The Pro League is a non-profit association founded in 1974 which brings together the Belgian professional association football teams participating in the two top national championships. [1] It is a member of European Leagues.
The Pro League is a non-profit association founded in 1974 which brings together the Belgian professional association football teams participating in the two top national championships. [1] It is a member of European Leagues.
The League aims to develop and promote professional football in Belgium and to ensure the quality of the product. It was founded under the leadership of the three most influential leaders of Belgian football, namely Constant Vanden Stock, Fernand De Clerck and Roger Petit who became its first president. In 1997 she was one of the founders of the Association of the main professional football leagues of the European Union. The Pro League was previously called Ligue du Football Professionelle (Liga Beroepsvoetbal in Dutch). The name change was voted on at the general meeting on 6 October 2008.
To obtain membership, the association's statute provides that a club must in particular: enjoy legal personality, be recognized by the URBSFA as a professional club, be the holder of the ad hoc license for the first division of the Belgian championship, be sportingly qualified for the first division of the Belgian championship, at the beginning of the season, have a main pitch with grass in good condition, accessible throughout the season and in all weather conditions and equipped with compliant drainage, irrigation and heating systems. [2]
As part of the reorganization of Belgian football following COVID-19, the Federation delegated all national football to it, therefore in addition to the Belgian Pro League also the Belgian Supercup, the renewed tournament cadet of the Challenger Pro League, the youth championship, the Belgian Cup following the Italian example and, a unique case, the women's Super League.
The League's staff corresponds to the 28 clubs registered in the Belgian Pro League and the Challenger Pro League (16 and 12 clubs respectively, given that the reserves of the former also participate in the latter) .
Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen, often simply called KV Mechelen or KVM, or by their former French name FC Malinois, is a Belgian professional football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp province. KV Mechelen plays in the Belgian Pro League. They have won four Belgian championships and twice the Belgian Cup, as well as the 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1988 European Super Cup. They collected most of their honours in the 1940s and in the 1980s.
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
The Belgian Pro League, officially the Jupiler Pro League, due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler, is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023–24 season onwards, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Challenger Pro League.
Koninklijke Racing Club Genk, commonly known as KRC Genk, Racing Genk or simply Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship titles; in 1998–99, in 2001–02, in 2010–11 and in 2018–19. They have also won five Belgian Cups, most recently in 2020–21. They qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage in the 2002–03, 2011–12 and 2019–20.
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.
Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent, often simply known as Ghent or by their nickname De Buffalo's, is a Belgian professional sports club, based in the city of Ghent, East Flanders. Their football team is the best known section within the club and has been playing in the Belgian First Division A since the 1989–90 season. They won the national league once, in 2014–15, in addition to four Belgian Cup victories. Ghent played their home matches in the Jules Ottenstadion in Gentbrugge from 1920 until 2013, when they moved to the Ghelamco Arena. Their team colours are blue and white. The principal sponsor is Baloise.
Allan Rodenkam Simonsen is a Danish former footballer and manager. He most prominently played as a striker for German Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona in Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.
Michel Georges Jean Ghislain Preud'homme is a Belgian retired footballer and manager who played as a goalkeeper. Currently, he is vice-president and sports director at Standard Liège.
François Vercauteren, nicknamed "The Little Prince", is a Belgian former footballer who played as a left winger. He is currently the sports director of the Royal Belgian Football Association.
Royal Football Club de Liège is a professional football club based in Liège, Belgium. It currently plays in Challenger Pro League from 2023–24. Its matricule is 4, meaning that it was the fourth club to register with the country's national federation, and the club was the first Belgian champion in history. The 'philosophy' of the club is based on integration of local young players and on popular and faithful support. The club was also known for being 'homeless' between 1995 and 2015, but is now playing on its own ground in the Rocourt area of Liège.
Constant Vanden Stock was a Belgian football player, trainer, football manager and entrepreneur.
Gilbert Van Binst is a former Belgian football player who played as a defender.
Arend "Arie" Haanˈɦaːn]; born 16 November 1948) is a Dutch football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He scored 6 goals in 35 matches for the Netherlands national team of the 1970s. At club level, he enjoyed a successful career with AFC Ajax, R.S.C. Anderlecht, Standard Liège and PSV Eindhoven.
Hugo Henri Broos is a Belgian football manager and former player. He is the manager of South Africa.
Alin Tudor Adi Stoica is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He has been called "one of the greatest, if not the greatest talent" in Belgian football in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2003, having recently retired as a player, Gheorghe Hagi named Stoica his potential successor.
Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, or about 13% of the Belgian population. Popular sports in Belgium are, among others: football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, rowing, motocross, auto racing, volleyball, and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team's best result was a 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
Per Frimann Hansen is a Danish former football player. He played 158 matches as a midfielder for Belgian club RSC Anderlecht, with whom he won three Belgian championships, as well as the 1983 UEFA Cup. He played 17 matches and scored one goal for the Danish national team, and represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and 1988 European Championship.
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA, is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels Capital-Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, with five trophies, as well as in the Belgian domestic league, with 34 championship wins. They have also won nine Belgian Cups and hold the record for most consecutive Belgian championship titles, winning five between the 1963–64 and 1967–68 seasons.
The history of R.S.C. Anderlecht started with the foundation of the association football club Sporting Club Anderlechtois on 27 May 1908 by a dozen of football lovers gathered by Charles Roos at the Concordia café.
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