BELGIUM: FC Testelt (± 1960-± 1965)

Terrein Nieuwstraat, Testelt (formerly FC Testelt)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant

March 2023 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1940 / Foundation of FC Sportkring (SK) Testelt, which joins Belgium's Football Association under matricule 2870. It is unknown where this club's pitch was situated - most probably at a location south of Nieuwstraat, Terrein De Weefberg - the future birthplace of FC Testelt (in 1950). 
• 1943 / Having taken part in just one season of Brabant's regional divisions, FC SK Testelt folds, ceasing all activities. Matricule 2870 is erased from the Belgian FA's official lists.
• 1950 / Foundation of a new football club in Testelt, FC Testelt, which joins Belgium's FA under matricule 5377. The club's first ground is situated at Nieuwstraat, Terrein De Weefberg - possibly also the ground where FC SK Testelt played its football in the war years. The first decade of club history has been poorly documented, but it is clear FC Testelt played a modest role in Brabant's Provincial League 3 all through the 1950s - with the club even failing to field a first team in the 1952-53 season.
• ± 1960 / It is unclear in which year FC Testelt moved from its initial pitch near Café De Weefberg to a newly laid-out ground to the north of Nieuwstraat, but the move must have happened some time around 1960. The old ground is removed to make way for housing; one of the streets running across the old pitch is given the apt name 'Sportstraat'.
• 1964 / Winning the title in Brabant's Provincial League 3A, FC Testelt manages the first promotion in club history, acceding to Provincial League 2.
• ± 1965 / Again the exact year is unclear, but some time in the mid-1960s, FC Testelt must have moved away from Nieuwstraat to settle at a new pitch at Hollestraat. The pitch at Nieuwstraat remained in use by various recreational football teams, VCL Testelt and lastly FC Scouts Testelt, well into the 20th century before being taken over by a local horse farmer.
• 1978 / Abandoning Terrein Hollestraat, FC Testelt settles at a new ground at Nieuwstraat, only several dozens of yards west of the initial Terrein Nieuwstraat. This new ground is renamed Paul Verdonckstadion in 1996.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

BELGIUM: KSK Beveren (B) (± 1992-2010) / KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren (C) (2010-2018) / Yellow Blue Beveren (2012-2017) / KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren (B) (2018-2022) / YBSK Beveren (2017-2020) / SK Beveren (2020-2022) / KSK Beveren (2022-) / SK Beveren (B) (2022-)

Freethielstadion terrein 7 "Lions Park", Beveren (KSK Beveren, formerly Yellow Blue Beveren / YBSK Beveren / SK Beveren)

