Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KFC Walem

Terrein Battenbroek, Walem (KFC Walem)

Belgium, province: Antwerp = Antwerpen

19 X 2025 / KFC Walem - K Sporting Tisselt 1-3 / Antwerp, Provincial League 1 (= BE level 6)

Timeline

1965 / After several years of playing recreational matches at Terrein Emmaüsdreef in Mechlin, ‘groundsharing’ with recreational club FC Atletiek, a group of youths from the village of Walem decides to form a proper football club. This heralds the foundation of FC Walem, with the club finding a home at the newly laid-out Terrein Battenbroek, situated on a plot of sandy wasteland on the Battenbroek estate, owned by Baroness Coppens, who lives at Battenbroek Castle nearby. Originally consisting of just one pitch – still the main pitch today – Terrein Battenbroek only sees friendly matches in the 1965-66 season.
1966 / One year after its foundation, under the aegis of chairman and co-founder Wies Rijmenans, FC Walem acquires membership of the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB), obtaining registration number 6896. The club is placed in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3 for the 1966-67 season.
1967 / FC Walem signs player-coach Aloïs ‘Wiese’ Mangelschots, former player of the KRC Mechelen team which finished as runners-up in National Division 1 (1953) and reached the Belgian Cup final (1954). Mangelschots joins the club from KFC Putte. Also in 1967, works get underway on the highway between Brussels and Antwerp. After two years of insecurity, the news comes through that Terrein Battenbroek – only just – does not have to make way for the motorway.
1972 / Finishing in eleventh place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3C with coach Maurice Aerts, FC Walem is placed in the newly created Provincial League 4 for the new season. Also in 1972, the makeshift canteen and dressing rooms, erected in concrete and asbestos slabs, are replaced by a proper stone clubhouse.
1976 / In the storm tide of January 1976, the River Scheldt and its tributaries overflow. Terrein Battenbroek is heavily impacted, with the ground becoming unplayable for the remainder of the 1975-76 season. In those months, FC Walem moves its first team football to the ground of FC Red Boys Katelijne-Waver. Further groundsharing agreements are concluded with KSV Pasbrug and FC Rapid Mechelen for lower team football and training sessions. The club returns to its home ground for the start of the 1976-77 season.
1978 / Finishing in fifth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4D, FC Walem qualifies for a set of promotion play-offs between the clubs in fifth place of all P4 series, organised due to the creation of one extra Provincial League 3 series. With six teams taking on each other for five promotion places, FC Walem eventually finishes in sixth place, thus gaining promotion to Provincial League 3 along with RKVV DOSKO, FC Berendrecht Sport, FC Tongerlo, and FC Sint-Martinus Halle, at the expense of Rumstse SK. The decisive points for FC Walem are clinched in a 5-1 home win over Rumst. The successful coach is Marcel Sterckx.
1982 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3, with an equal number of points as champions VV Leest, but with fewer victories in the course of the season, FC Walem nevertheless wins direct promotion to Provincial League 2 for the first time in club history, due to extra promotion places being available. VV Leest and FC Walem finish 4 points ahead of closest rivals FC Blaasveld and Stade Willebroek. The successful coach is Louis De Herdt.
1983 / Coached by Roland Franck, who had replaced Vic Schelkens in the course of the season, FC Walem finishes bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2B, thus suffering relegation to Provincial League 3 after just one season.
1986 / Coached by Roland Franck, FC Walem finishes in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B. As such, the club drops back into Provincial League 4.
1988 / Champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4B – incidentally the first title in club history – FC Walem manages a return to Provincial League 3 after two years. The decisive points are clinched in a 3-0 home win over VVH Lippelo. The successful coach is Jean De Buyser.
1989 / Coached by Jos Van de Ven, who had replaced Jean De Buyser in the course of the season, FC Walem finishes bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, thus dropping back into Provincial League 4. Also around this time, the clubhouse at Terrein Battenbroek sees an extension, with a boardroom being added to the set-up.
1994 / Runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4B behind champions Reet SK, FC Walem wins direct promotion to Provincial League 3 due to extra promotion places being available. The decisive points are obtained in a 3-1 home win over OB Breendonk. The successful coach is Willy De Winter.
1995 / Finishing bottom of the table in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B with coach Willy Coeckelbergh, FC Walem drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season.
1997 / Finishing in third place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4B, FC Walem goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus acceding to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is Ronny Ceusters.
1998 / Finishing in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B with coach Ronny Van Put, who had replaced Ronny Ceusters in the course of the season, FC Walem drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season.
1999 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 4B, 11 points ahead of closest followers VC Rijmenam and Ruisbroek SK, FC Walem wins promotion to Provincial League 3. The decisive points are clinched in a 4-0 home win against SK Peulis. The successful coach is Rudi Milonton.
2000 / Finishing in third place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B behind VV Duffel and SK Wilrijk, FC Walem qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Edging past KFC Ezaart Sport in R1 (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out), the club goes on to defeat FC Ekeren in a spectacular final (8-5 aggr.). As such, the club manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of seventeen years at that level. The successful coach is Rudi Milonton.
2010 / Having managed three fifth place finishes in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2 in the past decade, FC Walem – coached by Raf Joosten, who replaced Eddy Claes in the course of the season – now finds itself in third-last place in the final ranking of Provincial League 2A. In a relegation play-off against KAC Olen, the club fails to avoid relegation, albeit on the closest of margins (4-4 aggr. & away goals). As such, FC Walem drops back into Provincial League 3 after ten years, along with KFC Belgica Edegem and bottom club K Verbroedering Hemiksem.
2013 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, FC Walem goes on to stave off relegation in a play-off against K Massenhoven VC and KSV Wildert, managing an away draw at the former (2-2) and defeating the latter at Terrein Battenbroek (6-2). Given that Wildert has the better of K Massenhoven VC in the confrontation between these two clubs, Massenhoven is condemned to relegation to Provincial League 4.
2017 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, 20 (!) points ahead of closest rivals KSV Aartselaar, FC Walem wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Ronald De Ridder. Moreover, Walem also reaches the final of Antwerp’s Provincial Cup, in which a defeat is incurred at the hands of K Ternesse VV.
± 2018 / Obtaining the royal epithet, FC Walem officially changes its name to become Koninklijke Football Club (KFC) Walem.
2022 / Coached by Pascal Schaevers, KFC Walem finishes in second-last place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2A, thus dropping back into Provincial League 3 along with FC Ekeren, KFC Zandvliet Sport, and bottom club KVV Duffel.
2023 / Finishing in fourth place in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3B, KFC Walem qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by SC Duffel (1-4).
2024 / Runaway champions in Antwerp’s Provincial League 3A, 17 points ahead of closest followers K Schelle Sport, KFC Walem accedes to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Pascal Schaevers.
2025 / Finishing as runners-up in Antwerp’s Provincial League 2A, 10 points behind runaway champions KFC Nieuwmoer, KFC Walem qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Managing successive wins over KFC Eendracht Zoersel (3-1) and KFC Wezel Sport B (1-2), the club achieves back-to-back promotions, acceding to Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history. The successful coach is Pascal Schaevers.

Note – Important parts of the information provided above have been derived from a book released by FC Walem, as the club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary: Theo De Vos “Jubileumboek FC Walem 50 jaar” (ed. FC Walem: Walem 2015).