to the provincial divisions along with R Alliance Melen-Micheroux and RES Dalhemoise.
1983 / Never managing a return to the national divisions, VC Gierle drops back into Provincial League 2, 13 years after last having played at that level.
1987 / Finishing dead-last in P2C, VC Gierle suddenly finds itself in Provincial League 3 for the first time since the mid-1960s. In the last 13 years of its existence, the club alternates spells in Provincial Leagues 3 and 2.
1995 / Taking on the royal epithet, the club changes its name to become Koninklijke Voetbalclub (KVC) Gierle.
2000 / In the 1999-2000 season, the last in the history of VC Gierle, the club finishes 14th in Provincial League 2B. The club withdraws its first team and ceases all its activities (although its official deletion from the Belgian FA's official membership list is not effected until in mid-2001. Immediately, a successor club sees the daylight, FC Gierle (matricule 9373). This club starts its life in Antwerp Provincial League 4.
2001 / FC Gierle moves from VC Gierle's historic ground at Kloosterstraat to the newly laid-out Sportcomplex Poeyelheide.
2010 / After spending its first ten seasons in P4, FC Gierle accedes to Provincial League 3 by winning the P4D title.
2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short by the Covid 19 pandemic, FC Gierle places 16th in P3C after 26 of 30 matches; on that basis, the club drops back into Provincial League 4 after a 10-year spell in P3.
2021 / FC Gierle's two neighbour clubs, KFC Lille (matricule 2618) and VC Poederlee (9328) conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of KVC Lille United (2618). Although put under pressure by Lille's municipal council to join the merger talks, FC Gierle's board withdraws at an early stage, preferring to continue independently for the time being.
2022 / With FC Gierle's old presidency withdrawing - and younger replacements taking their place -, the decision is taken to allow the club to be absorbed into KVC Lille United after all. Due to Lille's Heidebloemstadion (alternatively known as Sportcomplex Balsakker) being knocked down after the 2021-22 season, and a completely new ground being built on the premises of Poederlee's old Heggestadion (I), most of KVC Lille United's activities, including first team football, temporarily move to Sportcomplex Poeyelheide.
2023 / On February 4th, 2023, KVC Lille United first team plays its first game at the newly finished Heggestadion (II) in Poederlee. Sportcomplex Poeyelheide remains in use for lower team football and training sessions.