BELGIUM: RES Vaux-Noville (2003-)

Vaux II, Vaux-lez-Noville (RES Vaux-Noville)

Belgium, province: Luxembourg

14 VIII 2011 / ES Vaux-Noville - R Wallonia Walhain Chaumont-Gistoux 1-6 / Belgian Cup R3

Note 1: ES Vaux-Noville, founded in 1961, inaugurated this new main pitch & clubhouse in the summer of 2003, moving away from their first main pitch which has remained in use as the club's first side pitch since.

Note 2: photo 2 was taken on a non-matchday visit, May 2019.

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

LUXEMBOURG: CS Pétange (1994-2015) / Union Titus Pétange (2015-)

Stade Municipal, Pétange (Union Titus Pétange, formerly CS Pétange)

Luxembourg, canton: Esch-sur-Alzette

14 VIII 2011 / CS Pétange - FC Differdange 03 0-0 / National Division (= LUX level 1)

11 IX 2022 / Union Titus Pétange - F91 Dudelange 1-2 / National Division (= LUX level 1)

Timeline

• 1910 / Birth of Club Sportif (CS) Pétange as the result of a merger of Thalia 08 Pétange and Minerva 09 Pétange. 
• 1915 / CS Pétange comes close to winning Luxembourg's national title, but loses out in a championship play-off against AS La Jeunesse d'Esch.
• 1940 / Winning the title in Promotion d'Honneur, the second tier of Luxembourg's football pyramid, CS Pétange earns a promotion to the National Division, but due to the outbreak of war and Germany's occupation - or even absorption - of the Grand-Duchy, all regular football activities are suspended. Forced to germanicise its name by German occupation authorities, CS Pétange is renamed FV (Fussballverein) 08 Petingen - 08 being a reference to the foundation of Thalia Pétange, the oldest of the two merging partners of CS Pétange in 1910.
• 1944 / Upon liberation of Luxembourg from the German yoke, FV 08 Petingen takes on its old name of CS Pétange.
• 1945 / With Luxembourg's regular league football finally commencing after a break of five years, CS Pétange can finally take its place in National Division, marking a return to the top flight after an absence of 27 years. The spell at this level lasts for two seasons only, with a short return of one year (1948-49) following later in that same decade.
• 1957 / A low in club history, as CS Pétange is relegated to Division 1, the third tier of Luxembourg's league system, for the first time.
• 1964 / Antoine Nangeroni, local contractor and president of CS Pétange - who incidentally also, in 1949, conceived the cycling event Course des Quatre Cantons, later renamed Flèche du Sud -, dies in a traffic incident. Subsequently, the club's ground at Rue de la Chiers is renamed Stade Antoine Nangeroni.
• 1965 / Winning the title in Promotion d'Honneur, CS Pétange returns to the National Division, beginning a new three-year spell at that level.
• 1986 / After alternating spells in Promotion d'Honneur and Division 1, CS Pétange manages a return to the National Division for the first time in 18 years, but relegation follows the year after. In the following three decades, the club has several more short spells in the top flight (1988-89, 1993-96, 1997-99, 2004-08, and 2009-13).
• 1992 / CS Pétange reaches the final of Luxembourg's Cup, but loses the final, held in Luxembourg's Neie Stadion, against FC Avenir Beggen (1-0).
• 1994 / Forced to abandon its Stade Antoine Nangeroni, which is demolished to make way for the E44 motorway connecting Longwy and Esch-sur-Alzette, CS Pétange settles at the newly built Stade Municipal, situated between Pétange's village centre and the Belgian town of Athus. The new ground disposes of a striking covered stand with 400 seats. The new ground is inaugurated with a gala match in which Luxembourg's national team takes on Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
• 2005 / Winning the cup final against FC Cessange Bracarenses Grund 01 (1-0) at Stade Josy Barthel, CS Pétange obtains the first tangible silverware in club history. Qualifying for the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Cup as a result, the club loses 4-1 on aggregate against Finnish side AC Allianssi Vantaa - with the home match being played not in Pétange, but at Stade de la Frontière in Esch-sur-Alzette.
• 2011 / CS Pétange manages its best result since World War II, finishing seventh in the National Division.
• 2015 / A merger is concluded between CS Pétange and its ambitious yet smaller neighbour club FC Titus Lamadelaine, the result being Union Titus Pétange. Henceforth, first team football has been played at Pétange's Stade Municipal, with Lamadelaine's ground at Rue du Vieux Moulin remaining in use for lower team football and training purposes. 
• 2016 / In the first season following the merger, Union Titus Pétange places second in Promotion d'Honneur, winning promotion to the National Division.
• 2018 / On the side of the ground opposite the main stand at Stade Municipal, a new clubhouse is inaugurated which includes a small covered stand. This construction replaces set of dressing rooms (cp. pictures 3-4 below). In the process, the main entrance is moved to this side of the ground as well.
• 2020 / In the competition cut short due to the COVID lockdown, Union Titus Pétange finished fourth - unfortunately a result which is not official; otherwise, the new club's best season was in 2017-18 with a sixth place in the National Division's final ranking.

