Belgian Division 3

Last updated
Belgian Division 3
Founded2016;8 years ago (2016)
CountryBelgium
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams64
Level on pyramid5
Promotion to Belgian Division 2
Relegation to Belgian Provincial leagues
Domestic cup(s) Belgian Cup
Current champions Westhoek (A), Termien (B), Onhaye (C), Hutoise (D)
(2023–24)
Current: 2024–25 Belgian Division 3

The Belgian Division 3, commonly referred to as simply Derde Afdeling (in Dutch) or Division 3 (in French) is the fifth-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Division 2. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016 as a new layer at the fifth level of the league system, at that time named Belgian Third Amateur Division. From the 2020–21 season on it was renamed to Belgian Division 3, due to the negative connotation of the word amateur. The division consists of four separate leagues with 16 teams each, two of these leagues consist of teams playing with a license from the Voetbalfederatie Vlaanderen (VFV, the Dutch-speaking wing of the RBFA) and two with teams with a license from the Association des Clubs Francophones de Football (ACFF, the French-speaking wing of the RBFA).

Contents

History

The Belgian Third Amateur Division was created in 2016 following an overhaul of the Belgian football league system which saw the number of professional clubs reduced to 24. As a result, from the third level and below only amateur clubs remain. [1] The two remaining levels above the Belgian Provincial leagues were reformed into three amateur levels, namely the Belgian Second Amateur Division (reformed Belgian Third Division), the Belgian Third Amateur Division (reformed Belgian Fourth Division) and the newly created Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, the Belgian Provincial leagues dropped to the sixth level of the league system.

In 2020, the levels three to five were renamed to Belgian National Division 1, Belgian Division 2 and Belgian Division 3 respectively.

Competition format

In each of the four separate leagues, the season is a regular round-robin tournament with 16 teams. The winners of each league is promoted to the Belgian Division 2. The teams finishing in second place in each Flemish-speaking league and the three period winners (the season is divided into three periods) of these leagues will playoff for two extra promotion spots. No extra promotion places are available for the French-speaking leagues as there is only one French-speaking league at the Belgian Division 2, compared to two Flemish-speaking ones. Regarding relegation, the bottom three teams from each league are relegated to the Belgian Provincial leagues, but the number of teams to be relegated can increase depending on the number of teams being relegated directly from the Belgian Second Amateur Division. [2]

Past winners

SeasonDivision A winner (VV)Division B winner (VV)Division C winner (ACFF)Division D winner (ACFF)Promotion play-off VFV winnersPromotion play-off ACFF winner(s)
2016–17 Ingelmunster Turnhout RWDM47 Durbuy Ronse, City Pirates, Vosselaar, Sint-Lenaarts, Pepingen Rebecq
2017–18 Menen Heur-Tongeren La Louvière Tilleur Diegem, Dikkelvenne, Eppegem Couvin-Mariembourg, Francs Borains, Visé
2018–19 Merelbeke Tienen Namur Fosses Stockay-Warfusee Pepingen-Halle, Zwevezele Givry, Onhaye, Verlaine
2019–20 Zelzate Lyra-Lierse Berlaar Ganshoren Warnant not held due to coronavirus pandemic, extra promotions went to Ninove, Brakel, Wetteren, City Pirates, Heur-Tongeren, Houtvenne, Jette
2020–21 season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic [3]
2021–22 Oostkamp Racing Mechelen Namur FLV Dison Erpe-Mere United, Lebbeke, Turnhout, Lille, Torhout Binche
2022–23 Overijse Wezel Mons Rochefort Voorde-Appelterre, Houtvenne Tournai, La Calamine
2023–24 Westhoek Termien Onhaye Hutoise
2024–25

Related Research Articles

The Belgian Second Division was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1909 and folded in 2016, when it was replaced by the Belgian First Division B ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgian Cup</span> Football tournament

The Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed to partake. As of 1964, the Belgian Cup has been organised annually. Since the 2015–16 edition, the Belgian Cup is called the Croky Cup, for sponsorship purposes. The final traditionally takes place at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

The Belgian Third Division was the third highest level in Belgian football. It had two leagues of 18 teams each at the same level. This competition, originally known as the Belgian Promotion was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952 on, only two leagues remained and the competition was named the Third Division. Originally set to 16 clubs, the number of clubs in each division was increased in 2009 to 18 clubs. At the end of the regular season, both league winners promoted to the second division and a play-off was played to determine a possible third club to promote. The champion of the third division was determined after a two-legged match between the winners of the two leagues. If those matches ended in a draw, a third match was played on a neutral ground. However, in recent years this final game was not organised anymore due to lack of interest. In 2016, the Belgian Third Division was replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division.

