Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: FC Rumois (1973-1996) / FC Rumes-La Glanerie (1996-)

Stade Jules Vanderhaegen, Rumes (FC Rumes-La Glanerie, formerly FC Rumois)

Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen

4 VIII 2026 / FC Rumes-La Glanerie - FC Béclers 2-3 / Pre-season friendly

Timeline

1968 / Foundation of a recreational football club in La Glanerie, a hamlet to the south of Tournay (Tournai, Doornik), right on the Belgian border with France, with the new club taking on the name FC La Glanerie. A pitch is laid out at Rue des Combattants on a plot of land put at the club’s disposal by a local smallholder, Jules Bodart – with the ground henceforth bearing the name Stade Jules Bodart as a result. Not joining the Belgian FA (URBSFA / KBVB), FC La Glanerie successfully applies for membership of the so-called Entente Terrienne, a recreational league of clubs from the wider Tournay and Ath region.
1973 / After five years in the Entente Terrienne, FC La Glanerie takes the leap to the official Belgian FA, acquiring membership under registration number 7998; for the 1973-74 season, the club is placed in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A. Meanwhile, in the adjacent village of Rumes, a new club sees the daylight, FC Rumois, with Bernard Bachy and Jean-Michel Graveline being the founding fathers. Guy Montois becomes the new club’s first chairman. For the 1973-74 season, FC Rumois joins the Entente Terrienne. A pitch is laid out for FC Rumois at Rue des Déportés, on a plot land put at the club’s disposal by a local smallholder, Jules Vanderhaegen – with the ground henceforth bearing the name Stade Jules Vanderhaegen. A makeshift clubhouse and dressing rooms are erected in wood. Quirkily, the grounds of FC La Glanerie and the newly founded FC Rumois are situated at a distance of no more than 500 metres and on the same road.
1974 / After one season in the Entente Terrienne, FC Rumois follows FC La Glanerie into the Belgian FA, acquiring membership with registration number 8125 and being placed in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4, where it meets its (new) derby rivals.
1975 / A new clubhouse in stone is erected at the Stade Jules Vanderhaegen in Rumes – the construction still in use today.
1981 / In the best season in club history, otherwise marked by a noticeable lack of success, FC La Glanerie finishes in third place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A behind champions SC Néchin and runner-up FC Résidence Lamain.
1983 / FC Rumois finishes as runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 5 points behind champions FC Hollain.
1987 / FC Rumois finishes as runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B, 1 point behind champions RUS Leuzoise.
1994 / FC Rumois and FC La Glanerie are both in contention for the title in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, with the former eventually finishing as runner-up, 1 point behind champions OC Warcoing, and FC La Glanerie having to settle for third place, 1 point behind their derby rivals – thereby equalling the best result in club history from 1981 – FC Rumois goes on to win promotion to Provincial League 3 directly, due to extra promotion places being available.
1996 / In their last seasons as independent clubs, FC Rumois and FC La Glanerie finish in a fourteenth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A and a fifteenth place in Provincial League 4A respectively. Following the 1995-96 season, a merger is concluded between the two, resulting in the foundation of FC Rumes-La Glanerie, which retains the registration number of FC Rumois, 8125; number 7998 of FC La Glanerie is struck from the Belgian FA’s official lists. All activities move to Stade Jules Vanderhaegen in Rumes, with Stade Jules Bodart in La Glanerie being abandoned – and turned into a plot of farmland again in subsequent years. For the 1996-97, FC Rumes-La Glanerie takes the place of FC Rumois in Provincial League 3.
1999 / Finishing bottom of the table in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, FC Rumes-La Glanerie descends into Provincial League 4 alongside FC Etoile d’Ère.
2003 / Champions in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 6 points ahead of runner-up FC Molenbaix, FC Rumes-La Glanerie manages a return to Provincial League 3 after a four-year absence.
2009 / Finishing in joint fourteenth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A with RA Leuze-Lignette, FC Rumes-La Glanerie goes on to suffer defeat in a tie-break match against the club from Pipaix, thus descending into Provincial League 4 alongside bottom club JES Velaines.
2019 / Runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B, 16 points behind runaway champions FC Ellezellois, FC Rumes-La Glanerie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club suffers defeat in R1 against CS Lensois (3-1).
2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, FC Rumes-La Glanerie finds itself in second place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, 4 points behind Entente Velaines Enclusienne; on that basis, Velaines wins promotion, with Rumes being unable to capitalise on its ranking to attempt to reach Provincial League 3 via the play-offs.
2022 / Runner-up in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4B along with RA Leuze-Lignette, 3 points behind champions RFC Hérinnes, FC Rumes-La Glanerie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out ES Mominoise in R1 (4-1), bowing out in R2 against RLC Givry (0-2).
2023 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A, FC Rumes-La Glanerie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club successively eliminates RACS Couillet (2-3) and RUS Flobecquoise (0-3) in the first two rounds, going on to suffer defeat in R3 against RFC Baulet (2-3). Due to an extra promotion place being at stake, Rumes gets a second go in a lucky loser play-off, but without success – bowing out in the semis against Carolo Football Charleroi (1-4).
2024 / Finishing in joint first place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4A with FC Saint-Jean Tournai, FC Rumes-La Glanerie goes on to defeat the club from Orcq in a tie-break match for the title (4-1). As such, promotion to Provincial League 3 is achieved.
2025 / Finishing in fifth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A, FC Rumes-La Glanerie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is defeated in R1 by RFCE Maurage (2-4).
2026 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 3A – incidentally the best result in club history – FC Rumes-La Glanerie qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club bows out in R1 against RFC Thulin (1-0).

Note 1 – Thanks to FC Rumois co-founder Bernard Bachy for providing essential parts of information included in the article above.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-7 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 8-29 = match visit, August 2026.