Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene

Terrein Denderweg, Teralfene (VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

13 X 2024 / VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene - K Olympia SC Wijgmaal 4-1 / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 1 (= BE level 6)

Timeline

1941 / Foundation of a first football club in Teralfene, which takes on the name Teralfene Football Club (FC) - often abbreviated colloquially as TFC. Teralfene FC, which settles on a pitch situated at Krommaartweg, joins the Vlaamsche Voetbalbond (VVB), a league association of Flemish clubs founded in 1930 as a protest against the language policies of the official Belgian FA (URBSFA / KBVB), which does all its correspondence in French exclusively.
1943 / Abandoning Terrein Krommaartweg, Teralfene FC settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Mollenhoekstraat.
1944 / As the VVB is wound up upon the liberation of Belgium due to the association having been heavily involved in collaboration with the German oppressors of Belgium, Teralfene FC folds after an existence of three years.
± 1951 / An attempt is made to refound Teralfene FC. In the early 1950s, friendly matches are played against makeshift teams from surrounding villages on two different pitches, Terrein Balleistraat and Terrein Bremptstraat.
1955 / After some years of only playing friendly matches, a new football club eventually sees the daylight in Teralfene. This club, which takes on the name Voetbalclub (VC) Sporting Teralfene, was formed by inhabitants of the southern part of the village, known colloquially as Den Dries, who used to live in deep rivalry with their northern counterparts at Den Daal following an inheritance issue in the mid-19th (!) century. VC Sporting, which settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Krekelweg, does not join the official Belgian FA, instead applying for membership of the so-called Katholiek Sportverbond Brabant. The new club's first chairman is Teralfene's mayor Edmond Geeraerts.
1956 / One year after the foundation of a football club in Den Dries, the inhabitants of Den Daal form a club of their own, which takes on the name Voetbalclub (VC) De Leeuwkens Teralfene - a name chosen in honour of one of the local brass bands, De Brabantse Leeuw. One of the founders, Frans Van Schuerbeek, is named the club's chairman, with Benoît 'Noeike' Collyns becoming the team's first coach. The club has a pitch situated at Kortenbos, referred to as Terrein Schettenberg. The ground can only be used during weekends, as it is in use as a cow pasture during weekdays. Like its village rivals Sporting, VC De Leeuwkens joins the Katholiek Sportverbond Brabant. The two derby games against Sporting draw some 2,000 spectators.
1957 / After one year of playing in the Katholiek Sportverbond Brabant, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene joins the official Belgian Football Association, receiving registration number 6031 upon being accepted as new member club; and being placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 3H in its first season. Also in 1957, the club abandons Terrein Schettenberg, settling at Terrein Denderweg, where it has been home ever since.
1959 / Village rivals VC Sporting Teralfene are admitted as new Belgian FA members, receiving registration number 6223 upon being accepted as member club; to be admitted, Sporting had to go through the motions of asking permission to VC Leeuwkens due to the fact that Teralfene only had about 3,400 inhabitants at the time - and a second club was usually only admitted as FA member in case of a number of inhabitants exceeding 5,000. The club is placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, where it meets VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene. This club’s ground is situated at Kleine Heideweg, although it later moves slightly further down the road, to Okaaistraat.
1965 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, 1 point ahead of runners-up SC Wolvertem, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene wins promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time. The successful player-coach is Roger Van Leuven.
1967 / Champions in Provincial League 2C, 6 points ahead of runners-up FC Eendracht Kapelle-op-den-Bos, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene accedes to Brabant’s Provincial League 1 for the first time. The successful player-coach is Roland Martens.
1968 / Going from strength to strength, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene finishes as runners-up in its first season in Brabant’s Provincial League 1, winning direct promotion to National Division 4 along with champions Eendracht Hoeilaart, which finished 4 points ahead of Leeuwkens. The decisive point is obtained in a 1-1 home draw in the last match of the season against the club finishing in third place, Ourodenberg Sport, with an attendance of nearly 2,000 at Denderweg. Leeuwkens' goal is scored ten minutes before the end of the match by player-coach Roland Martens.
1969 / In the best season in club history, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene finishes in thirteenth place in National Division 4A, thereby narrowly holding its own in the fourth and lowest division of the Belgian national league pyramid – finishing just 1 point ahead of the best of the three clubs to drop out of the league, KSV Blankenberge. The decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 home win over FC SV Wevelgem in the second-last match of the season.
1970 / Finishing bottom of the table in National Division 4B with coach Roger Van Leuven, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene drops back into Provincial League 1 along with KFC Verbroedering Geel and FC Itegem.
1972 / Finishing bottom of the table in Brabant’s Provincial League 1 with coach Etienne Coppens, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene drops back into Provincial League 2 along with KFC Avenir Lembeek, KFC Strombeek, and R Union Halloise.
1978 / Coached by former K Waterschei SV Thor and RSC Anderlechtois player René Van der Eeckt, VC Leeuwkens Teralfene finishes in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 2C, thus dropping back into Provincial League 3, thirteen years after last having played at that level, along with Black Star FC and bottom club FC Malderen.