The Belgian Provincial leagues are the lower leagues for Belgian football. Until 2016, these were at levels 5-8 in the Belgian football league system however as part of the reform an extra level was created causing the provincial leagues to drop to levels 6-9. The provincial leagues are divided into 9 regional league systems. Each league system is itself divided into 4 levels. The number of leagues at each level depends on the province, but every province must have only one league at the top level. The best teams from the 9 first divisions can promote to the Belgian Division 3, the fifth and lowest level in the national leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Belgium</span>

Association football is the most popular sport in Belgium, which has been played since the end of the 19th century. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport. The first match of the Belgium national team was played on 1 May 1904, a 3–3 draw against France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAAL La Louvière</span> Belgian football club

Royal Association Athlétique Louviéroise La Louvière is a Belgian professional football club based in La Louvière, in the province of Hainaut. The club founded in 2009 out of a merger, competes in Challenger Pro League from 2024–25, the second tier of Belgian football after promotion from Belgian National Division 1 in 2023–24.

The following article is a summary of the 2015–16 football season in Belgium, which is the 113th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2015 until June 2016.

The 2015–16 season of the Belgian Third Divisions is the 89th season of the third-tier football league in Belgium, since it was established in 1926.

The Belgian National Division 1, commonly referred to as simply Eerste Nationale in Dutch or Nationale 1 in French, is a semi-professional and the third-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Challenger Pro League. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, coming in at the third level and pushing all divisions one level down. Until the 2019–20 season, it was known as the Belgian First Amateur Division, but was renamed due to the negative connotation of the word amateur.

The Belgian Division 2, commonly referred to as simply Tweede Afdeling or Division 2 is the fourth-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian National Division 1. It was created by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 2016, replacing the Belgian Third Division and named Belgian Second Amateur Division until the 2019–20 before it was renamed due to the negative connotation of the word amateur. The division consists of three separate leagues with 16 teams each, two of these leagues consist of teams playing with a license from the Voetbalfederatie Vlaanderen and one with teams with a license from the Association des Clubs Francophones de Football.

The 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division was the inaugural season of the division in its current format, replacing the former Belgian Fourth Division and now placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium.

The 2017–18 Belgian Second Amateur Division is the second season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.

The 2018–19 Belgian Second Amateur Division is the third season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.

The 2019–20 Belgian Second Amateur Division was the fourth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium. Mid-March all matches were temporarily postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, only to be canceled permanently two weeks later, with the standing as of March 12 counting as final. As a result, Knokke, Tienen and Francs Borains were crowned champions in their respective league and were each promoted to the 2020–21 Belgian First Amateur Division.

The 2020–21 Belgian National Division 1 was the fifth season of the third-tier football league in Belgium and the first under its new name after changing from First Amateur Division to National Division 1. Eventually, the season was cancelled in January 2021 with just a few matches played, as measures taken by the Belgian government against the spread of COVID-19 prohibited amateur football.

The 2020–21 Belgian Division 2 was the fifth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium and the first under this name, after being renamed (Belgian) Division 2 from (Belgian) Second Amateur Division. The season was cancelled in January 2021 with just a few matches played, as measures taken by the Belgian government against the spread of COVID-19 prohibited amateur football.

The 2020–21 Belgian Division 3 was the fifth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium and the first under this name, after being renamed (Belgian) Division 3 from (Belgian) Third Amateur Division. The season was cancelled in January 2021 with just a few matches played, as measures taken by the Belgian government against the spread of COVID-19 prohibited amateur football.

The 2021–22 Belgian Division 2 is the sixth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium. As the previous season was cancelled in January 2021 due to governmental measures against COVID-19 prohibiting amateur football, the division features nearly exactly teams.

The 2021–22 Belgian Division 3 was the sixth season of the division in its current format, placed at the fifth-tier of football in Belgium. As the previous season was cancelled in January 2021 due to governmental measures against COVID-19 prohibiting amateur football, the division features nearly exactly the same teams.

The 2022–23 Belgian Division 2 is the seventh season of the division in its current format, placed at the fourth-tier of football in Belgium.

References

  1. ↑ "La réforme du championnat approuvée: une grande lessive se prépare en D2 (INFOGRAPHIE)" (in French). dh.be. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Bondsreglement" (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Belgian Football Association. 14 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Amateurcompetities definitief stopgezet, jeugdvoetbal tot U13 blijft mogelijk" [Amateur leagues cancelled definitively, youth matches until U13 remain possible] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.