We visited the stadium in the Wegvoeringstraat in Wetteren quite some time ago, but we still had to pay a visit to the neighbouring Marcel De Kerpelstadion as well. Only a couple of hundred meters apart from each other, but for decades home ground of rivals Standaard Wetteren and RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht. Now both stadiums belong to the same team.
This is their history:
1920: Racing Club Wetteren was founded and they joined the Belgian FA in the same year. Matricule number (received in 1926) became 95.
1927: RC Wetteren first reached the national divisions, third division at that time. They stayed for one year.
1929: Return to third division after one year in the regional leagues. They would stay there until 1938 with some good results here and there.
1948: Standaard Molenhoek was created and at first they played in the Flemish leagues.
1951: RC Wetteren became RRC Wetteren and Standaard Molenhoek became Football Club Standaard Wetteren. FC Standaard Wetteren joined the Belgian FA in the same year, receiving matricule number 5479.
1963: Marcel De Kerpel became chairman of Standaard Wetteren and the big rise started.
end of the 60s: The first derby's between the two teams in competition.
1973: RRC Wetteren finally came back to the national leagues after 35 years; fourth division at that time. They stayed there for five years.
1988: Standaard Wetteren reached the national divisions for the very first time ever and slowly they took over the prominent role of the first team in Wetteren from RRC Wetteren. Standaard Wetteren would never leave the national leagues again.
1989: Standaard Wetteren immediately did great and they promoted to third division.
They would stay there until 2001.
2001: FC Standaard Wetteren became K Standaard Wetteren.
2003: Standaard Wetteren promoted back to third division. At the same time RRC Wetteren merged with SK Kwatrecht to become RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht. Matricule number 95 was kept.
2009: Standaard Wetteren reached second division for the first time ever. They would stay there until 2012.
2013: RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht finally managed to go back to the national leagues, again after 35 years of regional football. This time they would stay for good.
2014: Standaard Wetteren relegated to fourth division, meeting RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht again for nice derby's in competition.
2015: RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht and K Standaard Wetteren decided to join forces. Both teams merged to become RFC Wetteren. The matricule number of RRC Wetteren-Kwatrecht was kept and the matricule number of K Standaard Wetteren was sold to RWDM 47, a group that wanted to bring back the RWDM in Belgian football. RFC Wetteren moved to the Marcel De Kerpelstadion, only using the Wegvoeringstraat as a training facility. Although we saw that the latter was already in serious decay the last time we drove by. Time for a re-visit!
Ever since RFC Wetteren is playing in the third amateur league only nearly missing promotion last year. Clearly the team has a lot of ambition to go back to the higher national leagues.
Standaard Wetteren already had that ambition before by attracting former players like Sadio Ba, Koen Schockaert, Alin Stoica, Ode Thompson and Jan Van Steenberghe.
We truly hope they will make these ambitions come true as the Marcel De Kerpelstadion is an absolute gem, a truly not to be missed stadium with great terracing, a very nice grandstand and odd placing of the stands around the pitch.
