ROFC Stockel (Belgium)

Royal Olympic Football Club Stockel is an amateur football club from the district of Stockel in the east of the Belgian capital of Brussels. The club was formed in 1941.

The club began life when the local KAJ youth movement founded a football team, which began life playing in Stockel Forest, near the Vierarmen Kruispunt before joining the Belgian FA as Groen-Wit Stockel FC.

Games had to be played at the home of FC Wezembeek as the clubs home wasn’t up to the required standard before moving in as tenants with White Star AC the following year and winning their first title.

A new ground on Langestraat was opened in 1946 as the club continued playing in the lower levels of Brabant Provincial football. A new municipal venue opened in 1952 on Avenue de Hinnisdaellaan; which Stockel shared with Olympic Etterbeek.

The clubs merged in 1959 to form Olympic FC Stockel and play in the Third Provincial divisions. The team continued at that level until the ground was repossessed to build the new Stockel Square Shopping Centre and Stockel Metro station.

The club led a nomadic existence and had to play in other areas in the municipality in the following years, until the new ‘Club House’ site in Stokkelsesteenweg was built in 1984. Another local club; FC Kelle folded in 1990; which assisted Stockel’s standing in the area.

The 1997-98 season saw the green and whites relegated to the Fourth Provincial, the lowest level of organised league football. A new artificial pitch was installed at Club House in 2003 as the team won promotion back to Third Provincial.

A divisional title arrived at the club in 2008-09 as Stockel climbed to the Second Provincial. The momentum continued in 2013-14 as ROFC Stockel won the 2 éme Provinciale Serie A title and were promoted to First Provincial; the highest provincial level.

A runners-up spot followed in their 2014-15 debut season before Stockel finished in mid table and then just above the relegation places in the 2016-17 campaign. A huge improvement came in 2017-18 when the team finished in third place which was enough to win promotion to Third Amateur Division.

However, the fifth tier was a step too far with Stockel being relegated just twelve months later. A runners-up position back in 1éme Provinciale in the truncated 2019-20 season ensued.

ROFC Stockel will play in the Brabant 1éme Provinciale in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

Monday 21^st August

It was my final few hours in Brussels before I headed off to Germany for the Monday night game at Wattenscheid. I’d had a marvellous time around Brussels for a few days in good company as well as venturing far and wide.

My final club to visit for photos was ROFC Stockel; a club I hadn’t discovered until the day before when the ever faithful Google Map App showed a venue just up the road from Stade Fallon; where FC Léopald were based.

I walked along the residential Stokkelsesteenweg for around ten minutes, when I arrived at Club House. Although the ground was probably opened I took my photos through the fence as a soccer school was taking place on the pitch.

The venue was pretty basic but neat and tidy, with a rail and hard standing all the way around the artificial pitch. The large club building was down one side with a slight overhang offering cover in inclement weather.

Once done I headed back down the road to the Konkel stop, from where I took the number 28 bus to Tomberg; from where I took the Metro into town for a spot of lunch, a quick look around and then a beer in the fine Mappa Mundo bar to review it for my pal Andy Crossland before his forthcoming visit.

It was soon time for my train from Nord station to Cologne, which would lead to plenty more adventure; although some of it was definitely not welcome!