Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: RRC Bruxelles matr. 6 (1948-1954) / RRC Boitsfort (1960-1991, 2004-2021, 2024-) / CS Watermael (1972-1989) / RC Bruxelles matr. 7759 (1989-1991) / RRC Bruxelles matr. 556 (1991-2004)

Stade des Trois Tilleuls = Drielindenstadion, Brussels = Bruxelles = Brussel Watermael-Boitsfort = Watermaal-Bosvoorde (RRC Boitsfort, formerly RRC Bruxelles matr. 6 / CS Watermael / RC Bruxelles matr. 7759 / RRC Bruxelles matr. 556)

Belgium, Brussels Capital Area

4 IV 2010 / RRC Boitsfort - Sporting Eizeringen 1-0 / Brabant, Provincial League 2C (= BE level 6)

Timeline

1894 / Foundation of Racing Foot-Ball Club, the football branch of Racing Club - an athletics club from Brussels founded in 1891. Racing's footballers play their home matches at Vélodrome de Longchamps in Uccle.
1895 / The club joins UBSSA, forerunner of the current Belgium's Football Association, as Racing Club (RC) de Bruxelles. The team is one of the founding members of Belgium's highest football division, initially referred to as Coupe de Championnat.
1897 / Racing Club de Bruxelles obtains a first national league title.
1900 / One of the powerhouses of the embryonal stages of Belgian football, Racing Club de Bruxelles heralds a period of dominance in the Division d'Honneur, as the highest national division is meanwhile called, by winning its second title. The club prolongates its title in 1901, 1902, and 1903.
1902 / RC de Bruxelles moves into the newly built Stade du Vivier d'Oie (or in Dutch: Ganzenvijverstadion), abandoning the Vélodrome de Longchamps.
1903 / At Stade du Vivier d'Oie, a covered stand, built in reinforced concrete, is inaugurated.
1904 / The Stade du Vivier d'Oie hosts Belgium first-ever international game, a 3-3 draw with France, witnessed by some 1,500 spectators.
1908 / RC de Bruxelles obtains its sixth - and also last-ever - national title.
1912 / The club wins its first - and only-ever - nationwide Belgian Cup.
1921 / The club acquires the royal epithet, thus becoming Royal Racing Club (RRC) de Bruxelles.
1925 / RRC Bruxelles suffers the humiliation of a first-ever relegation to the second tier of the national football pyramid, only to bounce back one year later.
1926 / Upon the introduction of the matricule system, RRC de Bruxelles obtains matricule 6.
1932 / After two more years at the second level, RRC Bruxelles manages a promotion - and two more seasons of top-flight football.
1937 / The nadir of the club's pre-war history, RRC Bruxelles suffers a relegation to Promotion, the third and lowest national level.
1942 / After two promotions in four years, RRC Bruxelles is back at the top level of Belgium's football pyramid, but the stay at that level does not last longer than one season.
1945 / Retaking its place in the Division d'Honneur thanks to an extension of the number of clubs admitted at that level, RRC de Bruxelles begins a spell of seven more seasons of top-flight football.
1948 / RRC Bruxelles abandons the Stade du Vivier d'Oie, henceforth playing their football at the newly built Stade des Trois Tilleuls (Drielindenstadion) in Watermael-Boitsfort, a well-to-do suburb of Brussels; incidentally, this grand new stadium plan was the brainchild of RRC de Bruxelles' president at the time, Joseph Devos. Building plans were already made in the 1930s, but cut short due to the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of Belgium by Germany. Building the stadium, designed by the Liégeois architects Dôme & Saint-Jean, took three years (1945-48) and was partly executed by German prisoners-of-war. The huge ground in Watermael-Boitsfort was inaugurated with a gala match against AC Torino witnessed by a capacity crowd of 40,000.
1952 / Largely a spent force in Belgian football in spite of its new stadium, RRC Bruxelles suffers relegation from National League 1.
1954 / As a result of the ever-dwindling number of spectators flocking to Stade des Trois Tilleuls for home matches, RRC de Bruxelles - in spite of its promotion to National Division 1 this same year (heralding the club's last-ever season of top-level football) - is unable to pay the rents due to Watermael-Boitsfort's municipality. Forced out, the club settles at Laeken's Stade du Heysel (Heizelstadion) - finally merging with White Star Woluwe AC to become Royal Racing White in 1963. It is unclear if there was any football club making use of Stade des Trois Tilleuls in the six following years (if you have any information as to the use of the ground between 1954 and 1960, please contact me).
