Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: CS Forges (1985-1993, 1994-)

Terrain du Grand Courtil, Forges (CS Forges)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

14 XII 2025 / CS Forges - PAC Buzet B 1-2 / Hainaut, Provincial League 3D (= BE level 8)

Timeline

1970 / Foundation of a football club in Forges, a village in the far south of Belgium, not far from Chimay, in the so-called Botte de Hainaut region. The new club, which takes on the name CS Forges, acquires membership of Belgium’s Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under registration number 7459. The club settles on a plot of land put at its disposal by a local smallholder, Pierre Hanoul, at Rue Vertillon in Forges.
1984 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 11 points ahead of closest followers US Maconaise, CS Forges accedes to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
1985 / After fifteen years of playing at Terrain Pierre Hanoul, CS Forges settles on a newly laid-out ground at Rue de la Station in the heart of the village, Terrain du Grand Courtil. As at its previous ground, the club only has one pitch at its disposal on this new location.
1987 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3D, CS Forges drops back into Provincial League 4 after one season, along with the club in second-last place, FC Marbaisien.
1991 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4G, 7 points ahead of closest followers JS Froidchapelloise, CS Forges manages a return to Provincial League 3 after four years.
1992 / To alleviate the problems of only having one pitch at its disposal, CS Forges acquires a plot of farmland in the neighbouring village of Bourlers, where a new ground is laid out with two pitches, the so-called Stade de la Chapelle. Whereas first team football continues to be played in Forges, training sessions as well as all activities of the club’s youth academy take place in Bourlers from now on.
1993 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3C, CS Forges drops back into Provincial League 4 along with the club in second-last place, US Maconaise. Also in 1993, as the pitch at Terrain du Grand-Courtil in Forges is laid out anew, CS Forges moves its first team football to the Stade de la Chapelle in Bourlers for one season.
1994 / The works on its pitch in Forges proper having been completed, CS Forges moves its first team football from its academy ground in Bourlers back to the Terrain du Grand Courtil.
1997 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4E, 1 point ahead of closest rivals JS Ham-sur-Heure, CS Forges wins promotion to Provincial League 3 after an absence of four years at that level.
1999 / In the best performance in club history, CS Forges finishes top of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3E along with REC Beaumont, with an equal number of wins and a better goal difference than its rivals. Yet, REC Beaumont wins the ticket to Provincial League 3 instead of CS Forges, probably following a win in a tie-break match for the title.
2002 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3E, CS Forges descends into Provincial League 4 after five years (the club’s longest spell at this level until the present day), along with FC Boussu-lez-Walcourt, JS Froidchapelloise, and bottom club FC Landelies.
2003 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4C, 5 points behind champions JS Ragnicole, CS Forges goes on to claim its promotion ticket in the play-off rounds, thus acceding to Provincial League 3 along with the champions as well as no. 3 finishers FC Aldegondois.
2006 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3D, CS Forges descends into Provincial League 4 along with the club in second-last place, Sporting Pont-de-Loup.
2007 / CS Forges finishes as runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 1 point behind champions ES Mominoise.
2009 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4I, 2 points ahead of closest rivals JS Froidchapelloise, CS Forges manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of two years.
2012 / Finishing in third-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3D, CS Forges drops back into Provincial League 4 along with US Solrézienne B, Mellet Sports, and bottom team FC Mont-sur-Marchienne-Collège B.
2013 / Runaway champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 11 points ahead of closest followers US Solrézienne B, CS Forges manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
2015 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3D, CS Forges is retrograded into Provincial League 4 along with FC Marbaisien and bottom club RFC Farciennes - the latter of which had folded in the early stages of the season.
2018 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 1 point behind champions FC Gerpinnes B, CS Forges qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by R Gosselies Sports B (1-1 & penalty shoot-out). In a lucky losser round, the club suffers defeat at the first hurdle yet again, this time at the hands of CDF Española (4-3).
2019 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 22 points behind runaway champions JS Solrézienne, CS Forges once again fails to win promotion in the ensuing play-off round.
2023 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 10 points behind runaway champions ES Mominoise, CS Forges qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by US Quiévrainoise 70 (1-2).
2024 / Runners-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 3 points behind champions RRC Rance, CS Forges qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by ESC Horrues (0-0 & penalty shoot-out).
2025 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4H, 4 points ahead of runners-up US Merbesars, CS Forges accedes to Provincial League 3 after an absence of a decade at that level.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-2 & 4 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 3 & 5-26 = match visit, December 2025.