65-818: The Belgian Division 2 , commonly referred to as simply Tweede Afdeling (in Dutch) or Division 2 (in French) is the fourth-highest division in the Belgian football league system , one level below the Belgian National Division 1 . It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, replacing the Belgian Third Division and named Belgian Second Amateur Division until the 2019–20 before it
130-997: A Brabant "provincial" league for Francophone clubs (including all Francophone clubs from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant). The majority of the clubs from the Brussels capital region are Francophone, de facto resulting in two provincial leagues roughly corresponding to Flemish Brabant on one hand; and Walloon Brabant and Brussels on the other hand. Reaching quarter-finals onwards: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League Inter-Cities Fairs Cup UEFA Conference League UEFA Super Cup UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Super Cup UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League Club Brugge KV Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging ( Dutch pronunciation: [klʏ ˈbrʏɣə ˌkoːnɪŋkləkə ˈvudbɑlvəˌreːnəɣɪŋ] ), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: Club Bruges ),
195-447: A club dissolves, the matricule number of this club is removed permanently and lost forever as numbers are never reused. In case of mergers, the new club must decide which matricule number to keep, it normally begins the championship at the level where the former club with the same matricule number should have begun the season. Typically, mergers result in the most famous club's matricule being kept alive. However, it has often occurred that
260-513: A club with a glorious past or even (multiple) championship titles had to merge with another less successful club in order to survive, often due to financial difficulties. In this case, the matricule number of the club, and the honours linked to it, were lost with the merger. As an examples, in the late 1990s, seven-time champion K. Beerschot VAC was struggling with financial difficulties in the third division and merged with then first division neighbour club KFC Germinal Ekeren to survive. The new club
325-482: A new Brussels-based club ( Royale Union Saint-Gilloise ), which would become a dominant force in Belgian football during the following seasons, winning seven titles between 1903 and 1913. The club originally shared a rivalry with Racing Club and later Daring Club , which would go on and win the title in 1912. Later, Anderlecht became their biggest rival for citywide bragging rights. After World War I , Belgian football
390-504: A new ground, called De Klokke (after a nearby pub), which was renamed the Albert Dyserynckstadion after the sudden death of Club Brugge chairman Albert Dyserynck. Their current stadium, since 1975, was rebranded in honour of local butcher and revolutionary Jan Breydel in 1998. Breydel led a rising against the city's French overlords in the 1300s. The venue – which Club Brugge share with local rivals Cercle Brugge –
455-482: A new rule in 2016, stating that after a takeover, a club cannot move more than 30 kilometres from its original location. From 2017, the Belgian FA enforced another rule, which allows clubs to buy back their old defunct matricule, which was first done by Lyra (matricule 7776) who acquired the matricule 52 of the old defunct Lyra . In 2018, Oud-Heverlee Leuven , which is the result of a merger of three clubs around
520-427: A number of proposed locations, but the project never really took off due to problems with ground availability and endangered animal species on the proposed grounds. However, when a new city council and mayor were sworn into office in the city of Bruges, the project went through a rebirth. Instead of moving out of the current Jan Breydelstadium, the site on which this stadium is built will be completely reconstructed into
585-641: A park with a brand new stadium next to where the current stadium is situated. Although this project has been criticised by some, it's the furthest the club has come with a project. In October 2021 the club received their building permit. The club, the city and the Flemish government aim to have a functioning stadium by mid-2023, which will hold up to 40,116 spectators. Some of the fans are part of 62 supporter clubs in Belgium, which have more than 10,000 members. The "Supportersfederatie Club Brugge KV", founded in 1967,
650-559: A rare sight in and around the stadium. The winner of this derby is crowned "de Ploeg van Brugge ", which translates to "the team of Bruges". It has become a tradition for the winning side to plant a flag with the club's crest or colours on the center spot after the game. The rivalry between the oldest clubs in Flanders and Belgium, is one that dates back to the 1900s. In 1908, due to Bruges supporters attacking Antwerp players after they had lost 2–1 to what we'll later call Club Brugge, one of
715-430: A third bear named Bibi, made its appearance. He is described as the child of the first two mascots, and is oriented towards the young supporters. Like many historic clubs, Club Brugge contests rivalries with other Belgian clubs, whether at local ( Cercle Brugge ) or regional level ( Antwerp ) or nationally competitive ( Anderlecht and Standard Liège ). The rivalry between Club Brugge and Anderlecht has developed since