1960 / Watermael-Boitsfort's town council buys Stade des Trois Tilleuls, allowing non-league side Royal Racing Club (RRC) de Boitsfort (matricule 556, Société Royale since 1951) to move into it. This RC Boitsfort was founded in 1926 as a merger between Carolo FC Uccle and US Boitsfort. It is unknown where the club played its football prior to 1960 (if you have any information regarding RRC Boitsfort's home ground(s) between 1926 and 1960, please contact me).
1963 / RRC Boitsfort accedes to Brabant's Provincial League 1 for the first time in nine years. Incidentally, that same year, RRC de Bruxelles (matr. 6), meanwhile down in National Division 3, concludes a merger with R White Star AC, becoming Royal Racing White, retaining White Star's matricule 47.
1964 / Completion of a four-year renovation of the stadium commissioned by Watermael's town council, carried out following designs of four architects - Jean-Jules Eggericx, Jacques Goossens-Bara, H. Doyen, and R. Doyen. Amongst other amendments, the works comprise the building of a wall at the entrance gate as well as the construction of a judo hall in the catacombs of the main stand.
1967 / After four years in P1, RRC Boitsfort finds itself in Provincial League 2 again. In the remaining 24 years of its existence as an independent club, RRC Boitsfort alternates longer spells in Provincial League 2 with shorter ones in Provincial League 3.
1972 / Foundation of Cercle Sportif (CS) Watermael (matricule 7759). This club settles at Stade des Trois Tilleuls, groundsharing with RRC Boitsfort. In the 17 years of its existence as an independent club, the modest CS Watermael never manages a promotion from Brabant's Provincial League 4.
1989 / CS Watermael concludes a merger with Provincial League 4 side Racing Club de Bruxelles - not to be confused with the original club of which the name had disappeared in 1963; this new RC de Bruxelles, founded in December 1985 (matricule 9012), played at Kapelleveld, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe), and subsequently at Terrain Floréal, Watermael-Boitsfort. The new merger club, retaining the name Racing Club de Bruxelles, but under Watermael's matricule 7759, takes CS Watermael's place at Stade des Trois Tilleuls.
1991 / Groundsharers at Stade des Trois Tilleuls, RRC Boitsfort and RC de Bruxelles conclude a merger, becoming Royal Racing Club (RRC) de Bruxelles, retaining Boitsfort's matricule 556.
1995 / RRC Bruxelles matr. 556 wins the title in Brabant's Provincial League 2A, acceding to Provincial League 1. The stay at this level does not last longer than one season.
2000 / After back-to-back relegations, RRC Bruxelles finds itself in the bottom division of Brabant's provincial league system, Provincial League 4, only to find its way back to P2 in the four following seasons.
2001 / Cementation works are carried out in order to preserve the main stand of Stade des Trois Tilleuls.
2004 / RRC de Bruxelles (matr. 556) changes its name to become RRC de Boitsfort - in fact, the old name of one of the two merging partners prior to 1991.
2010 / At the behest of Brussels' city government, the stadium is granted historical monument status.
2018 / After ten consecutive seasons in P2, RRC Boitsfort manages a promotion to Brabant's francophone (ACFF) Provincial League 1. The spell at this level lasts for three seasons until forced to make a step back to Provincial League 2.
2021 / Exasperated by the bad state of the grass pitch in the stadium, affected by the use of the premises by the local athletics club, RRC de Boitsfort moves its first team football to pitch 3 of the ground - in fact the main of the two side pitches of Stade des Trois Tilleuls.
2024 / RRC Boitsfort moves its first team football from pitch 3 to the stadium in the course of the 2023-24 season, in which the club finishes in second place in Brabant ACFF's Provincial League 2A, 1 point behind champions FC Suryoyés Bruxellois. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs, RRC Boitsfort is eliminated in R1 by RSD Jette B (1-0).

Note: Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-14 & 27 = non-matchday visit, July 2022 / pictures 15-26 = match visit, April 2010.