K.S.K. Beveren

Koninklijke Sportkring Beveren (''Royal Sporting Club of Beveren'') is a Belgian association football club from the town of Beveren in East Flanders. KSK Beveren was particularly successful during the late 1970s and early 1980s in which it won two national championships and two Belgian Cups. In 1979 the club became the first champion of Belgium from the East Flanders province. KSK Beveren is up to the present day the only Belgian champion that is based in a municipality instead of a city. The club came into financial decline in the late 1990s and almost went bankrupt in 2010. The club's male first team ceased all footballing activities in May 2010 to (unofficially) merge with KV Red Star Waasland, becoming KV Red Star Waasland-Beveren. A small fraction of fans started a new club in Belgium's lowest division, called YB SK Beveren. Both teams claim to be the rightful heir of KSK Beveren. However, the original KSK Beveren is still in existence and has a ladies' team, which as of 2018 will play in the highest provincial league in women's football.

History

1922–1949 Origins and early years

Association football has a history in Beveren that goes back to the year 1922 when a local team called 'Standaard Beveren' was founded under the influence of local businessman Paul Verhaert. The club became a member of the Belgian Football Association and received the 'Matricule 737' (the federation's registration number). Financial problems led to the dissolution of the club in May 1931.

A few years later, with football booming all over Europe, the foundations were laid for what would become KSK Beveren. On 23 July 1934 a local pub ('De Graanmaat') owner received a request from a club of the nearby Municipality of Temse to form a team of players of the former 'Standaard' team and play a game against them. The selection of Beverenplayers won by 1–2 and decided to form a new club: Sportkring Beveren (or SK Beveren) became an official member of the Belgian Football Association on 6 September 1935 and received the 'Matricule 2300'.

SKB immediately became successful in the local leagues with two titles in a row. In 1938 the club moved to the Velodrome of local beer brewer and entrepreneur Frederik Thielemans, to whom the stadium was eventually named: the Freethiel Stadion. KSK Beveren remained at the site until 2010 and the stadium is up to the present day still used by Waasland-Beveren, while YB SK Beveren uses a nearby training field as its home ground in the same sports park. Football in Belgium during World War II was organized in emergency leagues, so as a consequence SK Beveren freshly started the 1945–1946 season in the highest provincial league. In 1947 influential chairman Louis Verhaert came into power, leading his club to the national divisions for the first time in 1949, winning the league in an away game against Herzele.

1949–1967 Rise to the highest division

SK Beveren-Waes needed little time to adapt to life in the national divisions. It took the club only three years to eventually promote from the Belgian Fourth Division to the Belgian Third Division predominantly using local players and often counting on the heroics of their goalkeeper Walter De Winter. In the second game of the playoffs for promotion Beveren had already enough with a 2–1 win against Willebroek to secure their rise to a higher division.

Between 1952 and 1960 the club stayed in the Belgian Third Division, regularly battling against relegation and at the end losing the battle by only reaching 15th place in the 1959–1960 season. However, SK Beveren would come back stronger than ever before. During its three-year stay in the Belgian Fourth Division the club started to give chances to a group of local players who would become known as the golden generation of SK Beveren. Most of them learned playing the game on a local playing field, nicknamed 't Congoken due to its sandy pitch, similar to the local public image of playing fields in Africa at that time and referring to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a former colony of Belgium. The former site now serves as a parking lot, but is still remembered with two sculptures representing goals. Amongst the players were prolific striker Robert Rogiers, playmaker Omer Janssens, winger Jean Janssens, centre back Freddy Buyl and central midfielder Wilfried Van Moer.

In 1963 an unstoppable Beveren won the Belgian Fourth Division with 16 points (in the old 2 point system) in front of second-placed Brasschaat, without losing a single match and scoring 111 goals along the way. In 1964 the club reached the last 16 of the Belgian Cup for the first time, eventually losing as a third division club to first division club Cercle Brugge K.S.V. After two 3rd-place finishes, SK Beveren became champion in the Belgian Third Division in 1966. The title was won in an away game in Zwevegem, where Beveren obtained a 2–2 draw after a late goal from Robert Rogiers. The rise of the club, with especially the attacking type of play in mind, didn't go unnoticed in the rest of Belgium, with references in the media to the club as the "little Anderlecht". Under the new coach Guy Thys, Beveren directly promoted to the highest division in 1967, by winning the Belgian Second Division in the final game of the season at UR Namur with Mon Goossens scoring the deciding goal in a 2–3 win.

