Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: R Lierneux FC

Rue de la Gare, Lierneux (R Lierneux FC)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

24 V 2026 / R Lierneux FC - FC Bercheux 0-1 / Belgian Luxembourg, Provincial League 2 - promotion play-off (= BE level 7)

Timeline

1923 / Foundation of a first football club in the village of Lierneux, in the far south of the Province of Liège in Belgium; the new club is given the name FC Albert Star and joins the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). It is unclear where the ground of this club was situated.
1926 / After an existence of merely three years, FC Albert Star folds, ceasing all activities. However, in the fall of that same year, a phoenix club sees the daylight in the shape of Sportsmen Club, which acquires registration number 780 upon the introduction of the registration numbers by the Belgian FA in December 1926. Again, it is unclear where the ground of this new club was situated.
1930 / After an existence of four years, Sportsmen Club folds, ceasing all activities, thus leaving Lierneux without a football club.
1939 / Foundation of a new football club in Lierneux, which is given the simple and straightforward name Lierneux FC. With Théophile Mention taking on the role of chairman, Lierneux FC acquires registration number 2804 upon joining the Belgian FA. The club takes its place on a newly laid-out pitch at Rue de la Gare – in fact the pitch still in use as the main pitch today. In the following decades, Lierneux FC competes in the provincial divisions of Liège.
1974 / Lierneux FC wins promotion to Liège’s Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history.
1976 / After two seasons, Lierneux FC suffers relegation from Liège’s Provincial League 1 into Provincial League 2.
1977 / Lierneux FC manages a return to Liège’s Provincial League 1 after just one season.
1980 / In the best season in club history, Lierneux FC manages a top place in Liège’s Provincial League 1, with the club qualifying for a play-off to win promotion to National Division 4. Taking on RFC Malmundaria 1904 and SRU Verviers, the club ultimately has to leave the honours to the latter club, which joins champions RCS Visétois in an adventure in national league football.
1981 / After four years, Lierneux FC suffers relegation from Liège’s Provincial League 1, with the club never managing a return to that level in subsequent years.
1989 / Upon the club’s fiftieth anniversary, Lierneux FC acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Royal Lierneux Football Club, abbreviated as R Lierneux FC.
1997 / Following the example of their derby rivals RUS Sartoise from Petit-Sart of a couple of years before, R Lierneux FC chooses to leave the provincial leagues of Liège to join the league system of the neighbouring province of (Belgian) Luxembourg. In the isolated Northern Ardennes region, this allows R Lierneux FC to take on clubs from nearby villages such as Salmchâteau, Vielsalm, Harre, Regné, and Manhay. For the 1997-98 season, the club takes its place in the bottom division of Luxembourg’s league pyramid, Provincial League 3.
1998 / Runaway champions in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, 17 points ahead of closest followers CS Odeigne, R Lierneux FC wins promotion to Provincial League 2.
2001 / Runner-up in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, 10 points behind champions RCS Vielsalm, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by ES Bourcy (4-4 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
2007 / Finishing in second-last place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, R Lierneux FC descends into Provincial League 3 after nine years, alongside bottom club ES Bourcy.
2008 / Runner-up in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, 7 points behind champions RUS Erezée, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club manages to reach the final – and by beating Union Cécilienne, also to gain promotion to Provincial League 2 after a one-year absence.
2010 / Finishing bottom of the table in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, R Lierneux FC drops back into Provincial League 3, along with RES Izier and RCS Vielsalm.
2011 / Finishing in fifth place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against R Excelsior Fouches (4-2).
2012 / Finishing in third place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club edges past R Haut-Fays Sport in R1 (3-3 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out), going on to defeat R Entente Roy-Lignières-Grimbiémont in R2 (0-1); as such, the club manages an immediate return to Provincial League 2.
2013 / Finishing in third-last place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, R Lierneux FC drops back into Provincial League 3 after just one season, alongside ES Heydoise and bottom club JS Tavigny.
2014 / Champions in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, 2 points ahead of runner-up ES Heydoise, R Lierneux FC once again manages to regain its place in Provincial League 2 after a one-year absence.
2018 / Finishing in third-last place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, R Lierneux FC has to stave off relegation in a play-off against the number 14 finishers in the two other Provincial League 2 groups, RES Aubange and RUSA Ochamps. With both Lierneux and Aubange managing to defeat Ochamps (1-4 and 3-2), the final match between Lierneux and Ochamps is never held – with the latter being condemned to relegation to Provincial League 3.
2019 / Finishing in third-last place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, R Lierneux FC descends into Provincial League 3 after five years, alongside US Vecmont and bottom club RUS Bérismenil.
2020 / R Lierneux FC merges its youth academy with the academies of neighbour clubs RCS de la Salm and RUS Sartoise in a newly formed youth academy club, which is given the name Jeunesse Unie Nord-Ardenne (JUNA) Salm-Sart-Lierneux, with this ‘club’ acquiring registration number 9796 upon being admitted as a new member of the Belgian FA.
2022 / Finishing in third place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3F, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by RCS de la Salm (4-6 A.E.T.).
2024 / Finishing in fourth place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 3E, R Lierneux FC goes on to win the promotion play-offs following wins over FC Bomal (R1, 1-2) and RSC Rendeux (R2, 2-0). As such, the club manages a return to Provincial League 2 after five years.
2026 / Runner-up in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 2C, 12 points behind runaway champions R Entente Roy-Lignières-Grimbiémont, R Lierneux FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs for a place in Luxembourg’s Provincial League 1 for the first time. Successively knocking out RC Erezée-Amonines (R1, 2-1) and RES Champlonaise (R2, 2-1), the club qualifies for the three-way final against FC Bercheux and RES Aubange. After Bercheux and Lierneux both managed a win against Aubange, the final match in the group, played at Rue de la Gare (photos below) brought the decision – and with a 1-0 win for Bercheux, R Lierneux FC narrowly missed out on a historic promotion.