BELGIUM: RUS Pondrôme

Terrain de la Rue du Tombois, Pondrôme (RUS Pondrôme)

Belgium, province: Namur = Namen

30 VIII 2025 / RUS Pondrôme - RS Fernelmont-Hemptinne 2-3 / Namur, Provincial League 1 (= BE level 6)

Timeline

• 1953 / Foundation of a football club in Pondrôme, a village in the vicinity of Beauraing in the southeast of the Province of Namur. The new club takes on the name Union Sportive (US) Pondrôme, acquiring membership of the Belgian Football Association under registration number 5655. The first chairman is the village priest, one of the founding fathers of the club, Fr Corbusier. Starting its life in Namur’s Provincial League 3, the club starts its life on the so-called Terrain du Châtelet at Rue de l’Esclaye, to the north of the village proper.
• ± 1960 / Moving away from the Terrain du Châtelet, US Pondrôme settles on a newly laid-out pitch at Rue du Ban.
• 1978 / Moving away from the Terrain de la Rue du Ban, US Pondrôme settles on a newly laid-out only a stone’s throw away, at Rue du Tombois. A clubhouse is erected at the western end of the pitch.
• 2003 / Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, US Pondrôme obtains the royal epithet, officially changing its name to become Royale Union Sportive (RUS) Pondrôme.
• 2009 / With the first fifty odd years of club history being shrouded in veils – with the certainty, though, that the club never reached higher than Namur’s Provincial League 2 – RUS Pondrôme now finishes in second-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3C, thus descending into Provincial League 4 along with US Thy-le-Château and bottom club ES Gimnée-Mazée.
• 2011 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 4F, 7 points ahead of closest followers R Standard FC Bièvre B, RUS Pondrôme manages a return to Provincial League 3 after two seasons.
• 2012 / Finishing in third-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3C, RUS Pondrôme drops back into Provincial League 4 after just one season, along with JS Anseremmoise and bottom club Bonneville Sport. 
• 2015 / Champions in Namur’s Provincial League 4F, 2 points ahead of runners-up US Beauraing 61 B, RUS Pondrôme wins promotion to Provincial League 3. The successful coach is Adrien Marchal.
• 2016 / The old clubhouse at Rue du Tombois is knocked down and replaced by a new, panoramic canteen with a small covered stand and the dressing rooms below, all on the same side of the ground.
• 2018 / Runners-up in Namur’s Provincial League 3B, 5 points behind champions Entente Dionaise, RUS Pondrôme qualifies for the promotion play-offs, being drawn into a group with RCS Bossièrois and CS Wépionnais B; however, suffering defeat against the former (3-5) and only managing a draw against the latter (1-1), RUS Pondrôme finishes bottom of the group, thus missing out on promotion to Provincial League 2.
• 2019 / Champions in Namur’s Provincial League 3C, 6 points ahead of closest followers FC Achêne and RFC Somzée, RUS Pondrôme wins promotion to Provincial League 2. The successful coach is Pascal Poncelet.
• 2020 / In order to spare its own pitch, known as one of the worst in the Province of Namur, RUS Pondrôme – being given permission by Beauraing’s municipal authorities – moves all its training sessions away from Rue du Tombois, with the A & B teams as well as the U19 training at Complexe Sportif Raymond Belot, the former ground of RFC Winenne, and the remainder of the youth academy holding their midweek training sessions at Terrain de la Rue de Rochefort, the ground of the former JS Focantaise.
• 2023 / Finishing in fourth place in Namur’s Provincial League 2B, RUS Pondrôme qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by ES Petigny-Frasnes (2-4).
• 2024 / Finishing in third place in Namur’s Provincial League 2B, RUS Pondrôme qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eliminates RCS Profondeville in R1 (3-2), only to be eliminated by the same adversaries as the previous year, ES Petigny-Frasnes, in R2 (2-1).
• 2025 / Clinching the title in Namur’s Provincial League 2A, 5 points ahead of closest rivals FC Naninnois, RUS Pondrôme manages a historic promotion to Provincial League 1. The decisive point is clinched in an away match at RCS Profondeville (2-2). The successful coach is Pierre Devuyst.
• 2026 / Finishing bottom of the table in Namur's Provincial League 1, RUS Pondrôme drops back into Provincial League 2 after just one season, along with CS Wépionnais, RFC Rhisnois, and ES Petigny-Frasnes. 