1982 / Champions in Brabant’s P3F, 1 point ahead of runners-up SV Asse, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Romain Van Stichel.
1983 / Champions in Brabant’s P2C, 1 point ahead of runners-up SK Sint-Paulus Opwijk, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene manages a return to Provincial League 1. This second promotion in a row is achieved under the aegis of the same coach as the previous season, Romain Van Stichel.
1986 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Brabant’s Provincial League 1 with coach Jacques Van den Berghe, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene drops back into Provincial League 2 after three years, along with R Ixelles SC and bottom club Voorwaarts Hakendover.
1987 / After alternating spells in Provincial Leagues 3 and 2, Leeuwkens’ village rivals Sporting Teralfene change their name to become Sporting Affligem, settling as groundsharers with FC Eendracht Hekelgem at Terrein Haezenweg.
1988 / Coached by Marcel Van der Elst, who had replaced Edmond Meertens in the cousre of the season, VC Leeuwkens Teralfene finishes bottom of the table in Brabant's Provincial League 2C, thus descending into Provincial League 3 along with VK Weerde.
1992 / Having played five more seasons in Brabant’s Provincial League 4, Sporting Affligem withdraws from the Belgian Football Association, continuing as a recreational club in the Roman-Catholic KAVVV (OV & VB) league, initially playing at Gemeentelijk Centrum Bellekouter, later moving to a groundshare with EMI Essene at Terrein Kerkplein.
2002 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, 2 points ahead of closest rivals FC Denderzonen Pamel, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene wins promotion to Provincial League 2 after an absence of fourteen seasons. This promotion is achieved in a most unusual way, with the club losing its last match of the season, at home against VC Asse-Terheide, with the title only being achieved due to Pamel also suffering defeat in an away match at Daring Sint-Martens-Bodegem. The successful coaches are Lieven Heymans and Frank Asselman.
2004 / Finishing second from bottom in Brabant’s P2C, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene descends back into Provincial League 3 along with KV Zuun and bottom club KVC Delta Londerzeel - this in spite of the fact that the club had begun the season with a coach of considerable reputation, Theodoros Zakkas, former player of RSC Anderlechtois (youth academy), KSC Eendracht Aalst, Panionios GSS, PS Calamata, AO Chalkis, RAA Louviéroise, KSV Sottegem, and KVC Willebroek-Meerhof (as well as winning three caps for Greece's national team in 1989-90). Zakkas was replaced by Frank Bockstal in the course of the season.
2006 / Runners-up in Brabant’s P3F, 7 points behind champions KFC Eppegem, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene and its coach Milco De Rijck win promotion to Provincial League 2 following a successful round of play-offs.
2008 / With the old clubhouse at Terrein Denderweg being knocked down, a replacement is erected within a couple of months - with the new construction being given the appropriate name Liontine, a pun on the club's name (leeuw = lion) and the Dutch word for clubhouse / canteen (kantine).
2009 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Brabant’s P2C with coach Luc Keppens, who had replaced Gilbert Christiaens in the course of the season, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene drops back into Provincial League 3, along with RAS Saintoise and bottom club FC Eendracht Affligem. The decisive defeat was incurred in the second-last match of the season, away at RAS Saintoise (2-1).
2010 / The only pitch at Terrein Denderweg is equipped with a synthetic surface. The decision is taken following an unsuccessful attempt by the club to purchase a plot of land close by, in between Denderweg and Molleweg, for the laying out of a B pitch. While the reconstruction works at Denderweg are carried out in the summer and fall of 2010, first team football is moved to FC Doggen's Terrein Resschebeke, just across the provincial border in East Flanders, as well as to FC Eendracht's Affligem's B pitch, Terrein Haezenweg. The club's youth academy is received at these two pitches as well, while also moving part of their activities to EMI Essene's Sportcentrum De Montil.
2011 / Runners-up in Brabant’s P3C, finishing 1 point behind champions FC Denderzonen Pamel, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene qualifies for the play-offs, in which the club finishes in second place in a group of six, thus winning promotion to Provincial League 2 along with FC Saint-Michel and KVC Delta Londerzeel, at the expense of KFC Herent, RAS Jodoigne, and SK Kampelaar. The successful coach is Gerrit Borreman.
2018 / Runners-up in Brabant’s VFV P2B, 11 points behind champions KFC Rhodienne-De Hoek, VC De Leeuwkens misses out on promotion; no promotion play-offs are held, with only the best of the numbers two in Brabant’s VFV Provincial League 2 series, OHR Huldenberg in P2A (which picked up 11 points more than Leeuwkens) joining the two champions in Provincial League 1.
2023 / Youri Lapage, former player of RSC Anderlecht’s youth academy, SC Eendracht Aalst, FCV Dender EH, KRC Gent, KHO Wolvertem-Merchtem, VC De Leeuwkens Teralfene, and SK Denderhoutem – and incidentally also the grandson of former RSC Anderlechtois star and Belgian national player and coach Paul Van Himst – is named trainer-coach of VC De Leeuwkens in December 2023.
2024 / Finishing in fifth place in Brabant VFV’s P2A, VC De Leeuwkens qualifies for the play-offs. Managing successive victories over KFC Rhodienne-De Hoek (0-3), SK Nossegem (1-3), and KVC Houtem-Oplinter (2-1), the club wins a surprise promotion to Provincial League 1 – returning to that level after an absence of 38 years.

Note - Much of the information above was retrieved from a book published on the occasion of the club's 60th anniversary in 2016: "Het Grote Leeuwkens-Boek 1956-2016", by Joris Callebaut & Ernest Van den Broeck. Heartfelt thanks to Leeuwkens' board member Hans Cooman for putting at my disposal a copy of this publication.