Bruges stadiums

The Venice of the North has a very rich football history with its flagship clubs, the Club and the Cercle. At the beginning, it was everyone at home but forced, the two clubs became tenants of a single ground.
Historical review of the three main stadiums in Brugge.

Josh | Webmaster
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Posted on April 22, 2020

One city, two clubs

img > Club Brugge Football appeared in Bruges in 1891. The first club founded was the Brugsche Football Club and its members were genuinely pro-Flemish; its colors would be yellow and black. You should know that at the time, the bourgeoisie (and therefore the power) was in the hands of French speakers, whether Flemish or not. The demand for the Flemish language is already strong in Belgium and if most of the clubs are founded with French-speaking names (AA La Gantoise, CS Courtraisien, FC Malinois, Racing de Malines, etc.), some clubs nevertheless have a Flemish name from the start as in Bruges.
This club only has a very ephemeral existence and if it takes part in the foundation of URBSFA and in the very first championship in 1895, dissident members leave the club in 1894 to found FC Brugeois, its colors will be blue and black. The two clubs reunite in 1897 and merge to create FC Brugeois. They keep the colors blue and black and the Brugsche FC is already only a memory.

img > Cercle Brugge At the same time, in 1899, two small clubs (the Vlaamsche Football Club and the Rapid Football Club) merged to form the Cercle Sportif Brugeois. This new club is a section of the Alumni Association of the St. Francis Xavier Institute in Bruges, which also has tennis, cycling, running and cricket sections in addition to football. The colors of the Cercle are green and black. The merger of 1899 did not please everyone, however, and pro-Flemish dissidents left the Cercle to re-found Vlaamsche FC. Quickly, the club didn't appear to be viable and was quickly absorbed by the rivals of the Club Brugeois in 1902.

The rivalry between the two clubs is already very real and can be explained by the origin of these two clubs and in the sections of the population where these clubs seek their supporters.
The Cercle claims to be a Catholic club while the Club comes from the liberal bourgeoisie. This political and ideological rivalry is found at the time everywhere in Belgium and in Bruges, one must choose its side : either the Blauw & Zwart of the Club, or the Groen-Zwart of the Cercle.

The first Flemish champion

img > Cercle Brugge For 15 years, Belgian football remained dominated by two cities : Brussels and Liège.
If many clubs were founded in Flanders (as everywhere in Belgium), it will be necessary to wait for the 1910-1911 season to see a club from the north of the country crowned Belgian Champion. This honor fell to the Cercle de Bruges. Two other titles will be added to the list of triumphs of the Cercle in 1927 and 1930. As for the Belgian Cup, this same Cercle distinguished itself by reaching the final in 1913 and winning the event in 1927. The Cercle will lose its level during the 1930's, alternating up and down between the D1 and D2.

As for its stadium, the Cercle will play for a decade on ground located at the "Smedenpoort". There is no grandstand and the changing rooms are located in an inn. In 1911, the club emigrated to the Torhoutsesteenweg and finally had a real stadium with a (wooden) grandstand, a cloakroom and a surrounding wall. However, these basic installations are no longer sufficient for the ambitions of the Cercle and a new field is acquired by Edgard De Smedt, founder of the club, in 1922. A large seated and covered grandstand as well as standing terraces surround the lawn and can accommodate 16,000 spectators. The stadium is soberly named “RCS Brugeois-stadion”. The death of De Smedt (who became president in 1937) in 1950 provided an opportunity for leaders to rename the stadium to Edgard De Smedtstadion.
The stadium has not changed until it closes in 1975, except for the appearance of artificial lighting in 1957.
img > Cercle Brugge During this time, the club failed to stabilize and for fifteen years alternated between D2 and D3. Inevitably, the public sulks the Cercle and the spans are regularly empty. However, a friendly match is organized between Stade Reims, at this time one of the best European clubs. The Cercle loses 1-4 but the public responds and 10,000 spectators line the spans of the Edgard De Smedtstadion.

