Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: EC Oudenhove

Terrein Pijperzele, Sint-Maria-Oudenhove (EC Oudenhove)

Belgium, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

5 IV 2025 / EC Oudenhove - VV Sint-Maria-Horebeke 2-1 / East Flanders, Provincial League 3C (= BE level 8)

Timeline

± 1941 / A group of youngsters from Sint-Maria-Oudenhove, a village in the Flemish Ardennes, situated halfway between Sotteghem and Bracle, gets together to play with football, with informal matches being organised against teams from surrounding villages. A makeshift pitch is laid out on a plot of farmland at the back of the local church, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Hemelvaartkerk.
1942 / Following about a year of recreational football, the decision is taken to form a regular football club in Sint-Maria-Oudenhove. The name chosen for the club is Eendracht Club (EC) Oudenhove, which acquires membership of Belgium’s Football Association with registration number 3651. Home matches are played on the pitch laid out near the village church.
1944 / After two seasons, EC Oudenhove withdraws from East Flanders’ Regional League 2 (2e Gewestelijke).
1946 / Following two years of inactivity, EC Oudenhove officially folds, with registration number 3651 being erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists.
1954 / After eight years of inactivity, EC Oudenhove is re-established, acquiring membership of Belgium’s FA with registration number 5770. The first chairman of the phoenix club is Roger Haezebout. A new pitch is laid out for the club at Pijperzele, a street on a hillside, the so-called Potaardeberg, to the east of the village centre, with the inaugural ceremony being performed by the local priest, Fr Van Petegem, in September 1954. In the following months, dressing rooms and a first clubhouse are added to the set-up.
1955 / For the 1955-56 season, marking the return of competitive football to Sint-Maria-Oudenhove after an absence of eleven years, EC Oudenhove (often abbreviated colloquially as ‘ECO’) is placed in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3.
1963 / Champions in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3D, EC Oudenhove wins promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time. The title was obtained with an impressive goal difference (155-15), with only the away match at HO Atembeke ending in defeat. The successful player-coach is Jacques De Brouwer.
1964 / In the best season in club history, EC Oudenhove finishes as runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C behind champions SC Volharden Aalst.
1968 / Coached by Jacques De Brouwer, EC Oudenhove finishes in second-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C, thus dropping back into Provincial League 3 after five years, along with bottom club Sparta Geraardsbergen. In the following decades, ‘ECO’ is a regular feature in Provincial League 3.
1990 / After 22 consecutive seasons in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3, EC Oudenhove now finishes in second-last place in P3C, thus suffering relegation into Provincial League 4 for the first time.
1993 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4D, EC Oudenhove manages a return to P3 after an absence of three seasons.
1994 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Although suffering defeat at the hands of SK Semmerzake in R1 (2-0), the club is drawn into a lucky loser final against FC Kaprijke, played at KFC Heusden Sport’s ground, Terrein Steenakkerstraat, going on to record an emphatic 6-1 win. As such, EC Oudehove manages its second promotion in a row, acceding to Provincial League 2 after an absence of 26 years at that level.
1995 / Finishing in second-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2B, EC Oudenhove drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one year.
1997 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, EC Oudenhove is retrograded into Provincial League 4.
1998 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4C, EC Oudenhove manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
2003 / Champions in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C – marking the club’s first title at senior level in forty years – EC Oudenhove wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Danny Herregodts.
2006 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2B, EC Oudenhove descends into Provincial League 3 along with the club finishing in second-last place VC Ede-Haaltert.
2010 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, 12 points behind runaway champions SC Dikkelvenne, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past Rangers Opdorp in R1 (1-2), before being knocked out in R2 by KVV Klauwaarts Bassevelde (0-3).
2012 / Champions in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3D, 2 points ahead of closest followers – and derby rivals – KFC Bonanza Sint-Martens-Lierde, EC Oudenhove wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
2013 / Finishing in third-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2B, EC Oudenhove drops back into Provincial League 3 along with KSK Zingem, FC Kerksken, and bottom club VC Nazareth-Eke.
2014 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1 and annihilates KVV Cercle Melle in R2 (5-1) – going on to achieve promotion to Provincial League 2 by winning the final against KV Sint-Gillis (0-1).
2015 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2B, EC Oudenhove descends into Provincial League 3 along with the club in second-last place, KFC Bonanza Sint-Martens-Lierde.
2016 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, 9 points behind champions KFC Nederename, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, going on to edge past KM Eendracht Machelen in R2 (2-1), only to be knocked out in the final by Zeveren Sportief (5-1).
2017 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club defeats KVV Laarne-Kalken in R2 (bye in R1), only to be eliminated in R3 (semis) by FC Poesele (5-0).
2018 / Finishing in fifth place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3C, EC Oudenhove qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by Sparta Moerbeke-Geraardsbergen (4-1).

Note – Part of the information above has been derived from a booklet published on the occasion of EC Oudenhove’s fiftieth anniversary in 2004: “Eendracht Club Oudenhove 50 jaar”, by Marc Van de Walle (ed. Magerman: Meire 2004).