Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk (often simply called KV Kortrijk or KVK) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

professional football club based in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and large ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. They play in the

Belgian First Division The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 te ...

, and they achieved their best ranking ever during the 2009–10 season, finishing fourth after the play-offs. KV Kortrijk was founded in 1971, though their roots can be traced to 1901. They are registered to the

Royal Belgian Football Association The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA; ; ; ) is the governing body of football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954 and was based in Brussels, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium. Since October 2021, the ...

with matricule number 19. The club colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the

Guldensporenstadion Guldensporen Stadion () is a multi-use stadium in Kortrijk, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.V. Kortrijk. In the summer of 2008, following the promotion of KV Kortrijk to the Belgian First ...

, named after the Battle of the Golden Spurs which took place in Kortrijk in 1302. KV Kortrijk first entered the first division in the early 20th century, between

1906–07 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

and 1910–11. They eventually had to wait 65 years to return at the highest level, when they spent 15 seasons at the top flight, interrupted by a season in the second division (between 1976–77 and 1978–79 and between 1980–81 and 1991–92). KV Kortrijk also played the 1998–99 season in the first division before they returned to the

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 tea ...

in the 2008–09 season.

History

In 1901 SC Courtraisien was founded. The club merged with FC Courtraisien in 1918. They received in 1951 the name Koninklijke Kortrijk Sport. They had the matricule n°19 like the oldest club SC Courtraisien. Stade Kortrijk was founded in 1923 with matricule n°161. Because Stade Kortrijk and Koninklijke Kortrijk Sport didn't play well anymore, they merged in 1971. They could play with matricule n°19 and the new name was KV Kortrijk. Due to bankruptcy, KV Kortrijk had to relegate in 2001 to the third division. From 2004 to 2008 KV Kortrijk played in the second division, however, in the 2007–08 season they managed to get promoted to the first division. KV Kortrijk was bought for €5 million by Malaysian businessman

Vincent Tan Vincent Tan Chee Yioun (; born 1952) is a Malaysian Chinese businessman and investor. He is the founder of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, a diversified conglomerate listed on the Malaysian stock exchange. Besides holding stakes through the Berj ...

on 12 May 2015.

Honours

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...

: **Runners-up (1): 2011–12 * Belgian Second Division: **Winners (2): 1905–06, 2007–08 **Runners-up (2): 1979–80, 1997–98 * Belgian Second Division Final Round: **Winners (3): 1976, 1980, 1998

Colours and badge

KV Kortrijk's colours are generally red and white. The home kit is usually all red with white trim and red shorts. The away kit is similar, except in blue. The club's logo is a white shield, split into thirds by a red upside-down, V-like shape, and the letters "''KVK''" are split into each third, in a red font. On top of the shield is a crown.

Stadium

KV Kortrijk plays their home matches at the

Guldensporen Stadion Guldensporen Stadion () is a multi-use stadium in Kortrijk, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.V. Kortrijk. In the summer of 2008, following the promotion of KV Kortrijk to the Belgian First ...

. It is located in

Kortrijk, Belgium Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

, and the current capacity of the ground is 9,399. In the summer of 2008, the ground's capacity was increased from 6,896 to 9,399, after Kortrijk's elevation into the

. ''Guldensporenstadion'' literally means "Stadium of the Golden Spurs". The stadium is named after this in reference to the Battle of the Golden Spurs which, in 1302, was fought in Kortrijk. The stadium has a traditional local stadium look about it and is single-tiered all around the ground.

Current squad

Out on loan

Club staff

Managers

André Van Maldeghem André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

& Luc Maddens (1971–73) *

& Walter Maes (1973–75) * Georges Heylens (1975–77) * Marijan Brnčić (1978–79) * Raymond Mertens (1979) * Henk Houwaart (1979–83) * Wim Reijers (1983–84) *

(1984–85) * Dimitri Davidović (1985–86) * Aad Koudijzer (1986) *

Han Grijzenhout Han Grijzenhout ( – 18 December 2020) was a Dutch football manager. He died on 18 December 2020, aged 87.

(1986–87) * Eddy Kinsabil (1987–88) *

Georges Leekens Georges Leekens (born 18 May 1949) is a Belgian football manager and former player. During his managerial career, he was in charge of four national teams: the Belgian, Tunisian, Algerian and Hungarian national football teams. He also managed ...

(1988–89) * Henk Houwaart (1989–90) * René Desayere (1990–91) * Boudewijn Braem (1991–92) *

Johan Boskamp Johannes "Johan/Jan" Boskamp (born 21 October 1948) is a Dutch former football player and manager. He played the majority of his career for hometown club Feyenoord and Belgian side RWDM and managed primarily in the Belgian leagues. Currently he ...

(1992 – January 1993) * James Storme (1993–94) * Patrick Van Geem (1994–95) * Regi Van Acker (1995–98) *

Michel De Wolf Michel Jean de Wolf (born 19 January 1958) is a Belgian football coach and retired player who played as a left back. Club career De Wolf was born in Nivelles, Walloon Brabant. During his career in his homeland, he played, always as first-choi ...

(1998–99) * Luc Vanderschommen (1999 – September 1999) * Eddy Kinsabil (2000) * Gerrit Laverge (2000–01) * Boudewijn Braem (2001–02) * Francky Dekenne (2002–03) * Boudewijn Braem (2003 – February 2003) * Angelo Nijskens (2003 – January 2004) * Manu Ferrera (July 1, 2003–04) * Rudi Verkempinck (September 2004–05) * Manu Ferrera (2005 – January 29, 2006) * Hein Vanhaezebrouck (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2009) *

(July 1, 2009 – May 11, 2010) * Hein Vanhaezebrouck (June 6, 2010 – June 30, 2014) *

Yves Vanderhaeghe Yves Vanderhaeghe (; born 30 January 1970) is a Belgian football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. In February 2022 he became the manager of K.V. Oostende for a second time. Known for his tackling, hard-working ap ...

(2014–15) * Johan Walem (2015–2016) *

Karim Belhocine Karim Belhocine (born 2 April 1978) is a French football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently unemployed after most recently managing Belgian club Kortrijk. Early life Belhocine was born in Vénissieux, France, ...

(2016) *

Patrick De Wilde Patrick De Wilde (born 19 April 1964) is a Belgian football manager who works as technical director of Lithuania. Career In 2007, De Wilde was appointed assistant manager of Ukrainian side Metalurh (Donetsk) after managing Eendracht Aalst ...

(2016) *

(2016) * Bart Van Lancker (2016–2017) *

(2017) *

Yannis Anastasiou Giannis Anastasiou ( gr, Γιάννης Αναστασίου; born 5 March 1973) is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Super League club Panetolikos. As a player, Anastasiou played as a strike ...

(2017) *

Glen De Boeck Glen De Boeck (; born 22 August 1971) is a Belgian football manager and former player who most recently managed Lokeren in the Belgian First Division B. During his career he played as central defender, mostly on the books of Anderlecht. Clu ...

(2017–2018) *

(2018–2021) * Luka Elsner (2021) *

(2021–present)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kortrijk Association football clubs established in 1901 K.V. Kortrijk Football clubs in Belgium 1901 establishments in Belgium Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage Belgian First Division A clubs