Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: K Peerder SV

Sportcentrum De Deuster, Peer (K Peerder SV)

Belgium, province: Limburg

5 VIII 2023 / K Peer SV - KVV Weerstand Koersel B 1-8 / Limburg, Provincial Cup - Region North-West

Timeline

1914 / A first football club in Peer, of which the name as well as the year of foundation are unknown, folds due to most of the players being called up for military service in the run-up to World War I. The ground of this football team, which never joined Belgium’s Football Association, was Terrein De Bokt, situated at Kiezel in Kleine Brogel.
1929 / As it turns out, a new football club has surfaced in Peer. Again, name and year of foundation are unknown – as well as the year in which this club, which never joined Belgium’s FA, folded.
1932 / Foundation of a new football club in Peer, Peerder Sportkring (SK), which joins Belgium’s FA obtaining matricule 1910. It is unknown where this club’s ground was situated.
1936 / Having taken part in a regular league season with a first team only in the 1934-35 season, Peerder SK folds, ceasing all activities.
1938 / At the instigation of a local chaplain, Mr Schaeken, a Roman-Catholic recreational team is founded, Peerder Stormvogels, the club being the result of a merger of two parish teams, Patronaat and Kajotters. This first Peerder SV joins a local recreational league, Noordlimburgse Verstandhouding. The club plays on makeshift pitches in and around Peer.
1941 / Foundation of Peerder Voetbalvrienden (VV), which joins Belgium’s FA under matricule 3339. Peer VV’s ground is situated at Steenweg op Bree.
1942 / After 4 years in Noordlimburgse Verstandhouding, Peerder Stormvogels joins Belgium’s FA, obtaining matricule 3705; meanwhile, the club’s ground is situated at Burkel, to the south of Peer proper. For the 1942-43 season, Peerder VV and Peerder Stormvogels are both placed in Limburg’s Regional Division E, placing 7th and 12th respectively.
1943 / A merger is concluded between Peerder VV and Peerder Stormvogels, with both clubs renouncing their matricule and founding a new club, Peerder Sportvrienden (SV) under matricule 3888. Peerder SV, with Stormvogels’ secretary Emiel Wels chosen as first chairman, starts its life in Limburg’s Regional Division B.
1946 / Finishing 14th in Limburg’s Regional Division 2A, Peerder SV is relegated to Regional Division 3 along with FC White Star Helchteren, Reppel VV, and VV Hoger-Op Molenbeersel.
1949 / Peerder SV clinches the title in Limburg’s Regional Division 3A, 1 point ahead of VV Hoger-Op Molenbeersel, thus earning promotion to Regional Division 2.
1950 / After just one year in Regional Division 2, in which Peerder SV picks up just 4 points, the club drops back into Regional Division 3, renamed Provincial League 3 in 1952.
1954 / Abandoning Terrein Burkel, Peerder SV settles at a new ground at Deusterstraat.
1964 / Although finishing last in Provincial League 3D, Peerder SV stays up due to champions VC AA Rekem being convicted for bribery and suffering relegation as a result. Also in 1964, Emiel Wels is succeeded as chairman by another founding member, Emiel Baeten, who stays on in this capacity until 1979.
1969 / Having finished runners-up behind Opitter FC the previous season, Peerder SV – led by player-manager Vic Vleugels – wins the title in Provincial League 3A, 5 points ahead of closest followers Lutlommel VV, thus winning promotion to Provincial League 2 after 19 consecutive seasons in P3. One of Peer SV’s players, Guido Davids, is signed by R Standard de Liège – having a relatively long professional league career, in the course of which he goes on to defend the colours of K Stade Leuven, Bree SK, KFC Winterslag, and K Sint-Truidense VV. Also in 1969, a new clubhouse is inaugurated at Terrein Deusterstraat.
1975 / Led by trainer Mon Macowski, Peerder SV wins the title in Provincial League 2B after a three-horse race with Maaseik FC and Eisden Sportief, eventually leaving those clubs behind with 1 and 2 points respectively. Club topscorer with 32 goals is Michel Eyckens, who previously had stints at RSC Anderlecht and KSV Waterschei THOR. Following the promotion, for the first time in history, Peer SV finds itself in Limburg’s Provincial League 1.