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#1732794081052780-482: A third time in a row at Antwerp's ground, the first time since 1977–79. They would go on and qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League knockout for the first time in the modern history, after losing only once and keeping 5 clean sheets in the group stage. The club don a blue and black home kit as has been traditional through their history. Away from home they wear a light coloured kit. Colours like white, light blue and yellow have been used in recent years. As of
845-625: Is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges , Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium , which has a capacity of 29,042. They play in the Belgian Pro League , the top domestic league in Belgian football. One of the most decorated clubs in Belgian football , Club Brugge has been crowned Belgian league champions 19 times, second only to major rivals Anderlecht , and shares
910-409: Is a bear, symbol of the city of Bruges . The history of the bear is related to a legend of the first Count of Flanders , Baldwin I of Flanders , who had fought and defeated a bear in his youth. Since the end of 2000, a second mascot, also a bear, travels along the edge of the field during home games for fans to call and encourage both their favorites. These two bears are called Belle and Bene. In 2010,
975-665: Is currently competing in the First Amateur Division . Currently, two clubs from the province are competing in First Division A, Standard Liège and KAS Eupen . The latter is the only club from the German-speaking Community of Belgium (based on an administrative area in east of Liège Province) ever to have competed in the top flight. They first played at the top level in 2010–11 but were relegated after that season, before returning after
1040-531: Is not a province but rather an region akin to Flanders and Wallonia . Two currently active clubs from Brussels play in First Division A, Anderlecht , the country's most successful club to date, and Union Saint-Gilloise , 11 time champion of Belgium, which acquired place in Division A after a 49-year absence by winning the First Division B in 2020-21 season. The first-ever Belgian League Championship
1105-595: Is often called 'The Hate Game'. They are arguably the most heated fixtures in Belgian football together with clashes between the other two members of the Big Three – Anderlecht and Standard Liège . The Bruges Derby is seen as one of the most important games of the season for a lot of fans from both teams. Every season, the game attracts a huge deal of fans which results in huge choreographies on both sides. Tifos , flags and banners made specifically for this confrontation and accompanied by flares and smoke bombs aren't
1170-587: Is recognized as the official supporters club of Club Brugge. The federation is made up of 60 recognized supporters' clubs and has an elected board to steer the operation in the right direction. In tribute to the fans, often dubbed the twelfth man in football, Club Brugge no longer assigns the number 12 to players. Club Brugge also has a TV show, CLUBtv, on the Telenet network since 21 July 2006. This twice weekly show features exclusive interviews with players, coaches and managers. The official mascot of Club Bruges
1235-585: Is slowly starting to change, with Belgium producing such offensive talents as Romelu Lukaku , Eden Hazard , Mousa Dembélé , Christian Benteke , Kevin Mirallas , Marouane Fellaini , Kevin De Bruyne and Dries Mertens , among others. With football's rapid growth in popularity in the late 19th century, several football clubs came into existence in Belgium. In 1926, the Royal Belgian Football Association decided to introduce matricule numbers to tell
1300-507: The 1919–20 season . They celebrated by changing their title to Royal FC Brugeois – with their regal status now reflected in their modern prefix KV, standing for Koninklijke Vereniging (royal club). Only eight years later though, the club was relegated to the Belgian Second Division for the first time in their history following a relegation play-off. Further lean times followed the relegation in 1928, as they spent much of
1365-562: The Belgian FA and the courts did not award them a licence to practice professional football. As a result, the club were relegated to the First Amateur Division and were ultimately wound up in October 2017. Only one club from the province of Flemish Brabant is currently active in the top two divisions of Belgian football, Oud-Heverlee Leuven , playing in the First Division A. After the 2018-19 season , AFC Tubize were relegation to
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#17327940810521430-646: The Belgian First Amateur Division , Belgian Second Amateur Division and Belgian Third Amateur Division . As a result, the Belgian Provincial leagues dropped to the sixth level of the league system. In 2020 the levels three to five were renamed to Belgian National Division 1 , Belgian Division 2 and Belgian Division 3 respectively. In each of the three separate leagues, the season is a regular round-robin tournament with 16 teams. The winners of each league are directly promoted to
