Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KFC Merelbeke (2023-)

Sunday 7 January 2024

BELGIUM: KFC Merelbeke (2023-)

Sportpark Molenkouter, Merelbeke (KFC Merelbeke)

Belgium, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

7 I 2024 / KFC Merelbeke - RFC Mandel United 1-1 / VFV Amateur Division 2A (= BE level 4)

Timeline

1942 / Foundation of Vlug & Vrij (VV) Merelbeke, which joins Belgium’s FA that same year acquiring registration number 3551.
1966 / Recreational football club Neva’s Koffie, founded in 1959, changes its name to become Union Merelbeke, joining Belgium’s FA under registration number 6318. It is unclear if the club already played at Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen (at Sportstraat) under its old name, or if the move took place in 1966.
± 1968 / Abandoning its old pitch at the northern end of Kloosterstraat – of which it is not clear if the club played there from the outset – VV Merelbeke moves into a newly laid-out ground at the southern side of the same street.
± 1971 / Moving away from Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen, Union Merelbeke settles at a newly laid out ground at Gaversesteenweg.
1972 / FC Sloovere, a recreational club in Merelbeke founded in 1969 or 1970, joins Belgium’s official Football Association, acquiring registration number 7748 upon changing its name to become Sporting Merelbeke and settling at Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen, the former home of Union Merelbeke.
1988 / After merger talks, which, on and off, lasted for more than a decade, VV Merelbeke, Union Merelbeke, and Sporting Merelbeke conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Fusieclub (FC) Merelbeke, which retains VV Merelbeke’s registration number 3551. After the merger, first team football is played at Terrein Kloosterstraat, VV Merelbeke’s ground, with the other two grounds remaining in use for the club’s youth academy – the initial plan being to move into a renovated Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen in a couple of years’ time.
± 1990 / Terrein Gaversesteenweg, Union Merelbeke’s ground, is abandoned. Meanwhile, the decision has been taken to continue playing first team football at the cozy ground at Kloosterstraat, with Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen remaining in use by FC Merelbeke’s youth academy.
2016 / KFC Merelbeke wins the title in East Flanders' Provincial League 1, thus acceding to the national divisions for the first time in club history.
2018 / Having been allowed two seasons of dispensation to play its home games at Terrein Kloosterstraat in spite of the measurements of the main pitch not being in accordance with national league rules, KFC Merelbeke – being left without an alternative within the municipal borders – moves its first team football away from Merelbeke, settling for a groundshare with JV De Pinte at Sportpark Moerkensheide. While Terrein Kloosterstraat is retained for two more years for training purposes - and subsequently taken over by SK Merelbeke - the club’s youth academy stays at Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen for the time being. In the meantime, plans are made to build the club a completely new ground at Poelstraat.
2023 / In the best season in club history, KFC Merelbeke finishes in sixth place in VFV Amateur Division 2A, the fourth tier of Belgium's football pyramid. On April 30th, 2023, the newly laid-out Sportpark Molenkouter at Poelstraat is inaugurated with KFC Merelbeke entertaining SC Eendracht Aalst – and as such, the club return to Merelbeke proper after a groundshare at JV De Pinte of almost five seasons. Simultaneously, the club’s youth academy also moves to the new ground, abandoning Gemeentelijk Sportcomplex Ter Wallen, which is retained for the time being for training purposes.
2024 / Finishing in fourth place in VFV Amateur Division 2A, KFC Merelbeke qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating SV Zulte Waregem B in R1 (2-1 A.E.T.), qualifying for the final against K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar - a tie which is never played due to extra promotion places being available. As such, KFC Merelbeke achieves a historic promotion to VFV Amateur Division 1, the third tier of the Belgian football pyramid.