Heysel II (Brussels)

Heysel II is a stadium in Brussels which is used primarily for football in the shadow of the national Stade Roi Baudouin in the north west of the city.

The excellent small venue has been used by a variety of clubs over the years. Perhaps the greatest period in use came when Racing Club de Jette merged with Royal Stade de Bruxelles in 1970. The club moved from their Stade Communal home and into Heysel.

The club had some success reaching the second tier of Belgian football and after a relegation and further promotion the club played in Division I in Heysel II, even moving the big game against RSC Anderlecht to the main Heysel Stadion.

The club were relegated to the second tier, but returned to the top flight and finished the 1986-87 season in twelth place before being relegated the following campaign in front of only a small group of loyal fans.

The club merged to become Racing Jet Wavre and moving to the town of Wavre, around 30km south east of Brussels, where they continue to play in amateur provincial football.

FC Atlas, a multicultural club with Moroccan roots, moved into the vacant Heysel II with a reasonable fan base, but they disappeared before the millennium owing to financial issues.

Since 2000 Heysel II has been used by various RSC Anderlecht youth and ladies teams and the Belgian national rugby union team without any anchor tenant.

My visit

Thursday 20th October 2016

I’d arrived in Brussels the previous evening after taking a National Express coach from London. I’d ensured that visiting a few bars had freed up the following morning to indulge in some groundhopping before my early afternoon train towards Genk.

To be honest my room at the budget Royal Hotel on Boulevard Du Jardin Botanique was a good advert for getting out and about. I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

My main intention was to look at Stade Roi Baudouin, formerly known as Heysel, but I’d been tipped off about the second venue. Indeed, a RSC Anderlecht women’s side had been playing there the previous evening, but I’d gone for a diet of local beer and football on TV instead.

The number 2 metro took me from Rogier to Simonis before I changed to the number 2 service to Heysel. The famous Atomium structure stood out on the hill as I checked out any open gates to the main stadium.

No gates were open by the time I arrived on the junction of Avenue Impératrice Charlotte and Avenue Houba de Strooper where Heysel II was located. I had a look through some gaps but thought my hopes of a proper look were going to be in vain.

However, that was to change when I eventually found a way into the grounds surrounding the main stadium. My luck was definitely in, as you can read HERE. While inside the grounds I wandered across and found an open gate in the corner of Heysel II so I could take in the scene.

The near end had a fine covered terrace. Open standing was at the far end, with a low roof and a few steps down the road side. The final side of the ground was a seated stand. The whole arena would have made a fine full time venue for a senior non league club back in the UK.

I’d been most fortunate in my timing. The only disappointment was that I had to walk all the way back round to make my way out. I kept my head down before anyone asked any questions and headed off to make my way by tram and bus towards the Edmond Machtens Stadion.