Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: SK Ertvelde (1958-1971) / KV Ertvelde-Rieme (1971-1990) / KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme (1990-2006) / Sporting Ertvelde (2006-2010) / VK Watervliet (2010-2011) / Ertvelde United (2011-2020) / Evergem 2020 (2020-)

Arteveldestadion, Ertvelde (Evergem 2020, formerly SK Ertvelde / KV Ertvelde-Rieme / KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme / Sporting Ertvelde / VK Watervliet / Ertvelde United)

Belgium, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

10 II 2024 / Evergem 2020 - KVV Laarne-Kalken 2-2 / East Flanders, Provincial League 2A (= BE level 7)

Timeline

1924 / Foundation of Amicale Sportive (AS) Rieme, which acquires registration number 435 upon being admitted as a member club of Belgium's Football Association. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring village of Ertvelde, football was probably being played by a club which was a member of another football association.
1951 / AS Rieme acquires the royal epithet, thus becoming Koninklijke Amicale Sportive (KAS) Rieme.
1958 / Foundation of a football club in Ertvelde, Sportkring (SK) Ertvelde, acquiring registration number 6134 upon being accepted as new Belgian FA members. The club settles on a pitch in the village centre, later renamed Arteveldestadion. The club starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3.
1960 / SK Ertvelde finishes in fourth place in P3A, the best result in club history – going on to repeat that result in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971.
1968 / 20-year-old SK Ertvelde player Roland Ingels earns himself a transfer to Club Brugge KV – and goes on to have a career as a professional league player at KSC Lokeren for ten years (1972-82) before bowing out into non-league at KFC Evergem-Center.
1971 / Following the 1970-71 season, SK Ertvelde concludes a merger with KAS Rieme, resulting in the foundation of Koninklijke Verbroedering (KV) Ertvelde-Rieme, retaining Rieme’s registration number 435; SK Ertvelde’s number 6134 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. The merger club, which settles at Ertvelde’s Arteveldestadion, starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3.
1974 / Foundation of a new football club in Ertvelde, Voetbalklub (VK) Sparta Ertvelde, allegedly a Flemish-nationalistic breakaway of the predominantly liberal KV Ertvelde-Rieme. Acquiring registration number 8118 upon joining Belgium’s FA, the new club, which starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4, settles at Terrein De Stoepe, situated at the crossroads of Stoepestraat and Kapelhof.
1978 / Aimé Anthuenis, former player of Racing Lokeren, KSC Lokeren, and KFC Eeklo, joins KV Ertvelde-Rieme as player coach.
1979 / Champions in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3D, KV Ertvelde-Rieme accedes to Provincial League 2.
1980 / After two years at the helm of KV Ertvelde-Rieme, Aimé Anthuenis leaves the club, becoming a youth academy coach at his old club KSC Lokeren. Anthuenis goes on to have a successful career as a football manager at KSC Lokeren, R Charleroi SC, KFC Germinal Ekeren, KSV Waregem, KRC Genk, RSC Anderlecht, the Belgian national team, Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen, and K Lierse SK.
1983 / Champions in Provincial League 2A, KV Ertvelde-Rieme wins promotion to East Flanders’ Provincial League 1 for the first time in the history of football in Ertvelde and Rieme alike.
1985 / Former player at SK Beveren-Waes, KSK Beveren, and KAA Gent, Rudi Van Goethem joins KV Ertvelde-Rieme from KSC Lokeren.
1986 / Freddy Buyl, former professional league player at SK Beveren-Waes and KSK Beveren, takes over the role as trainer of KV Ertvelde-Rieme.
1989 / Coached by Freddy Buyl, KV Ertvelde-Rieme finishes in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 1, the best result in the history of football in Ertvelde until the present day. Meanwhile, at Terrein De Stoepe, VK Sparta Ertvelde, runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4A, accedes to Provincial League 3, probably after a round of promotion play-offs.
1990 / In its last season, KV Ertvelde-Rieme finishes in twelfth place in Provincial League 1. Following the 1989-90 season, the club concludes a merger with VK Sparta Ertvelde, resulting in the foundation of Koninklijke Verbroedering (KV) Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme under registration number 435; Sparta’s number 8118 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. The new merger club starts its life in P1, with first team football being played at the Arteveldestadion in Ertvelde, with Terrein De Stoepe probably being retained for lower team football and training sessions for some time.
