Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: SC Hollain (1972-1991) / FC Brunehaut (1991-)

Stade des Six Chemins, Hollain (FC Brunehaut, formerly SC Hollain)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

7 VIII 2025 / FC Brunehaut - RSC Bruyelle 3-3 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1931 / A first football club sees the daylight in Hollain, a village in the Province of Hainaut, situated halfway between Tournay (Tournai, Doornik) and the border with France. The new club, which is given the name FC Hollain, acquires membership of the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under registration number 1673, being placed in Hainaut's Provincial League 3 for the 1931-32 season.
1933 / Runners-up in Hainaut's Provincial League 3A, 2 points behind champions US Stambrugeoise, FC Hollain wins promotion to Provincial League 2 along with the aforementioned club as well as RC Guignies and SC Stambruges, due to extra promotion places being available.
1934 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut's Provincial League 2A, FC Hollain descends into Provincial League 3 along with the club in second-last place, US Leuze.
1935 / FC Hollain finishes as runners-up in Hainaut's Provincial League 3A, 1 point behind champions AS Taintignies.
1937 / Champions in Hainaut's Provincial League 3A, 2 points ahead of runners-up FC Flobecquois, FC Hollain wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
1939 / Having finishes in a safe tenth place in Hainaut's Provincial League 2A in its last season, FC Hollain folds, probably due to a considerable part of its membership being called up for army service following the mobilisation of Belgium's armed forces in the summer of 1939.
1969 / Foundation of a new recreational football club in Hollain, which is given the name Standard Club (SC) Hollain. The club, chaired by its founder Guy Parrain, settles on a pitch situated at Rue des Marais for its first season in the Amitié de Tournai, the local recreational league.
1970 / Moving away from the pitch at Rue des Marais, SC Hollain settles on a newly laid-out pitch on the southwestern outskirts of the village, not far from Rue des Six Chemins.
1971 / A new pitch is laid out for SC Hollain in the vicinity of Rue des Six Chemins.
1972 / SC Hollain settles on the location still held by the club today, the Stade des Six Chemins, situated at the eastern side of the eponymous road.
1973 / After four years in the Amitié de Tournai, SC Hollain makes the leap to the official Belgian FA, acquiring membership under registration number 7948 and being placed in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4 for the 1973-74 season.
1975 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 2 points behind champions SC Bruyelle, SC Hollain accedes to Provincial League 3 along with the clubs in third and fourth places, SC Mont-Saint-Aubert and FC Herinnes, due to extra promotion places being on offer, as an extra, fourth, Provincial League 3 series is created for the new season.
1978 / SC Hollain finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 5 points behind champions AS Obigies.
1979 / SC Hollain finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 4 points behind champions AS Saint-Léger.
1982 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, SC Hollain drops back into Provincial League 4 after seven seasons, along with the club in second-last place, SC Ramevinnes.
1983 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 5 points ahead of closest followers FC Rumes, SC Hollain manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
1984 / SC Hollain finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 1 point behind champions OC Warcoing.
1988 / SC Hollain finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 7 point behind champions AARC Mouscron.
1989 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 1 point ahead of derby rivals Velvain Sport, SC Hollain wins promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time in club history.
1991 / Standard Club Hollain changes its name to become FC Brunehaut, thereby taking on the name of the municipality created in 1977, comprising nine villages, including Bléharies, Guignies, Wez-Velvain, and Rongy.
1992 / Awkwardly as well as confusingly, as FC Brunehaut’s derby rivals Velvain Sport and JS Guignies conclude a merger, the new merger club in Wez-Velvain takes on the name Sporting Club (SC) Brunehaut.
1993 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, FC Brunehaut drops back into Provincial League 3 along with bottom club RA Leuze-Lignette.
± 1995 / The clubhouse and dressing rooms at the northern end of the main pitch at Stade des Six Chemins are replaced by a new construction at the western-side touchline. Whereas the old canteen is knocked down, the dressing rooms have remained in place until the present day, although by now completely dilapidate.
1996 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 5 points behind champions AC Anvaing, FC Brunehaut manages to find its way back to Provincial League 2 by winning the promotion play-offs.
2002 / Having found itself in the bottom half of Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A for the past six seasons, FC Brunehaut now eventually finishes in second-last place in that division, thus dropping back into Provincial League 3 along with bottom club RA Leuze-Lignette.
2004 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, FC Brunehaut descends into Provincial League 4 along with bottom club ES des Carrières, marking a return to the lowest division of Hainaut’s league pyramid after 21 years.
2005 / FC Brunehaut finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 8 points behind champions OC Warcoing.
2007 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 3 points ahead of closest rivals AC Estaimbourg B, FC Brunehaut manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of two years.
2009 / FC Brunehaut finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 6 points behind champions JS Meslin-Grand Marais.
2010 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 6 points ahead of closest followers Bury Foot-Club, FC Brunehaut wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
2012 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 1 point behind champions RAS Lessines-Ollignies, FC Brunehaut qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by AC Anvaing (0-2).
2013 / The confusion between the names of FC Brunehaut from Hollain and SC Brunehaut from Wez-Velvain ends, as the latter chooses to take on the new denomination JS Wez-Guignies.
2016 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A – usually a position resulting in direct relegation – FC Brunehaut avoids the direct drop back into P3 along with bottom side RCS Escanaffles due to the team in eighth position in its division, OC Warcoing, suffering relegation as a punishment for misconduct. As such, FC Brunehaut is now placed in a relegation play-offs with the teams placing fourteenth in the two other P3 series, RUS Grand-Reng and FC Havré. However, due to finishing in last place in this play-off following a draw against the latter and defeat against the former, FC Brunehaut eventually suffers relegation to Provincial League 3 via the backdoor.
2017 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, FC Brunehaut qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of FC Enghiennois in R1 (5-1), going on to edge past UE Chapelloise in R2 (2-2 & penalty shoot-out). As such, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2.
2018 / Having staved off relegation in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A with a thirteenth place, FC Brunehaut temporarily withdraws from first team football.
2019 / FC Brunehaut returns to first team football, being placed in Provincial League 4C for the 2019-20 season.
2023 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B, FC Brunehaut qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by AS Obigies B (2-1).
2024 / Finishing in third place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, FC Brunehaut qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club manages away wins over RES Roux B (2-3) and RUS Hensies B (1-3) in the first two rounds, only to suffer defeat in the final at the hands of FC Saint-Jean Tournai (3-2). However, due to extra promotion places being at stake, the club is drawn into a lucky loser round, in which it manages a 1-0 win over AC Anvaing B in R1. In the end, the ensuing 2-5 rout at the hands of RFC Herinnes in R2 proved immaterial, as enough extra places in Provincial League 3 turned out to be available to allow both clubs a place in this division for the new season.

Note – Thanks to Guy Parrain, founder and longtime board member of SC Hollain and its successor FC Brunehaut, for providing essential parts of information for the article above.