Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: Turkse FC

Terrein Steenstortstraat, Beringen Baltisch Kamp (Turkse FC)

Belgium, province: Limburg

24 VIII 2024 / Turkse FC - KFC Hamont 99 2-3 / Limburg, Provincial Cup - Region Northwest

Timeline

1967 / Foundation of a recreational football club for Turkish emigrant workers in Beringen. The new club takes on the name Turkse FC (sometimes spelled Türkse FC), with home matches being played at a municipal sports pitch, Terrein ‘t SAC at Salviastraat in Beringen-Centrum (occupied nowadays by a primary school).
1980 / After thirteen years as a recreational football club, Turkse FC joins the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) in the fall of 1980, acquiring registration number 8752 upon being accepted as new member club.
1981 / In its first season as an active Belgian FA member, Turkse FC is placed in the bottom division of Limburg’s provincial leagues, Provincial League 4. At that point, due to Terrein ‘t SAC not being up to KBVB standards, the club commences a groundshare with KVV Vigor Beringen at Terrein Motbemden in Beringen-Centrum.
± 1985 / Moving away from their groundshare with KVV Vigor Beringen at Terrein Motbemden, Turkse FC is allowed to move in with K Beringen FC’s youth academy at Steenstortstraat in the Baltisch Kamp neighbourhood on the southeastern outskirts of Beringen.
1992 / Having been an also-ran in their first seasons in Provincial League 4 until gradually improving their results in the latter half of the 1980s, Turkse FC ultimately wins the title in P4A in 1992, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
1995 / With Turkse FC having made use of the southernmost of the two pitches at Terrein Steenstortstraat in the preceding years, the club is now allowed to move into their proper, eastern corner of the ground, where a new pitch is laid out for them – and where volunteers build a two-tiered clubhouse.
1998 / After six seasons in Provincial League 3, Turkse FC now finishes as runners-up in Provincial League 3A, with the club winning promotion to Provincial League 2 – probably following a successful set of promotion play-offs – for the first time.
2002 / K Beringen FC concludes a merger with KVV Vigor Beringen, resulting in the foundation of KVK Beringen, with all activities moving to Vigor’s Terrein Motbemden. As such, Beringen FC no longer requires its youth academy ground at Steenstortstraat – and the two pitches are taken over by Turkse FC, who have since used them for lower team football and training sessions.
2008 / Finishing in second-last place in P2A, Turkse FC drops back into Provincial League 3 after ten seasons, along with Red Star Beverlo and bottom club Standard Elen.
2009 / Runners-up in P3A, 12 points behind champions KFC Helson Helchteren, Turkse FC fails to win promotion to Provincial League 2 in the subsequent round of play-offs. Also in 2009, a small covered stand is erected at the southern side of the clubhouse at Terrein Steenstortstraat.
2010 / Champions in P3B, 10 point ahead of closest rivals K Kaulille FC and Sporting Grote Heide, Turkse FC manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of two seasons.
2013 / Finishing in second-last place in P2A, Turkse FC drops back into Provincial League 3 after three seasons, along with Sporting Wijchmaal and bottom club K As VV.
2015 / Finishing in third-last place in P3A, Turkse FC has to play a set of relegation play-offs against the clubs in fourteenth place in P3B and P3C, KHO Heide Hasselt and K Kortessemse VV, with the last-mentioned club finishing in last place and being the only one of the three to be retrograded to Provincial League 4.
2016 / In a reversal of fortune, after the near-relegation of the previous season, Turkse FC now finishes as runners-up in Provincial League 3A, 10 points behind champions FC Anadol, thus qualifying for the promotion play-offs. In those play-offs, the club successively edges past Godsheide VV (4-4 aggr. & penalty shoot-out), KFC Eksel (2-1 aggr.), and AC Tervant (3-1 aggr.), thus winning promotion to Provincial League 2.
2022 / Finishing in third-last place in P2A, Turkse FC has to play a relegation play-off against K Vlijtingen VV, the club which managed the same position in P2B; losing the tie 7-3 on aggregate, Turkse FC is retrograded to Provincial League 3, along with the two clubs finishing below them, Sporting Grote Heide and bottom side KFC Moedige Duivels Halen.
2023 / Champions in Provincial League 3B, 1 point ahead of runners-up KFC Kattenbos Sport, Turkse FC wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
2024 / Finishing in fifth place in Provincial League 2B, Turkse FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Following successive victories over KHO Heide Hasselt (1-2), KRC Peer (1-3), and K Vlijtingen VV (2-0), the club achieves a second promotion in a row, acceding to Limburg’s Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history.