Royal FC Mandel United

Last updated

Royal FC Mandel United
Logo of Royal FC Mandel United.png
Full nameRoyal FC Mandel United
Short nameRFCMU
Founded1926;98 years ago (1926)
GroundSkyline Arena, Izegem
Capacity2,200 [1]
ChairmanPaul Seynaeve
Head coachAngelo Paravizzini
League Belgian National Division 2
2022–23 Belgian National Division 1, 20th of 20 (relegated)
Website Club website
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

Royal FC Mandel United, commonly known as RFC Mandel United, formerly KFC Mandel United, is a football club competing in the fourth tier, Belgian Division 2. The club was originally founded in 1926, and is based in Izegem, Belgium which is located in the Flemish Region. [2] [3]

Contents

History

KFC Izegem

KFC Izegem was founded as Football Club Izegem in 1926 and joined the Belgian Football Federation one year later. FC Izegem started in the regional divisions. At the end of the Second World War, in 1945, Izegem was promoted to the national series for the first time. From that season on, they played in the national leagues. Izegem soon performed well and finished the next seasons ranked at the top of the league every time.

In 1950, FC Izegem finally managed to win its series. For the first time in its history, the club was promoted to the Second Division. After some major league reforms, a large number of second division teams had to drop a level. In 1953, the club received the royal title.

In the sixties, after having been relegated twice, Izegem climbed back to the national divisions. The following decades, however, it went up and down between the lower national divisions and the highest provincial series.

Most of the seventies and eighties, they played in the Belgian Third Division. In the first season in the third division, Izegem finished second, barely one point behind series winner Aalst, and so missed the chance to advance to the second division. [4] [5]

KFC Izegem returned to the Third Division in 2012 and from then onwards, they managed to stay in that division. [6]

OMS Ingelmunster

OMS Ingelmunster was founded in 2003 after the disappearance of the first football club in the municipality, KSV Ingelmunster. OMS Ingelmunster was already founded in 1930 and played after the Second World War as SV Olympic Ingelmunster. At that time, Molen Sport Ingelmunster also played in the municipality. Both clubs continued together from 1962 onwards as KSV Ingelmunster. This club had risen to the national series in the 1990s, even to Second Division. [7]

After a not so successful merge with the team of Harelbeke, a new club was founded to continue the long history of Ingelmunster football. The new club was called Olympic Molen Sport Ingelmunster, a name that refers to the two former clubs of Ingelmunster, Olympic and Molen Sport. OMS Ingelmunster joined the Belgian Football Federation with matricule number 9441 and adopted the yellow and red colors of the former KSV Ingelmunster. [8]

The club started in the very lowest provincial series but was soon able to move up in the following years. Thanks to a championship title in the Second Provincial in 2009, the club advanced to the highest provincial level that year, where it immediately made it to the final round in 2010. Ingelmunster became champions in 2012, and played in the fourth division for the first time.

Mandel United

The two clubs of KFC Izegem and OMS Ingelmunster merged in the spring of 2017 and began play in the 2017–18 season as KFC Mandel United. [9]

KFC Mandel United finished second three times in the Belgian Second Amateur Division and ultimately was promoted in 2020–2021 to National First Division, where the team currently plays.

During the 2018–19 season, the team made an impressive run in the Belgian Cup. KFC Mandel United knocked out top-tier club Waasland-Beveren to reach the round of sixteen as one of few teams outside the first division to do so. [10] After a strong game in Sint-Truiden, another First Division team, Mandel lost 3–2. [11]

Merger

Formed through the merger of KFC Izegem and OMS Ingelmunster in 2017, Strive Football Group took a major share in the newly created public limited company in April 2021, changing the name of the club from KFC Mandel United to Royal FC Mandel United. The venture capital stated that the acquisition of the club "is fully part of Strive Football Group’s ambition to develop the best football talent, providing players with the best exposure opportunities worldwide". [12] [13] [14]

Grounds

KFC Mandel United played its home matches at OMS Ingelmunster Stadion for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons.

