Royale Union Saint Gilloise

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise , abbreviated to Union SG or USG, unofficially simply called Union, is a Belgian football club originally located in the municipality of Saint-Gilles, in Brussels, although since the 1920s it has been based at the Joseph Marien Stadium in the neighbouring municipality of Forest.

The club is one of the most successful in the history of Belgian football. The club won eleven Belgian championships between 1904 and 1935, making it the most successful Belgian club before World War II. The team colours are blue and yellow and its matricule is 10. The team is traditionally popular with working class communities of southern Brussels, as well as more recently with more affluent supporters and workers of the European institutions, as well as both the French and the Flemish speaking free universities.

On 13 March 2021, after defeating local rivals R.W.D. Molenbeek, Union was promoted back to the Belgian First Division A, marking its first appearance in top-flight football in 48 years. The following year, they finished top of the table at the end of the regular season, the first club in Belgian history to do so the season after promotion to the top flight. Union would go on to finish second in the champions play off, securing Champions League qualification for the first time ever in club history, and after being eliminated in the third qualifying round, secured a spot in the group stage of the Europa League.

History

The club was founded in 1897 and obtained its first of eleven titles as Champion of Belgium in 1904. From 1933 to 1935 the team played 60 consecutive matches undefeated, setting a still unbeaten record in Belgium. In the early 1900s, the club also had a dominant spell in some of the very first "European" Cup competitions that took place, prior to officially sanctioned UEFA competitions.

Between 1958 and 1965 the club had a brief spell of European success, playing in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the semi-finals in the 1958–60 edition after a two legged victory against A.S. Roma. In 1963, however, the club was relegated to the second division, and in 1980 even fell as low as the Belgian Promotion division.

On 21 May 2018, Tony Bloom, chairman of English Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion was confirmed as the majority shareholder. Alex Muzio, the Chairman of Union, was a co-investor with Tony Bloom in 2018 and holds a minority interest in the club.

On 13 March 2021, after defeating R.W.D. Molenbeek 2–1 at home, Union were promoted back to the Belgian First Division A. This marked its first appearance in the top flight since 1972. Due to restrictions at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Union fans were not able to celebrate their promotion at the stadium.

On 10 April 2022, during their first season back in the top flight in 49 years, Union Saint-Gilloise finished the regular season in first place after a draw against last place Beerschot. The match was abandoned after 83 minutes, after Beerschot fans threw flares onto the pitch. Union were later awarded three points due to forfeit. This was the first time that a newly promoted club finished top of the table in the history of the Belgian league. In the champions play-off, Union finished second behind Club Brugge and thus qualified for the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for the first time in club history.

Supporters and rivalries

Union attract supporters primarily from the Brussels region, especially from the south of the Belgian capital. Their ultras are known as the Union Bhoys, and attend in the all-standing ''Tribune Est''. The Union Bhoys have friendships with RFC Liège and Cercle Brugge supporters. Union's supporters promote anti-fascist ideals.

Union share a Brussels city derby, also known as a " Zwanze derby" with R.W.D. Molenbeek, which stems from their old rivalry with Daring Club Brussels, that has been encapsulated in the Brussels play Bossemans et Coppenolle. However, the two are said to have a love-hate relationship, having both experienced financial difficulty in the modern era, and organised friendlies together in support.

Union have another Brussels city rivalry with neighbour RSC Anderlecht, although the two have met even fewer times in the modern era than RWDM and Union have. This is arguably Union's fiercest derby, with many fans considering it to be the most important match of the season. They met for the first time since 1979 in the Belgian Cup in 2018, with Union stunning Anderlecht 3–0 at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. In 2021, Union were promoted to the First Division for the first time in 49 years. In the first derby between the two teams in the championship, Union beat Anderlecht 3–1. In January 2022, in their first home game against Anderlecht in the championship since their relegation in 1972, Union completed a league double over Anderlecht, defeating them 1–0. During the Champions Playoffs at the end of the 2021–22 season, they again defeated Anderlecht twice, first with a 3–1 home victory and again with a 0–2 away victory.

Players

Personnal Reward

Six players from the Union Saint-Gilloise finished top scorers in the Belgian First Division A

* 1902/1903: Gustave Vanderstappen (''? Goals'')
* 1903/1904: Gustave Vanderstappen (''30 Goals'')
*1909/1910: Maurice Vertongen (''36 Goals'')
*1922/1923: Achille Meyskens (''24 Goals'')
*1933/1934: Vital Van Landeghem (''29 Goals'')
*2021/2022: Deniz Undav (''26 Goals'')

A player from the Union Saint-Gilloise finishes top scorers in the Belgian Second Division

*1950/1951: Frans Laureys (''28 Goals'')

Current squad

Out on loan

Staff

;Sports director:
* Chris O'Loughlin

;Head coach:
* Karel Geraerts

;Assistant coach:
* Bart Meert

;Assistant coach:
* Artur Kopyt

;Assistant coach:
* Tim Smolders

;Goalkeeping coach:
* Logan Bailly

;Fitness coach:
* Balder Berckmans

;Video analyst:
* Marc Delcourt

;Team manager:
* Annelies Menten

;Delegate:
* Philippe Wery

Medical

;Doctors
* Koen Pansaers
* Axel Marlaire

;Physios
* Stephen Van den Berg
* Ivan Del Molino
* Wilfried Schiemsky

Honours

Domestic

* Belgian First Division
**Winners (11): 1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1912–13, 1922–23, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
**Runners-up (9): 1902–03, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 2021–22
*Belgian Second Division/Challenger Pro League
**Winners (4): 1900–1901, 1950–1951, 1963–64, 2020–21
**Runners-up (1): 1967–68
*Belgian Third Division A
**Winners (2): 1975–76, 1983–84
* Belgian Third Division B
**Winners (1): 2003–04
* Belgian Fourth Division
**Winners (1): 1982-1983
* Belgian Cup
**Winners (2): 1912–13, 1913–14
*Jules Pappaert Cup
**Winners (3): 1956, 1976, 2021

European

*Challenge International du Nord
**Winners (3): 1904, 1905, 1907
**Runners-up (1): 1908
*Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz
**Winners (3): 1905, 1906, 1907
**Runners-up (1): 1904
*Coupe Jean Dupuich
**Winners (4): 1912, 1913, 1914, 1925
**Runners-up (1): 1908

Union SG in European competition

Union Saint-Gilloise went 58 years between appearances in European competitions, entering the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League in the 3rd Qualifying Round, having last appeared in the 1964–65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The team is playing their home games at Den Dreef, as the Joseph Marien Stadium does not meet the UEFA requirements.

See also

*Christophe Goumotsios
* The Invincibles

Notes

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Gilloise

Football clubs in Brussels
Association football clubs established in 1897
Football clubs in Belgium
1897 establishments in Belgium
Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Belgian First Division A clubs