Stade Jean Donnersbach, Lintgen (FC Minerva Lintgen, formerly FV Lintgen)
Luxembourg, canton: Mersch
12 VII 2026 / FC Minerva Lintgen - Union Mertert-Wasserbillig 5-3 / Pre-season friendly
Timeline
- 1910 / Foundation of a football club in Lintgen, in the heart of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The new club, which is named after the Roman goddess of wisdom and guile, takes on the name FC Minerva Lintgen, with J.B. Wolff – the owner of the café where the foundation meeting was held – taking on the role of chairman. The club, which does not join the Luxembourg Football Association (yet), settles on a pitch referred to locally as Terrain Op Houwald. In the following years, other pastures are used to play improvised matches as well, Terrain a Gässelt and Terrain an der Laangheck.
- ± 1916 / FC Minerva Lintgen settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Rue de Diekirch.
- 1919 / In the wake of World War I, when footballing activities came to a virtual standstill, FC Minerva Lintgen joins the Football Association of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.
- 1920 / FC Minerva Lintgen wins the Coupe des Ardennes, going on to conquer the same trophy the following year.
- 1921 / With FC Minerva Lintgen moving away from Rue de Diekirch (where it has to make way for the Ceodex factory, later renamed Rotarex) and settling on a newly laid-out pitch at Rue de la Gare – the exact location of the main pitch still in use today – the club starts its competitive existence in Division 3 North, the fourth and lowest tier of the Luxembourg football pyramid.
- 1924 / Clinching the title in Division 3 Group 1, 5 points ahead of closest rivals D’Rief Schwebsingen, FC Minerva Lintgen chooses not to cash in on the title by refusing promotion to Division 2.
- 1928 / FC Minerva Lintgen finishes as runner-up in Division 3 Group 1, 4 points behind champions US Niederwiltz.
- 1930 / As the club is given notice of the end of the lease of the pitch at Rue de la Gare, FC Minerva Lintgen commences a short-lived groundshare with FC Amis des Sports (probably FC AS Luxembourg-Feschmaart), going on to lay out a temporary pitch on the banks of the River Alzette.
- ± 1931 / After an absence of one year (1931) – or two years at most (1932) – FC Minerva Lintgen is given the opportunity to return to its old ground at Rue de la Gare.
- 1932 / In a reorganisation of the Luxembourg football pyramid, Division 3, the level at which FC Minerva plays its football, becomes level 5 of the country’s football pyramid.
- 1936 / Finishing in third place in Division 3 North, FC Minerva Lintgen qualifies for the promotion play-offs by virtue of the runner-up in the regular league season, Weiss a Ro’t Michelau, withdrawing from competitive football. Due to play-off opponent FC Racing Troisvièrges withdrawing, Minerva wins promotion to Division 2, the fourth level of the football pyramid, unopposed, along with champions FC Etzella Ettelbruck.
- 1937 / Finishing bottom of the table in Division 2 Group 2, FC Minerva Lintgen descends into Division 3, along with FC Résidence Walferdange and CS Grevenmacher.
- 1940 / Runner-up in Division 3 Group 1, 3 points behind champions FC Jeunesse Gilsdorf, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 2. However, due to the outbreak of World War II and the German occupation of Luxembourg – with the country being incorporated into the Third Reich – the country’s leagues come to a standstill, with part of the clubs being integrated into the German lower divisions. FC Minerva Lintgen probably did not take part in any league activity for the duration of the war, with the club having been renamed Fussballverein (FV) Lintgen in the rabid Germanisation campaign of Nazi authorities.
- 1944 / With the German occupation of part of Luxembourg ending, FV Lintgen takes on its old name FC Minerva Lintgen.
- 1945 / With regular league football being resumed, FC Minerva Lintgen takes its place in Division 2, the fourth level of Luxembourg’s league system.
- 1946 / In spite of finishing in a modest sixth place in Division 2 Group 2, FC Minerva Lintgen is placed in Promotion, the third level of the football pyramid, for the new season, due to the number of Promotion sections being extended from one to two.
- 1947 / Finishing in second-last place in Promotion Group 2, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Division 2 after just one season, alongside FC Etzella Ettelbruck and bottom club AS Luxembourg.
- 1949 / FC Minerva Lintgen crowns itself champions of Division 2 Group 2, 2 points ahead of closest rivals FC Alisontia Steinsel. As such, the club manages a return to Promotion after two years, along with the aforementioned club and FC Jeunesse Schieren.