1978 / After an impressive career in which he played for K Beeringen FC, R Olympic Club Charleroi, RSC Anderlecht, and KAA Gent – as well as earning 4 caps for Belgium and being part of the Belgian side at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico –, Alfons Peeters signs for Peerder SV after previous spells at other non-league clubs in Limburg, KVV Looi Sport and VV Weerstand Koersel. Peeters stays with Peer for 2 years before hanging up his boots in 1980.
1979 / Coached by Fons Peeters, Peerder SV has the best season in club history, finishing in joint-first place in P1 with Sporting Alken. Due to Sporting Alken having won one more match, though, Peerder SV misses out on promotion to the national divisions. Also in 1979, the club’s goalkeeper Jaak Bollen earns a transfer to K Beringen FC.
1980 / Having played in P1 for 5 seasons, Peerder SV now finishes 16th and last, thus dropping back into Provincial League 2. Coach Fons Peeters leaves the club.
1983 / Leaving behind only LV Kerkhoven VC, K Peerder SV is relegated from Provincial League 2B, thus finding itself in P3 for the first time in 14 years. In the course of the season, the club replaced its trainer on two occasions (with Jef Vels, Jean Schrooten, and Nol Verhoeven guiding the team respectively), but to no avail.
1987 / Coached by Peter Kaes, Peerder SV finishes runners-up in P3A, 10 points behind champions K Neeroeteren FC – and the club eventually manages promotion back to Provincial League 2 via the play-offs. The stay at this level is short-lived, though, with relegation duly following in 1988.
1990 / The first stone being laid by Peer’s mayor Theo Kelchtermans on May 1st, 1990, works get underway on Peerder SV’s new ground, situated at just a stone’s throw from Terrein Deusterstraat.
1991 / Mayor Theo Kelchtermans inaugurated the new Sportcentrum De Deuster, with Peerder SV moving to the new ground after 37 years at Terrein Deusterstraat.
1993 / Upon its 50th anniversary, the club obtains the royal epithet, thus becoming Koninklijke Peerder Sportvrienden, commonly abbreviated to simply K Peer SV.
1994 / Coached by Rudi Tielemans, K Peerder SV wins the title in Provincial League 3E, thus acceding to P2. Like the previous time, though, the stay at this level lasts no longer than one season, with relegation following in 1995.
2000 / Finishing 14th in Provincial League 3B, K Peerder SV has to play relegation play-offs, in which it is defeated. Thus, the club finds itself in Provincial League 4, the bottom division of Limburg’s provincial league pyramid, for the first time in club history.
2003 / After a tie-break match against fellow-champions KLV Kerkhoven VC, won 4-3 (after extra time), K Peerder SV wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
2005 / Having finished second-last in P3A, K Peerder SV drops back into P4 along with bottom side K Achel VV.
2008 / Finishing one point behind KFC Ham United in P4B, K Peer SV qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
2013 / Having played 5 consecutive seasons in P3, K Peerder SV now finishes second-last in P3A, thus suffering relegation back into the abyss of Provincial League 4 along with Gestel VK and KFC Verbroedering Lommel.
2016 / K Peer SV finishes 3rd in P4A behind champions Excelsior Hamont and SK Meldert. In the ensuing promotion play-offs, the club successively sees off FC Racing Boxberg (5-4 on aggregate) and SK Moelingen (1-1 aggregate, win after penalty shoot-out) to accede to Provincial League 3. Moreover, Peer also wins Limburg’s Provincial Cup in Region North, thus qualifying for the national cup competition for the first time since 1979.
2022 / Finishing dead-last in Provincial League 3B with just 10 points, K Peerder SV falls back into P4 along with K Neeroeteren FC and Sparta Lille.

Note 1 - Main source for the information given above is a jubilee book published on the occasion of K Peerder SV's 50th anniversary in 1993, '1943-1993 Koninklijke Peerder Sportvrienden', written by Hubert Creemers / Jaak Gielen / Gilbert Hustinx / Guy Prenen / Trudo Vandijck / Albert Wienen / Hendrik Witters / Astrid D'Huyvetter. Thanks to K Peer SV's Benny Meuwis for giving me a copy of this precious booklet.

Note 2 - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-14 = match visit, August 2023 / picture 15 = non-matchday visit, February 2022.