The team then moved to Skyline Arena in Izegem beginning in the 2019–20 season. Skyline Arena has a capacity of 2,200 spectators. [15]

Skyline Arena is used by all Royal FC Mandel United Academy teams for all training sessions and games. It has two artificial grass fields and two natural grass fields and extended hospitality options. [16]

Youth academy

Royal FC Mandel United has academy teams from U7 to U19. [17] The team has set up a cooperation with two local fitness clubs and is working together with most of the schools of Izegem. [18]

Two of the club's development pillars are to develop the club into an international platform for the development of young talents and to offer young Belgian players unique international career development opportunities through the integrated Strive Football Group network, increasing the club's attractiveness for young talents. [19]

Crest and colours

Royal FC Mandel United's colors are red, black, and a hint of yellow, which are the historical colors of the club. [20]

The logo features a crown, representing the title of "Royal", a favour bestowed on the club by the King of Belgium thanks to its 50 years of existence. The logo includes KFC Izegem's year of inception: 1926. The flag of the city of Izegem, a Dutch-speaking city in Belgium located in the Flemish Region where the club is based, is also featured in the logo. It represents the city's coat of arms since the 19th century with the cross and 12 blackbirds. The waves in the logo symbolise the Mandel River, where the city of Izegem and the club are located on its southern bank. The name of the merged club, Mandel United, refers to a tributary of the Lys, the small river Mandel.

The logo aims to mark the club's history, while giving it a new impulse, following the involvement of Strive Football Group. [21]

The slogans of the club, 'Oes jeun', 'goestèhn' and 'goaze gevn', mean having fun, having the desire and giving everything.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Izegem</span> City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Izegem is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of Emelgem and Kachtem. Emelgem was added to Izegem in 1965, Kachtem in 1977. Izegem itself lies on the southern banks of the Mandel, Emelgem and Kachtem on the north. Along the shores of the canal a large industrial zone has developed, which made the three municipalities one urban area. On January 1, 2006, Izegem had a total population of 26,544. The total area is 25.48 km2 (9.84 sq mi) which gives a population density of 1,042 inhabitants per km².

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beerschot A.C.</span> Belgian football club

Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Club, simply known as Beerschot AC, was a Belgian football club based in southern Antwerp. Beerschot played in the Belgian Pro League from 1999–2000 until 2012–13, when they were relegated not only through their league position, but also lost their professional licence through financial issues, being officially declared bankrupt on 21 May 2013 – one week after the season had ended.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K.S.V. Roeselare</span> Belgian football club

Koninklijke Sport Vereniging Roeselare, abbreviated to KSV Roeselare, also known in French as KSV Roulers, was a Belgian football club from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule was 134. It last played at the highest level of Belgian football from 2005–06 until 2009–10, but finally folded in 2020 after having relegated to the third level and going bankrupt.

The Belgian Third Division A was one of the two leagues at the third level of the Belgian football league system, the other one being the Belgian Third Division B. This division existed from the 1952–53 to 2015–16 seasons and was played every year with 18 clubs from 2009. Prior to this, the third level in the Belgian football league system was called Promotion and was divided into four leagues of 16 clubs each and prior to the 1931–32 season, the Promotion was divided into three leagues. Due to restructuring, the Third Division was replaced by Belgian Second Amateur Division which plays as three leagues of 16 clubs each from the 2016–17 season.

This article gives a summary of results for the Belgian Second Division play-offs from 2001 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stein Huysegems</span> Belgian footballer

Stein Huysegems is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Honour Gombami is a Zimbabwean former professional football player. He is a member of the Zimbabwe national football team.

<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 Belgian National Division 1, the third tier of Belgian football.

Nicholas Tamsin is a Belgian footballer who plays as a defender for Mandel United in the Belgian National Division 1.

The 1960–61 season was the 58th season of competitive football in Belgium. Standard Liège won their second Division I title. K Lierse SK entered the 1960–61 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder and RU Saint-Gilloise entered the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The European Cup Winners' Cup was first played this season but no Belgian club participated since the Belgian Cup had not been played since 1955–56. The Belgium national football team started their qualifying campaign for the 1962 FIFA World Cup by 3 losses and were thus already eliminated at the end of the season with yet one match to be played.