- 1950 / Finishing in third-last place in Promotion Group 1, FC Minerva Lintgen descends into Division 2 alongside FC Tricolore Gasperich and bottom club FC Jeunesse Schieren.
- 1952 / Champions in Division 2 Group 2, 2 points ahead of closest rivals US Sandweiler, FC Minerva Lintgen accedes to Promotion, along with the aforementioned club as well as FC Hamm 37 and FC Kopstal 33.
- 1953 / Runner-up in Promotion Group 1, 1 point behind champions FC Kopstal 33, FC Minerva Lintgen accedes to Division 1, the second level of Luxembourg’s football pyramid, for the first time in club history.
- 1954 / Finishing bottom of the table in Division 1 Group 1, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Promotion after just one season, along with FC Kopstal 33.
- 1955 / Runner-up in Promotion Group 1, 4 points behind champions FC Kopstal 33, FC Minerva Lintgen manages an immediate return to Division 1.
- 1956 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1 Group 1, FC Minerva Lintgen once again drops back into Promotion after one season only, along with the club in second-last place, FC Kopstal 33.
- 1957 / In the last season in which Promotion is the third level of the football pyramid, FC Minerva Lintgen finishes in third-last place at this level, resulting in being retrograded to Division 2.
- 1958 / Finishing bottom of the table in Division 2 Group 1, FC Minerva Lintgen descends into Division 3, the fifth and lowest tier of the football pyramid, along with US Mertert.
- 1960 / Finishing in joint first place in Division 3 Group 2 with AS Rupensia Larochette, FC Minerva Lintgen goes on to suffer defeat in a tie-break match for the title against that club (2-0), thus missing out on promotion.
- 1964 / FC Minerva Lintgen finishes as runner-up in Division 3 Group 3, 3 points behind champions US Mertert.
- 1965 / Runner-up in Division 3 Group 1, 6 points behind champions FC Old Boys Consdorf, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 2. The successful coach is Camille Jungers.
- 1967 / Coached by Ruden Thill, FC Minerva Lintgen finishes in second-last place in Division 2 Group 1, thus dropping back into Division 3 alongside bottom club FC Kopstal 33.
- 1976 / Runner-up in Division 3 Group 1 with coach J.P. Wagner, 2 points behind champions FC Jeunesse Biwer, FC Minerva Lintgen accedes to Division 2 – like all other teams in its division due to the number of Division 2 sections being enlarged from two to four.
- ± 1980 / Some time between 1979 and 1981, the ground of FC Minerva Lintgen at Rue de la Gare is renamed Stade Jean Donnersbach, in honour of the longtime mayor of Lintgen (1945-1972).
- 1982 / Champions in Division 2 Group 2, 2 points ahead of runner-up CS Hollerich, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 1. The successful coach is J. Fiedler.
- 1984 / As FC Minerva Lintgen celebrates its 75th anniversary – in fact one year before the actual event – the club organises a gala match between the veterans’ teams of 1. FC Köln (Cologne), featuring Wolfgang Overath, and the Luxembourg national team, which is reinforced by Portuguese former World Cup Star Eusebio.
- 1985 / Coached by the duo of J. Wagener and C. Calmes, who replaced H. Kettels in the course of the season, FC Minerva Lintgen finishes bottom of the table in Division 1 Group 1, thus descending into Division 2 alongside bottom club FC Olympia Christnach-Waldbillig.
- 1990 / Champions in Division 2 Group 1, with an equal number of points as runner-up FC Jeunesse Useldange, but with a slightly better goal difference (+28 vs. +27), FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 1 along with the aforementioned club. The successful coach is A. Reckinger.
- 1992 / Finishing bottom of the table in Division 1 Group 1 with coach D. Fidler, who replaced Guy Wagner in the course of the season, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Division 2 after two years, along with FC Orania Vianden and FC Marisca Mersch.
- 1995 / Champions in Division 2 Group 1, with an equal number of points as runner-up US Boevange-sur-Attert, but with a slightly better goal difference (+36 vs. +35), FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 1. The successful coach is Marc Janes.
- 1996 / Runner-up in Division 1 Group 1, 9 points behind champions FC Racing Troisvièrges, FC Minerva Lintgen qualifies for a promotion play-off against the runner-up in Division 1 Group 2, Union Mertert-Wasserbillig, in which the club suffers a clear-cut 3-0 defeat – thus missing out on a second promotion in a row.
- 1997 / Coached by J. Vosman, FC Minerva Lintgen finishes in third-last place in Division 1 Group 1, thus descending into Division 2 along with FC Old Boys Consdorf and bottom club US Mondorf-les-Bains.
