Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen
July 2025 / no match visited
Timeline
- 1966 / Foundation of a football club in Blaton, a village in Hainaut to the west of Mons, not far from the French border. The new club, which takes on the name Olympic Club (OC) Blaton, acquires registration number 6940 upon being admitted as a member of the Belgian Football Association. The club starts its competitive life in Provincial League 3, the bottom division of Hainaut’s league ladder at that time. Most probably, OC Blaton played its football on the pitch situated at Rue des Sapins from the outset.
- 1970 / Finishing in the bottom half of Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, OC Blaton is placed in the newly created Provincial League 4 for the new season, along with FC Quaregnon, US Frontière, FC Wihéries, SC Roisin, SC Angre, AS Baisieux, AS Boussu, and bottom club CDF Española.
- 1974 / OC Blaton finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, 1 point behind champions FC Vacresse.
- 1980 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, 10 points behind runaway champions SC Vezon, OC Blaton wins promotion to Provincial League 3 – possibly as winners of a round of promotion play-offs.
- 1982 / In the best season in club history, OC Blaton finishes in ninth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B.
- 1983 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, OC Blaton drops back into Provincial League 4 after three seasons, along with the club in second-last place, FC Ollignies.
- 1992 / In its last season as an independent club, OC Blaton finishes rock bottom in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4D, with only 3 points picked up all season (1 win, 1 draw, 24 defeats). Following the 1991-92 season, the club concludes a merger with FC Les Diables Noirs (DN) d’Harchies, a club from a neighbouring village playing in Provincial League 1 at that time. The result of the merger is the creation of Olympic Club (OC) Diables Noirs (DN) Harchies, which retains Harchies’ registration number 6430. OC Blaton’s number 6940 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. First team football is played at Terrain du Foyer in Harchies, while Blaton’s Terrain de la Rue des Sapins is retained for lower team football and training sessions.
- 1993 / Only one year after the merger between OC Blaton and FC DN Harchies, a new merger is concluded, this time between Olympic Club Diables Noirs Harchies and Provincial League 2 club Daring Club (DC) Bernissartois from the nearby village of Bernissart. DC Bernissartois, founded in 1943 (registration number 4247) had never reached a higher level than Hainaut’s Provincial League 2. The result of the merger is the foundation of Olympic Club (OC) Diables Noirs (DN) de Bernissart, which retains DC Bernissartois’ registration number 4247. First team football is played at Terrain du Foyer in Harchies, while Terrain de la Rue des Sapins in Blaton and Terrain du Préau in Bernissart remain in use for lower team football and training sessions.
- 1997 / Acquiring the royal epithet, the club officially changes its name to become Royal Olympic Club (ROC) Diables Noirs (DN) de Bernissart.
- 2006 / Probably pressed down by debt, ROC Diables Noirs Bernissart folds, ceasing all activities. Registration number 4247 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. Straightaway, a phoenix club sees the daylight, FC Harchies-Bernissart, which acquires membership of the Belgian FA with registration number 9490. The new club plays its first team football at Harchies’ Terrain du Foyer, with Terrain de la Rue des Sapins in Blaton and Terrain du Préau remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions.
- 2022 / FC Harchies-Bernissart is constrained to abandon its youth academy ground at Rue des Sapins in Blaton, leaving it with just Terrain du Foyer in Harchies (for first team football) and the Centre Omnisports du Préau in Bernissart (mainly used for training sessions). The clubhouse in Blaton is rapidly vandalised, while wild boars take over the pitch.
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