Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: RSC Tilffois (B) (1973-± 2015) / RSC Tilffois (± 2015-)

Sunday, 30 July 2023

BELGIUM: RSC Tilffois (B) (1973-± 2015) / RSC Tilffois (± 2015-)

Stade Hubert Colleye, Tilff Sainval (RSC Tilffois, formerly B pitch of RSC Tilffois)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

30 VII 2023 / RSC Tilffois - RCS Xhorisien 1-0 / Liège, Provincial Cup P1-P2 - R1

Timeline

1921 / Foundation of Sporting Club (SC) Tilffois on October 1st, 1921. Settling at the Vélodrome de Tilff, the club starts its life in Liège’s Provincial League 4 – winning promotion to League 3 in its first season.
1926 / Upon Belgium’s FA introducing the matricule system, SC Tilffois is assigned matricule 172.
± 1927 / Moving away from the Vélodrome, SC Tilffois settles on the western side of the Ourthe, at Chemin de Halage in Sainval, a hamlet on the northern outskirts of Tilff.
± 1937 / The ground at Chemin de Halage is renamed Stade Hubert Colleye in honour of a local coal merchant who had been instrumental in the club’s survival in its early years.
1946 / Upon the club’s 25th birthday, SC Tilffois obtains the royal epithet, thus becoming Royal Sporting Club (RSC) Tilffois.
1928 / SC Tilffois manages to win promotion to Provincial League 2, the top division of Liège’s Provincial League system at that time. In the following seasons, the club finishes runners-up at that level on multiple occasions.
1963 / Having spent 34 consecutive seasons in Provincial League 2, RSC Tilffois now descends into P3.
1965 / Winning the title in Provincial League 3 without any defeats and just one draw, RSC Tilffois finds its way back into Provincial League 2.
1970 / Finishing second-last in Provincial League 2, RSC Tilffois descends into P3 after losing a relegation play-off.
1972 / Winning the title in P3, RSC Tilffois accedes to Provincial League 2 once again – a spell which lasts just for one season, with relegation duly following in 1973.
1973 / Stade Hubert Colleye is extended with a second pitch, mainly used for training purposes.
1975 / A clubhouse is added to Stade Hubert Colleye.
1978 / Floodlights are added to the ground’s main pitch.
2009 / Finishing in last place in Provincial League 3C, RSC Tilffois descends into Provincial League 4, the bottom division of Liège’s provincial league system, along with R Aywaille FC and R Excelsior FC Lambermontois.
± 2015 / First team football is moved to Pitch 2 of Stade Hubert Colleye, an arrangement which has lasted until the present day.
2017 / Winning the title in Provincial League 4C, without a single defeat and 12 points ahead of closest followers RFC Queue-du-Bois, RSC Tilffois finds its way back to P3 after 8 seasons.
2019 / Finishing runners-up in Provincial League 3B, 13 points behind R Oupeye FC, RSC Tilffois qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Defeating RCS Sart-Tilman in the final, the club accedes to Provincial League 2.
2021 / In July 2021, as Eastern Belgium is marred by severe floodings, Stade Hubert Colleye is rendered unusable for two months. Playing its preparatory matches at FC Jupille’s ground at Rue de Visé, the club returns to its home ground in September of that same year. All training sessions, however, are moved to Site Bonnet in Tilleur for the entire season.
2023 / Coached by Jean-Marie Raucq, RSC Tilffois clinches the title in Provincial League 2B, 5 points ahead of RFC Trooz and FC Warsage – thus acceding to Liège’s Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history.
2024 / In spite of Jean-Marie Raucq leaving the club in the course of the season, RSC Tilffois has a steady first year in Liège's Provincial League 1, finishing in fourth place and qualifying for the promotion play-offs. Managing comfortable wins over R Union Flémalloise (3-0) and AC Hombourg (0-4), the club qualifies for the ACFF Interprovincial Play-offs, of which only the first match is played (a 3-1 away defeat at Stade Everois RC), upon which the remainder of the encounters is called off due to places in ACFF Amateur Division 3 being available for all participating clubs. As such, RSC Tilffois accedes to the national divisions for the first time in the club's history.