1495-468: The Belgian National Division 1 . Besides these three promoting teams, one additional promotion is possible: for this twelve other teams are in contention as four teams in each league qualify for the end of season playoffs. The eight teams from the VFV side are grouped together to compete in a VFV playoff for two spots in the playoff final, the four teams from ACFF side playoff for one spot. The two VFV winners and
1560-507: The First Amateur Division and as a result, no club from the province of Walloon Brabant plays in the top two divisions of Belgian football in 2019-20. Two teams from Hainaut Province are currently playing in First Division A: Excel Mouscron and Charleroi SC . Namur Province is, along with that of Luxembourg, the province with the least prestigious football history in Belgium. Currently, no clubs from
1625-540: The Jan Breydel Stadium with city rival Cercle Brugge , with whom they contest the Bruges derby . Throughout its long history, "Club" has enjoyed much European football success, reaching two European finals and three European semi-finals. Club Brugge is the only Belgian club to have played the final of the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League ) as of November 2024, losing to Liverpool in
1690-577: The 13th finisher, then 12th finisher and so on. On VFV side, a relegation playoff is organised each season between the two teams finishing 14th, with the losing team first in line to drop in case needed, followed by the winner. If an additional relegation would be necessary, the 13th placed teams would need to playoff as well. Football in Belgium Association football is the most popular sport in Belgium , which has been played since
1755-496: The 1940s and 1950s in the second division of Belgian football. Following the 1958–59 season, the club earned promotion back to the First Division and have not been relegated since. The club were able to add to their trophy cabinet in 1968, winning the first of their record 11 Belgian Cup titles for the first time after defeating Beerschot A.C. 7–6 in a penalty-shootout after a 1–1 draw. The club enjoyed their most success under legendary Austrian manager Ernst Happel as he led
1820-498: The 1970s. At that time, the Brussels -based club and Club Brugge won most trophies between them, leaving little room for other Belgian teams. Matches between these two teams were often contested for the title of champion of Belgium. Three Belgian Cup finals were played between the two clubs (with Anderlecht winning once and Club Brugge twice), and they played seven Belgian Supercups (Club Bruges won five). A match between these two sides
1885-448: The 2010s, matricules have been sold and traded, with clubs wanting to take over the position in a (higher) series of another club acquiring these matricules in order to quickly move up one or more divisions. Examples include BX Brussels , which acquired the matricule of Bleid-Gaume in 2013, with the intent to transform and move the club from Bleid to Brussels, over 200 kilometres away. The Royal Belgian Football Association therefore enforced
1950-399: The 2016–17 season. No team from the province is currently in the First Division B. Historically, RFC Liège (five titles between 1895 and 1953) and Standard Liège (ten titles between 1958 and 2009) are the province's most successful, well-known and popular clubs. Only one club from Luxembourg Province plays near the top level of Belgian football: Excelsior Virton , who won promotion to
2015-401: The 2022–23 season, five clubs from the province of West Flanders play in the First Division A ( Club Brugge , Cercle Brugge , KV Kortrijk , KV Oostende and SV Zulte-Waregem ), and one club plays in the First Division B ( Club NXT ). As of the 2022–23 season, only one club from the province of East Flanders play in the First Division A ( KAA Gent ), but there are three clubs who plays in
Belgian Division 2 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-520: The 2022–23 season, the club's current kit supplier is Macron . The club's original home in the Sint-Andries district of Bruges was known as the Rattenplein (rats' stadium) since it was owned by the local fox terrier club, who used it for another imported English pastime: rat baiting. This non-UEFA affiliated 'sport' involved getting dogs to chase and kill rats. In 1911, the team moved to
2145-626: The ACFF winner are joined by the 13th placed team from the Belgian National Division 1 in the playoff final, with the winner of those four taking the final promotion spot (in case the team from the Belgian National Division 1 wins, this team remains at that level and no extra team from the Belgian Second Amateur Division is promoted besides the three league winners). Regarding relegation, on ACFF side
2210-565: The Brugsche Football Club. The former students christened the club's founding by establishing the Latin motto ' mens sana in corpore sano ' (a healthy mind in a healthy body). A year later on 13 November 1891, the club was re-created under Brugsche FC, and this is now seen as the official foundation of the current Club Brugge. In 1892, an official board was installed at the club to oversee all operations and team decisions. In 1895,
