Tuesday, 12 May 2026

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All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author
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Saturday, 9 May 2026

BELGIUM: EMI Essene

Edmond Moyson-Arena - Kerkplein, Essene (EMI Essene)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

9 V 2026 / EMI Essene - Racing Butsel 2-1 A.E.T. / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 4 - promotion play-off R2 (= BE level 9)

Timeline
  • 1957 / In Essene, a village in the west of the Flemish part of the Province of Brabant in the heart of Belgium, a village football team called EMI Essene is competing in the Katholiek Sportverbond, a Catholic rival association of the official Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). It is unclear when EMI Essene saw the daylight, but it is clear the club started out as the corporate football team of milk factory EMI – with the abbreviation standing for Essense Melkfabriek Isidorus or Essense Melkerij-Inrichting, depending on which source is followed. The club plays its football on a ground in the heart of the village, to the west of Kerkplein – not the current main pitch, but a pitch directly to its south, on a plot of land taken nowadays by the event location De Montil.
  • 1959 / EMI Essene joins the official Belgian FA with registration number 6259 – and an adapted name; given that corporate names are not allowed, the acronym EMI is now given the adapted meaning of Elk Met Ideaal. The club is placed in the bottom division of Brabant’s provincial leagues at that time, Provincial League 3.
  • 1965 / Finishing in third-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, EMI Essene is placed in the newly created Provincial League 4 for the 1965-66 season.
  • 1967 / EMI Essene finishes as runner-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4B, an achievement the club would repeat in 1972.
  • ± 1975 / A clubhouse is erected alongside the northern touchline of the ground at Kerkplein.
  • 1983 / Runner-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4D, EMI Essene accedes directly to Provincial League 3 due to extra promotion places being available.
  • 1984 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, EMI Essene drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season.
  • ± 1985 / As EMI Essene has to give up its main pitch, which is taken over for other uses, the club moves its football to the pitch adjacent to it, i.e. the current main pitch. Meanwhile, two training pitches are at its disposal at the western end of the ground to make up for the loss of the main pitch.
  • 1998 / EMI Essene finishes as runner-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4B
  • 2001 / Runner-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4B, 5 points behind champions KVK Wemmel, EMI Essene accedes to Provincial League 3 directly due to extra promotion places being available. Also in 2001, with the old clubhouse dating back to the 1970s being knocked down, a replacement construction is erected at the western end of the main pitch.
  • 2002 / In the best season in club history, EMI Essene manages an eighth place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F.
  • 2003 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3F, EMI Essene descends into Provincial League 4 along with bottom club VK Sint-Agatha-Berchem.
  • ± 2005 / A two-storey building is erected alongside the southern touchline of the main pitch at Terrein Kerkplein, which has served as the club’s dressing rooms until the present day.
  • 2011 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4D, 3 points ahead of closest rivals VC Den Boskant Peizegem and Daring Sint-Martens Bodegem – incidentally the club’s first-ever title – EMI Essene manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of six years.
  • 2012 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3C, EMI Essene drops back into Provincial League 4 alongside bottom team Sporting Eizeringen B.
  • 2014 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4D, 5 points ahead of closest followers VK Liedekerke B, EMI Essene accedes to Provincial League 3.
  • 2017 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s VFV Provincial League 3D, EMI Essene is retrograded into Provincial League 4, along with bottom team KFC Rhodienne-De Hoek B.
  • 2025 / Finishing in fourth place in Brabant’s VFV Provincial League 4B, EMI Essene qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club draws a bye in R1, only to suffer elimination in R2 at the hands of KFC Werchter (0-2). Also in 2025, Terrein Kerkplein is officially renamed Edmond Moyson-Arena in honour of a long-serving club volunteer who had fallen seriously ill.
  • 2026 / Finishing in third place in Brabant’s VFV Provincial League 4B, EMI Essene qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Drawing a bye in R1, the club edges past Racing Butsel in R2 (2-1 A.E.T.), going on to defeat KVK Wemmel B in the final (2-3); as a result, the club manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of nine years.
Note – Thanks to EMI Essene chairman Joeri De Valck for providing essential parts of information which have been included in this write-up.























All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author
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BELGIUM: RFC Bierset (1964-2025) / FC Torino Grâce-Hollogne (2025-)

Stade Robert Beelen, Bierset (FC Torino Grâce-Hollogne, formerly RFC Bierset)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