Note 1 – Thanks to Jacky Piérard, chairman of RUS Pondrôme since 1995, for essential parts of information included in the article above.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-5 = non-matchday visit, July 2025 / pictures 6-23 = match visit, August 2025.

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

BELGIUM: R Wanze Sports (C) (2005-2013) / RJS Bas-Oha (C) (2005-2013) / RES Wanze-Bas-Oha (C) (2013-)

École des Jeunes Footballeurs de l'Entité de Wanze (EJFEW) - Rue de Leumont terr. 4, Antheit (C ground of RES Wanze-Bas-Oha, formerly C ground of R Wanze Sports & RJS Bas-Oha)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

30 VIII 2025 / RES Wanze-Bas-Oha U19 - R Union Flémalloise U19 1-0 / Liège, Provincial U19 Group A

Timeline

• 1946 / Foundation of a football club in Antheit, a village in the western part of the Province of Liège. The new club takes on the name FC Antheit, acquiring membership of Belgium’s FA with registration number 4495. It is not improbable that FC Antheit played its football on a pitch at Rue de la Hachelette from the outset. 
• 1981 / Having spent its entire existence in the lower reaches of Liège’s provincial divisions, FC Antheit concludes a merger with neighbour club Vinalmont FC, resulting in the foundation of Union 81 FC, which retains Antheit’s registration number 4495; Vinalmont’s number 2988 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. All activities move to Rue de la Hachelette in Antheit, with the ground at Rue Charles Frère in Vinalmont being abandoned.
• 1987 / Moving away from Rue de la Hachelette, Union 81 FC settles at a newly laid-out ground at Rue de Leumont, situated halfway between Antheit and Wanze. A small covered stand is constructed between the two pitches of the ground.
• 2005 / Works get underway to create a municipal youth academy ground at Rue de Leumont in Antheit. As a result of the works, Union 81 FC concludes a groundsharing agreement with RJS Bas-Oha, allowing the club to play its home matches at Stade Louis Manne in Bas-Oha for the duration of the works. With the number of pitches at the ground being extended from two to five (!), of which four (Terrain 1, Terrain 2, Terrain 4, and Terrain 5) sport a small covered stand, the new facility, rebaptised Ecole des Jeunes Footballeurs de l’Entité de Wanze (EJFEW), is officially inaugurated on November 16, 2005. The new clubhouse has been constructed following a design by architect Benoit Voneche. With no first team football being played at this facility, it became the home of the youth academies of RJS Bas-Oha and R Wanze Sports.
• 2006 / After one year of groundsharing at Stade Louis Manne, Union 81 FC is absorbed into RJS Bas-Oha. Union’s registration number 4495 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. 
• 2013 / Having spent its last two seasons as an independent club in Liège’s Provincial League 3, R Wanze Sports concludes a merger with RJS Bas-Oha, the club with which it had shared the youth academy facilities in Antheit since 2005. The merger results in the foundation of Royale Entente Sportive (RES) Wanze-Bas-Oha, which retains Bas-Oha’s registration number 1654; Wanze’s number 4496 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. The ground of Wanze Sports at Chaussée de Wavre in Wanze is abandoned forthwith, with the location being redeveloped for the construction of a retirement home, Résidence Les Avelines. First team football moves to Stade Louis Manne in Bas-Oha, while the youth academy ground in Antheit remains in use for lower team football and training sessions. However, Terrain 1 (pitch 1) of the ground, i.e. the former main pitch of Union 81 FC, has been rarely in use for competitive football since, with most youth matches being played on Terrains 2, 4, and 5.