2275-451: The First Division B ( KMSK Deinze , FCV Dender EH and SK Beveren ). Antwerp Province has a long tradition of football. The first Belgian clubs were established in the city of Antwerp (Antwerp Lyon's Club, A.S. Anvers-Borgerhout, and most notably Royal Antwerp , which is the country's oldest club and which is affectionately referred to as the "Great Old" by its supporters and the media). Three clubs from this province currently play in
2340-420: The First Division B after the 2018-19 season . No club from this province has ever played in the top flight. Former Belgian international Philippe Albert ( Bouillon ) and current international Thomas Meunier ( Sainte-Ode ) were born in the province. As of the 2016–17 season, the Belgian football league pyramid has nine levels. The FA dramatically overhauled the league system after the 2015–16 season, reducing
2405-535: The RBFA). The Belgian Second Amateur Division was created in 2016 as successor of the Belgian Third Division following an overhaul of the Belgian football league system which saw the number of professional clubs reduced to 24. As a result, from the third level and below only amateur clubs remain. The two remaining levels above the Belgian Provincial leagues were reformed into three amateur levels, namely
2470-658: The UBSSA, and soon after, Football Club Brugeois was formed by breakaway club members. The two sides were reunited in 1897 under the French name of Football Club Brugeois; they did not take on the Dutch title Club Brugge until 1972. In 1914, FC Brugeois reached their first Belgian Cup final, but lost 2–1 to Union SG . Six years later, the club claimed their first trophy, by winning the Belgian First Division during
2535-753: The basis for their names. For historical reasons, many Flemish clubs changed their names from French to Dutch between the beginning of the 20th century and the late 1960s. Additionally, many clubs have experienced frequent name changes. Reasons for these include a language change, a merger, an anniversary, etc. Because of the numerous mergers between Belgian clubs, team names sometimes combine several town names (such as K. Beringen-Heusden-Zolder or Sporting West Ingelmunster-Harelbeke ) which reflect mergers. In recent history, clubs representing immigrant communities have come into existence and sometimes use names that are in neither of Belgium's official languages (the now defunct clubs Türkgucun Ozburun and Türkiyemspor Zaventem, or
2600-1277: The biggest and fiercest rivalries in Europe came to be. Confrontations between the two sides bring a lot of fighting and havoc to the stadium and the surrounding neighbourhoods. This hatred has reached new highs ever since Antwerp gained promotion back to the first division. 1919–20 , 1972–73 , 1975–76 , 1976–77 , 1977–78 , 1979–80 , 1987–88 , 1989–90 , 1991–92 , 1995–96 , 1997–98 , 2002–03 , 2004–05 , 2015–16 , 2017–18 , 2019–20 , 2020–21 , 2021–22 , 2023–24 1967–68, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1985–86, 1990–91 , 1994–95, 1995–96 , 2001–02 , 2003–04 , 2006–07 , 2014–15 1980, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 , 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 , 2016 , 2018 , 2021 , 2022 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. 12 – The 12th man. Reserved for
2665-529: The bottom three teams are relegated to the Belgian Division 3 , while on VFV side only the bottom two teams from each league are relegated. Additionally, based on the language group of the directly relegating teams from the Belgian National Division 1 each season, it is possible that there will be up to three extra relegations on each side. On ACFF side this just means that any additional required relegations will happen from bottom upwards, starting with
Belgian Division 2 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-464: The capital region of Brussels (which is not a province by itself and also does not belong to a province), teams from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant are split into two similar leagues based on their language. As a result there are two "provincial" leagues corresponding to the former Province of Brabant : one Brabant "provincial" league for Flemish clubs (including all Flemish clubs from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant) and
2795-448: The city of Leuven , changed its matricule number 6142 back to number 18 to honour the glorious past of its eldest predecessor. The first few matricule numbers are: A Belgian club's name usually includes the name of the town where the club plays as well as a prefix and/or suffix. Since Belgians speak three languages, French and Dutch being the main ones and German being the third official language, Belgian teams may use either language as
2860-441: The club to three straight league championships from 1975–76 to 1977–78 and a Belgian Cup victory in 1976–77. Happel also guided Club Brugge to their first European final, reaching the 1976 UEFA Cup Final . Over the two-legged final against English giants Liverpool , Club Brugge fell 3–4 on aggregate. Two years later, Brugge again met Liverpool in a European final, this time in the 1978 European Cup Final at Wembley , becoming