9 V 2026 / FC Torino Grâce-Hollogne Veterans - UM Jemeppe Veterans 8-2 / ALFA Veterans, Division d'Honneur 

Timeline
  • 1964 / Foundation of a recreational football club in the village of Bierset, to the west of the Greater Liège agglomeration; after an initial, very short spell of no more than a couple of months on a pasture to the west of the village, the newly founded FC Bierset settles on the newly laid-out Stade Robert Beelen, named after the then mayor of Bierset. FC Bierset plays its football in the Liège sub-branch of the so-called Royale Ligue Belge de Football Amateur (RLBFA).
  • 2001 / As the RLBFA is wound up, FC Bierset makes the leap to the successor of the nationwide association in Liège, the so-called Association Liégeoise du Football Amateur (ALFA).
  • 2011 / The first team of FC Bierset conquers the title in ALFA Sunday Division 2, thus gaining promotion to Division 1, i.e. the second tier of the ALFA Sunday pyramid.
  • 2014 / FC Bierset conquers Liège's Provincial Cup for ALFA teams. That same year, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, the club acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Royal Football Club (RFC) Bierset.
  • 2015 / Having gained promotion from ALFA Sunday Division 1 to Division d'Honneur in one of the previous three seasons, RFC Bierset now goes on to crown itself champions in ALFA Sunday Division d'Honneur, while also gaining the ALFA Provincial Cup for the second time in a row.
  • 2024 / RFC Bierset, meanwhile down to having just one team, playing in the ALFA veterans' competition on Saturday afternoons, ceases its activities midway through the 2024-25 season, in December 2024 or January 2025.
  • 2025 / FC Torino Grâce-Hollogne, another veterans' team, who were forced out of their historic Stade Torino in Grâce-Berleur by the Grâce-Hollogne town council in February 2025, move into the Stade Robert Beelen in Bierset, vacated due to the winding up of RFC Bierset mere weeks before. 





















All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author
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Sunday, 3 May 2026

BELGIUM: AS Obigies

Terrain du Château, Obigies (AS Obigies)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

3 V 2026 / AS Obigies - RFC Ellezelles 1-3 / Hainaut, Provincial League 2 - promotion play-off R1 (= BE level 7)

Timeline
  • 1954 / Foundation of a football club in Obigies, a village several kilometres to the north of Tournay (Tournai, Doornik) in the Province of Hainaut; the new club is given the name Association Sportive (AS) Obigies, although in later years locals informally added the name of the village’s patron saint to the club name, i.e. Association Sportive Saint-Amand (ASSA) Obigies – but a formal name change has not been made as yet. Having joined the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) with registration number 5772, AS Obigies is placed in the bottom division of Hainaut’s provincial league system at that time, Provincial League 3. AS Obigies has been home at the Terrain du Château d’Obigies from its foundation onwards.
  • 1959 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A ahead of runner-up RUS Flobecquoise, AS Obigies wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
  • 1961 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies descends into Provincial League 3 alongside the club in second-last place, RSC Templeuvois.
  • 1977 / AS Obigies finishes as runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, with an equal number of points as champions Velvain Sport, but with an inferior goal difference (+32 vs. +25) – thus missing out on promotion by a whisker.
  • 1978 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 5 points ahead of closest followers SC Hollain, AS Obigies manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of seventeen years.
  • 1979 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, alongside bottom club ASC Maisières.
  • 1981 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies descends into Provincial League 4 – the bottom division of Hainaut’s provincial league system since its introduction in 1970 – for the first time, alongside bottom club CS Escanaffles.
  • 1983 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B, 4 points ahead of runner-up SC Russeignies, AS Obigies wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
  • 1995 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies is retrograded into Provincial League 4 after twelve years, along with bottom club FC Hérinnes.
  • 1996 / AS Obigies finishes as runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 2 points behind champions RUS Herseautoise.
  • 2008 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies manages to break down the door to Provincial League 2 for the first time in the new century by winning the play-offs, thus gaining promotion along with champions OC Warcoing and runner-up Ass. Montkainoise.
  • 2009 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, alongside bottom club SC Néchin.
  • 2012 / Finishing in fourteenth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies saves its skin in a successful relegation play-off against RUS Solrézienne B (6-1).
  • 2014 / Finishing in third place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club has the better of RAS Pays Blanc Antoinien B in R1 (2-2 & penalty shoot-out), only to be knocked out in R2 against RUS Herseautoise (2-0).
  • 2015 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Sailing past CS Taintignies in R1 (4-2) and RUS Herseautoise in R2 (2-0), the club goes on to defeat Athènes Sport Péronnes in R2 (5-2) – in hindsight, this match sealed promotion, as extra places in Provincial League 2 turned out to be available, rendering the result of the final against JS Borina Quaregnon (4-3) irrelevant, with both clubs acceding to P2.
  • 2017 / Finishing in second-last place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies descends into Provincial League 3 along with bottom club RUS Flobecquoise.
  • 2018 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out US Thumaide in R1 (2-1), only to be knocked out in R2 by RAJS Honnelloise (4-0).
  • 2019 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, 4 points ahead of closest rivals RAS Pays Blanc Antoinien B, AS Obigies manages a return to Provincial League 2 after an absence of two seasons.
  • 2020 / As OC Warcoing, a club in the same municipality as Obigies, i.e. Pecq, concludes a merger with Renouveau US (RUS) Tournai, becoming RUS Tournai-Warcoing, the new merger club released a statement in which it made clear its purpose to play their first team football at Warcoing's Stade Léon Velge, while retaining RUS Tournai's Plaine de la Trondeloire in Vaulx for lower team football. However, no agreement was reached between RUS Tournai-Warcoing and Pecq's town council, the latter subsequently allowed AS Obigies to make use of the pitches in Warcoing for their youth academy and training sessions.
  • 2023 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out AS Morlanwelzienne in R1 (4-1), only to be eliminated in R2 by USC Jemappes (1-2).
  • 2025 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against RLC Mesvinois (0-0 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
  • 2026 / Runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2A, 1 point behind champions R Entente Acren-Lessines B, AS Obigies qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by RFC Ellezelles (1-3).
Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-3 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 4-19 = match visit, May 2026.



















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