Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: JS du Thier (1972-2003) / JS du Thier-à-Liège (2003-)

Terrain de la Rue du Plope, Liège = Luik Thier-à-Liège (JS du Thier-à-Liège, formerly JS du Thier)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

9 IV 2026 / JS du Thier-à-Liège - R Jeunesse Magnétoise B 0-2 / Liège, Provincial League 4C (= BE level 9)

Timeline

1946 / Foundation of a recreational football club in Thier-à-Liège, which takes on the name Jeunesse Sportive (JS) du Thier – being admitted as a member club of the Royale Ligue Belge de Football Amateur (RLBFA) under registration number 432. The founding father and first chairman is René Lamer. The club settles on a pitch in Rocourt, a northern suburb of Liège.
1969 / Moving away from its pitch in Rocourt, JS Thier settles at Rue des Glacis in the Pierreuse neighbourhood in Liège proper.
1972 / Moving away from Rue des Glacis in Pierreuse - later taken over by JS Pierreuse - JS Thier settles on its current pitch at Rue du Plope.
1986 / JS du Thier changes its name to become Sporting Club (SC) du Thier.
1987 / After an existence of eighteen seasons as a recreational club, SC du Thier now joins the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under its original name, JS du Thier, acquiring membership under registration number 9075. The new club starts its existence in Liège’s Provincial League 4. The club’s achievements in the following twenty odd years are unknown.
1989 / Foundation of a new football club in Vottem, another town in the vicinity of Liège; the new club takes on the name Jeunesse Sportive (JS) Vottemoise, acquiring membership of Belgium’s FA under registration number 9150; JS Vottemoise, a refoundation of FC Lanaye (number 9076, founded in 1982), which had ceased its activities in 1987, settled on a pitch situated at Rue des Champs in Vottem.
1994 / As JS Vottemoise is constrained to abandon its pitch at Rue des Champs due to its bad state, the club, led by Fifo Ricca, settles at Boulevard Ernest Solvay in Thier-à-Liège, changing its name to become FC Thier-à-Liège.
2003 / A merger is concluded between JS du Thier and FC Thier-Liège, both playing in Liège's Provincial League 2 at the time, resulting in the foundation of JS du Thier-à-Liège, which retains registration number 9075 of JS du Thier – with first team football moving to Rue du Plope, the ground of the last-mentioned club. The pitch at Rue Ernest Solvay is abandoned, with the clubhouse being knocked down in 2003 or early 2004.
2009 / Finishing in second-last place in Liège’s Provincial League 3B, JS Thier-à-Liège descends into Provincial League 4 alongside R Juprelle Union and bottom club Union Roclenge-Wonck.
2011 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RUSJ Wandruzienne (2-2 & penalty shoot-out).
2012 / Finishing in fourth place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by SFC Saive (1-1 & penalty shoot-out).
2013 / Finishing in fifth place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers elimination in R1 at the hands of Union Roclenge-Wonck (4-3).
2014 / Replacing the old clubhouse behind the goal at the western end of the pitch at Rue du Plope, a new two-storey construction is inaugurated alongside the northern touchline of the ground.
2017 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of R Jeunesse Haccourtoise in R1 (2-1), only to bow out in R2 against AS Hermalienne (1-3).
2018 / Runner-up in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, 3 points behind champions R Harzé FC, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by R Fraiture FC (1-2).
2024 / Runner-up in Liège’s Provincial League 4E, 12 points behind runaway champions CFC Pontisse Herstal, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers defeat at the hands of CS Juprelle B in R1 (2-3).
2025 / Finishing in third place in Liège’s Provincial League 4B, JS Thier-à-Liège qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by JS Hognouloise (3-5).

Note - Heartfelt thanks to Michael Furlotti, board member of JS Thier-à-Liège (and former player at JS Vottemoise & FC Thier-à-Liège), for providing important parts of information for the article above.