Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: RC Bergilers

Rue de Waremme, Bergilers = Belliek (RC Bergilers)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

10 XII 2023 / RC Bergilers - Olympique Voroux 3-5 / ALFA Sunday League - Division d'Honneur (= ALFA level 1)

Timeline

1916 / Although the exact year of foundation is unclear, a football club existed in Bergilers – simply named Bergilers – in 1916. This club joined Belgium’s FA, but must have been wound up some time between 1917 and 1921.
1922 / Foundation of a new football club in Bergilers, called Récreation Football Club (RFC) Bergilers. This new club joins Belgium’s Football Association.
1926 / RFC Bergilers folds, ceasing all activities.
1928 / Foundation of a third successive football club in Bergilers, Racing Football Club (RFC) Bergilers, which joins Belgium’s FA under registration number 1324.
1929 / After an existence of just one year, RFC Bergilers (1324) folds, ceasing all activities.
1941 / Foundation of a new football club in Bergilers, Racing Club (RC) Bergilers, which joins Belgium’s FA under registration number 2955.
1946 / RC Bergilers folds, ceasing all activities.
1968 / After a recreational match between inhabitants of the village – the young against the old – in May 1968, the decision is taken to form a recreational football club, which sees the daylight three months later and takes on the name Racing Club (RC) Bergilers, thus copying the name of the short-lived registration number 2955. Founding members include Alphonse Baron, Fernand Odeurs, Edouard Montfort, Henri Vrancken, Marcel Delhalle, and Henri Vandersmissen – the first three all being future club chairmen. The club settles at a ground at Rue des Jacques, opposite the local cemetery.
1969 / RC Bergilers joins ALFA (Association Liégeoise de Football Amateur), the Liègeois branch of the RLBFA / KBLVB (Royale Ligue Belge de Football Amateur = Koninklijke Belgische Liefhebbersvoetbalbond). Alphonse Delhalle becomes the club’s first officially elected chairman.
1972 / Winning the final at Oreye’s ground at Rue de la Cité against FC Perron (9-0), RC Bergilers obtains its first piece of silverware, Liège’s Provincial Cup for recreational teams.
1973 / RC Bergilers first team wins the title in ALFA Division 3, thus gaining promotion to D2.
1979 / Having managed six seasons in ALFA D2, RC Bergilers now descends into D3.
1982 / RC Bergilers starts its own youth academy, but the experiment does not last longer than three seasons.
1984 / RC Bergilers accedes to ALFA Division 2 after an absence of four years.
1990 / Former professional league player, Hungary’s István Lakner, who successively played at Szombathelyi Haladás, RFC de Liège, RFC Sérésien, FC Assent, and RCS Libramontois, takes over the role as player-coach at RC Bergilers, staying on in that capacity for eight years.
1993 / Floodlights are put in place at RC Bergilers’ ground at Rue de Waremme.
1994 / Finishing in joint-first place in ALFA Division 2, RC Bergilers has to play a tie-break match with its fellow-champions to determine which club will accede to Division 1, but the club loses this tie-break – thus staying in D2. Also in 1994, the club enters a veterans’ team in ALFA’s Saturday divisions for the first time.
1995 / Champions in ALFA D2, RC Bergilers accedes to ALFA Division 1 for the first time. The adventure does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation following immediately in 1996.
1997 / Runners-up in ALFA D2, RC Bergilers earns a return ticket to Division 1.
1998 / RC Bergilers’ player Benoît Dedry earns ALFA’s Ballon d’Or, awarded to the league system’s best player of the season. Moreover, Dedry also crowns himself top scorer of the league.
1999 / Coached by Raymond Falise, who succeeded István Lakner as coach in 1998, RC Bergilers wins the nationwide Belgian cup for recreational football clubs.
2000 / Alain Ledoux, club chairman since 1992, decides to start from scratch with a new team in ALFA’s bottom division, D3. He entices István Lakner to return to the club as manager.
2001 / Coached by István Lakner, RC Bergilers wins the title in ALFA D3 without a single point lost and a goal difference of + 212 (224-12).
2002 / Winning a second successive title with István Lakner as coach, RC Bergilers manages a return to ALFA D1, the top flight of ALFA (later renamed Division d’Honneur).
2004 / As in the previous year, István Lakner Jnr. – son of the successful coach – is elected ALFA’s best player, winning Ballon d’Or.
2009 / RC Bergilers’ first team finishes in second place in ALFA’s Division d’Honneur, just 1 point behind champions CS Awirs – repeating this performance, again finishing runners-up, in the following season.
2010 / RC Bergilers’ player Ilgyz Schakirov is top scorer of ALFA’s Division d’Honneur as well as being awarded the title of best player in the league system, winning the Ballon d’Or.
2011 / Winning the title in ALFA’s Division d’Honneur with coach Philippe Guille, RC Bergilers also goes on to win the ALFA Super Cup.
2012 / RC Bergilers is runners-up in ALFA’s DH yet again, finishing in second place behind UOS Seraing.
2013 / In a clean sweep, RC Bergilers, coached by Antonio Pillitteri, wins the ALFA DH title as well as this league’s Provincial Cup and Super Cup.
2014 / Yet again champions in Division d’Honneur with trainer Antonio Pillitteri, RC Bergilers goes on to clinch a third ALFA Super Cup in four seasons. Player Eric Noel wins ALFA’s Ballon d’Or, while Dylan Lambrecht crowns himself top scorer of the league.
2015 / RC Bergilers’ first team finishes in second place in ALFA Division d’Honneur behind RFC Bierset – going on to repeat that performance in 2016, this time having to leave the title to Réal Hasard, and in 2019.
2018 / Coached by Xavier Lempereur, RC Bergilers’ first team clinches the title in ALFA Division d’Honneur yet again, as well as winning ALFA’s Provincial Cup.
2022 / In a repeat of the 2012-13 season, RC Bergilers, coached by Nicolas Vandevelde, wins the ALFA DH title as well as this league’s Provincial Cup and Super Cup.
2023 / RC Bergilers’ first team wins the title in ALFA’s Division d’Honneur as well as winning the Super Cup. Nicolas Vandevelde leaves the club to become head coach at R Jeunesses Oléyennes Réunies, with István Lakner Jnr., son of the former player and coach, taking over.