Belgium, province: East Flanders

18 III 2023 / KSK Beveren - KSK Vlaamse Ardennen 1-3 / East Flanders, Provincial League 1 (= BE level 6)

Timeline

• 1935 / Voetbalclub Sportkring (VC SK) Beveren, founded in 1934, joins Belgium's Football Association under matricule 2300 and a slightly adapted name, SK Beveren-Waes. The club starts its life in East Flanders' regional leagues at Terrein Kasteelberg, near Chateau Hof ter Saksen, yet moving to a pitch in the shadow of the local velodrome, the so-called Freethielstadion, soon after.
• 1938 / SK Beveren-Waes is allowed to move its activities to the Freethielstadion proper, which is turned into a football ground. From the 1960s onwards, with the club successfully climbing the leagues to become one of the top sides in Belgium in the 1970s and 1980s, the stadium is extended to a capacity of some 20,000.
• 1978 / SK Beveren-Waes, meanwhile up in National Division 1, changes its name to become SK Beveren.
• 1984 / Celebrating its 50th anniversary, SK Beveren acquires the royal epithet to become Koninklijke Sportkring (KSK) Beveren. 
• ± 1992 / On KSK Beveren's side pitches, which had been in place to the immediate west of De Freethiel since the 1930s, a new pitch is laid out for the purpose of hosting the club's reserves' matches. With dressing rooms and a small stand being added to the set-up, this 'pitch 7' in reality is the club's first side-pitch from then on.
• 2010 / Due to heavy financial difficulties, KSK Beveren's club president Dirk Verelst sees no other option but to cease activities. Although no official merger takes place, D2 rival KV Red Star Waasland from nearby Sint-Niklaas (matricule 4068) takes on the diffuse name KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren, moving its first team football to De Freethiel, with Waasland's own Stadion Puyenbeke remaining in use for lower team football - most notably reserves' matches. Matricule 2300 is preserved, though, with KSK Beveren youth academy sides as well as a women's team continuing life on the side-pitches of De Freethiel.
• 2011 / KSK Beveren's youth academy is taken over by KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren, with just the women's team continuing under the old name and matricule. At the same time, a group of disgruntled KSK Beveren supporters takes the decision to found a club of its own, Yellow Blue Beveren (matricule 9577); the new, fan-owned club starts its life at the very bottom of the league ladder, in East Flanders' Provincial League 4. With no permission to play at De Freethiel or one of its side-pitches being granted, YB Beveren plays its home matches on one of the side-pitches of SK Sint-Niklaas' ground at Meesterstraat in Niewkerken-Waas. Also in 2011, a new clubhouse is inaugurated at De Freethiel's pitch 7 for the benefit of Waasland-Beveren's youth academy.
• 2012 / Yellow Blue Beveren is given permission to move its first team football to De Freethiel's pitch 7, nicknamed 'Lions Park'.
• 2013 / Finishing in 4th place in P4E, Yellow Blue Beveren qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which it defeats VV Wippelgem Sport, marking the first tangible success in the young club's history.
• 2014 / Finishing last in Provincial League 3E, Yellow Blue Beveren drops back into P4.
• 2015 / Having finished in second place in the regular season in P4E, Yellow Blue Beveren wins its promotion play-off away at KOFC Rupelmonde (0-5) to return to Provincial League 3.
• 2017 / Clinching the title in Provincial League 3E with a one-point advantage over KV Sint-Gillis, Yellow Blue Beveren accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time. In spite of heavy resistance from Waasland-Beveren, Yellow Blue Beveren wins a court case over its plans to take on the name Yellow Blue Supporterskring (YB SK) Beveren.
• 2018 / YB SK Beveren finishes 15th in Provincial League 2C, thus suffering relegation to P3 along with KFC Moerbeke and SV Zaffelare. Meanwhile, Waasland-Beveren abandons its B ground, Stedelijk Sportstadion Puyenbeke in Sint-Niklaas, which is eventually knocked down in the summer of 2022. All activities are moved to Beveren's Freethielstadion and its side-pitches. Also in 2018, YB SK Beveren and women's club KSK Beveren (the near-dormant matricule 2300) make known their intentions to conclude a merger - but because this would entail a first team football team using the name KSK Beveren again, something which had been explicitly forbidden in an agreement between KSK Beveren and KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren in 2011, the latter club takes the case to Belgium's official court for sports' cases. The case takes until mid-2019, with the court judging in favour of Waasland-Beveren's viewpoint. A new attempt by YB SK Beveren to merge with KSK Beveren by beginning a civil court case the following year also fails. 
• 2019 / YB SK Beveren wins the title in Provincial League 3E with an advantage of 9 points over closest followers KSK Kallo, thus winning promotion to Provincial League 2.
• 2020 / Yellow Blue SK Beveren changes its name to become Supporterskring (SK) Beveren.
• 2022 / After KV Red Star Waasland-SK Beveren was taken over by an American investor, Antoine Gobin, in the fall of 2021, conciliatory talks were held between Waasland-Beveren and YB SK Beveren, resulting in Waasland-Beveren being allowed to take on the name SK Beveren; and in the professional league club giving up its resistance against the merger between YB SK Beveren and KSK Beveren. With YBSK Beveren and KSK Beveren officially merging to become Koninklijke Sportkring (KSK) Beveren (with matricule 2300 being retained), this new merger club starts its life in East Flanders' Provincial League 1 due to YB SK Beveren having won the Provincial League 2C title in the 2021-22 season after a closely fought contest with derby rivals HRS Haasdonk. Although KSK Beveren continues to play its football at De Freethiel's pitch 7, the club is allowed to move its top fixtures to the stadium proper - the first occasion being the derby encounter with KVK Svelta Melsele in September 2022, attended by some 1,300 supporters.
• 2024 / Finishing in fourth place in East Flanders' Provincial League 1, KSK Beveren qualifies for the Interprovincial play-offs for a spot in VFV Amateur Division 3, being eliminated in R1 by KVV Weerstand Koersel (1-2).
• 2025 / Finishing in third place in East Flanders' Provincial League 1, KSK Beveren qualifies for the Interprovincial play-offs for the second year running, but again suffers elimination in R1, this time at the hands of KFC Wambeek-Ternat (1-2).
• 2026 / Finishing in sixth place in East Flanders' Provincial League 1, KSK Beveren qualifies for the Interprovincial play-offs for the third year running, but, in a repeat of the events of the previous seasons, the club bows out in R1, this time against K Kontich FC (1-2).