Note: Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1, 12-13 & 18 = match visit, August 2011 / pictures 2-3 = non-matchday visit, April 2011 / pictures 4-11, 14-17 & 19-20 = match visit, September 2022.  

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

LUXEMBOURG: FC Progrès Niederkorn

Stade Jos Haupert, Niedercorn (FC Progrès Niederkorn)

Luxembourg, canton: Esch-sur-Alzette

13 VIII 2011 / FC Progrès Niederkorn - CS Grevenmacher 0-1 / National Division (= LUX level 1)

11 IX 2022 / FC Progrès Niederkorn - AS La Jeunesse d'Esch 2-1 / National Division (= LUX level 1)

Timeline

• 1919 / Foundation of Cercle Sportif (CS) Progrès Niederkorn. The club plays its football at Stade Im Brill, little more than a meadow situated at Lieu-dit Am Duel, on the western outskirts of Niedercorn.
• 1921 / Foundation of a rival club in Niedercorn, called Black Boys Niederkorn. Black Boys folds one year later without leaving any traces - in fact, this club did not field a first team in the only season of their existence.
• 1923 / CS Progrès wins the title in Division 1, the third tier of Luxembourg's football pyramid, gaining promotion to Promotion d'Honneur.
• 1926 / For the first time, Progrès accedes to the National Division, the top flight of Luxembourg's football, but the stay at that level does not last longer than one season. By 1928, however, the club is back in the National Division.
• 1931 / Abandoning its first ground, Stade Im Brill, CS Progrès Niederkorn settles at the newly built Stade Vélodrome - alternatively referred to as Stade de l'Entente de Niedercorn. Doubling as a cycling stadium, Niedercorn's velodrome - along with the Vélodrome de Belair in Luxembourg-Ville - was one of two main sites of cycling races in the Grand-Duchy.
• 1932 / Gradually establishing itself as one of the strongest sides in Luxembourgian football, CS Progrès finishes second in the National Division.
• 1933 / CS Progrès Niederkorn obtains its first silverware, beating Union Luxembourg in Luxembourg's cup final (4-1).
• 1936 / Having suffered relegation to Promotion d'Honneur the previous season, Progrès finds its way back to the National Division - destined to stay at that level uninterruptedly for the following 24 years - with a second place in the final ranking in 1937 being one of the highlights.  
• 1940 / Following Germany's occupation of Luxembourg, all football clubs are forced to germanicise their names - with CS Progrès Niederkorn becoming Fussball Klub (FK) Niederkorn - and subsequently integrated in Germany's league pyramid.
• 1943 / Playing in Gauliga Moselland, the highest level of the German football pyramid in the wider Coblenz and Trèves region, FK Niederkorn finishes second behind German side TuS Neuendorf. 
• 1944 / Upon liberation from the German yoke, the club takes on its old name, yet with an anglicised prefix: Football Club (FC, instead of CS) Progrès Niederkorn.
• 1945 / FC Progrès wins Luxembourg's Cup for the second time by defeating CA Spora Luxembourg (2-0). The year after, Progrès reaches the final again, but suffers a 3-1 defeat (A.E.T.) against AS La Jeunesse d'Esch.
• 1947 / FC Progrès Niederkorn wins Luxembourg's minor cup competition, the Coupe FLF, defeating US Dudelange 2-1 in the final.
• 1953 / For the first time in club history, Progrès wins Luxembourg's national football title.
• 1956 / Progrès loses Luxembourg's Cup final against Stade Dudelange (3-1 A.E.T.).
• 1960 / Marking the end of the club's first Golden Age, Progrès suffers relegation to Promotion d'Honneur, the second tier of Luxembourg's football pyramid. Until the mid-1970s, the club alternates short spells in the National Division and Promotion d'Honneur.
• 1974 / Winning promotion to the National Division for the third time in 11 years, Progrès begins its second Golden Age. As Niedercorn's Stade Vélodrome is knocked down, the club temporarily moves its first team football to Differdange - although it is as yet unclear if the club groundshared with AS Differdange at Stade Henri Jungers or with FA Red Boys Differdange at Stade du Thillenberg. Meanwhile, works on a new stadium in Niedercorn proper are underway.
• 1976 / Inauguration of FC Progrès Niederkorn's new (and current) ground. The stadium, disposing of a covered stand with 800 seats as well as a small terrace on the opposite side, is named after former CS Progrès player - and later deputy-mayor of Differdange - Jos Haupert (1910-80). Haupert was part of Progrès' team which won the cup final in 1933.
