Belgium, province: Hainaut = Henegouwen
21 III 2026 / JS Erpion - RFC Boussu-lez-Walcourt 3-1 / Hainaut, Provincial League 4H (= BE level 9)
Timeline
- 1967 / Foundation of a football club in Erpion, a tiny village in the Province of Hainaut halfway between Beaumont, Froidchapelle, and Walcourt. The new club takes on the name Espoir Club (EC) Erpion, with Alfonse François taking on the role of chairman. Acquiring membership of the Belgian Football Association (URBSFA / KBVB) under registration number 7081 in June 1967, the club settles on a pitch laid out on a plot of farmland alongside Rue de Froidchapelle, to the south of the village. In the 1967-68 season, EC Erpion does not take part with a first team in Hainaut’s regular provincial divisions yet.
- 1968 / Moving away from its pitch at Rue de Froidchapelle, EC Erpion moves to a newly laid-out pitch in the heart of the village, at the back of the farmstead of Michel Algoet and his wife Anne-Marie at Rue du Général Galet – the current Ruelle Catton leading to the ground not yet existing at the time. The ground does not dispose of a clubhouse yet, with the players being allowed to use Algoet’s stables as dressing rooms. In the summer of 1968, one year after its foundation, EC Erpion enters a first team in Hainaut’s bottom division, Provincial League 3, for the first time. In the following decades, the club alternates spells in Provincial Leagues 2, 3, and 4.
- ± 2010 / A second pitch is added to the set-up at Erpion’s ground at Ruelle Catton. This second pitch is situated to the east of the main pitch.
- 2015 / Following the 2014-15 season, in an attempt to broaden its appeal to the wider region, the board of EC Erpion decides to rename the club Erpion-Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure (sometimes abbreviated as ELLEH) – named after the artificial lakes to the east of the village, a popular tourist destination.
- 2019 / Works are completed on a synthetic pitch at Ruelle Catton in Erpion, on a location partly overlapping the old second pitch of the ground – but situated slightly to the south of the original layout. On the occasion of the inauguration of this new 3G and its small covered stand, the ground as a whole is renamed Stade Michel & Anne-Marie Algoet in recognition of the farming couple, who had put part of their farmland at the club’s disposal in 1968. From the 2019-20 season, first team football is moved to this new Terrain 2 – as well as most lower team matches – with the old grass pitch, Terrain 1, remaining in use for lower team football and training sessions.
- 2022 / Foundation of a second football club in Erpion, Jeunesse Sportive (JS) Erpion, which acquires membership of Belgium’s FA under registration number 9779. The new entity is created under the wings of Erpion-Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure to allow more senior players to engage in first team football. JS Erpion’s first team is placed in Hainaut’s Provincial League 4, playing its home matches on the synthetic pitch, i.e. Terrain 2.
- 2024 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2C, Erpion-Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out RAEC Mons B in R1 (2-3) and RUE Estinnoise in R2 (3-1), thus qualifying for the final round, a three-way competition against FC Snef and SB Stade Mouscronnois; however, with ELLEH losing both matches (4-5 against Snef, 5-0 against Mouscron), a ticket to Provincial League 1 remains elusive. Meanwhile, down in Provincial League 4H, JS Erpion finishes as runner-up, with an equal number of points as CS Forges, 3 points behind champions RRC Rance; qualifying for the promotion play-offs, JS Erpion is knocked out in R1 by AS Montigny B (0-1).
- 2025 / Finishing in fourth place in Hainaut’s Provincial League 2C, Erpion-Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by Athènes Sport Ressaix (2-1). Meanwhile, down in Provincial League 4H, JS Erpion manages a third place; in the subsequent round of promotion play-offs, the club knocks out derby rivals RFC Boussu-lez-Walcourt in R1 (2-1), only to bow out in R2 against RFC Ronquières-Hy 86 (1-3).
- 2026 / In an unprecedented season, Erpion-Lacs de l'Eau d'Heure clinches the title in Hainaut's Provincial League 2C, an impressive 13 points ahead of closest rivals FC Gerpinnes, thus acceding to Provincial League 1 for the first time in club history; not to be outdone, JS Erpion also finishes top of the table down in Provincial League 4H, 7 points ahead of closest rivals ES Mominoise B, thus achieving promotion to Provincial League 3.
Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1 & 7-21 = match visit, March 2026 / pictures 2-6 = non-matchday visit, July 2025.
