RWD Molenbeek 47 (Belgium)

RWDM47 is a football club formed in 2015 who are located in the Molenbeek district of the Belgian capital of Brussels with a very complicated background.

They were originally formed in 1951 as Standaard Wetteren, before that club merged in 2015. Fans of R.W.D. Molenbeek, who had folded in 2002 bought the license and renamed the club to revive the old name.

Racing White Daring Molenbeek had been founded in 1909 as White Star Club de Bruxelles. Later that year the club became members of the Belgian FA as White Star Athletic Club, who competed in the Belgian First Division in the 1924-25, 1934-35 and 1945-46 seasons.

Initially the club was known as White Star Woluwé A.C. then as Royal White Star A.C. The modern day White Star Woluwé FC took its name from the club but have no connection.

The club merged in 1963 Racing de Bruxelles to form Royal Racing White. After a couple seasons in Division 2 the club were promoted as Division Two champions in 1964-65 to the top flight, while playing at Stade Fallon in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.

In 1973 Royal Racing White merged with Daring Club de Bruxelles to become R.W.D. Molenbeek after both clubs were struggling to attract attendances. The merger proved a success as Molenbeek were crowned as Belgian champions in 1974-75.

The merged club played at the Oscar Bossaert Stadion in Molenbeek as the team put in some top five finishes which resulted in UEFA Cup football. In 1976-77 campaign saw a particularly fine run.

Wins over Næstved BK, Wisła Kraków, FC Schalke 04 and Feyenoord propelled RWDM to the semi-finals where they eventually went out on away goals to Athletic Club of Bilbao, with Jacques Teugles netting the Molenbeek goal in the home leg.

A third place Division 1 finish came in 1979-80 in the renamed Edmond Machtens Stadion, which was followed by several mid table endings before the club was relegated to Division II in 1983-84 despite the goals of Roger Raeven.

The relegation was the beginning of the end as financial problems blighted the club. Eventually the club folded in bankruptcy in 2002.

K.F.C. Strombeek were a lower division club based just outside Brussels who were Belgian Third Division A champions in 1999-00. The club moved from their Singelstadion home in Grimbergen into the Edmond Machtens Stadion during the 2002-03 season.

The club became F.C. Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek as the team lifted the Division II title in 2003-04 and won promotion to Division I. Albert Cartier was among the head coaches at the club as the team secured some mid table finishes.

Franky Van der Elst took over team affairs in the summer of 2007 as the club became known as R.W.D.M. Brussels or FC Brussels. The team were relegated in 2007-08 to Division II where they remained as a mid table side.

Chris van Puyvelde, Michel De Wolf, Stéphane Demol and Noureddine Zaiour were the final team managers at the club before they finished the 2013-14 Division II season in eighth position.

However, the goals of Frédéric Gounongbe and Bart Goor as well as the efoorts from all at the club were in vain as Brussels were refused a license for the following season because of their financial situation. The club folded.

While all this was going on, another group of fans who wanted to keep the R.W.D. Molenbeek name alive started a new club with the same name in 2003. The club started to work their way up from the Brabant Provincial League 4; the eighth level of football in Belgium.

After gaining three promotions to reach the fifth tier, the club merged with another side in the Brabant League so the famous name disappeared once again. The name was revived once again through the purchase made by supporters described at the top of this complicated page as the club moved into the Edmond Machtens Stadion. 

RWDM47 played in the fifth level Third Amateur Division in the 2016-17 season, going on to lift the league title and be promoted to the fourth tier Championnat de Belgique de football D4, Second Division Amateur.

RWDM won the Second Amateur Division C title in 2017-18 as well as reaching the fifth round of the Coupe de Belgique before going out on penalties to RU La Louvière Centre. The team consolidated in the third tier in eighth place the following season while KMSK Deinze ended the cup run in round five.

Molenbeek improved to reach sixth place when the 2019-20 campaign was concluded early owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RWD Molenbeek 47 will play in will play in the First Amateur Division in the 2020-21 season.

My visits

Thursday 20th October 2016

My brief stay in Brussels consisted of one evening and until lunch the following day. As usual I was keen to see as much as possible. I’d done my sightseeing around socialising the previous evening, with the following morning set aside for visiting some iconic football venues.

I’d made the King Baudouin Stadium at Heysel the first call of the day. I was now ready to test my skills at navigating my way across Brussels using the transport network. It wasn’t easy, but I soon got the hang of it.

The number 51 tram from Stade took me to Woeste, where I changed to catch the number 49 bus to the Leroy stop, from where it was just a short walk along Rue de Konick and then Rue Charles Malis which took me behind one end of the Edmond Machtens Stadion.

To be honest I didn’t even realise that RWDM47 were in existence and beginning to climb the Belgian football ladder. I’d obviously heard of RWD Molenbeek as I followed the game closely in my formative years and had a decent grasp of European football.

I knew that Royal White Star Bruxelles played in the most impressive stadium; I was really happy when I later learned that it was being used by two clubs, who would hopefully learn from the poor financial management of the past.

Edmond Machtens Stadion was indeed an excellent venue. The far end had open terracing, while tall seated stands stood opposite each other on either sides of the pitch. One to the left was in two tiers with corporate boxes in between, while the other had a small terraced paddock in front.

The final end had no spectator accommodation but a high board of advertisements enclosing the ground to keep in the atmosphere.

Having completed my visit I went back in the same direction and caught the 49 bus once more to Meir from where it was just a short walk to the Stade RSCA Constant Vanden Stock to take a look at the home of Anderlecht.

RWD Molenbeek 47 3 Hamme VW 0 (Saturday 19^th August 2017) Coupe de Belgique Round Four (att: c1,500)

My weekend oriented around football in Belgium was going fantastically well after my Friday evening game in Liège and Saturday tea time entertainment at the national Stade Roi Baudouin featuring tenants Union Saint-Gilloise and Westerlo.

