KFCE Zoersel 2-3 Sint Job
J. Mertens Stadion
24/07/13
Att: 139
The first of the groundhoppers
Initially our plans had seen us place a game in Lutlommel as the priority of this evenings games, however upon discovering that Geel were to play their second team we thought best to seek a new venue for this evening’s entertainment. My knowledge of Belgian football is fairly shocking so left Phil to search the Dutch equivalent of NLM’s for a game, he came back with this one in Zoersel. While on their website we noted a whole section devoted to a new complex that had been built, this excited us a bit. As it turned out we were on our way to the first ever match at the ground.
Pulling into the car park we made our way over to the turnstiles and began to make assumptions as to where their old ground was, as it turned out we would all be wrong in that the main pitch now overlaps half of the old ground. Because of this we can’t really comment on the comparisons. What we do know is that the new ground/complex is fit for purpose. The turnstile is located in the near corner, here a man greets you and hands you the bit of paper, before you get to the first field. This was what Phil believed to be the old ground. It’s the only pitch to feature advertisement hoardings, with a small covered terrace perched opposite the rear of the clubhouse. The clubhouse/changing room block is situated between this pitch and the main pitch. It’s of a moderate size, although it’s yet to have that welcoming feeling as is perhaps common, although this’ll probably come with time. This doubles up as the only covered seating area, housing around 75. It’s pretty steep, and is a lot better than the arena stands you find at a similar level in England. The rest of this pitch was hard standing. Beyond this the third and fourth pitch were still being built. While not very exciting, I liked the ground, and would be more than happy if my local football club developed something similar.
I have slept since the game so have forgotten most of what happened, well the details anyway, but it was an enjoyable match, if a little feisty at times. The score line is perhaps a bit flattering to the home side, two steps below their opponents, who apart from a 10 minute spell before half time when they bought the score to 2-2, didn't really cause too much threat. Despite this we were impressed by the forward line of the visitors, particularly the number 16, who stood out for most of the match, although the home goalie probably didn't like him or his team mated particularly much. You could see him grumbling every time the ball whistled past the net and through where the nets and advertisement boards will be at some point. For now it's a case of Keeper gets!
We'll probably remember the match for a conversation we were having. We couldn't help but note that we didn't remember seeing another groundhopper, with most of the crowd cheering either sides goals, and no one wandering the pitch. Because of this we feel it fair to claim to be the first groundhoppers to the complex...! (although we're probably wrong!). If you want anymore information on this game or the ground then I can only point you as far as the KFCEZ website. The match report and photos can be found here, meanwhile there is an impressive array of photos and plans of the old complex that can be found here. To see how the new complex overlaps the old ground, it can be found in these plans. Hopefully, over time, the ground will gain a sense of relation to the club.
Pulling into the car park we made our way over to the turnstiles and began to make assumptions as to where their old ground was, as it turned out we would all be wrong in that the main pitch now overlaps half of the old ground. Because of this we can’t really comment on the comparisons. What we do know is that the new ground/complex is fit for purpose. The turnstile is located in the near corner, here a man greets you and hands you the bit of paper, before you get to the first field. This was what Phil believed to be the old ground. It’s the only pitch to feature advertisement hoardings, with a small covered terrace perched opposite the rear of the clubhouse. The clubhouse/changing room block is situated between this pitch and the main pitch. It’s of a moderate size, although it’s yet to have that welcoming feeling as is perhaps common, although this’ll probably come with time. This doubles up as the only covered seating area, housing around 75. It’s pretty steep, and is a lot better than the arena stands you find at a similar level in England. The rest of this pitch was hard standing. Beyond this the third and fourth pitch were still being built. While not very exciting, I liked the ground, and would be more than happy if my local football club developed something similar.
I have slept since the game so have forgotten most of what happened, well the details anyway, but it was an enjoyable match, if a little feisty at times. The score line is perhaps a bit flattering to the home side, two steps below their opponents, who apart from a 10 minute spell before half time when they bought the score to 2-2, didn't really cause too much threat. Despite this we were impressed by the forward line of the visitors, particularly the number 16, who stood out for most of the match, although the home goalie probably didn't like him or his team mated particularly much. You could see him grumbling every time the ball whistled past the net and through where the nets and advertisement boards will be at some point. For now it's a case of Keeper gets!
We'll probably remember the match for a conversation we were having. We couldn't help but note that we didn't remember seeing another groundhopper, with most of the crowd cheering either sides goals, and no one wandering the pitch. Because of this we feel it fair to claim to be the first groundhoppers to the complex...! (although we're probably wrong!). If you want anymore information on this game or the ground then I can only point you as far as the KFCEZ website. The match report and photos can be found here, meanwhile there is an impressive array of photos and plans of the old complex that can be found here. To see how the new complex overlaps the old ground, it can be found in these plans. Hopefully, over time, the ground will gain a sense of relation to the club.