BELGIUM: FC Flaches matr. 7457 (1970-1975) / FC Gerpinnes-Flaches matr. 7457 (1975-1985) / FC Gerpinnes (1985-2017) / FC Flaches matr. 9689 (2017-2021) / FC Gerpinnes (B) (2017-) FC Gerpinnes-Flaches matr. 9689 (2021-)

Terrain Paganetti, Les Flaches (FC Gerpinnes-Flaches & B ground of FC Gerpinnes)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

August 2023 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1970 / Foundation of FC Flaches, a football club in Les Flaches, a hamlet situated some 2 km to the west of Gerpinnes. Seeking membership with Belgium’s Football Association, FC Flaches acquires registration number 7457. The club’s ground is situated at Rue André Paganetti, right beside the village church. The club starts its life at the bottom of the league ladder, in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4.
• 1975 / FC Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes-Flaches.
• 1985 / FC Gerpinnes-Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes.
• 1987 / Having spent the first 17 years of its existence in Provincial League 4, FC Gerpinnes now wins the title in P4F, 6 points ahead of Jeunesse Turque, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
• 1989 / FC Gerpinnes wins promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time in club history after winning the title in Provincial League 3D, just having the better of FCJS Bouffioulx, which finishes 1 point behind.
• 1991 / Having managed a respectable 5th place in Provincial League 2C the previous season, the club now descends back into P3 after 2 years after finishing second-last in P2C – with only US Solrézienne picking up fewer points.
• 1992 / Suffering back-to-back relegations, FC Gerpinnes now finishes dead-last in Provincial League 3D, dropping back into P4 along with CS Brye.
• 1997 / FC Gerpinnes finishes runners-up in Provincial League 4D, 2 points behind FC Piéton Sport, but secures promotion via the play-offs.
• 1998 / After just one season in Provincial League 3E, in which the club finishes in last place, FC Gerpinnes drops back into P4 along with FC Fontaine-Valmont.
• 2005 / Finishing 3rd in P4C behind JS Bray and Roux Sport, FC Gerpinnes wins promotion to P3 in the play-offs along with fellow P4C side JS Froidchapelle.
• 2011 / In spite of finishing only in 5th place in P3D, 22 points behind champions SC Montignies, FC Gerpinnes manages to force its way up to Provincial League 2 in the play-offs, exactly 20 years after last having played at that level.
• 2014 / Runners-up in P2C behind champions RUS Courcelloise, FC Gerpinnes misses out on promotion.
• 2017 / FC Gerpinnes moves into the newly built Site de Lausprelle in Joncret. The new ground, with a synthetic surface on the main pitch, was constructed on top of the former home ground of recreational club Cercle Sportif (CS) Acoz, which was a member of Royal Groupement Corporatif de Charleroi until its demise. This ground had been in use since the early 1990s – with CS Acoz at some point being joined by FC Gerpinnes’ ladies’ team. As FC Gerpinnes has enough players for no fewer than 3 first teams – and C teams not being allowed into regular league football –, the original decision is taken to create a satellite club, which takes on the familiar name of FC Flaches, acquiring registration number 9689 upon joining Belgium’s FA. FC Flaches’ home ground is Terrain Paganetti in Les Flaches, although being allowed the use of Site de Lausprelle for training sessions and the odd match. FC Gerpinnes, on the other hand, also makes continued use of Terrain Paganetti for lower team football and training purposes (cp. the article on Site de Lausprelle for the further history of FC Gerpinnes).
• 2021 / FC Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes-Flaches – just like its predecessor had done in 1975.

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