2925-578: The clubs apart and assigned a matricule to each existing club by order of registration. In this manner, Antwerp was awarded matricule number 1 as the first to register. As such, the oldest clubs in Belgium typically have the lowest matricule numbers, although there are clubs which registered many years after their origination and as a result have a much higher matricule than would be expected. Many clubs, especially those with very low numbers, consider their matricule number part of their heritage and past and prominently feature it in their logo or even name. In case
2990-546: The competition is organized by the Provinces of Belgium , with the notable exception of the three entities that were created from the 1995 breakup of the former Province of Brabant – Flemish Brabant , Walloon Brabant and the Brussels Capital Region – whose clubs are split into two former Province of Brabant wide leagues, one Flemish-speaking and one French-speaking. As of
3055-420: The dominant team in Brussels. Its cross-city rivals at the time were, in succession, Union, Daring and Racing White, later renamed R.W.D.M. , still later named FC Brussels . The latter were liquidated in 2014 and revived a year later as RWDM47 . White Star Bruxelles , a club from the Brussels suburban region, technically won promotion to the top flight after the 2015-16 season but due to the club's debts, both
3120-463: The end of the 19th century. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport. The first match of the Belgium national team was played on 1 May 1904, a 3–3 draw against France . Traditionally, the clubs Anderlecht , Club Brugge and Standard Liège are the three most dominant domestic teams, all of them also having played and/or won one or more UEFA competitions final(s). Both
3185-621: The final of the 1978 season. They also lost in the 1976 UEFA Cup Final to the same opponents. Club Brugge holds the European record for number of consecutive participations in the UEFA Europa League (20), the record number of Belgian Cups (11), and the record number of Belgian Super Cups (17). In 1890, students from the Catholic school Broeders Xaverianen and the neutral school Koninklijk Atheneum joined together to form
3250-428: The first Belgian club to reach the final of the competition. Brugge fell to a lone second-half goal from Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool won their second European Cup and third European trophy in succession. Following the cup final loss to Liverpool, Happel left Club Brugge and would lead Netherlands later that summer to the final of the 1978 FIFA World Cup . On 25 November 1992, Brugge player Daniel Amokachi became
3315-560: The first goal scorer in the Champions League . He scored in a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow . On 20 May 2021, Brugge drew 3–3 with rivals Anderlecht to win the Belgian First Division A title for the fourth time in six years and 17th time overall. It was the first time since 1973 that Club Brugge had been crowned champions at Anderlecht's ground and the first time since 1976–77 and 1977–78 that Brugge had won back-to-back league titles. A year later, they would become champions for
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#17327940810523380-457: The national athletics sports union was founded, predecessor of the later national football association, under the name UBSSA (Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques); Brugsche FC was a founding member of the UBSSSA and as such took part in the first league campaign organized in Belgian football during the 1895–96 season . Financial difficulties in the following year forced the club to leave
3445-532: The national football team and the top Belgium division have a reputation for physical play. This came as a result of a lack of technically skilled foreign players allowed to play in Belgium due to legal restrictions. This changed after the Bosman ruling which forced the liberalization of the football player market in Europe. In response, Belgian clubs began to buy unknown players from Eastern Europe, South America and Africa. This had two contradictory consequences. On
3510-450: The number of professional teams to 24 and introducing a nationwide amateur league for the first time. Nationwide leagues: Regional leagues: Provincial leagues: Each provincial subdivision of the FA runs its own 4-division league. Only teams that are geographically located in a certain province are allowed to compete in the corresponding provincial league. To include as well teams from
