BELGIUM: R Léopold Club Bastogne

Stade des Récollets, Bastogne = Bastenaken (R Léopold Club Bastogne)

Belgium, province: Luxembourg

28 VII 2010 / RLC Bastogne - RUS Sartoise 1-6 / Belgian Luxembourg, Provincial Cup R1

24 VII 2022 / RLC Bastogne - RUS Sainte-Ode 2-1 / Belgian Luxembourg, Provincial Cup - group stage, group B

Note 1: Until the mid-1930s, there were two football clubs in the town of Bastogne: Excelsior Bastogne and JS (Jeunesse Sportive) de Bastogne - no matricules or years of foundation can be traced of either. In 1935, just after the second batallion of the Chasseurs Ardennais had moved to Bastogne, both clubs avidly started recruiting soldiers to reinforce their ranks. Colonel Daumerie, the batallion's chief, frowning upon the idea of his soldiers playing in rivalling clubs, urged the two clubs to conclude a merger rapidly. Formed in June 1935, the new club was named after King Leopold III, who had just succeeded to the Belgian throne. Applying for membership of the Belgian Football Association as a completely new club, Léopold Club (LC) Bastogne received matricule 2263. Initially playing at a ground near the town's Gare du Sud, 'Les Léomen' moved to their current ground, the Stade des Récollets, in 1950. In 1953, the club won promotion to national league level for the first time; in total, between 1953 and 2002, Bastogne played 31 seasons of national league football, of which six (1970-76) in Division 3. The current main stand, which was inaugurated in 1974, dates back to this heyday in the club's history. In 1988, Léopold Club became a Société Royale, thus changing its name to Royal Léopold Club (RLC) Bastogne. Since the turn of the century, the club has mainly played its football in Belgian Luxembourg's Provincial League 1, with the odd intervening excursion to Provincial League 2. 

Note 2: Below, a compilation of photos of three different visits: picture 1 = non-matchday visit, May 2016 / pictures 2-5 = match visit, July 2010 / pictures 6-23 = match visit, July 2022.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author