Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KFC Tongerlo

Staf Kempen-Sportcomplex, Tongerlo (KFC Tongerlo)

Belgium, province: Antwerp = Antwerpen

9 VIII 2025 / KFC Tongerlo - KFC Berlaar-Heikant B 5-2 / Antwerp, Provincial Cup for P3-P4 teams - group stage, group 6

Timeline

± 1920 / First proof of football being played in Tongerlo, a village in the southeast of the Province of Antwerp. Sources mention the existence of various recreational teams, such as Verbroedering (in the village proper), Lovania (in the hamlet of Langstraat), and Victoria (in the hamlet of Geneinde). Only the location of Lovania’s pitch can be traced, situated as it was between Langstraat and Zandvoort. Probably, none of these teams ever joined a league association, instead playing matches against each other and recreational teams from surrounding villages.
± 1930 / All activities of the recreational clubs which sprang up in Tongerlo after World War I seem to have stopped. Around the turn of the new decade, a united football club is set up, FC Tongerlo, which joins the so-called Kempische Voetbalbond (KVB), a small league association of teams from the rural eastern part of the Province of Antwerp. FC Tongerlo settles on Terrein Hondseinde, a plot of farmland owned by Charel Neels.
1933 / As the KVB concludes an agreement with the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB), all of its clubs are admitted as new members of the latter on October 1st, 1933, with FC Tongerlo acquiring registration number 2040. However, given that this was too late to take part in the 1933-34 season, the KVB clubs, which also included the likes of Standaard FC Vorst and FC Zoerle Sport, did not join the regular Antwerp Regional Leagues until 1934 or even 1935. Also in or around 1933, FC Tongerlo moves away from Terrein Hondseinde, settling on a newly laid out pitch, Terrein ‘t Heike, situated at the back of the local Premonstratensian abbey.
1935 / FC Tongerlo makes its debut in the regular URBSFA league system, being placed in Antwerp’s Regional League 3 (3e Gewestelijke) for the 1935-36 season.
1939 / As the Belgian army mobilises its troops in the summer of 1939 in the face of the looming threat of a German invasion – which would come to pass in the spring of the following year – many football clubs find themselves unable to fill their first teams, given that so many players have been called up to serve. In the case of FC Tongerlo, the club even withdraws its first team from Antwerp’s regional divisions for the 1939-40 season.
1940 / After one year of inactivity, FC Tongerlo resumes its activities in the 1940-41 season, which has a provisional character in the face of the German occupation of Belgium. No regular league football with promotions and relegations is organised. FC Tongerlo is placed in Regional League B, placing first, 6 points ahead of Noordstar VV. From 1941 onwards, the club takes its place in Regional League 2.
1942 / Finishing in joint first place in Antwerp’s Regional League 2C, with an equal number of points as FC Heultje, FC Tongerlo is deprived of promotion due to no promotions and relegations being effectuated in view of a reorganisation of the league pyramid, which sees the reintroduction of a Regional League 3.
1948 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Regional League 2C, FC Tongerlo descends into Regional League 3 (renamed Provincial League 3 in 1952) along with the club in second-last place, AC Olen.
1955 / Clinching the title in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3F, 9 points ahead of runners-up Achter Olen VV and FC Bos Heist-op-den-Berg, FC Tongerlo wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
1956 / Moving away from Terrein ‘t Heike after 23 years, FC Tongerlo moves to a newly laid-out pitch at Wimpstraat. The owner of the plot of land, J. Vanheerswingels, goes on to become the club’s honorary president later on.
1957 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, FC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 3 along with the club in second-last place, Merksplas SK.
1963 / Finishing in joint first place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B with FC Linda Olen, FC Tongerlo goes on to meet the club from Olen-Centrum in a tie-break match, played at Blauwvoet Oevel’s ground. As Linda Olen walks away with a clear-cut 4-1 win, FC Tongerlo misses out on the title as well as on a return to Provincial League 2.
1965 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, 3 points ahead of closest rivals FC Immer Voort, FC Tongerlo manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of eight years.
1971 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2C, FC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 3 along with bottom club FC Elsum Geel.
1972 / Although managing a respectable eighth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3G, FC Tongerlo is placed in the newly created Provincial League 4 for the 1972-73 season, along with all other clubs in the bottom half of the Provincial League 3 tables in Antwerp.
1973 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4E, 4 points behind champions Veerle Sport, FC Tongerlo manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3 due to extra promotion places being available. Later that same year, on October 21st, Marcel Helsen plays his 500th match for the club. Helsen would go on to coach FC Tongerlo later on.
1974 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C, FC Tongerlo is retrograded into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with bottom club Sint-Dimphna FC Zammel.