• 1977 / Reaching Luxembourg's Cup final, Progrès defeats CA Red Boys Differdange - after a 4-4 draw, the Niedercorn squad wins the replay 3-1. Qualifying for European football for the first time in club history, Progrès loses in the first round of the Cup Winners' Cup against Danish side Vejle BK (10-0 on aggregate). The home match is not played in Stade Jos Haupert, deemed unfit for international football, but in Obercorn's Stade Municipal.
• 1978 / The 1977-78 season goes down as the most successful in Progrès' history, as the club wins the national title as well as the cup final (2-1 against Union Luxembourg, with both of Progrès' goals scored by Jean-Paul Bossi). Thus qualifying for the European Cup (I) for the first time, Progrès draws Real Madrid CF in the first round. Against the Spanish powerhouse, Progrès suffers a 12-0 aggregate humiliation - with the 7-0 home defeat being played once more in Obercorn's Stade Municipal in front of a crowd of 6,000.
• 1979 / Taking part in the UEFA Cup (or European Cup III) for the first time, FC Progrès bows out against Switzerland's Grasshopper Club (6-0 on aggregate).
• 1981 / FC Progrès Niederkorn crowns itself champions of Luxembourg for a third time. In the European Cup (I), the club manages to keep Northern Ireland's Glentoran FC in check in the home leg in Obercorn (1-1 - marking the first European non-defeat for Progrès), but bowing out by losing the away match in Belfast's Oval (4-0). 
• 1982 / Marking the last European matches for Progrès for the next thirty+ years, Progrès once again draws a Swiss opponent, losing (4-0 on aggregate) against Servette FC in the UEFA Cup.
• 1989 / After fifteen uninterrupted seasons in the top flight, Progrès drops out of the National Division. In the following decade-and-a-half, the club alternates short spells in Promotion d'Honneur and the National Division.
• 2006 / Finishing second in Promotion d'Honneur, Progrès establishes itself durably in the National Division once more.
• 2015 / Enjoying its first European campaign in 32 years, FC Progrès is defeated by Shamrock Rovers FC in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, with a goalless draw in Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange and a 3-0 loss in Dublin's Tallaght Stadium.
• 2017 / FC Progrès makes international headlines for the first time in club history, as it manages a sensational defeat of Rangers FC; after a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox Stadium, the Niedercorn side beats Scotland's record champions 2-0 in the home leg played at Stade Josy Barthel in front of 5,534 spectators. Moreover, it is the first time Progrès manages a European win. In the second qualifying round, the story ends with a double defeat against Cyprus' side AEL Limassol.
• 2018 / Not having come close to winning Luxembourg's national title in the previous four decades, Progrès finishes second in the National Division. In the following Europa League campaign - for which the home matches are played in Differdange's Stade Municipal once again, Progrès defeats Gabala FK (Azerbaijan) and Budapest Honvéd FC (Hungary) before finally bowing out in the third qualifying round against FK Ufa (Russia).
• 2019 / FC Progrès has another Europa League success to celebrate, defeating Welsh side Cardiff Metropolitan University FC and Ireland's Cork City FC successively before drawing Rangers FC in the following round - and unable to repeat the 2017 shock result, Progrès loses 2-0 at Ibrox, followed by a goalless draw at Stade Josy Barthel (3,867 spectators).
• 2020 / Defeating Montenegrin side FK Zeta in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, Progrès bows out in the following round against Dutch side Willem II.
• 2023 / Runners-up in the National Division, 7 points behind champions FC Swift Hesperange, Progrès qualifies for the Conference League, defeating Kosovo's KF Gjilani in the first qualifying round (4-2 aggr.) before bowing out against FC Midtjylland in the second qualifying round (2-3 aggr.).
• 2024 / Progrès obtains Luxembourg's cup, with the final being decided on penalties against FC Swift Hesperange (1-1 A.E.T.) - incidentally Progrès' first silverware in 43 seasons. The club is seeded in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, being eliminated straightaway by Djurgårdens IF (1-3 aggr.).

Note 1: Highlights of the second match I attended at Stade Jos Haupert (in 2022) can be watched by clicking this YouTube link.

Note 2: Below, a compilation of photos of four different visits: pictures 1-2 & 4-6 = non-matchday visit, March 2011 / picture 3 = non-matchday visit, July 1995 / pictures 7-15 & 17-24 = match visit, September 2022 / picture 16 = match visit, August 2011.

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