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

BELGIUM: Union 81 FC (1987-2005) / R Wanze Sports (B) (2005-2013) / RJS Bas-Oha (B) (2005-2013) / RES Wanze-Bas-Oha (B) (2013-)

École des Jeunes Footballeurs de l'Entité de Wanze (EJFEW) - Rue de Leumont terr. 1, Antheit (B ground of RES Wanze-Bas-Oha, formerly Union 81 FC / B ground of R Wanze Sports & RJS Bas-Oha)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

August 2025 / no match visited

Timeline

• 1929 / Foundation of a football club in Vinalmont, a village in the western part of the Province of Liège. The new club takes on the name Vinalmont FC, acquiring registration number 1509 upon joining Belgium’s Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB). It is unclear where this club’s pitch was situated.
• 1932 / After three years in Liège’s regional divisions, Vinalmont FC withdraws from first team football.
• 1933 / After one year of inactivity, Vinalmont FC’s registration number 1509 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists, marking the official end of the club.
• 1940 / Refoundation of Vinalmont FC. It is unclear if the club played its football at Rue Charles Frère from the outset.
• 1941 / One year after its re-establishment, Vinalmont FC is admitted as a new Belgian FA member club under a new registration number, 2988.
• 1946 / Foundation of a football club in Antheit, a village immediately to the south of Vinalmont. The new club takes on the name FC Antheit, acquiring membership of Belgium’s FA with registration number 4495. It is not improbable that FC Antheit played its football on a pitch at Rue de la Hachelette from the outset. That same year, a club is founded in another village in the region, Wanze, as well, with this new club, Wanze Sports, acquiring registration number 4496. It is unclear if Wanze Sports played its football on the pitch at Chaussée de Wavre from the foundation onwards.
• 1981 / Having spent their entire existence in the lower reaches of Liège’s provincial divisions, Vinalmont FC and FC Antheit conclude a merger, resulting in the foundation of Union 81 FC, which retains Antheit’s registration number 4495; Vinalmont’s number 2988 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. All activities move to Rue de la Hachelette in Antheit, with the ground at Rue Charles Frère in Vinalmont being abandoned.
• 1987 / Moving away from Rue de la Hachelette, Union 81 FC settles at a newly laid-out ground at Rue de Leumont, situated halfway between Antheit and Wanze. A small covered stand is constructed between the two pitches of the ground.
• 1996 / At Chaussée de Wavre, Wanze Sports celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, with the club taking on the royal epithet and officially becoming Royal Wanze Sports.
• 2005 / Works get underway to create a municipal youth academy ground at Rue de Leumont in Antheit. As a result of the works, Union 81 FC concludes a groundsharing agreement with RJS Bas-Oha, allowing the club to play its home matches at Stade Louis Manne in Bas-Oha for the duration of the works. With the number of pitches at the ground being extended from two to five (!), of which four (Terrain 1, Terrain 2, Terrain 4, and Terrain 5) sport a small covered stand, the new facility, rebaptised Ecole des Jeunes Footballeurs de l’Entité de Wanze (EJFEW), is officially inaugurated on November 16, 2005. The new clubhouse has been constructed following a design by architect Benoit Voneche. With no first team football being played at this facility, it became the home of the youth academies of RJS Bas-Oha and R Wanze Sports.
• 2006 / After one year of groundsharing at Stade Louis Manne, Union 81 FC is absorbed into RJS Bas-Oha. Union’s registration number 4495 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. 
• 2013 / Having spent its last two seasons as an independent club in Liège’s Provincial League 3, R Wanze Sports concludes a merger with RJS Bas-Oha, the club with which it had shared the youth academy facilities in Antheit since 2005. The merger results in the foundation of Royale Entente Sportive (RES) Wanze-Bas-Oha, which retains Bas-Oha’s registration number 1654; Wanze’s number 4496 is erased from the Belgian FA’s official lists. The ground of Wanze Sports at Chaussée de Wavre in Wanze is abandoned forthwith, with the location being redeveloped for the construction of a retirement home, Résidence Les Avelines. First team football moves to Stade Louis Manne in Bas-Oha, while the youth academy ground in Antheit remains in use for lower team football and training sessions. However, Terrain 1 (pitch 1) of the ground has been rarely in use for competitive football since, with most youth matches being played on Terrains 2, 4, and 5.

