BELGIUM: FC Juventus de Herstal (1978-2000) / FC Juventus-Herstal (2000-2002) / FC Ellas Liège (2000-2017) / FC Cœurs d'Or (±2009-2012) / Ellas Herstal (2017-2019) / Ellas Herstal (B) (2019-) / FC Vétérans Liégeois (2023-2024)

Terrain de la Rue Croix Jouette, Vottem (B pitch of Ellas Herstal, formerly FC Juventus de Herstal / FC Juventus-Herstal / FC Ellas Liège / FC Cœurs d'Or / Ellas Herstal) 

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

April 2026 / no match visited

Timeline

• 19?? / It is unclear when the football pitch at Rue Croix Jouette and the adjacent pitch at Rue des Mésanges in Vottem were laid out. It is clear that, apart from the clubs mentioned below, the pitch at Rue Croix Jouette was used by many more recreational football teams, including Pompiers Herstal and AC Herstal.
• 1978 / A recreational football club sees the daylight in Vottem. The club is given the name FC Juventus de Herstal, which joins recreational league ALFA (Association Liégeoise du Football Amateur). It is not certain if the club played at Rue Croix Jouette from the outset.
• 2000 / After 22 years in the ranks of ALFA, FC Juventus Herstal now makes the leap to the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under the slightly adapted name FC Juventus-Herstal and registration number 9370; the club is placed in the bottom division of Liège’s Provincial leagues, i.e. Provincial League 4. Meanwhile, also in 2000, a new club sees the daylight, FC Ellas Liège, which joins the Belgian FA under registration number 9379, settling at Rue Croix Jouette in Vottem as groundsharers of FC Juventus-Herstal – and also starting its existence in Provincial League 4.
• 2002 / After two seasons in Provincial League 4, FC Juventus-Herstal is absorbed into a merger with RUS Wandruzienne, which changes its name to become RUS Jeunesse (RUSJ) Wandruzienne and maintaining its own registration number 2887; with all activities moving to Wandruzienne’s Terrain du Pont de Wandre, the ground at Rue Croix Jouette is left to FC Ellas Liège alongside – probably – several recreational teams.
• ± 2009 / FC Ellas Liège is joined at Rue Croix Jouette by a new recreational club, FC Cœurs d'Or, which joins the ALFA league association.
• 2012 / Usually finding itself in the lower reaches of Liège’s Provincial League 4, FC Ellas Liège has a terrible season even by its own standards, finishing bottom of the table in Provincial League 4B with just 4 points (from four draws) and a goal difference of -60. Also in or around 2012, FC Cœurs d'Or ceased its activities after an existence of some three years.
• 2017 / FC Ellas Liège changes its name to become Ellas Herstal.
• 2018 / Finishing in seventh place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, Ellas Herstal qualifies fort he promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by R Fraiture FC (1-1 & penalty shoot-out). Surprisingly, given this relative success in the shape of qualification for the play-offs, Ellas Herstal withdraws from first team football for the 2018-19 season.
• 2019 / As FC Montemauro, who had played its football on the adjacent pitch (entrance at Rue des Mésanges) in Vottem since its foundation in 1973, moves away to groundshare with MS Herstal Milmort at Rue de l'Escousset, the former ground of the historic R Milmort FC, Ellas Herstal takes over Montemauro’s clubhouse and pitch, moving first team football to this location. The pitch at Rue Croix Jouette has remained in use for training purposes until the present day.
• 2023 / ALFA club FC Vétérans Liégeois settles on the pitch at Rue Croix Jouette in January 2023.
• 2024 / After one year and a half at Rue Croix Jouette, FC Vétérans Liégeois moves away to the synthetic side-pitch of Terrein Elderenweg in Millen.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author