BELGIUM: RCS Verviétois (B) (19??-2000) / FC Pano (1973-1977) / FC Stembert (1977-1999) / FC Entente Stembertoise (1999-2019, 2021-) / SRU Verviers matr. 9699 (2018-2019) / FC Entente Stembertoise (B) (2019-2021)

Terrain des Linaigrettes, Verviers Stembert (FC Entente Stembertoise, formerly training ground of RCS Verviétois / FC Pano / FC Stembert / SRU Verviers matr. 9699 / B ground of FC Entente Stembertoise)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

1 VIII 2024 / FCE Stembertoise - FC Rapide Liège 3-1 / Provincial Cup for P3-P4 teams R1

Timeline

• 1939 / A club called FC Stembert existed in pre-war Stembert, a village to the east of Verviers which was absorbed into the city in the course of the 20th century, but this club folded following the mobilisation of the Belgian armed forces in the summer of 1939. During the war years, several short-lived neighbourhood clubs existed, notably Sparta, Arsenal, and Bolton Wanderers – the two last names being an obvious provocation of German occupation authorities, given that they originated from English football culture. In the years following World War II, several recreational clubs are founded in Stembert, but none seeks affiliation with the Belgian Football Association.
• 1973 / Foundation of a recreational club called FC Pano, which settles on the Terrain des Linaigrettes, which is the C-pitch of RCS Verviétois – only a couple of streets away from that club’s stadium, the Stade du Panorama, which has one side pitch. At the time, the Terrain des Linaigrettes disposes of a small canteen and dressing rooms on the western side of the pitch, Rue Ma Campagne.
• 1974 / After one year as a recreational club, FC Pano joins the Belgian Football Association with registration number 8244. Also in 1974, the club builds its own clubhouse at the eastern side of Terrain des Linaigrettes.
• 1986 / On the ashes of a recreational club in Stembert, called FC Chara, which used to play its football on Terrain Don Bosco, a new football club is founded, FC Surdents, which joins Belgium’s Football Association with registration number 9044. The founding father of the club as well as its first chairman is Léon Haot. The club, which starts its life in Liège’s Provincial League 4, settles at Terrein Lejoly, the C ground of RCS Verviétois and previously also used by various recreational clubs as well as by SRU Verviers as a training ground. Meanwhile, at Terrain des Linaigrettes, a set of dressing rooms are added on the eastern side of the pitch, rendering the old dressing rooms at Rue Ma Campagne superfluous.
• 1977 / FC Pano changes its name to become FC Stembert.
• 1989 / Having played at Terrein Lejoly for three seasons, FC Surdents moves to the Terrain de la Banque – situated next to the TEC garages – a pitch previously used by recreational club FC Cheminots.
• 1992 / Having played in Liège’s Provincial League 4 for the first six years of its existence, FC Surdents now wins promotion to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
• 1997 / Following a spell of five seasons in P3, FC Surdents now drops back into Provincial League 4.
• 1998 / FC Surdents wins promotion to Provincial League 3 for a second time. However, as the Terrain de la Banque is sold – and with the club not disposing of the resources to purchase it – FC Surdents is constrained to conclude groundsharing agreements with R Union Verviers-Ensival at Stade du Bielmont for its first team football, and with FC Stembert at Terrain des Linaigrettes for its youth teams.
• 1999 / FC Stembert and FC Surdents conclude a merger deal, resulting in the foundation of FC Entente Stembertoise (usually abbreviated to FCE Stembertoise or simply FCE Stembert), which retains FC Stembert’s registration number 8244; FC Surdents’ number 9044 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. Henceforth, the club plays its first team football at Terrain des Linaigrettes, while being progressively allowed to make use of the Stade du Panorama for lower team football and training purposes in the following years. In the early 2000s, FCE Stembertoise manages to climb out of Provincial Leagues 4 and 3 in a few years to reach Provincial League 2, where the club holds out for two seasons before dropping back into P3.
• 2008 / Winning the title in one of the series of Liège's Provincial League 4, FCE Stembertoise wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
• 2010 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 3D, FCE Stembertoise wins promotion to Provincial League 2 in the play-offs.
• 2011 / Finishing in fifteenth place in Liège’s Provincial League 2C, FCE Stembertoise drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, along with RFC Bütgenbach and bottom club FC Ster-Francorchamps.
• 2012 / Bottom of the table in Liège’s Provincial League 3D, FCE Stembertoise suffers its second relegation in a row – dropping back into Provincial League 4 along with RFC Malmundaria 1904 B and RFC Blue Star Gemmenich. In the following years, the club finds itself in the lower reaches of Liège’s Provincial League 4D.
• 2017 / Finishing in fifth place in P4D, FCE Stembertoise qualifies for the promotion play-offs, eliminating R Union Limbourg FC in R1 (2-3) before suffering defeat at the hands of R Entente Rechaintoise B (5-0).
• 2018 / Finishing in fourth place in P4D, FCE Stembertoise qualifies for the promotion play-offs, winning the preliminary stages against R Entente Rechaintoise B (1-2) and R Excelsior FC Lambermontois (1-3). In the final round though, the club is defeated by Patro Othée FC (3-1), subsequently also being defeated in the lucky loser round by R Fraiture FC (2-1), thereby narrowly missing out on a return to Provincial League 3. Also in 2018, the newly founded club SRU (Skill Racing Union Verviers) - a refoundation of SRU Verviers matr. 34, which had ceased activities in 2010 after spending the last eight years of its existence at Stade Le Jonckeu after having been evicted from its proper ground, the Stade Communal du Bielmont - concludes a groundsharing deal with FCE Stembertoise.
• 2019 / FCE Stembertoise manages a third place in Provincial League 4F, but without promotion resulting. In the following years, the club drops back into the lower reaches of Provincial League 4. Also in 2019, FCE Stembertoise moves its first team football to the nearby Stade du Panorama, while SRU Verviers matr. 9699 moves away to its new home ground, Terrain Lejoly, also situated in Stembert.
• 2021 / After two seasons of playing its first team football at the Stade du Panorama – and following a conflict with that ground’s main users, RCS Verviers – FCE Stembertoise returns its first team football to Terrain des Linaigrettes, however continuing to make use of the stadium's two synthetic pitches for part of its youth academy.
• 2023 / FCE Stembertoise is forced to withdraw from the Stade du Panorama completely, with all club activities henceforth taking place at the Terrain des Linaigrettes.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author