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

BELGIUM: FC Temploux (1947-1948) / RFC Temploux-Suarlée (1948-)

Terrain de la Rue Commandant Materne, Temploux (RFC Temploux-Suarlée, formerly FC Temploux)

Belgium, province: Namur = Namen

24 VIII 2025 / RFC Temploux-Suarlée - ES Boninne 0-1 / Namur, Provincial League 3B (= BE level 8)

Timeline

• 1948 / Foundation of a football club in Temploux, a village in the Province of Namur, halfway between the capital and the border with Hainaut. The new club, which is given the simple and straightforward name FC Temploux, acquires membership of the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) with registration number 4911. The club, nicknamed ‘Les Aviateurs’ due to the Namur-Suarlée Airfield being situated within the village borders – settles on a pitch situated at Rue Commandant Materne, where it has been home ever since.
• 1949 / FC Temploux changes its name, becoming FC Temploux-Suarlée.
• ± 1960 / Allegedly – unfortunately, the club’s early history has been poorly documented – FC Temploux-Suarlée had a spell in Namur’s Provincial League 1 in the late 1950s and early 1960s, never reaching a higher level in subsequent years.
• 1999 / One year after the club’s fiftieth anniversary, FC Temploux-Suarlée obtains the royal epithet, thus officially adapting its name to become Royal Football Club (RFC) Temploux-Suarlée.
• 2010 / Finishing in second-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 2A, RFC Temploux-Suarlée descends into Provincial League 3 along with RFC Natoye and bottom club RWA Sauvenière.
• 2011 / Finishing in second-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3A, RFC Temploux-Suarlée suffers back-to-back relegations, being retrograded into Provincial League 4 along with FC Andoy-Wierde and bottom club REFC Evelette-Jallet.
• 2012 / Champions in Namur’s Provincial League 4B, 4 points ahead of runners-up R Gembloux Sport B, RFC Temploux-Suarlée manages an immediate return to Provincial League 3.
• 2017 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Namur’s Provincial League 3A, RFC Temploux-Suarlée saves its skin in a relegation play-off group against FC Ligny B and RCS Hastièrois, losing its away match against the former (3-1), but managing a win against the latter (3-0) – as a result of which it stays up along with Ligny B at the expense of Hastière.
• 2019 / Managing its best season in years, RFC Temploux-Suarlée finishes in third place in Namur’s Provincial League 3A, ultimately failing to retrace its steps to Provincial League 2 in the play-offs.
• 2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short due to the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, RFC Temploux-Suarlée finds itself in third-last place in Namur’s Provincial League 3B after nineteen of 28 matches. On that basis, the club is retrograded into Provincial League 4 along with FCO Namur B and RAEC Sclayn – with the latter already having withdrawn from the league in its early stages in 2019.
• 2023 / Runaway champions in Namur’s Provincial League 4B, 14 points ahead of closest followers ES Jamboise B, RFC Temploux-Suarlée manages a return to Provincial League 3 after an absence of three seasons.
• 2026 / Finishing in thirteenth place in Namur's Provincial League 3B, RFC Temploux-Suarlée saves its skin in the relegation play-offs against RES Philippeville B and RCS Onhaye B, with the former failing to show up and thus voluntarily taking the last and only relegation place in the play-off.

Note – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-4 = non-matchday visit, April 2022 / pictures 5-23 = match visit, August 2025.

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