BELGIUM: KVC Ardooie

Sportcentrum De Ark, Ardooie (KVC Ardooie)

Belgium, province: West Flanders = West-Vlaanderen

29 X 2023 / KVC Ardooie - KFC Varsenare 1-1 / West Flanders, Provincial League 1 (= BE level 6)

Timeline

• 1928 / Foundation of a first football club in Ardooie, which takes on the name Voetbalclub (VC) Ardoye Sport, joining the official Belgian Football Association and obtaining registration number 1199 upon being accepted as new members. The first president being the village doctor, Georges Baert, the new club starts its life on a pitch which it rents from a local farmer, Mote Callewaerts. 
• 1934 / In Kruipendaarde, a hamlet situated not far from Ardooie proper, a football club is founded which takes on the name De Veldknappers. This club joins the so-called Vlaamsche Voetbalbond, a Flemish football association which is a rival to the official Belgian FA.
• 1939 / Winning its second promotion since the foundation of the club, VC Ardoye Sport now finds itself in West Flanders’ Provincial League 2.
• ± 1943 / Foundation of a third club in Ardooie, Den Eendracht, mainly consisting of refugees temporarily staying in the region. This new club, which plays its home matches at Terrein Remi Cuyle, joins yet another football association, the so-called Katholiek Vlaams Sportverbond (KVS).
• 1944 / Shortly after the liberation of Belgium of the German yoke, De Veldknappers, as so many clubs in Flanders which were disgusted by the collaborationist stance of the Vlaamse Voetbalbond, leaves that association and joins the official Belgian FA under a new name, Ardos Ardooie – and receives registration number 4142 upon being accepted as new member club.
• 1945 / A merger is concluded between the three clubs in Ardooie, resulting in the foundation of VC Ardooie – and following the custom of those days, the merger club receives a new registration number (4257) instead of retaining the number of the oldest of the three clubs.
• ± 1960 / Having played at Terrein Izegemstraat, probably since shortly after World War II, VC Ardooie now moves to the newly laid-out Terrein Eekhoutstraat.
• 1964 / With the club’s history in the first 25 years after World War II being poorly documented, not many data can be provided concerning this period – but it is clear that VC Ardooie won the title in Provincial League 4 in 1964, thus gaining promotion to Provincial League 3.
• 1965 / Clinching its second title in a row, VC Ardooie accedes to West Flanders’ Provincial League 2 for the first time. Both promotions were achieved under the leadership of player-manager Joël Hoste. It is unclear how long the club managed to stay up in P2.
• 1972 / Finishing runners-up in Provincial League 3B, VC Ardooie accedes to Provincial League 2 for a second time.
• 1974 / Having played in P2 for two seasons, VC Ardooie now drops back into Provincial League 3 after finishing 14th in Provincial League 2A.
• 1977 / Finishing 14th in Provincial League 3B, VC Ardooie finds itself in Provincial League 4, the bottom division of West Flanders’ provincial league pyramid.
• 1978 / Fifty years after the foundation of VC Ardoye Sport, VC Ardooie obtains the royal epithet – and adapting its name to become Koninklijke Voetbalclub (KVC) Ardooie.
• 1979 / Runners-up in Provincial League 4C, KVC Ardooie finds the way back to P3.
• 1980 / KVC Ardooie’s 15-year-old youth player Marc Degryse moves to the youth academy of Club Brugge KV, experiencing his breakthrough in FC Bruges’ first team three years later. Degryse goes on to have a brilliant career as a striker at FC Bruges (1983-89; league title in 1987), RSC Anderlechtois (1989-93; league titles in 1991 and 1993), RSC Anderlecht (1993-94; league title in 1994), Sheffield Wednesday FC (1995-96), PSV (1996-98; league title in 1997), KAA Gent (1998-99), and Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen (1999-2002). He also won 63 caps for the Belgian national team, scoring 23 goals and being part of the Belgian sides which reached the last 16 in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup tournaments in Italy and the United States.
• 1982 / Runners-up in Provincial League 3C, KVC Ardooie manages a return to P2, but the stay at that level is short, with relegation following immediately in 1983.
• 1994 / Having spent the previous eleven seasons in P3, KVC Ardooie now finishes 15th in P3C, thus dropping back into Provincial League 4.
• 1999 / Runners-up in Provincial League 4C, KVC Ardooie wins promotion to P3.
• 2000 / Clinching the league title in Provincial League 3C – incidentally the club’s first title in 35 years – KVC Ardooie wins promotion to Provincial League 2. As on the previous occasion, though, the stay at that level is short, with relegation following immediately in 2001.
• 2006 / Abandoning Terrein Eekhoutstraat, KVC Ardooie now settles at the newly laid-out Sportcentrum De Ark (with the sports hall, which also houses KVC Ardooie’s canteen, being inaugurated in October 2010).
• 2020 / Having spent the previous nineteen (!) seasons in Provincial League 3, KVC Ardooie wins promotion to P2 after finding itself in second place in P3C after 28 of 32 matches in the 2019-20 season cut short due to the COVID lockdown; as such, the club is placed in P2 for the following season along with KSV Moorsele and VV Emelgem-Kachtem.
• 2023 / Finishing runners-up in P2B, 8 points behind champions KSV Bredene, KVC Ardooie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it successively defeats KWS Houthulst (0-2) and VV Koekelare (0-2) – as well as SK Westrozebeke in the final (4-2) which had become superfluous due to both clubs already being assured of promotion due to an extra promotion place being available. As such, KVC Ardooie accedes to West Flanders’ Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history.

