Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: R Tilleur FC (B) (19??-1989) / RFC Tilleur-Saint-Nicolas (1989-1995) / ASC Marocaine (19??-2011, 2013-2016, 2021-2022) / ASC Marocaine Liège (2011-2013) / CQ Turquoise Montegnée (2011-2013) / Panthères Noires Liège (2013) / Saint-Pholien Liège (2014-2016) / ASC Marocaine (B) (2016-)

Plaine Halkin / Rue des Marecages "Le Jenatzy", Liège = Luik Sclessin (various ALFA clubs, formerly youth academy of R Tilleur FC & RFC Tilleur-Saint-Nicolas / ASC Marocaine / CQ Turquoise Montegnée / Panthères Noires de Liège / Saint-Pholien Liège)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

2 XI 2022 / FC Ivoz 23 - SC Awirs 1-6 / ALFA Sunday Division 1 (= ALFA level 2)

Timeline

19?? / Situated next to CS Fragnée's Terrain de l'Hippodrome, the Plaine Halkin at Rue des Marecages serves as the youth academy of for many years - possibly from the early 1960s onwards. Among players of the academy squads, the pitch is nicknamed 'Le Jenatzy' - probably named after the former factory in nearby Rue de la Scierie - was the first user of the ground a Jenatzy workers' squad? Originally, the ground consists of two pitches, with the second - situated to the north, at Rue Chiff d'Or - bearing the nickname 'Le Théo', because it was looked after by a gentleman living next door whose given name was Théo. 'Le Théo is also used for training sessions by R Tilleur FC's first team. Halfway between the two pitches, a clubhouse can be found (anyone able to provide more information about the Plaine Halkin (Le Jenatzy), Le Théo and Terrain de l'Hippodrome is more than welcome to get in touch with me).
1989 / R Tilleur FC concludes a merger with R Saint-Nicolas FC de Liège (matricule 667), forming Royal Football Club (RFC) Tilleur-Saint-Nicolas, retaining Tilleur's matricule 21. Saint-Nicolas FC's pitch at Rue Laurent Pâques is abandoned to make way for housing. Le Jenatzi and Le Théo continue to house the newly formed club's youth academy.
1995 / RFC Tilleur-Saint-Nicolas withdraws its membership from Belgium's FA, being absorbed by RFC Liège to form R Tilleur FC Liège under RFC Liège's matricule 4; the merger was logical, given the fact that RFC Liège was groundsharing with RFC Tilleur-Saint-Nicolas at Stade Buraufosse at the time. It is unclear if R Tilleur FC Liège continued to make use of the pitches at Rue des Marecages and Rue Chiff d'Or - given that RFC Liège disposed of its own youth academy and training facilities. Possibly around this time, the pitch at Rue des Marecages was taken over by ALFA club Association Sportive Culturelle (ASC) Marocaine - a club founded by first generation Moroccan migrant workers in the 1970s. At some point, Le Théo, the pitch at Rue Chiff d'Or, was given up - it was taken over later by a dog agility training club. It is also unclear when Tilleur's new youth academy at Site Bonnet was inaugurated, but probably not before the mid-1990s.
2011 / Foundation of a club of ethnic Turks living in Greater Liège; the new club, CQ Turquoise Montegnée, joins Belgium's FA under matricule 9575. Groundsharing with ASC Marocaine at Rue des Marecages, Turquoise Montegnée begins its life in Liège's Provincial League 4. Strikingly, that same year, ASC Marocaine also takes the decision to join the official football association; under matricule 9585 and using the adapted name ASC Marocaine Liège, the club, led by president Rachid Mouzouri and head coach Daniel Ofori, is also admitted to Liège's lowest provincial division.
2012 / In its first season in Provincial League 4B, Turquoise does remarkably well, finishing second - lacking just two points to topple eventual league winners R Ans FC; in the subsequent promotion play-offs, Turquoise is eliminated by RCSJ Grivegnée in the first round. Also in P4B, ASC Marocaine Liège has a relatively anonymous year, finishing ninth.
2013 / In January 2013, after several comprehensive defeats, ASC Marocaine Liège withdraws from Provincial League 4B; the club does not manage a restart in the following season, being erased from the Belgian FA's official membership list in September of the same year - returning to a new affiliation with ALFA under the old name ASC Marocaine. Meanwhile, groundsharers CQ Turquoise Montegnée are even more successful in their second season, winning the title in P4B - and promotion to P3. For the 2013-14 season, however, the club most probably moved its activities to Stade Communal du Centenaire in Saint-Nicolas (with the club eventually being absorbed by FC Horion in 2014). Replacing Turquoise at Plaine Halkin, the new club Les Panthères Noires de Liège, having successfully applied for Belgian FA membership (matricule 9595), becomes ASC Marocaine's new groundsharing partner. Unfortunately, Panthères Noires' campaign in Provincial League 4C runs into the ground in the most miserable of ways, with several comprehensive defeats. In November 2013, after its 15th game - a 0-10 home defeat at the hands of AIC Sports Grivegnée -, Panthères Noires withdraws its team. Attempts to revive the club the following season fail, with the club being erased from the Belgian FA's membership list in the summer of 2014.
2014 / Foundation of a new club, Saint-Pholien Liège, which joins Belgium's FA under matricule 9641. This club succeeds Les Panthères Noires as ASC Marocaine's groundsharers at Plaine Halkin.
2016 / After two seasons in P4B, in spite of relatively good results (finishing 8th and 6th successively), Saint-Pholien Liège folds, ceasing all activities. That same summer, on the neighbouring pitch, Terrain de l'Hippodrome, AS Emul Liège folds as well. With ASC Marocaine being allowed the use of Emul's facilities, the two pitches - Plaine Halkin and Terrain de l'Hippodrome - now in effect become one sports park; ASC Marocaine's old clubhouse at the entrance of Plaine Halkin (Rue des Marecages) is abandoned, being left to decay. From this time onwards, ASC Marocaine mainly plays its football on Terrain de l'Hippodrome, while Plaine Halkin is used by several different recreational (ALFA) clubs - one being FC Apicoles Tilffois, who previously groundshared with RSC Tilffois at Stade Colley-Sainval; Apicoles also occasionally plays its home matches on Emul's former pitch.
2020 / After four seasons, FC Apicoles Tilffois abandons Plaine Halkin, instead settling at Route de Poulseur in Esneux.
2021 / Pitch 1 (Terrain de l'Hippodrome) having suffered markedly from extensive use and poor maintenance, ASC Marocaine moves all its activities back to Plaine Halkin. Terrain de l'Hippodrome has not been used for matches since.
2022 / Taking a one-season break of all its footballing activities, ASC Marocaine hosts several groundshares on Plaine Halkin - in the 2022-23 season RC Mosan and FC Ivoz 23. In the recent past, FC Garde-Dieu (2018-19) also made use of the facilities.