1978 / Finishing in joint fifth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4F with VV Zwaluwen Olmen and Wiekevorst Sporting, FC Tongerlo is drawn into a tie-break competition against these two clubs, organised to determine which of them qualifies for the promotion play-offs for extra promotion places in Provincial League 3 – with four P3 series being organised in the new season instead of three. Drawing its home tie against Olmen (0-0) and eclipsing Wiekevorst in the away match (0-7), FC Tongerlo finishes ahead of the former on goal difference. In the ensuing round of promotion play-offs between the clubs in fifth place in all P4 series, FC Tongerlo finishes in third place, behind RKVV DOSKO Baarle-Hertog and FC Berendrecht Sport, but ahead of FC Walem, FC Sint-Martinus Halle, and Rumstse SK – with only the last-mentioned club missing out on a P3 ticket. As such, FC Tongerlo joins four other clubs from P4F in Provincial League 3; champions Buul FC as well as VC Blauberg, Achter Olen VV, and Schoor Sport.
1979 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C, FC Tongerlo fails to save its skin in the relegation play-offs, bowing out in R1 against FC Tielen (1-2). As such, the club drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with VC Blauberg and bottom club SK Oelegem.
1980 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4E, 3 points ahead of Wiekevorst Sporting and Sint-Dimphna FC Zammel, FC Tongerlo wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
1983 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3D, FC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 4 along with the club in second-last place, FC Tielen. That same year, the club celebrates its fiftieth anniversary as a member of the official Belgian FA, adding the royal epithet to its name and thus officially becoming Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Tongerlo.
1984 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4E, 2 points ahead of closest followers FC Oosterzonen Oosterwijk, KFC Tongerlo manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
1990 / Moving away from Terrein Wimpstraat after 34 years, KFC Tongerlo settles at a newly laid-out park at Geneinde.
1991 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C, KFC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 4.
1992 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, KFC Tongerlo wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
1994 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3D, KFC Tongerlo goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of 23 years at that level.
1995 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, KFC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season.
1996 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C, KFC Tongerlo goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Provincial League 2 after just one season.
1997 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2C, KFC Tongerlo yet again drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season.
1999 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3D, KFC Tongerlo goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus winning its third promotion to Provincial League 2 in five years.
2001 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2C, KFC Tongerlo yet again drops back into Provincial League 3 after two seasons.
2002 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3D, KFC Tongerlo goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing an immediate return to Provincial League 2.
2004 / In the best season in club history, KFC Tongerlo finishes in joint fourth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2C with KVC Rosselaar-Hulsen Sportief.
2006 / Finishing in third-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, KFC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 3 along with KFC Linda Olen and bottom club K Zandhovense SK.
2009 / Finishing in eleventh place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3D – a safe position in normal circumstances, but not now, given that four P3 series are brought back to three – KFC Tongerlo drops back into Provincial League 4 along with FC Netezonen Eindhout, FC Larum, KFC Excelsior Vorst, KFC De Vrijheid Herselt, and bottom side K Blauwvoet Oevel.
2013 / Finishing in fifth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, KFC Tongerlo qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by KSAV Sint-Dimpna Geel (4-0 aggr.).
2018 / Finishing in third place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, KFC Tongerlo qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by KVC Oostmalle Sport (4-0 aggr.).
± 2019 / Terrein Geneinde, home of KFC Tongerlo since 1990, is renamed Staf Kempen-Sportcomplex in honour of ultimate clubman Staf Kempen, who has served KFC Tongerlo as secretary since 1985 – and prior to that in other capacities as well, notably as youth academy coach.
2022 / Finishing in fifth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4E, KFC Tongerlo qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by Kalfort Puursica (1-6).

Note 1 – Thanks due to KFC Tongerlo club legend Staf Kempen, who had the club’s ground named after him, for providing me with a copy of a booklet released on the occasion of the club’s fiftieth anniversary (or actually, one year after the official anniversary): Marcel Helsen, “De Abdij-jongens vroeger en nu. KFC Tongerlo 1920-1984”.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-3 = non-matchday visit, February 2022 / pictures 4-15 = match visit, August 2025.