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

BELGIUM: Sporting Heide Linter

Terrein Heidebos, Linter Heide (Sporting Heide Linter)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

22 X 2023 / Sporting Heide Linter - K Halle VV 2-1 / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 4F (= BE level 9)

Timeline

• 1967 / Foundation of a recreational football club in Heide, a hamlet of Neerlinter; the club takes on the name Sporting Heide Linter and joins Brabant’s branch of recreational football league RKLVB (Rooms-Katholieke Liefhebbersvoetbalbond). In the first two years of its existence, the club plays on several different makeshift pitches. 
• 1969 / Sporting Heide Linter settles at Terrein Heidebos.
• 1975 / Abandoning the RKLVB, Sporting Heide Linter joins the official Belgian Football Association (KBVB), obtaining registration number 8272. The club starts its life as a KBVB club in Brabant’s Provincial League 4. 
• 1983 / Clinching the title in Provincial League 4F, Sporting Heide Linter accedes to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
• 1987 / Guided by trainer Jean-Pierre Tavernier, who took with him several players of his former club Klub 73 Tienen, Sporting Heide Linter wins the title in Provincial League 3A following a 1-1 home draw against Toekomst Bunsbeek. At the end of the season, the club has a 6-point advantage over runner-up side VV Kersbeek. 
• 1988 / Still coached by Jean-Pierre Tavernier, Sporting Heide Linter has its best season in club history, finishing in 6th place in Brabant’s Provincial League 2B.
• 1989 / Finishing 15th in P2B, Sporting Heide Linter drops back into Provincial League 3 after two seasons.
• 1997 / Second-last in the final ranking of Provincial League 3A, Sporting Heide Linter finds itself in P4 for the first time in fourteen years.
• 2005 / Runners-up in Provincial League 4E, Sporting Heide Linter wins promotion to P3 without promotion play-offs. The new stay in P3 does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation following in 2006.
• 2008 / Finishing just one point behind title winners FC Binkom in Provincial League 4I, Sporting Heide Linter wins an automatic promotion place and thus accedes to Provincial League 3 once again. 
• 2012 / Second-last in Provincial League 3A, Sporting Heide Linter drops back into P4 along with bottom club KSK Rummen.
• 2014 / Finishing in 3rd place in Provincial League 4H behind Sparta Kumtich-Tienen and RD Zoutleeuw, Sporting Heide Linter wins promotion to P3 due to extra promotion places being available. 
• 2016 / Second-last in P3A, Sporting Heide Linter drops back into P4 along with bottom club KV Boutersem.
• 2019 / Sporting Heide Linter finishes runners-up in Provincial League 4A, 9 points behind village rivals KSV Drieslinter, but without the longed-for promotion back to P3. The club also comes rather close to the title in 2018 (3rd place) and 2020 (4th).

