Extreme Football Tourism: 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.