1992 / Finishing second-last in P1, KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme descends into Provincial League 2.
1994 / KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme finishes bottom of the table in P2C, thus being retrograded to East Flanders’ Provincial League 3. Also in 1994, in a thorough renovation of the Arteveldestadion, the athletics track around the pitch is removed, with two steps of terracing being added on the side of the pitch opposite the main stand.
2002 / Conquering the title in P3A, KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme finds its way back to Provincial League 2.
2005 / Bottom of the table in P2A, KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme drops back into P3.
2006 / Finishing second-last in P3A, KV Sparta Ertvelde-Rieme is retrograded to the bottom division of East Flanders’ provincial league system, Provincial League 4. After the 2005-06 season, the club folds, ceasing all activities – but a successor club is founded immediately in the shape of Sporting Ertvelde (registration number unknown), which starts its life at Arteveldestadion in Provincial League 4.
2008 / Runners-up in P4A, 20 points behind champions WSL Lotenhulle, Sporting Ertvelde wins the ensuing round of promotion play-offs to accede to Provincial League 3. Also in 2008, Sporting Ertvelde receives an undisclosed fee from KAA Gent for the latter to be allowed to name its new stadium Arteveldestadion as well; in the end, KAA Gent officially named its new stadium, inaugurated in 2013, after the company which built it, Ghelamco – the Ghelamco Arena.
2010 / In its last season, Sporting Ertvelde finishes in third place in P3A. In the course of the 2009-2010 season, merger talks were held with KFC Evergem-Center to form a projected ‘United Evergem’, but nothing came of it – as a result of which Sporting Ertvelde, finding itself without the resources to continue independently, folded, ceasing all activities. The Arteveldestadion is temporarily taken over by VK Watervliet, which plays its first team football here for the 2010-11 season, while a renovation is carried out at its own ground, Terrein Veldstraat.
2011 / Foundation of a new club in Ertvelde, which takes on the name Ertvelde United, acquiring registration number 9565 upon joining Belgium’s FA. The new club, which naturally takes over the Arteveldestadion, vacated by VK Watervliet after one year, starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4.
2015 / Finishing 10 points ahead of closest followers FC Kaprijke-Bentille, Ertvelde United conquers the title in Provincial League 4A, thus acceding to Provincial League 3.
2016 / Finishing second-last in P3A, Ertvelde United drops back into P4 along with bottom club WSL Lotenhulle.
2017 / Finishing 6 points ahead of closest followers Excelsior Donk, Ertvelde United conquers the title in P4A, thus acceding to P3.
2018 / Runners-up in P3A, 4 points behind champions VSV Gent, Ertvelde United qualifies for the promotion play-offs. In those play-offs, the club successively defeats VC Zwijnaarde (2-3), KSK Zingem (0-0 and penalties), and FC Goalgetters Sint-Laureins (4-0) to win promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time.
2019 / Finishing second-last in P2A, Ertvelde United drops back into P3 along with bottom club KFAC Waarschoot.
2020 / Following the 2019-20 season, Ertvelde United concludes a merger with DKW Evergem to form Evergem 2020, with DKW Evergem’s registration number 4740 being retained; Ertvelde United’s number 9565 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. First team football moves to Ertvelde’s Arteveldestadion, while DKW Evergem’s B ground at Drogenbroodstraat in Wippelgem is retained for lower team football and training sessions; DKW Evergem’s A ground at Jacques Paryslaan in Kerkbrugge is abandoned. The new merger club starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3.
2023 / Conquering the title in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3A, 10 points ahead of VK Watervliet, Evergem 2020 accedes to Provincial League 2.
2024 / Champions in P2A, 3 points ahead of closest rivals KVV Laarne-Kalken, Evergem 2020 achieves a promotion to East Flanders' Provincial League 1, heralding a return at that level after an absence of 32 years.