BELGIUM: FC Ollignies (1971-1992) / RFC Lessines-Ollignies (B) (1992-1996) / JS Meslin (1996-1998) / JS Meslin Grand-Marais (1996-2008) / JS Meslin Grand-Marais (B) (2008-)

Terrain de la Rue de la Florbecq, Ollignies = Woelingen (B ground of JS Meslin Grand-Marais, formerly FC Ollignies / B ground of RFC Lessines-Ollignies / A ground of JS Meslin Grand-Marais)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

21 IX 2025 / JS Meslin Grand-Marais - RAC Estaimbourg 1-4 / Hainaut, Provincial League 2A (= BE level 7)

Timeline

• ± 1970 / Foundation of a football club in the village of Meslin-l'Évêque, in the vicinity of Ath in the north of the Province of Hainaut. The recreational club settles on a pitch laid out at Rue de la Procession in Meslin proper.
• 1971 / Foundation of a football club in Ollignies (Woelingen), a village not far from Lessines (Lessen) in the north of the Province of Hainaut, near the language border. The new club takes on the name FC Ollignies, acquiring membership of the Belgian Football Association with registration number 7666. It is unclear if FC Ollignies already existed previous to 1971 as a recreational team. Most probably, the club played its home matches at Rue de la Florbecq from the outset. 
• 1972 / One year after becoming a member club of the Belgian FA, FC Ollignies starts its existence as a competitive club in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4. That same year, JS Meslin joins the so-called Championnat de Relais, a recreational league of local clubs.
• 1975 / In its first season, FC Ollignies manages a respectable second place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B, 3 points behind champions FC Frasnois. Due to extra promotion places being available, the club accedes to Provincial League 3 straightaway.
• 1976 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, FC Ollignies drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with the club in second-last place, US Thumaide.
• ± 1977 / Abandoning the Championnat de Relais, JS Meslin joins the Entente Terrienne, another local recreational football association.
• 1981 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, with an equal number of points as FC Rapid Symphorinois, but with one more win (20 vs. 19) and a better goal difference, FC Ollignies manages a return to Provincial League 3 after five seasons.
• 1982 / In the best season in club history, FC Ollignies finishes in eleventh place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B.
• 1983 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, FC Ollignies descends into Provincial League 4 along with bottom club OC Blaton.
• 1985 / FC Ollignies finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, 6 points behind champions JS Athoise.
• ± 1986 / Moving away from its ground at Rue de la Procession, JS Meslin settles on the B ground of RUS Lessinoise at (?) Rue de la Sille (?).
• 1992 / In its last season as an independent club, FC Ollignies finishes in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C. Following the 1991-92 season, the club concludes a merger with RFC Lessinois, resulting in the foundation of RFC Lessines-Ollignies, which retains RFC Lessinois’ registration number 2901. FC Ollignies’ number 7666 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. First team football moves to RFC Lessinois’ Stade François Berlenger in Lessines, while the pitch at Rue de Florbecq in Ollignies remains in use for lower team football and training sessions.
• 1996 / A merger takes place between RFC Lessines-Ollignies and RUS Lessinoise, resulting in the foundation of Royale Association Sportive (RAS) Lessines-Ollignies (or ‘RASLO’), which retaines RFC Lessines-Ollignies’ registration number 2901; RUS Lessinoise’s number 102 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. With first team football moving to Stade du Caillou Hubin and later to Stade Philippe Notté, Stade François Berlenger remains in use as the new club’s youth academy. The ground at Rue de Florbecq in Ollignies is abandoned - but, probably already in the summer of 1996, taken over by JS Meslin.
• 1998 / Abandoning the Entente Terrienne, JS Meslin acquires membership of Belgium’s FA with registration number 9323, changing its name to become JS Meslin Grand-Marais.
• 2004 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 2 points ahead of FC Ellezellois, JS Meslin Grand-Marais wins promotion to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
• 2006 / JS Meslin Grand-Marais finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3B, 8 points behind champions JS Isiéroise.
• 2007 / JS Meslin Grand-Marais finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 17 points behind runaway champions RRC Estaimpuis.
• 2008 / Following a request by JS Meslin Grand-Marais to Ath’s municipal authorities, the club is allowed to move into the former ground of JS Maffle and RJS Ath-Maffle at Chaussée de Mons in Maffle. After RJS Ath-Maffle had merged with FC Ath Sport to form R Géants Athois in 2003, the pitch in Maffle had fallen into disuse. With JS Meslin Grand-Marais moving its first team football to Maffle, the club has retained the pitch in Ollignies for lower team football and training purposes - and the occasional first team match! - until the present day.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-8 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 9-32 = match visit, September 2025.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author