BELGIUM: Kalfort Sportif (1973-1999) / K Kalfort Daghet (1999-2023)

Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat, Kalfort (formerly Kalfort Sportif / K Kalfort Daghet)

Belgium, province: Antwerp

23 X 2022 / K Kalfort Daghet - Seamen's Chile 4-0 / Voetbal Vlaanderen, Antwerpen Recreatief - Division 2

Timeline

• 1953 / Foundation of Sportkring (SK) Daghet. This club, founded at the instigation of the Roman Catholic parish at Dageraadplaats in Antwerp, joins Katholieke Sportfederatie van België (Catholic Football Federation). In the following years, the club plays its home matches at several different grounds across the city of Antwerp.
• 1957 / Foundation of Kalfort Sportif, a recreational club in the village of Kalfort - in itself a hamlet of the small town of Puurs. The first ground of the club is situated near the premises of youth organisation Chiro, at Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat - actually very close to the ground pictured below, but not on the exact same location.
• 1958 / In the 1958-59 season, Kalfort Sportif first takes part in league football - in a local recreational league, the so-called Verbond van Verbrande Brug, of which the membership consists of clubs from Antwerp as well as Brabant. In December 1958, Kalfort Sportif moves from Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat to a new ground at Schaliënhoeve (a street later renamed Haverblok).
• 1959 / In its first season of competitive football, Kalfort Sportif wins its division in Verbond van Verbrande Brug.
• 1960 / After about a year-and-a-half at Schaliënhoeve, Kalfort Sportif moves to the so-called 'Terrein achter Vertongen', Schipstraat - later renamed Fabiolapark. That same year, the club leaves Verbond van Verbrande Brug to join a larger, supra-regional recreational association, Belgische Liefhebbers-Voetbalbond.
• 1963 / Having played in Belgische Liefhebbers-Voetbalbond for three seasons, Kalfort Sportif joins another Flemish recreational league, Katholieke Sportfederatie van België - later renamed Koninklijke Vlaamse Voetbalbond - the same association in which SK Daghet played from its foundation in 1953 onwards.
• 1967 / Kalfort Sportif moves from Schipstraat to a new ground situated at Lichterstraat.
• 1973 / Abandoning their premises at Lichterstraat, Kalfort Sportif finds a new home at Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat - a ground situated along the Bornem-Willebroek railway line. 
• 1974 / Unusually for a recreational club - especially given that there was a successful National Division 3 club around the corner in the shape of Puurs Excelsior FC -, Kalfort Sportif creates its own youth academy. The opportunity arose when a second pitch, at the other side of Chiro's premises, was put at the club's disposal.
• 1977 / Meanwhile, in Antwerp, SK Daghet takes the far-reaching decision to leave the city and move to a new ground in the village of Breendonk, Terrein De Veurt, a pitch situated behind the renowned Duvel beer brewery. In the preceding years, SK Daghet had been home at Jan Van Rijswijcklaan, Antwerp, groundsharing with Beerschot VAC's youth academy. Later, this sports facility made way for an event hall, Antwerp Expo.
• 1985 / After eleven years, Kalfort Sportif closes down its youth academy - henceforth focusing exclusively on senior football. After the turn of the century, though, the club's youth academy is revived.
• 1992 / Replacing the original clubhouse at Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat which dated back to the summer of 1973, Kalfort Sportif builds a replacement which includes a canteen as well as changing rooms.
• 1999 / SK Daghet and Kalfort Sportif conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Kalfort Daghet. While Daghet's ground in Breendonk is abandoned, all activities move to Kalfort Sportif's ground at Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat in Kalfort.
• 2007 / Sticking to Kalfort Sportif's foundation date rather than to SK Daghet's, Kalfort Daghet celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. The club becomes a Société Royale, adapting its name to become Koninklijke (K or Kon.) Kalfort Daghet.
• 2019 / Signing a cooperation agreement with provincial league club Puursica Puurs, K Kalfort Daghet enables its youth players to play their football in the Belgian FA's competitions under Puursica's flag. To mark the occasion, Puursica Puurs is renamed Kalfort Puursica.
• 2022 / A newly founded recreational club, OB Breendonk, playing its football in a large Saturday league association, KAVVV, is given permission to groundshare with K Kalfort Daghet at Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat. 
• 2023 / Abandoning Leopold Van Kerckhovenstraat after nearly 50 years of continued use, K Kalfort Daghet moved into the newly built Sportpark De Schans in February 2023, sharing the park with provincial league club Kalfort Puursica.

Note 1: Thanks to K Kalfort Daghet's chairman Vital s'Jongers for providing part of the information given above. 

Note 2: Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-6 = non-matchday visit, August 2022 / pictures 7-24 = match visit, October 2022.

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