- 1998 / Champions in Division 2 Group 1, 8 points ahead of closest followers FC Egalité Weimerskirch, FC Minerva Lintgen manages an immediate return to Division 1. The successful coach is J. Vosman.
- 2003 / Champions in Division 1 Group 1, 3 points ahead of closest rivals FC Kehlen, FC Minerva Lintgen accedes to Promotion d’Honneur – heralding a return to the antechamber of Luxembourg’s football pyramid after an absence of 47 years. The successful coach is Heng Hoffmann.
- 2004 / Finishing bottom of the table in Promotion d’Honneur with coach Heng Hoffmann, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Division 1 after just one season, alongside FC Rodange 91 and FC Schifflange 95.
- 2005 / Runaway champions in Division 1 Group 1, 10 points ahead of closest followers FC Jeunesse Canach, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Promotion d’Honneur alongside the aforementioned club and play-off winners AS Colmar-Berg. The successful coach is Heng Hoffmann.
- 2006 / Coached by Romain Schreiner, who replaced Heng Hoffmann in the course of the season, FC Minerva Lintgen finishes in second-last place in Promotion d’Honneur, thus dropping back into Division 1, along with bottom club AS Colmar-Berg.
- 2007 / Champions in Division 1 Group 2, 7 points ahead of closest followers FC Blue Boys Muhlenbach, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Promotion d’Honneur for the third time in four years. The successful coach is Gast Ottelé, who replaced Romain Schreiner in the course of the season.
- 2010 / Finishing in second-last place in Promotion d’Honneur, FC Minerva Lintgen saves its skin in a promotion-relegation play-off against US Sandweiler (1-0). Also in 2010, with a completely new clubhouse being constructed in Lintgen, along with an indoor hall and other facilities, the club plays most of its home matches of the 2010-11 season as groundsharers with FC Lorentzweiler at the ground of that club at Rue de Hünsdorf.
- 2011 / Finishing bottom of the table in Promotion d’Honneur, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Division 1, along with SC Steinfort, FC Green Boys 77 Harlange-Tarchamps, and FC Avenir Beggen. In the summer of 2011, the striking multi-tiered new clubhouse of FC Minerva Lintgen at Stade Jean Donnersbach is inaugurated, with the club thus returning to its home ground. That same year, the training pitch of the ground is laid out anew with a synthetic surface.
- 2013 / The memorial stone honouring Jean Donnersbach as the namesake of the stadium, which had been removed when the renovation works got underway, is put back at the entrance gate of the ground.
- 2014 / Runner-up in Division 1 Group 1, 7 points behind champions FC Mamer 32, FC Minerva Lintgen goes on to defeat FC Alliance Äischdall Hobscheid-Eischen (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out) in a promotion-relegation play-off at Stade Albert Berchem in Kehlen, resulting in the club gaining promotion to Promotion d’Honneur after an absence of three years at that level.
- 2015 / Finishing bottom of the table in Promotion d’Honneur, FC Minerva Lintgen drops back into Division 1 after one season only, along with the club in second-last place, FC Blue Boys Muhlenbach.
- 2017 / Runner-up in Division 1 Group 1, 1 point behind champions FC 72 Erpeldange, FC Minerva Lintgen goes on to suffer defeat against CS Grevenmacher (2-0) in a promotion-relegation play-off at Stade du Camping in Rosport, thus missing out on promotion.
- 2023 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1 Group 1, FC Minerva Lintgen descends into Division 2 along with FC Alliance Äischdall Hobscheid-Eischen and bottom club FC Pratzerthal-Redange.
- 2024 / Finishing in third place in Division 2 Group 1, with an equal number of points as runner-up FC Orania Vianden, but with an inferior goal difference (+60 vs. +54), FC Minerva Lintgen goes on to suffer defeat against FC Jeunesse Gilsdorf (3-1) in a promotion-relegation play-off at Stade Klengbousbierg in Bissen, thus missing out on promotion.
- 2025 / Runaway champions in Division 2 Group 1, 16 points ahead of closest followers AS Rupensia Lusitanos Larochette, FC Minerva Lintgen wins promotion to Division 1 along with the aforementioned club and play-off winners AS Wincrange. Moreover, the club also has its best-ever cup run, reaching the quarterfinals following successive wins over US Boevange-sur-Attert, FC Atert Bissen, Daring Club Echternach, and FC The Belval Belvaux, going on to be knocked out by top flight club RFCU Luxembourg (0-4).
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