1967–1977 Rise to power

SK Beveren-Waes debuted in the Belgian First Division with a 1–1 draw on 3 September 1967 in an away game at Sint-Truidense VV, with Jean Janssens scoring the club's first goal in the highest division. Their first win followed a week later when the newly promoted team beat Daring Molenbeek with 2–0 at home. On 26 November 1967 the freshly renovated and extended Freethiel Stadion's attendance record was broken when more than 18 000 people saw Beveren lose at home against RSC Anderlecht with 1–2. Beveren ended its first season in the highest division on a 13th place. The 1968–1969 season brought a surprising sixth place with it, partly due to the goalscoring qualities of Robert Rogiers who ended as vice-topscorer with 16 goals. In the summer of 1969 the club enjoyed its first European exploits with participation in the Rappan Cup, ending in 2nd place in group 9, consisting of Boldklubben 1909, Odra Opole and FC La Chaux-de-Fonds. Led by new manager Ward Volkaert and inspired by the excellent performances of Jean Janssens, who received his first international call-ups for the Belgium National Football Team, Beveren ended the season in 4th place, qualifying for the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

In the summer of 1970 the club again participated in the Rappan Cup, finishing as third in a group with Östers IF, SV Werder Bremen and LASK. The 1970-71 season proved to be average at the national level, but the club had a remarkable run in the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. After beating Wiener Sport-Club in the round of 32, Beveren met Spanish giant Valencia CF in the next round, achieving a historic win in Spain thanks to a goal of Hugo De Raeymaeker. In the return game, Beveren held Valencia to a 1-1 draw (again a goal of De Raeymaeker), obtaining a spot in the next round. Beveren was eventually eliminated by powerhouse Arsenal F.C., losing 4-0 at Highbury and drawing 0-0 at home.

Against all expectations Beveren ended the 1971-72 Belgian First Division as 16th and last, relegating to the Second Division. The relegation was confirmed on April 9, 1972, in an away game at Crossing Schaerbeek, where legendary goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff made his debut. The club managed to keep their most important players and appointed Rik Matthijs as new manager. On September 24, 1972, won the first ever Waasland derby game against arch rivals Sporting Lokeren with 3-2. SK Beveren-Waes eventually won the title in the Belgian Second Division on April 8, 1973 against K. Boom F.C. The club became a founding member of the Pro League in Februari 1974. Beveren had a good run in the 1973-74 Belgian Cup, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, but losing to K.S.K. Tongeren. After two years in charge, Matthijs was replaced by Armand Jurion as manager in the summer of 1974. The club also signed two unknown prospects who would become one of the best Belgian full-backs of their generation, namely Marc Baecke and Eddy Jaspers. Jurion's reign was momentary and after one season he was replaced by Urbain Braems, who would become one of the most influential coaches in the club's history. The club ended the 1975-76 Belgian First Division in a meritorious 6th place, but failed to confirm the next with a disappointing 13th place.

1977–1988 Golden Years

With lowered ambitions, the club made a quite anonymous transfer that would however make a huge impact in the Golden Years, buying German midfielder Heinz Schönberger from K.R.C. Mechelen in the Belgian Second Division. Beveren reached the final of the first-ever Beker van Vlaanderen, a pre-season tournament for Flemish teams, eventually losing by penalties from K.S.V. Waregem. The club played an excellent first half of the season and stood in 3rd place in December, eventually ending the 1977–78 Belgian First Division in 5th place. In January 1978 Louis Verhaert, after 31 years of service, transferred his chair of the club to Jan Van Ussel, who would become the most successful and respected chairman in the club's history. On May 21, 1978 the club won its very first major trophy by winning the Belgian Cup. Beveren knocked out Witgoor Dessel, K. Boom F.C., K.S.K. Tongeren and Sporting Lokeren before winning the final against R. Charleroi S.C. with 2-0, due to two late goals of Johan Coninx and Bob Stevens.

The club changed its name, to SK Beveren, in 1978, and under this name enjoyed its greatest successes, being surprise champions in 1979 and 1984. In 1979, they beat Internazionale in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, eventually being eliminated by Barcelona in the semi-finals with two 1–0 defeats. During this campaign, KSK Beveren had many players with only semi-professional status. TV reporters took pleasure to call those players by their jobs: the Fireman, the Docker, the Policeman and the Employee etc.

In 1984 the club's name changed to K.S.K. Beveren.

In 2006, they were threatened with the loss of their professional licence and subsequent relegation to the third division, but eventually won an appeal to preserve their status. In 2007, however, the club ended last in the Jupiler League and was forced to go to the second division.

In 2010, a few weeks before the end of the championship, the club announced that due to its financial situation it did not apply for a professional license, opting for automatic relegation to the third division for the 2010–11 season.

Arsenal controversy

Between 2001 and 2006, the club had a co-operation agreement with English Premier League club Arsenal. Several players were loaned between the teams and friendlies were played. The agreement expired on 1 July 2006.

Subsequent to an investigation by BBC
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