Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: VK White Boys (±1967-1974) / VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas (1974-)

Terrein Puitvoetstraat, Sint-Niklaas = Saint-Nicolas (VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas, formerly VK White Boys)

Netherlands, province: East Flanders = Oost-Vlaanderen

6 VIII 2025 / VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas - KV Eendracht Aalter 3-1 / East Flanders, Provincial Cup for P1 & P2 teams - group stage, Group D

Timeline

± 1962 / Foundation of a recreational football team in Sint-Niklaas (Saint-Nicolas) in East Flanders. The new team is given the name Dixieboys, with matches being played on the meadow of the local Scouts club at Bruininckswegel in the so-called Puitvoetbos, a small forest area south of the town centre. Away from football matches, the members of Dixieboys, which does not join any league association as yet, sticking to just playing purely recreational matches, have their meet-ups in a pub at Damstraat in Sint-Niklaas proper.
1964 / Moving their meet-ups from the café at Damstraat, Dixieboys’ membership now chooses Café ‘Bij Suzanne’ at Hertestraat as their watering hole. As it turns out, the pub is also the fixed hangout of another recreational football team, called Black Boys. To underline their rivalry with this team, the presidency of Dixieboys, chaired by René Lissens at the time, takes the decision to change the name of their team to Voetbalklub (VK) White Boys. Moreover, they also make the necessary steps to join the East Flanders section of the so-called KKSFB (Koninklijke Katholieke Sportfederatie van België), a league of Roman Catholic clubs from all parts of Flanders. A second team is also formed, which joins a local recreational league, the so-called Walivo (Waas Liefhebbersverbond), only to move on to another local league, Beker van Hamme, soon after following a conflict with Walivo’s leadership.
± 1967 / Moving away from the pitches at Bruininckswegel, VK White Boys move all their activities to a new pitch only several dozens of yards away from the original location, at Puitvoetstraat, where they rent a meadow from a local smallholder, turning it into a football pitch, with dressing rooms and all. This pitch coincides with the current main pitch. Some years later, a B pitch is added to the set-up following a new lease agreement.
1969 / Clinching the title in East Flanders’ highest KKSFB division with coach Lucien Behiels, VK White Boys wins promotion to the nationwide (i.e. ‘Flanders-wide’) KKSFB Division of Honour.
1974 / Following a conflict between VK White Boys’ secretary, Leonard Descamps, and an official of rival KKSFB club Juventus Schoonaarde during a match at Puitvoetstraat, VK White Boys takes the far-reaching decision to leave the Roman Catholic league association in favour of the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB), where the club is accepted with the extended name VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas, obtaining registration number 8101. In the background, the club’s desire to allow its fledgling youth academy to compete against better opposition also played a role in this decision. For the 1974-75 season, the club is placed in the bottom division of East Flanders’ provincial divisions, Provincial League 4.
1988 / VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas finishes as runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4I, behind champions KSK Klinge.
1990 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4H, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 for the first time since joining the Belgian FA sixteen years previously. The successful coach is Patrick Beylkens.
1991 / Finishing in third-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3F, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season.
1993 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4H, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 for a second time. That same year, the club purchases its main pitch from the original owner.
1994 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3F, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas once again drops back into Provincial League 4 after one season only.
1995 / Clinching its first title since making the leap to the Belgian FA in 1974, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas claims first place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4F. The decisive points are clinched in a 1-0 away win at KOFC Rupelmonde on the last day of the season. As such, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is Walter Bauwens.
1999 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3F, behind champions VK Hamme, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas goes on to win the promotion play-offs, seeing off FC Elst in the final (0-2). As such, the club accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time. The successful coach is Jean-Marie Engels.
2000 / After the purchase of its main pitch seven years previously, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas now also takes over the ownership of its first side-pitch.
2001 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas drops back into Provincial League 3 after two seasons.
2003 / Champions in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3F, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of two seasons. The decisive points are obtained in a 3-2 home win over KSLV Zelzate. The successful coach is Saša Lopičić, former professional league player (1982-94) at FK Partizan (Belgrade), FK Sevojno, FK Sloboda Tuzla, FK Obilić, and K Sint-Niklase SK Excelsior.
2005 / The clubhouse at Terrein Puitvoetstraat is given a thorough renovation.
2006 / In the best season in club history so far, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas finishes in sixth place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C.
2009 / Finishing bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas drops back into Provincial League 3, along with FC Mere and KSC Oosterzele.
2010 / Suffering back-to-back relegations, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas now finishes bottom of the table in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, thus descending into Provincial League 4 along with the club in second-last place, FC SKV Overmere. It marks the return of the club to this lowly level after an absence of fifteen years.
2011 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 4E, 9 points behind local rivals SK Gerda Sint-Niklaas, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas goes on to finish in second place in a play-off group behind KFC Herzele, but ahead of White Star Meerdonk – which proves enough to clinch one of the additional promotion places in Provincial League 3.
2014 / Finishing in third-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas staves off relegation in a play-off against RSC Ophasselt (3-2).
2017 / Finishing in sixth place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out KSSV Denderleeuw (0-1) and VK Watervliet (3-0) in the first two rounds, only to be knocked out on penalties (1-1 after regular play) by KME Machelen in the final.
2018 / Runners-up in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, 11 points behind runaway champions KSK Kieldrecht, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club manages successive wins over FC Vurste-Semmerzake (1-1), FC Dynamo Klein-Gent Beervelde (4-1), KSC Wilskracht Hofstade (2-1), and FC Lembeke (1-2). As such, the club crowns itself play-off winner, thus gaining promotion to Provincial League 2 after an absence of nine years at that level.
2019 / Finishing in second-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, along with bottom club VSV Gent.
2022 / Finishing in fifth place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, going on to suffer defeat at the hands of VK Knesselare in R2 (2-4). However, with two extra promotion places turning out to fall free, the club accedes to Provincial League 2 as a lucky loser.
2024 / Finishing in third-last place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 2C, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas has to save its skin in a set of relegation play-offs – failing to do so following defeats at the hands of VC Eendracht Houtem (2-0) and VSV Gent (0-4). As such, the club descends into Provincial League 3 along with direct drop-outs SKN Sint-Niklaas and KV Sint-Gillis.
2025 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders’ Provincial League 3E, VK White Boys Sint-Niklaas draws a bye for R1 of the promotion play-offs, going on to edge past Jong Zulte in the final (0-0 & penalty shoot-out). As such, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2.