Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: SK Deurne (1973-2024) / SK Deurne (B) (2024-)

Sok-Site / Hasseltsebaan, Deurne (Diest) (SK Deurne - B ground, formerly SK Deurne - A ground)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

17 VII 2024 / SK Deurne - KFCV Alberta 2-4 / Pre-seasons friendly

Timeline

1968 / Foundation of a football club in Deurne (Diest), which is given the name Sportkring (SK) Deurne. In spite of Deurne being a village in the province of Brabant, SK Deurne joins a recreational association predominantly consisting of clubs from Limburg, the so-called ABVV, which organises a summer league. A pitch is laid out for the club at modern-day J. Sweygerstraat – referred to locally as Terrein Hamelterre.
1973 / Having played in the ranks of ABVV for five years, SK Deurne applies for membership of Belgium’s Football Association (KBVB), acquiring registration number 7921 upon being accepted as new member club. As Terrein Hamelterre is not in conformity with KBVB rules – it is not flat, for a start! – club volunteers gather to lay out a new ground with a clubhouse at Hasseltsebaan, later usually referred to as the Sok-site. Having been refused by KBVB authorities to join Limburg’s provincial divisions – which would have suited the club given the geographical situation of Deurne, being located in a near-exclave of Brabant on the border with Limburg – SK Deurne is placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 4G for the 1973-74 season.
1978 / Champions in Provincial League 4G, SK Deurne accedes to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
1980 / In the best season in club history, SK Deurne finishes in eighth place in P3A.
1982 / Having played four consecutive seasons in Brabant’s Provincial League 3, SK Deurne now finishes bottom of the table in P3A, thus dropping back into Provincial League 4.
1986 / Champions in P4G, SK Deurne wins promotion to Provincial League 3, holding out at that level for just one season – and descending back into P4 in 1987.
2001 / Runners-up in P4G, SK Deurne accedes to Provincial League 3, holding out at that level for just one year and dropping back into P4 in 2002.
2009 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4H, 6 points ahead of runners-up RC Nieuwrode, SK Deurne wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
2010 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Provincial League 3D, SK Deurne drops back into Provincial League 4 along with KFC Klim-Op Begijnendijk and bottom club Sporting Molenbeek.
2011 / Runners-up in Provincial League 4H, 11 points behind champions SNA Keiberg, SK Deurne qualifies for the promotion play-offs, finishing last in the group stage behind KVC Kessel-Lo 2000 and FC Beigem, thereby being the only one of the three clubs missing out on promotion. Due to two extra promotion places being available, SK Deurne is given the opportunity to accede to Provincial League 3 via the backdoor in a lucky loser competition with Daring Sint-Martens-Bodegem and Trabzon Schaerbeek – but yet again finishing last, the club misses out on this second opportunity as well.
2024 / With works on a complete renovation of the Sok-Site in Deurne to get underway in the fall of 2024, SK Deurne is given the opportunity by Diest's municipal authorities to move all its match activities (first team as well as lower teams) to Diest’s Warandestadion from September 2024 onwards – with training sessions continuing to take place at Hasseltsebaan for the 2024-25 season.