Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem

Terrein Kerkakkers, Kruishoutem (KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem, formerly KSK Kruishoutem)

Belgium, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

9 V 2024 / KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem - KVV Schelde Serskamp-Schellebelle 0-2 / East Flanders, Provincial League 2 - promotion play-off R1 (= BE level 7)

Timeline

1928 / Foundation of a first football club in Kruishoutem, which takes on the name Sportkring (SK) Cruyshautem – which is the French orthography of the name of the East Flemish village – obtaining membership of Belgium’s FA under registration number 1102. It is unclear where the pitch was situated used by this club; possibly Terrein ‘t Kelderke later occupied by SK Kruishoutem from the 1940s onwards.
1929 / Winning the title in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3B in its first season as a competitive club, SK Cruyshautem accedes to Provincial League 2 – the top provincial level at that time.
1930 / In the most successful season in the club’s short history, SK Cruyshautem finishes in seventh place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2.
1934 / Finishing in fourteenth place in P2, SK Cruyshautem descends into Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke).
1937 / Having withdrawn its first team from regular league football in 1936, SK Cruyshautem now folds, ceasing all activities. Registration number 1102 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists.
1942 / Foundation of a new football club in Kruishoutem, which takes on the name Sportkring (SK) Kruishoutem, obtaining registration number 3246 upon being accepted as new member of the Belgian Football Association. SK Kruishoutem settles at Terrein ‘t Kelderke.
1948 / Finishing in sixteenth place in East Flanders’ Regional League 2B, SK Kruishoutem descends into Provincial League 3, the bottom division of the provincial league pyramid at that time.
1959 / Clinching the title in P3C, SK Kruishoutem wins promotion to East Flanders’ Provincial League 2.
± 1963 / Moving away from Terrein ‘t Kelderke, SK Kruishoutem settles at the newly laid-out Terrein Kerkakkers.
1973 / Clinching the title in P2B, SK Kruishoutem wins promotion to East Flanders’ Provincial League 1 for the first – and only – time in club history.
1974 / Finishing in thirteenth place in P1, SK Kruishoutem narrowly staves off relegation – copying that exact result in the 1974-75 season.
1976 / Bottom of the table in P1 at the end of the season, SK Kruishoutem drops back into East Flanders’ Provincial League 2 after three years.
1977 / Suffering a second relegation in a row, SK Kruishoutem – bottom of the table in P2B – drops back into East Flanders’ Provincial League 3.
1979 / Bottom of the table in P3B at the end of the season, SK Kruishoutem descends into Provincial League 4 for the first time.
1985 / Champions in P4D, SK Kruishoutem finds its way back to Provincial League 3.
1986 / Winning a second title in a row, SK Kruishoutem finishes in first place in P3C, thus finding the way back up to Provincial League 2 after an absence of nine years. The club holds out at this level for two seasons before dropping back into P3 in 1988.
1992 / Having dropped out of P3B following a fourteenth place finish in 1991, SK Kruishoutem now bounces back by winning the title in P4B. The new spell in P3 does not last longer than one season, though, with relegation following immediately in 1993.
1994 / Runners-up in P4C, SK Kruishoutem wins promotion to Provincial League 3, probably following a round of play-offs. Also in 1994, two years after the club’s fiftieth anniversary, SK Kruishoutem acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Sportkring (KSK) Kruishoutem.
1996 / Runners-up in P3B, KSK Kruishoutem wins promotion to P2, probably following a round of play-offs. The club holds out in Provincial League 2 for two years before dropping back into Provincial League 3 in 1998.
1999 / Runners-up in P3B, KSK Kruishoutem wins promotion to P2 for the second time in three years. This time, the club holds out at this level for three seasons before dropping back into P3 in 2002.
2006 / Champions in P3C, 1 point ahead of K Olsene Sportief, KSK Kruishoutem wins promotion to Provincial League 2 after an absence of four years. The stay at that level does not last longer than one year, though, finishing bottom of the table in P2B and dropping back into P3 along with second-from-bottom KRC Haaltert.
2009 / In its last season as an independent club, KSK Kruishoutem finishes second-from-bottom in P3C, dropping back into Provincial League 4 along with bottom club SV Everbeek. Following the 2008-09 season, KSK Kruishoutem concludes a merger with P4 club KSV Jupiter Nokere – in itself a merger between Jupiter Nokere (registration number 9261) and K Club Sparta Ronse (number 4181), retaining the latter’s registration number, in 2005. The new merger club is given the name Koninklijke Voetbalclub (KVC) Nokere-Kruishoutem, retaining KSK Kruishoutem’s registration number 3246. While the pitch at Waregemsestraat in Nokere is retained for two or three more years for lower team football and training sessions, first team football moves to Kruishoutem’s Terrein Kerkakkers. Due to KSK Kruishoutem’s relegation, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem starts its life in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4.
2010 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4B, 5 points behind champions Voorwaarts Gijzenzele, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Finishing second in a group behind VV Volkegem, but ahead of KV Sint-Gillis, the club wins promotion to P3 along with Volkegem.
2012 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, 5 points behind VC Nazareth-Eke, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Qualifying for the final after defeats of SK Denderhoutem (2-1) and KVV Schelde Serskamp-Schellebelle (7-1), KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem stumbles over the last hurdle, FC Sint-Kruis-Winkel (1-2) – thus narrowly missing out on promotion to P2.
2014 / Second-last in P3B, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem drops back into P4 along with bottom club ESA Bottelare.
2015 / Champions in P4C, 8 points ahead of closest followers KSV Maarkedal, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem manages a return to Provincial League 3 after just one season.
2018 / Champions in P3C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals FC Vurste-Semmerzake, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time.
2023 / Finishing in fourth place in P2B, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by FC Sint-Martens-Latem (2-0).
2024 / Finishing in third place in P2B, KVC Nokere-Kruishoutem qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of KSK Kieldrecht in R1 (5-2) before suffering elimination at the hands of KVV Schelde Serskamp-Schellebelle in R2 (0-2).