Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde

Sportcomplex De Kuip, Glabbeek Zuurbemde (KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

19 IX 2026 / KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde - FC Geetbets 7-2 / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 4F (= BE level 9)

Timeline

1940 / Foundation of a football club in Zuurbemde, a hamlet which is part of the municipality of Glabbeek, situated halfway between Diest and Tienen in the Province of Brabant (modern-day Flemish Brabant). The club takes on the striking name Maanschotters Zuurbemde, acquiring membership of the Belgian FA (URBSFA / KBVB) with registration number 2927. It is unclear where the pitch of this club was situated.
1941 / Having joined the Belgian FA in December 1940, it is only in mid-1941 that Maanschotters Zuurbemde starts its life as a competitive club in Brabant’s Regional League 3 (3e Gewestelijke).
1943 / Maanschotters Zuurbemde wins the title in Brabant’s Regional League 3A, but the club did not field a first team in the following season in Regional League 2. That same year, in the village of Glabbeek proper, a football club sees the daylight as well, Sporting Club (SC) Glabbeek, which joins the Belgian FA with registration number 3789 and taking its place in Regional League 3 along with the returning Maanschotters Zuurbemde. It is unclear where the pitch of SC Glabbeek was situated.
1944 / Having taken part in Brabant’s Regional League 3D for one season only, SC Glabbeek withdraws from competitive football.
1945 / Maanschotters Zuurbemde withdraws from Brabant’s Regional League 3 after the 1944-45 season.
1947 / Registration number 2927 and 3789 of Maanschotters Zuurbemde and SC Glabbeek are struck from the Belgian FA’s membership list after several years of inactivity in terms of football in the municipality of Glabbeek. According to one source, both clubs merged to become VE (Vrij Eendracht?) Glabbeek-Zuurbemde, but the Belgian FA was not joined and no other source material supports the case for the existence of this club.
1954 / Foundation of a new club in Glabbeek and Zuurbemde, which takes on the name Vliegende Zwaluwen (VZ) Glabbeek-Zuurbemde. The striking name derives from the numerous swallows that typically perch on the high-voltage power line running diagonally above the pitch, situated in a pit at Tiensesteenweg in Zuurbemde – still the main pitch of the club today, Sportcomplex De Kuip. Felix Van Reeth becomes the new club’s first chairman.
1955 / Acquiring registration number 5806 upon being allowed into the Belgian FA in January 1955, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde is placed in Brabant’s Provincial League 3E in the 1955-56 season.
1959 / Tying for first place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3C with Mena Okselaar, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde meets this club in a tie-break match, played in Rillaar – possibly Terrein Diestsesteenweg of Rillaar Sport – in which Glabbeek conquers the title following a 4-1 win. As such, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time.
1960 / In the best season in club history, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde finishes in thirteenth place in Brabant’s Provincial League 2B, thus staving off relegation.
1961 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 2B, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde drops back into Provincial League 3 after two seasons.
1968 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3A, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbeemde descends into Provincial League 4 – created in 1965 as the bottom level of Brabant’s provincial pyramid – for the first time.
1972 / A new clubhouse is inaugurated at Sportcomplex De Kuip.
1974 / Runner-up in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde goes on to win the promotion play-offs, thus managing a return to Provincial League 3 after a six-year gap.
1976 / The clubhouse at Sportcomplex De Kuip is renovated and extended.
1979 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3A, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbeemde drops back into Provincial League 4.
1986 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F without suffering a single defeat all season, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde wins promotion to Provincial League 3.
1991 / Coached by J.P. Brees and H. Giedts, who took over from N. Depotter in the course of the season, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde finishes bottom of the table in Brabant’s Provincial League 3A, thus descending into Provincial League 4 again after five years.
1993 / Finishing in second place in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde goes on to meet P4E runner-up FC Etoile Marocaine Wemmel in a promotion tie-breaker, going on to win the encounter (2-1) and thus acceding to Provincial League 3 after a two-year absence. The successful coach is Gilbert Devos.
1995 / Finishing bottom of the table in Brabant’s Provincial League 3A, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde drops back into Provincial League 4.
2003 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, 1 point ahead of closest rivals SC Orsmaal, VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde wins promotion to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is André Noé. That same year, the club concludes a partnership with neighbour club VV Kersbeek, which sees a partial merger of the two clubs’ youth academies.
2004 / With VZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, the club acquires the royal epithet, thus officially becoming Koninklijke Vliegende Zwaluwen (KVZ) Glabbeek-Zuurbemde.
2007 / In the course of the 2007-08 season, match lighting is being installed around the main pitch, with first team matches at Sportcomplex De Kuip usually being held on Saturday evenings henceforth.
2009 / With KVV Kersbeek folding, ceasing all activities, the youth academy partnership with KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbeemde naturally comes to an end after six years.
2017 / Having been a mainstay in Brabant’s Provincial League 3 in the past decade, KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde now clinches the title in Provincial League 3A, 2 points ahead of closest rivals SNA Keiberg, thus acceding to Provincial League 2 after an absence of 56 years at that level.
2018 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 2A, KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde drops back into Provincial League 3 after one season only, along with Sporting Erps-Kwerps, Crossing Vissenaken, and bottom club Union Lovenjoel.
2024 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3D, KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde descends into Provincial League 4 after an absence of 21 years at that level, with the other drop-outs being FC ATO B, KRD Zoutleeuw, and bottom club VC Bekkevoort.
2025 / Champions in Brabant’s Provincial League 4F, 2 points ahead of closest followers Sporting Budingen, KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
2026 / Finishing in second-last place in Brabant’s Provincial League 3D, KVZ Glabbeek-Zuurbemde drops back into Provincial League 4, along with FC Geetbets and bottom club Atlas Linter.