Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: R Espérance Crainhem (1916-1976) / K Espérance FC Kraainem (1976-1990) / K Europa 90 Kraainem FC (1990-)

Terrein Bosstraat, Kraainem = Crainhem (K Europa 90 Kraainem FC, formerly R Espérance Crainhem / K Espérance FC Kraainem)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

10 VIII 2023 / K Europa 90 Kraainem - R Léopold FC 4-3 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1916 / Foundation of a first football club in Kraainem, Crainhem Espérance FC. It is unclear in which league the club played its football for the first 8 years of its existence – as well as it is unclear if the club played its football at Bosstraat (or Speelpleinstraat, the entrance was originally situated on the other side of the ground) from the outset.
1924 / Crainhem Espérance FC joins Belgium’s Football Association.
1926 / In the 1926-27 season, Crainhem Espérance FC takes part in regular league football for the first time, being placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 3B. In December 1926, with the system of registration numbers (matricules) being introduced by Belgium’s FA, Crainhem Espérance FC acquires number 433.
1929 / Winning its first title as a Belgian FA club, in Provincial League 3A, Crainhem Espérance FC accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time. In the following decades, the club alternates spells in P2 and P3.
1959 / Having played in Provincial League 3 for 13 consecutive seasons, Crainhem Espérance FC wins the title in Provincial League 3D, thus forcing promotion to Provincial League 2.
1962 / Crainhem Espérance FC finishes in 3rd place in Provincial League 2A, thus equalling the result in the best season in club history up to that point (3rd in P2B in 1938-39).
1966 / Upon the club 50th anniversary, Crainhem Espérance FC acquires the royal epithet, adapting its name to become Royale Espérance Football Club (REFC) Crainhem.
1972 / Having managed 13 seasons in P2, REFC Crainhem now finishes last in P2B, thus falling back into P3.
1975 / Following a last place in P3E, REFC Crainhem finds itself in Brabant’s Provincial League 4 for the first time in club history. In the last 15 years of its existence as an independent club, REFC Crainhem fails to climb out of the bottom division of Brabant’s provincial league pyramid – with a 2nd place in P4E in 1985-86 being the best result in that period.
1976 / R Espérance FC Crainhem chooses to partially flemicise its name, becoming Koninklijke Espérance Football Club (KEFC) Kraainem.
± 1985 / The current clubhouse at Bosstraat is erected.
1988 / Foundation of a football club in Tervuren, which takes on the name Europa United, acquiring registration number 8365 upon joining Belgium’s FA. Possibly, Europa United was a continuation of a recreational football club by the name of Eurobrit United – a club founded by British expats in and around Brussels. It is unclear which ground Europa United used for the 2 years of its existence, both spent in Brabant’s Provincial League 4.
1990 / A merger is concluded between KEFC Kraainem and Europa United, resulting in the foundation of Koninklijke Europa 90 Kraainem FC, with Kraainem’s registration number 433 being retained. All activities moved to Kraainem’s ground at Bosstraat. From the outset, the club has embraced the idea of being a multinational sports training centre for youngsters.
1996 / Winning the title in P4H, K Europa 90 Kraainem FC accedes to Provincial League 3. The club manages to stay up at that level for 2 seasons before descending back into P4 in 1998.
1999 / A new football club in Kraainem saw the daylight under the name Sporting Kraainem. This club joined Belgium’s FA under registration number 9353. It is unclear if Sporting Kraainem groundshared with K Europa 90 Kraainem FC at Bosstraat.
2000 / Sporting Kraainem changed its name to Sporting Woluwe-Amitié.
2001 / Having spent the 2 years of its existence in Provincial League 4, Sporting Woluwe-Amitié folds, ceasing all activities. Registration number 9353 was erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists.
2012 / Finishing runners-up in Provincial League 4E behind FC Sint-Jozef Londerzeel, K Europa 90 Kraainem FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it is drawn in a group with VK Kortrijk-Dutsel and VC Asse-ter-Heide – with 2 promotion spots being at stake. Finishing 2nd behind VK Kortrijk-Dutsel, Kraainem earns itself a ticket for P3 for the first time since the turn of the century.
2016 / The B pitch at Bosstraat is equipped with a synthetic surface. From that time onwards, first time football has been played on this pitch. Since, the former main pitch on the other side of the clubhouse (cp. pictures 2-4 below) has mainly been used by recreational football club New Inn FC.
2018 / K Europa 90 Kraainem FC wins the title in P3C, finishing 9 points ahead of closest rivals FC Perk. The club accedes to Provincial League 2, 46 years after REFC Crainhem last acted at that level.
2019 / A small covered stand was constructed on the western side of the synthetic pitch.
2022 / Having finished near the top of the scoreboard in 2019 and 2020 – and with the 2020-21 season being broken off due to the COVID lockdown –, K Europa 90 Kraainem FC now finishes in 2nd place in P2B behind Eendracht Mazenzele-Opwijk. In a promotion play-off against the runner-up team of P2A, KCVV Elewijt, the club wins the home leg 4-2, only to lose away in Elewijt, 3-0 – and thus give away promotion in the most dramatic of fashions.
2023 / Winning the title in P2A, 17 points ahead of closest followers ERC Hoeilaart, K Europa 90 Kraainem wins promotion to Brabant’s VFV Provincial League 1 – marking the first time in the history of football in Kraainem that that level is reached.