Note 1 - Thanks to KSK Beveren's board member Robin Beck for providing parts of the information above (2023).

Note 2 - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-6 = non-matchday visit, December 2022 / pictures 7-21 = match visit, March 2023.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author

BELGIUM: Sporting Eizeringen

Terrein Georges Sterckx, Eizeringen (Sporting Eizeringen)

Belgium, province: Flemish Brabant = Vlaams Brabant

18 III 2023 / Sporting Eizeringen - KFC Avenir Lembeek 2-4 / Brabant, VFV Provincial League 3A (= BE level 8)

Timeline

• 1971 / Foundation of Sporting Eizeringen upon the initiative of two locals, Jamain De Vos and Hubert Borremans. Joining Belgium's Football Association under matricule 7579, the club starts its life in Brabant's Provincial League 4B at Terrein Dolf Dekens, a pitch rented from a local farmer.
• 1972 / Abandoning Terrein Dolf Dekens after just one year, Sporting Eizeringen settles at a plot of land belonging to another local farmer, Georges Sterckx, situated at the crossroads of Eizeringenstraat and Molenstraat. A clubhouse and dressing rooms are constructed (in fact the buildings shown in the photos below).
• 1976 / Winning the title in Brabant's Provincial League 4B, Sporting Eizeringen accedes to Provincial League 3 for the first time.
• 1997 / Having played in P3 for 21 consecutive years, the club finishes in second-last place in Brabant's Provincial League 3F, thus dropping back into the bottom division of the provincial league system.
• 1999 / After a second-place finish in  Brabant's Provincial League 4D, Sporting Eizeringen returns to Provincial League 3 - it is unclear if the club had to go through a series of play-offs to attain the higher division.
• 2004 / Clinching the title in Brabant's Provincial League 3F, Eizeringen attains the Provincial League 2 level for the first time in club history.
• 2009 / Although finishing only in 10th place in Brabant's Provincial League 2C, Sporting Eizeringen qualifies for the promotion play-offs for a place in Provincial League 1 for the first time - though without the hoped-for result.
• 2011 / Sporting Eizeringen has the best season in club history, finishing in an impressive second place in Brabant's Provincial League 2C, yet with a staggering 13 points behind champions FC Pepingen. Qualifying for the promotion play-offs again, Eizeringen is eliminated in a group with RUS Rebecquoise and VS Kortenaken.
• 2014 / Having lost the last 11 matches in a row, Sporting Eizeringen finishes dead-last in Brabant's Provincial League 2C, thus suffering relegation back into Provincial League 3 after ten years.
• 2023 / Following nine years in Provincial League 3, Sporting Eizeringen drops back into Provincial League 4 for the first time since the turn of the century - finishing in second-last place in Brabant's VFV Provincial League 3A, and with KFC Avenir Lembeek and KFC Rhodienne-De Hoek B being the other clubs dropping out.
• 2024 / Finishing in third place in Brabant's VFV Provincial League 4A, Sporting Eizeringen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, defeating Stormvogels Haasrode B in R1 (3-0), only to be eliminated by KFC Avenir Lembeek in R2 (2-0).
• 2025 / Finishing in third place in Brabant's VFV Provincial League 4A, Sporting Eizeringen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by KV Tervuren-Duisburg B (3-2).
• 2026 / Runner-up in Brabant's VFV Provincial League 4A, 4 points behind champions SK Oetingen VC B, Sporting Eizeringen qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out SK Laar in R1 (3-2), only to suffer defeat in the final against KV Tervuren-Duisburg B (0-2).

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author