Belgium, province: Liège = Luik
13 VIII 2026 / R Sprimont Banneux B - RFC Seraing U21 2-1 / Pre-season friendly
Timeline
- 1927 / In Oneux, a village situated halfway between Comblain-au-Pont and Aywaille in the southern half of the Province of Liège, a football club is founded, which takes on the name Espérance FC Oneux. It is improbable that this club played its football on the pitch at Parc Saint-Martin in Comblain-au-Pont from the outset, but any information regarding the matter is missing.
- 1928 / One year after its foundation, Espérance FC Oneux joins the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB), acquiring registration number 1248. Earlier that same year, a new football club had also seen the daylight in the nearby village of Poulseur; this club takes on the name Etoile FC Poulseur, acquiring registration number 1230 upon joining the Belgian Football Association. It is unclear where the ground of this club was situated – it may have been the Site de la Gombe, on the location of a former stone quarry, but any proof is missing.
- 1936 / After an existence of eight years, Etoile FC Poulseur folds, ceasing all activities; registration number 1230 is erased from the membership list of the Belgian FA.
- 1938 / Having remained inactive for two years, the board of Etoile FC Poulseur re-establishes the dormant club, concluding a merger agreement with another local club which was a member of the Fédération Socialiste de Football (FSF), resulting in the foundation of Poulseur FC, which joins the Belgian FA with registration number 2659. Yet again, it is unclear if this club played at the Site de la Gombe from the outset, but this may well have been the case.
- 1956 / Obtaining the royal epithet, Espérance FC Oneux officially changes its name to become Royale Espérance FC (REFC) Oneux. Nothing is known about the post-war performance of this club, which never reached the national divisions.
- 1972 / With further data regarding the club’s performances lacking altogether, it is clear that Poulseur FC played in Liège’s Provincial League 1 in the 1972-73 season, managing a thirteenth place in the final ranking.
- 1988 / Poulseur FC acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Royal Poulseur Football Club – abbreviated as R Poulseur FC.
- 1989 / A merger is concluded between R Espérance FC Oneux and R Poulseur FC, resulting in the foundation of R Comblain Sport, which retains Oneux’s registration number 1248; number 2659 of Poulseur FC is erased from the Belgian FA’s membership list. Most probably, following the merger, all activities moved to the Site de la Gombe in Poulseur, with the ground of Oneux, the Parc Saint-Martin in Comblain-au-Pont, being abandoned.
- 1995 / Runner-up in Liège’s Provincial League 1 behind champions RFC Union La Calamine, R Comblain Sport qualifies for the promotion play-offs, going on to win the Liège play-offs, but suffering defeat in R1 of the interprovincial play-offs against RUS Andenne-Seilles (4-2).
- 1996 / R Comblain Sport clinches the title in Liège’s Provincial League 1, 6 points ahead of runner-up R Entente Racing Club Amay; as such, the club manages an unprecedented promotion to National Division 4.
- 1997 / In the best season in club history, R Comblain Sport manages an eighth place in National Division 4D.
- 1998 / Finishing in ninth place in National Division 4D, R Comblain Sport qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against derby rivals R Sprimont Sports (1-1 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out).
- 1999 / Finishing in third-last place in National Division 4C, R Comblain Sport drops back into Provincial League 1 after three seasons, along with KSV Mol, R Prayon FC, and bottom club RFC Union La Calamine.
- 2002 / Finishing bottom of the table in Liège’s Provincial League 1, R Comblain Sport descends into Provincial League 2 along with R Couthuin Sports and RFC Warnant. However, following the 2001-02 season, a merger is concluded between R Sprimont Sports and R Comblain Sport, resulting in the foundation of R Sprimont-Comblain Sport, which retains Sprimont’s registration number 260; Comblain’s number 1248 is erased from the Belgian FA’s membership list. Henceforth, first team football is played at the Stade du Tultay in Sprimont, with the merger club’s youth academy finding a place at the Site de la Gombe in Poulseur.
- 2018 / Following the 2017-18 season, a merger is concluded between R Sprimont-Comblain Sport and R Banneux FC, which results in the foundation of Football Comblain Banneux (FCB) Sprimont, which retains Sprimont’s registration number 260; Banneux’s number 1060 is erased from the Belgian FA’s membership list. From now on, the new club disposes of three grounds; the Stade du Tultay in Sprimont for first team football, Stade Georges Radoux in Banneux for the club’s B team in the provincial divisions as well as some training sessions, and the Site de la Gombe in Poulseur for the youth academy.
- 2025 / As FCB Sprimont retrieves its royal epithet, which had been temporarily lost in the 2018 merger for administrative reasons, the club takes on the adapted name R Sprimont Banneux. Also in 2025, due to the state of the pitch of the Stade Georges Radoux in Banneux being deemed unsatisfactory, R Sprimont Banneux B, playing in Liège's Provincial League 2, plays its home matches in the first half of the 2025-26 season at the Site de la Gombe.
- 2026 / As the state of the pitch of Stade Georges Radoux is deemed satisfactory, R Sprimont Banneux B abandons the Site de la Gombe in favour of the ground in Banneux for its home matches in January 2026.
Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-6 = non-matchday visit, May 2025 / pictures 7-22 = match visit, August 2026.
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