Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: FC Gerpinnes (2017-) / FC Flaches matr. 9689 (B) (2017-2021) / FC Gerpinnes-Flaches matr. 9689 (B) (2021-)

Sunday, 13 August 2023

BELGIUM: FC Gerpinnes (2017-) / FC Flaches matr. 9689 (B) (2017-2021) / FC Gerpinnes-Flaches matr. 9689 (B) (2021-)

Site de Lausprelle "Green Arena", Joncret (FC Gerpinnes & B ground of FC Gerpinnes-Flaches matr. 9689, formerly B ground of FC Flaches matr. 9689)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

13 VIII 2023 / FC Gerpinnes - RUS Courcelloise 1-2 / Hainaut, Provincial Cup R3

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 (cp. the article dedicated to Terrain Paganetti for a full history of FC Flaches and its successor clubs until 2017).
1975 / FC Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes-Flaches.
1985 / FC Gerpinnes-Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes.
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.
2021 / Satellite club FC Flaches changes its name to become FC Gerpinnes-Flaches – just like its eponymous predecessor had done in 1975.
2022 / Finishing in 3rd place in P2C, 6 points behind title winners RUS Courcelloise, FC Gerpinnes qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it defeats EC Erpion in R1 (6-0) only to be eliminated in R2 by FC Enghiennois after extra time (3-4).
2023 / FC Gerpinnes secures the title in Provincial League 2C, 4 points ahead of closest followers FC Snef and JST Roselies. Thus, the club accedes to Provincial League 1 for the first time.
2024 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Hainaut's Provincial League 1, FC Gerpinnes drops back into P2 after just one season, along with RFC Gilly, RSC Naastois, and bottom club RLC Hornu.