K Beerschot VA

Beerschot

Full name	Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen
Nickname(s)	De Kielse Ratten De Mannekes Purple White Army
Founded	1899; 123 years ago (1899)
Ground	Olympisch Stadion Antwerp, Belgium
Capacity	12,771[1][2]
Chairman	Francis Vrancken
Manager	Javier Torrente
League	First Division A
2020–21	Belgian First Division A, 9th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen, or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the First Division A. In 2013, KFCO Wilrijk decided to integrate the identity of Beerschot AC when they were relegated in the 2012–13 season, not only through their league position but also due to losing their professional license through financial issues, being officially declared bankrupt on 21 May 2013 and folding shortly afterwards. The club colours are purple and white, they play their games on the club's home ground the Olympic Stadium often referred to as 't Kiel.

History[]

KFCO Wilrijk[]

The club was founded in 1921 as Football Club Wilrijk and joined The Belgian football association.

As a result of the introduction of a national third division in 1926, the club played national football for the first time in their then short existence. Unfortunately the club ended third last, leading to their relegation after just one season. In 1931 the number of participants in the divisions was increased, causing FC Wilrijk to be included on the national level for the second time. FC Wilrijk lasted two seasons before being relegated again.

In 1935 the club was promoted once more. Unlike their previous third division stays, FC Wilrijk showcased dominant football. This resulted in a 3rd position in the 1935–36 season and even becoming third division champions in the 1936–37 season. After winning their division the club was promoted to the second division lasting two seasons before being relegated in 1939. After a lengthy stay in the third division, FC Wilrijk was relegated to the Provincial division in 1949 which set a trend for the following decades.

In 1993 KFC Wilrijk merged with Olympia Wilrijk 72. This other Wilrijk-based club, was founded in 1972 and part of the Royal Belgian Football Association, being assigned the association number 7727. Both clubs shared forces as KFC Olympia Wilrijk and continued under KFC Wilrijks association number 155.

In 1994, the club reached the 4th division, playing national football for the first time in 45 years. In the 1995–96 season KFCO Olympia Wilrijk came in 3rd only two points short of standing victorious in their division. After eight years KFC Olympia Wilrijk ended third last, which led to being relegated. Their absence was short-lived however, as KFC Olympia Wilrijk was promoted the following year resulting in a three-year stay before being relegated. In 2008 the club was promoted again, only to be relegated in 2010.

FCO Beerschot Wilrijk[]

After Beerschot AC's bankruptcy in 2013, KFCO Wilrijk decided to harbour its fans. KFCO Wilrijk followed up by incorporating the name Beerschot and their respective colours in their own identity. The KBVB however decided that due to the name change, the club was no longer eligible to use the handle "royal" in their club name. Hence the club's name is FCO Beerschot Wilrijk rather than KFCO Beerschot Wilrijk. In order to retrieve their "royal" status, FCO Beerschot Wilrijk filed a successful application in June 2017.

FCO Beerschot Wilrijk, became an instant success. Their season opener against Ternesse VV was attended by 8500 fans, which was a record for the Belgian provincial division at the time. This record was broken on 15 February 2014 during their game against fierce title contender FC De Kempen which was attended by 8982 fans and topped again, during their title game against KFC Katelijne-Waver on 22 March. This game was attended by almost 12000 fans and won by 5–0, gaining the club mathematic certainty about crowning themselves 2013–14 division champions.

Due to the club's high attendance – weekly attendance that tops several first division teams – KFCO Beerschot Wilrijk is required to play their home games at the Olympisch Stadion (city of Antwerp) to guarantee the safety of their fans. This is the home ground of the fallen Beerschot VAC. The club reached an average of 7000 fans at home games during its first season in the 1st division of the province of Antwerp, which is quite a feat. This reputation was upheld during away games by bringing on average over 1500 fans, whom took pride in causing friendly banter in the most obscurely hidden cities and stadiums that the province of Antwerp holds. The club's success and vibe often lead to opponents renting bigger stadiums because the prospected attendance exceeds their own stadium capacity.

Old logo used until 2019 when the name was changed from Beerschot Wilrijk to Beerschot

For the 2014–15 season, FCO Beerschot Wilrijk was promoted to the 4th division in Belgian national football. In mid-March 2015, they held a 10-point lead over their closest rival.^[3] They were promoted to third division as champions of their group. In 2015–2016 they became champions of the third division after a sensational winning goal in the last minute of their last game. In 2016–2017 they became the first champion of the new '1st Amateur League' and gained promotion to the Proximus League, the second tier of Belgian football.

In February 2018, Saudi prince Abdullah bin Musa'ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, owner of the English Premier League side Sheffield United, announced his investment in Beerschot alongside Belgian construction company DCA.^[4]

Beerschot[]

In 2019, the club changed its name to Beerschot, and also changed the club logo.

Results[]

• As a result, KFCO BW remained in the third division.

Current squad[]

As of 31 August 2021^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BEL Wouter Biebauw 2 DF  BEL Jan Van den Bergh 3 DF  ENG Femi Seriki (on loan from Sheffield United) 4 DF  BEL Frédéric Frans 5 MF  BEL Joren Dom 8 MF  AUT Raphael Holzhauser 9 FW  CMR Marius Noubissi 10 FW  JPN Musashi Suzuki 11 MF  BOL Ramiro Vaca 15 DF  FRA Pierre Bourdin 16 MF  BEL Tom Pietermaat 17 FW  SCO Lawrence Shankland 18 MF  BEL Ryan Sanusi

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  URU Felipe Avenatti (on loan from Standard Liège) 21 MF  GHA Abraham Okyere 27 DF  ALG Réda Halaïmia 28 MF  MLI Ismaila Coulibaly (on loan from Sheffield United) 29 DF  BEL Thibault De Smet (on loan from Reims) 31 GK  BEL Mike Vanhamel 38 FW  BEL David Mukuna-Trouet 44 DF  URU Mauricio Lemos (on loan from Fenerbahçe) 55 DF  CRO Stipe Radić 66 DF  GRE Apostolos Konstantopoulos 72 GK  BEL Antoine Lejoly 77 FW  CRO Leon Kreković 99 FW  GAM Abdoulie Sanyang (on loan from Superstars Academy) — MF  BEL Dante Rigo

Out on loan[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  NGA Blessing Eleke (on loan at Gençlerbirliği)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  TOG Euloge Placca (on loan at Al Tadhamon)

Managers[]

Season	Manager
2013–2014
2014–2015
2015–2016	/ Dennis van Wijk
2016–2017	Marc Brys
2017–2018	Marc Brys
2018–2019	Stijn Vreven
2019–2021	Hernán Losada
2021	William Still
2021–	Peter Maes

Club captains[]

Season	Player
2013–2014	Davy De Smedt
2014–2015	Davy De Smedt
2015–2016	Davy De Smedt/
2016–2017
2018–2019	Tom Van Hyfte
2019–present	Mike Vanhamel

Top scorers[]

Season	Player	Goals
2013–2014		28
2014–2015	Dyron Daal	18
2015–2016	Hernán Losada	10
2016–2017	Hernán Losada	15
2017–2018	Hernán Losada	10
2018–2019	Dante Vanzeir	16
2019–2020	Raphael Holzhauser	8
2020–2021	Raphael Holzhauser	16

Affiliated clubs[]

The following clubs are currently affiliated with:^[6]

• Sheffield United FC (2020–present)
• Kerala United FC (2020–present)
• Al-Hilal United (2020–present)
• LB Châteauroux (2020–present)

References[]