3575-1320: The one hand, the national team was weakened by the reduced opportunity for native Belgium players to gain a spot on domestic teams. On the other hand, the Jupiler League reinforced its status as an entry league for players who then move on to some of the greatest European clubs. Indeed, some of the most talented players in Europe have played in Belgian clubs, including Yaya Touré , Jean-Pierre Papin , Daniel Amokachi , Antolín Alcaraz and David Rozehnal were discovered at Club Brugge ; Sunday Oliseh and Victor Ikpeba at RFC Liège ; Jan Koller , Nii Lamptey and Aruna Dindane at Anderlecht ; and Mido at Gent . Others who began or launched their professional careers in Belgium include William Carvalho , Emmanuel Eboué , Romaric , Gervinho , Didier Zokora , Arthur Boka , Ivica Dragutinović , Mario Stanić , Morten Olsen , Dorinel Munteanu , André Cruz , Seol Ki-hyeon , Kennet Andersson , Klas Ingesson , Aaron Mokoena , Michaël Ciani , Nicolás Pareja , Oguchi Onyewu , Rabiu Afolabi , Cheick Tioté , Peter Odemwingie , Joseph Yobo , Ouwo Moussa Maazou , Milan Jovanović , Ognjen Vukojević , Ivan Perišić , Nikica Jelavić , Demba Ba , Dante , Bryan Ruiz and Rob Rensenbrink . Because of
3640-494: The physical nature of Belgian football, it has tended to primarily produce talented defensive players. These include Jean-Marie Pfaff , Eric Gerets , Leo Clijsters , Michel Preud'homme , Georges Grün , Philippe Albert , Franky Van Der Elst , Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen . In comparison, only few attacking Belgian footballers have received international recognition: Enzo Scifo , Jan Ceulemans , Marc Degryse , Luc Nilis and Émile Mpenza . However, this latter trend
3705-410: The province of Namur are playing in the top two levels of Belgian football. Furthermore, no club from this province has ever played in the top flight. Liège Province also has a long history in Belgian football. RFC Liège won the first-ever Belgian title in 1896. The club struggled financially during the early years of the 21st century and was eventually dissolved in 2011. A new club was formed, which
3770-471: The still-existing Agrupación Oviedo-Asturiana, existing only in a league outside the Belgian FA now, from Brussels, being examples). Finally, a team which exists for at least 50 years may add the prefix "Royal" to its name (either in English or in the team's language). Before 1958, this right was given to any team that celebrated its 25th year of existence. Between 1958 and 1968, the rule was changed to grant
3835-415: The title to any team with at least 35 years of existence. Since 1968, the time limit has increased to 50 years. The following is a partial list of common football club name prefixes and suffixes in Belgium's three official languages. Anderlecht and KV Mechelen have won a European competition. Here is a list of the winners and runners-up by competition: Under the first four levels in the league system ,
3900-638: The top flight: Royal Antwerp , KV Mechelen and K Beerschot VA while KVC Westerlo and Lierse Kempenzonen play in the First Division B. Two clubs from Limburg Province currently play in the First Division A: KRC Genk and Sint-Truiden . Additionally, one club represents the province in First Division B: Lommel SK . Technically-speaking, greater Brussels (the City of Brussels and surrounding communities)
3965-575: Was a competition amongst seven teams, four of which were based in Brussels: Racing Club , Léopold Club Uccle , Sporting Club and Union d'Ixelles . Léopold Club was a club for the nobility and bourgeoisie in Brussels and is still active after no less than four mergers between 1982 and 2001 (they are currently playing in the Fourth Division ). The latter two clubs ceased to exist in 1897 and 1901 respectively and were replaced by
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#17327940810524030-563: Was dominated by clubs from the cities of Antwerp and Bruges . From the early 1930s, however, the Brussels-based clubs Union and Daring divided five titles between themselves. The rivalry between the two clubs has inspired a stage play named Bossemans et Coppenolle ("Bossemans" was the name of the Union head coach in those years, "Coppenolle" his counterpart at Daring). Shortly after World War II , Anderlecht replaced Union and Daring as
4095-497: Was named KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen and started in the first division with the matricule number of KFC Germinal Ekeren, but lost the honours of K Beerschot VAC. The new club did keep playing in the Beerschot stadium and wore the purple shirt for which Beerschot was famously known. Another famous example is that of five-time champion Daring Club de Bruxelles ' merger with RR White into R White Daring Molenbeek in 1973. From
4160-526: Was previously named the Olympiastadion. In November 2016, the club broke ground on a new training complex at Westkapelle , including four training pitches and an additional training centre for the senior squad plus the U21 and U19 teams; all in addition to the already available sports complex Molenhoek. Since 2007, Club Brugge has been working on developing a new stadium. Since then, there have been
4225-660: Was renamed due to the negative connotation of the word amateur . The division consists of three separate leagues with 16 teams each, two of these leagues consist of teams playing with a license from the Voetbalfederatie Vlaanderen (VFV, the Dutch speaking wing of the RBFA ) and one with teams with a license from the Association des Clubs Francophones de Football (ACFF, the French-speaking wing of
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