The 2016–17 season of the Belgian First Division A was the 114th season of top-tier football in Belgium and the first following the structural changes in the Belgian football pyramid, reducing the number of professional teams to 24. It began on 29 July 2016 and finished on 31 May 2017. The fixtures were announced on 8 June 2016. Club Brugge were the defending champions but had to settle for second place with Anderlecht taking their 34th title.

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 following article is a summary of the 2016–17 football season in Belgium, which is the 114th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2016 until June 2017.

Tibo Van de Velde is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Belgian Division 3 club Roeselare-Daisel. He formerly played for Roeselare, Deinze and Cercle Brugge.

Louis Verstraete is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Beveren.

The following article is a summary of the 2017–18 football season in Belgium, which is the 1145th season of competitive football in the country and runs from July 2017 until June 2018.

In Belgian football, the Operation Zero investigation, known informally as Operation Clean Hands, was conducted by the examining magistrate of Limburg on behalf of the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office from 2017 to 2019. The investigation was concerned with organized crime, money laundering, and private corruption (bribery) in Belgian football, division 1A and Division 1B specifically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Eloois-Winkel Sport</span> Association football club in Sint-Eloois-Winkel, Belgium

Sint-Eloois-Winkel Sport is a Belgian football club based in Sint-Eloois-Winkel, West Flanders. The club play their home games at Sportpark Terschueren. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kits, are red and black. Formed in 1940, the club has spent most of its existence in the provincial tiers. It has matricule number 4408, and is part of the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB).

The 2021–22 season of the Belgian First Division B began in August 2021 and ended in April 2022, with Westerlo winning the title by a considerable margin over RWDM, the latter losing the promotion play-off and hence not promoted together with Westerlo. Virton ended in last place and would have been relegated, were it not for the fact that after the season Excel Mouscron was not awarded a licence, causing them to be relegated instead.

References

  1. ↑ Samyn, Lieven (20 September 2019). "Izegem verwacht bomvolle Skyline Arena voor warme ontvangst KV Oostende". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch).
  2. ↑ "Nieuw stadion Izegem wordt "Skyline Arena"". Focus en WTV (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "KFC Mandel United". KFC Mandel United (in Flemish). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Waasland-Beveren verslikt zich in de amateurs van Mandel United". sporza.be (in Dutch). 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Amateurclub Mandel United legt STVV het vuur aan de schenen". sporza.be (in Dutch). 5 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Belgium – KFC Izegem – Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news – Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "OMS Ingelmunster en KFC Izegem fuseren tot KFC Mandel United Ingelmunsterse fans woedend: Voor tweede keer mes in de rug". www.nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish). 9 February 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Belgian Blueprint". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "OMS Ingelmunster en KFC Izegem fuseren tot KFC Mandel United Ingelmunsterse fans woedend: Voor tweede keer mes in de rug". www.nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish). 9 February 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Waasland-Beveren verslikt zich in de amateurs van Mandel United". sporza.be (in Dutch). 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Amateurclub Mandel United legt STVV het vuur aan de schenen". sporza.be (in Dutch). 5 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Royal FC Mandel United | Strive Football Group Teams – Europe". Strive Football Group. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "kfcmu en strive bundelen de krachten". KFC Mandel United (in Flemish). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Strive Football Group, the leading private owner and operator of football clubs and academies, adds K.F.C. Mandel United to its portfolio". Strive Football Group. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Samyn, Lieven (20 September 2019). "Izegem verwacht bomvolle Skyline Arena voor warme ontvangst KV Oostende". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Nieuw stadion Izegem wordt "Skyline Arena"". Focus en WTV (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Jeugd". KFC Mandel United (in Flemish). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "A-kern". KFC Mandel United (in Flemish). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  19. ↑ "Football Academies | Strive Football Group Academies in the US and Europe". Strive Football Group. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  20. ↑ "KFC Mandel United". KFC Mandel United (in Flemish). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  21. ↑ "Strive Football Group, the leading private owner and operator of football clubs and academies, adds K.F.C. Mandel United to its portfolio". Strive Football Group. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 24 June 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.