Note – Important parts of the information above were provided by Sporting Heide Linter’s chairman Willy Preud’homme.

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

BELGIUM: KFC Heusden Sport

Terrein Steenakkerstraat, Heusden O-Vl. (KFC Heusden Sport)

Belgium, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

15 X 2023 / KFC Heusden Sport - KVV Cercle Melle 2-0 / East Flanders, Provincial League 3C (= BE level 8)

Timeline

• 1927 / Foundation of FC Heusden Sport in the village of Heusden, near Ghent. The founders are the Van Tieghem brothers, two students. Instead of applying for membership of the official Belgian Football Association, FC Heusden Sport joins the so-called Katholiek Vlaamsch Sportverbond (KVS), an association of Roman-Catholic clubs playing in a league of their own. The club probably starts its life on a pitch situated at Steenstraat.
• 1934 / Having played in the ranks of KVS for seven years, FC Heusden Sport changes affiliation and joins the official Belgian FA (KBVB), obtaining registration number 2173 upon being accepted as a new member club. The club is placed in East Flanders’ Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke).
• 1945 / Having suffered relegation from Regional League 2 the previous season, FC Heusden Sport now clinches the title in Regional League 3A, thus finding its way back to Regional League 2 immediately. The spell at this level lasts for three years, with relegation following in 1948.
• 1946 / Finishing in joint-first place in Regional League 2B with FC Sparta Sint-Koleta Gent, FC Heusden Sport has to play for the title against the Ghent side in a tie-break match, in which Sparta Gent walks away as winners – thus depriving Heusden of the opportunity to prove its mettle in Provincial League 2, the highest regional division at that time.
• 1952 / In January 1952, FC Heusden Sport obtains the royal epithet, thus adapting its name to become Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Heusden Sport. In the 1951-52 season, the club wins the title in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3G, thus acceding to Provincial League 2.
• 1958 / Having previously played its home matches at Terrein Steenstraat and Terrein De Kouter successively, KFC Heusden Sport now moves into Terrein Steenakkerstraat.
• 1963 / In the best season in club history, KFC Heusden Sport finishes runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2A, thus narrowly missing out on promotion to the top level of the provincial league ladder.
• 1967 / Finishing 14th in Provincial League 2A, KFC Heusden Sport drops back into Provincial League 3.
• 1975 / Finishing 15th in Provincial League 3D, KFC Heusden Sport finds itself in Provincial League 4 for the first time in club history.
• 1977 / Winning the title in Provincial League 4B, KFC Heusden Sport manages a return to P3 after two years. The club holds out at this level for four years, with relegation into P4 eventually following in 1981.
• 1985 / Winning the title in Provincial League 4B, KFC Heusden Sport manages a return to P3 after four years. The club holds out at this level for six years, with relegation into P4 following in 1991.
• 1993 / Winning the title in Provincial League 4C, KFC Heusden Sport manages a return to P3 after two years.
• 2001 / Winning the title in Provincial League 3E, KFC Heusden Sport returns to Provincial League 2 after an absence of 34 years. The stay at this level does not last long, though, with relegation duly following after just one season, in 2002. In the following decade, the club is a stable P3 side.
• 2013 / Winning the title in Provincial League 3B, KFC Heusden Sport manages a return to P2. Once again, though, the stay at this level is short, with relegation following immediately in 2014.
• 2015 / Finishing second-last in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3B, KFC Heusden Sport has to play a tie-break match to assure itself of a prolonged stay at this level – which it manages successfully with an emphatic 7-0 away win at VJ Baardegem.

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