Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KFC Berg Op (1938-2010) / VK Berg Op (2010-)

Parkstadion, Berg (Kampenhout) (VK Berg Op, formerly KFC Berg Op)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

9 III 2025 / VK Berg Op - FFF Haren 0-2 / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 3B (= BE level 8)

Timeline

1935 / A group of friends in Berg, a hamlet closely to the west of Kampenhout in the Flemish part of the Province of Brabant, has occasional kickabouts on a pasture situated at Bulsomstraat.
1936 / The informal football sessions lead the group to the idea of forming a football club. With Mon De Wandeleer, Jules Vanden Dries, Staf De Coninck, Eduard Peeters, Wannes De Becker, and Gust Roekens being mentioned as the founding fathers, FC Berg Op is founded. The club receives registration number 2419 upon being accepted as a member of the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). According to the most credible sources, the name of the club, ‘Berg Op’, had been inspired by the favourite beer of the players, Jack-Op. A pitch is laid out for the club at Kerkwegel. FC Berg Op starts its life as a competitive club in the Brabant’s competition of aspirant clubs.
1937 / Although managing a respectable second place in the aspirant competition, FC Berg Op sees its membership withdrawn by Belgian FA authorities due to the ground at Kerkwegel falling short of several requirements for provincial football; there are no dressing rooms, there is no barrier between players and supporters – and, most probably, the pitch was smaller than the minimum area of 100 by 55 metres as well. As an intermediate solution, the club seeks affiliation with another football association, the VVB (Vlaamsche Voetbalbond), while looking out for a suitable location for a new pitch.
1938 / A suitable location is found to lay out a proper pitch for FC Berg Op on the farmland of the Quisthoudt family at Groenstraat, a narrow side street of Leuvenstraat (modern-day Grootveldstraat), where the supporters’ bar was situated – a pub later renamed Café Voetballokaal. An inspection by a Belgian FA controller leads to a favourable judgment, “Ce cercle a fait selon moi un effort remarquable. Les installations mises en un mois sont réellement satisfaisantes.” This leads to the club being readmitted to the Belgian FA, but with a new registration number, 2704.
1939 / For its first competitive season, FC Berg Op is placed in a competition of aspirant clubs.
1941 / FC Berg Op is placed in the lowest division of the regular Brabant provincial league system, Provincial League 3.
1950 / FC Berg Op finishes as runners-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E.
1963 / FC Berg Op finishes as runners-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E for a second time.
1965 / A clubhouse with dressing rooms is erected at Terrein Groenstraat. Prior to the inauguration of the new facilities, players changed clothes in a nearby dance hall, Dancing Fauna & Flora, situated in the woods at the back of the ground.
1970 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E, FC Berg Op descends into the bottom division of Brabant’s provincial league system, Provincial League 4 – a level created in the course of the 1960s.
1972 / Clinching its first-ever title, FC Berg Op finishes top of the table in Provincial League 4E. The decisive points are clinched in a 5-0 home win over Wolfsdonk Sport – with the goals being scored by Guido Ribus (2), Ronny Leuraert, Louis Rillaerts, and Marc Van Doninck. The club finishes the season with an impressive goal difference of +91 (110-19). As such, FC Berg Op manages a return to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is Raymond Van den Dries.
1974 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E, FC Berg Op drops back into Provincial League 4.
1975 / FC Berg Op wins the title in Provincial League 4E, thus returning to Provincial League 3 at the first instance. The decisive points are clinched in a 3-5 away win at FC Leuven. As in 1972, the club top scorer is Guido Ribus (17 goals). The successful coach is one of the players of the 1972 squad, Marc Van Doninck.
1978 / Finishing bottom of the table in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E, FC Berg Op drops back into Provincial League 4 after three seasons.
1983 / FC Berg Op manages a third place in Brabant’s Provincial League 4E. In the remaining 27 years of its existence, the club never comes closer to a return to Provincial League 3.
1987 / As FC Berg Op celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, the club acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Berg Op. By that time, the entrance to the ground has been moved from Groenstraat to Visserijstraat; and the official name of the ground has become Parkstadion.
2010 / In its last season, KFC Berg Op finishes in third-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 4G. In an astonishing move, the Belgian Football Association withdraws the club’s membership due to a debt of 25 (!) euros – in fact, a bill sent to the club by FA authorities which had never arrived at its destiny. Forthwith, a phoenix club sees the daylight, Voetbalklub (VK) Berg Op. The new club, which acquires registration number 9559, is placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 4.
2012 / Runners-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4G, 12 points behind runaway champions KCVV Elewijt, VK Berg Op qualifies for the play-offs. Finishing in last place in the group stage following a home draw against Crossing Vissenaken (1-1) and a 4-1 away defeat at R Ottignies-Stimont, the club is drawn into a lucky loser round. Astonishingly, in spite of suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of KVC Terheide and choosing not to dispute the encounter with SK Oetingen VC, VK Berg Op still wins promotion to Provincial League 3 due to extra promotion places being available.
2013 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, VK Berg Op drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with bottom club Eendracht Eizer.
2016 / Runners-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, 3 points behind ERC Hoeilaart B, VK Berg Op wins automatic promotion to Provincial League 3 due to extra promotion places being available.
2019 / In the best season since the refoundation of the club in 2010, VK Berg Op finishes in sixth place in Flemish Brabant’s Provincial League 3B.
2025 (projected) / Having long suffered from its sole pitch being waterlogged after only a few drops of rain, VK Berg Op receives a grant from municipal authorities, enabling the club to recreate its pitch as a 3G following the 2024-25 season. However, local authorities impose on the club an obligation to share the pitch with Sporting Kampenhout; as Sporting’s home ground, Gemeentelijk Stadion De Zeype, provides insufficient room for its ever-growing membership, this club will use the Parkstadion for lower team football and training sessions.

Note – My thanks go out to two Berg Op clubmen. First of all, Gilbert Gellaerts, a squad member of the 1972 and 1975 FC Berg Op sides which won promotion to P3, put at my disposal an undergraduate study by Mies Laeremans from 1988 with a short historical overview of club history, as well as a collection of newspaper articles from the 1970s. Moreover, I am very grateful to Roger Verbiest, former board member of KFC Berg Op, for putting at my disposal a collection of paperwork, including a short history of the club, put together in 1989; as well as answering some of my questions about subsequent events.