I’d also visited four really decent grounds to take photos and find my feet around Brussels before watching the match with Anthony Varga; a fellow groundhopper who I’d met through Facebook.

Anthony had managed to get a ticket for the evening game between KV Mechelen and Royal Antwerp through another member of the European Football Weekends group. I’d more or less settled for Oud-Heverlee Leuven v Cercle Brugge until the previous Wednesday, when the excellent Soccerway website offered an alternative.

The Croky Cup, as the Balgian Cup/Coupe de Belgique was named under a sponsorship deal was scheduled over the weekend and the match at the Edmond Machtens Stadium looked a very good fit.

While I’d miss the first ten minutes or so from travelling from the Union match, I’d be in town not long after 9pm. This looked a good idea, as Brussels on a Saturday night was bound to be reasonable; especially as I didn’t have to be up too early the next morning?

I caught the number 6 Metro from Roi Baudouin to Beekant on a decent evening weather wise. I was getting very hungry after wrongly assuming that there’d be some kind of food for sale at the first game. I walked as fast as my legs would carry me.

It was a straightforward route along Rue Jules Vieujant and Rue Osseghem before turning right into Rue de la Fraîcheur. The tell tale glow of the floodlights and buzz of the crowd were most welcome as the road became Rue Charles Malis. I arrived from the opposite direction to my previous visit.

The match ticket cost €10 and gave me admission to the stand down the side and the open terracing at the far end. The second large stand wasn’t open. I could see a food and drink caravan on the open end so I headed straight for it.

The match was still at 0-0 as I got stuck into a burger from one hut and a large portion of fries from another. It came to €9.50, which wasn’t the cheapest, but the quality was good and most needed. I treated myself to a beer to wash it down.

The atmosphere was vibrant. The Molenbeek vocal support was at the other end of the seated stand. A handful of away fans supporting K.F.C. Vigor Wuitens Hamme, to give the visitors their full title, occupied the other end. There was also a decent gathering of loyal support preferring to stand up.

The terrace had high fences at the front that I hadn’t come across since the late 80’s back in the UK. It even had the revolving spikes on top like I last saw at Boothferry Park. I really liked the ground as it took me back. It also had a good atmosphere.

RWDM had won their fifth tier title the season before and were playing in the 2^nd Amateur League, while their visitors plied their trade in the division above. I had been aware of this before kick off, and had presumed that Hamme were the underdogs; such were their tactics.

The game was tight and scrappy. Molenbeek were generally looking most likely to break the deadlock, but the touch around the area in attack was shocking at times. VW looked more than happy to blunt such attacks and then attack on the break.

Hamme lost their striker Mitch De Kuyper after thirty minutes after a crunching tackle, which required a rethink of personal up front. They finished the first half slightly on top after stringing together some decent moves.

I took a quick look in the clubhouse and at the club shop under the stand in the interval before deciding to take a pew at the rear of the seating behind the hard core RWDM support. It was a real mixture of young and senior; many of whom would have gone through the heartbreak of losing the old clubs.

Some looked very much like they may have had some very interesting experiences when the likes of Anderlecht and Club Brugge were their opponents. The smell of extremely exotic tobacco filled the air, while fans seemed to be continually bringing cardboard carriers full of beer upstairs. I loved it.

Gradually their heroes began to get on top, no doubt assisted by the continual vocal support; much of which was sung in English. The pressure paid off on sixty eight minutes when a fine slide rule pass led to a shot being blocked on the line. Lucas Dambblon was on hand to put the ball over the line as the crowd went berserk; throwing beer and making a hell of a noise.

Hamme fought straight back and could well have equalised when Yoshi Mariën went on a fine mazy run, but lost control just as he was about to get his shot away. Molenbeek made sure that they capitalised just a few minutes later.

Again it was Dambblon who did the damage, after some fantastic work in the box and a run to the byline followed by a low cross gave the front man an open goal. We even had a chorus of “We’re Going to Win the Cup” from the regulars!

The third goal followed with eight minutes remaining as another defence cutting pass was deflected to Anthony Bova who lifted the ball over Hamme keeper Griffin De Vroe to seal the victory. The visitors became very tetchy towards the end with one of their side being shown a red card by referee Charles Bouer.

At the full time whistle I got straight away. It had been a brilliant second half and a fantastic atmosphere, but I wanted the loyal home fans to enjoy their victory; and I wanted a beer! I could hear them still singing three blocks away.

I’d returned to the city via a walk down to Parc Albert where I took the 86 bus before having a look at the stunning Grand Place, through the Galeries and then to the majestic À la Mort Subite for a beer. I’d have stayed longer but the screaming of the American women with their partners opposite was doing my head in. The perils of drinking strong beer on empty heads!

My plan was to walk back to the Hotel Sabina stopping off along the way at various bars that I’d spotted on my way there earlier in the day. It proved to be a massive disappointment as most places were closed; and those that weren’t didn’t seem too appealing.

There was nothing for it apart from to walk back down the hill past the cathedral and into town. I’d considered Churchill’s pub so I could watch some sport, but that was shut. I spied Rooster’s up the narrow street and took a seat outside.

It was an inspired choice as the decent music from inside was loud enough to hear, and the beers were good and reasonably priced. I particularly enjoyed the Belle-Vue Kreik, a fruit beer brewed in Molenbeek with the company once led by Constant Vanden Stock, who was also in charge of RSC Anderlecht. It seemed an apt selection.

Although the bar was open until 4am I departed around 12.30 and took the 66 bus from round the corner back to my hotel, where the highlights from the evening’s football was on a local TV channel. It had been a fantastic day out.