The club will have to wait until the early 1970's to find the D1 sustainably, but will remain in the shadow of the Club. The Cercle’s only notable feat was its 1985 Belgian Cup victory against Beveren. There will also be some participation in the European Cup, but with little result.

The rise of the Club

img > Club Brugge Except for a lost Belgian Cup final in 1914, the Club's prize list remained blank. The Blauw & Zwart will take advantage of the end of the Great War to finally win the first trophy in 1920 by becoming Belgian Champion. The Club will have to wait 53 years to know the joy of the supreme title again. For half a century, the Club will have the hardest time stabilizing and gleaning the trophies. Thus, the Club will be only one club among many others by making the elevator between the anteroom of the elite and the D1.
If the Club’s prize list remains sparse, then president Albert Dyserynck bought the stadium where the Club has operated since 1912 and built grandstands, changing rooms and everything an ambitious club needs built there. Over time, the “De Klokke” stadium has a capacity of 25,000 seats.
When Dyserynck died in 1932, the stadium was renamed in honor of its late president ("Albert Dyserynckstadion").

The development of Club Brugeois did not arrive until the late 1960's. The Cup was won in 1968 and 1970 and the second title of Champion was won in 1973. The golden age of the club began at the same time as the funding issues. In fact, to keep its rank as a new footballing power in Belgium, the Club hires the stars of the moment without having large financial means. In addition, the stadium has a large capacity, but its old age is starting to be a problem. To avoid bankruptcy, the leaders of the Club asked the city for help through its mayor, Michel Van Maele (future president of the Club between 1999 and 2003). Van Maele agrees, enters the Club’s board of directors img > Club Brugge and provides the Club with a brand-new stadium built in the suburbs. In order not to harm the Cercle, which is also in difficulty, the two professional clubs in Bruges will play alternately at the Olympiastadion, inaugurated in 1975. The two clubs will be required to repay part of the profits from the sale of tickets to the City.

From that moment, the Club became the second most successful club in Belgium (behind Anderlecht) by winning the Championship in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2005 and 2016. In Cup, the Club became the most successful club with victories in 1977, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2015.
The Club also distinguished itself by reaching two European finals : The UEFA Cup in 1976 and the Champions Club Cup in 1978. Two finals lost but which will have made the Club Brugeois known throughout Europe.

Jan Breydelstadion

img > Cercle Brugge The stadium consists of a first level surrounding the entire field and can accommodate 22,000 standing spectators. On the sides, two seated grandstands of 4,000 seats each set the capacity of the new stadium at 30,000 seats.
Each club has its changing rooms, offices and refreshment bars. If the two clubs share the same facilities, they are not friends although the sporting rivalry no longer exists given the difference in level between the two clubs, the rivalry between supporters is still very much alive. The Bruges derbies are always committed matches and the honorary title of Ploeg van 't stad ("Club of the City") remains of great importance for both clubs.

img > Club Brugge In 1987, 1,000 seats disappeared in favor of business-seats and in 1993, the new UEFA regulations concerning stadium safety forced the City to reduce the capacity to 18,000 seats. If this capacity is largely sufficient for the Cercle, this is not the case for the Club. Fortunately, Euro 2000 will be organized in Belgium, which will restore the capacity of 30,000 seats by adding a second tier behind the end's stands.
This work, partly funded by the Flemish Region, has the effect of changing the name of the stadium : we are now talking about the Jan Breydelstadion, the name of a Bruges revolutionary in the 14th century and who will be the hero of a revolt against the King of France. Still this anti-French-speaking obsession...

The stadium is large, modern and safe, but the two clubs dream of finding their own stadium. The Club has been planning a new 44,000 seats stadium for a decade, while the Cercle has dreamed of a 12,000 seats stadium (either a new stadium or a reduction in capacity of the Jan Breydelstadion once the Club has left).
These two projects remain unanswered for the moment and the two clubs get on with the communal stadium without much difficulty.