The journey from Brussels was painless and quick. After a short stop in Antwerp, I found myself on another train heading towards the small city of Lier, 20 kilometres southeast of the city. A city of 33,000, Lier is best known as the home to one of Belgium’s first football clubs, the Koninlijke Lierse Sportkrig or the Royal Sporting Club Lierse.
A Short History
In its extensive history, Lierse SK has won four Belgian League titles, two Belgian Cups as well as two Belgian Supercups. They have also had a notable history in European competitions having played in both the UEFA Cup and Champions League. Their most significant European victory came when they beat Leeds United 4-0 at Eland Road in 1971.
Unfortunately, the club recently fell on trouble times. Not only were they relegated after the 2006-07 season, they also found themselves seriously indebted after reconstructing parts of their stadium. Without a serious investor willing to undertake the teams’ debts, the club would have certainly faced insolvency and maybe even ceased to exist.
To solve this problem of debt, the club went looking for investors. Initially, a Chinese investor approached the team proposing capital to relieve a portion of the debt in return for a certain degree of control. While the club initially accepted, it turned out be a catastrophe since it was soon discovered that he planned on using the team (along with several other Belgian clubs) in an intricate betting scheme. Certainly this experience was an utter failure that left the club scarred. Indeed, for the club and fans themselves, it appeared as though the club had hit its dark night and was faced with a shadow of uncertainty. Nevertheless, in keeping with an ancient African proverb, “however long the night, the dawn will break”. This dawn broke when Maged Samy, an Egyptian entrepreneur who bought the team soon after.
Current Situation
After a mediocre 2007-08 season in the Belgian Second Division, Lierse SK has propelled itself up the table and currently has a shot at promotion. Indeed Samy can be attributed with this recent success since he brought in several high quality players. Currently, Lierse SK sits in second place, 5 points behind Sint-Truidense. They have also reached the semi-finals of the Belgian Cup having already tied K.A.A Gent 2-2 in the first leg. If they progress to finals, they could end up playing their archrivals KV Mechelen. In the best-case scenario, Lierse SK will be promoted this year and be playing European football come next season (if they win the Belgian Cup).
The Experience
As I left the train station, I had a pretty good idea of where I was going. Nonetheless, I decided to take the bus up to the stadium. Not only would the bus bring me to my desired destination but it would also give me a nice tour of the city. Lier was definitely a quiet city as there were hardly any people in the streets. As I took in the scenic roads leading up to the stadium, I felt at ease. Being here was relaxing since it took me out of Brussels, which is often congested and noisy. The closer to the stadium I got, I knew I was in Lierse SK territory since many where wearing the club colours of black and yellow. As soon as I got off the bus, I could see the stadium lights in the distance. My heart was beating at a faster pace as it always does before a football match.
The previous day I had contacted Terry Verbiest, the current Press Officer for the club. He told me that I would be welcome at Lierse SK and that he would graciously offer me a ticket to the game. Having arrived earlier than expected, I took a walk around the exterior of the Herman Vanderpoorten Stadium to orientate myself. In the corner of my eye I saw a supporters club. Wanting to get an interview with a fan, I thought there would be no better place.
The supporters were holding somewhat of a pre-game party. Indeed there were hundreds of fans drinking and eating to their hearts delight. I approached a supporter and asked him if he knew of anyone I could speak to in order to get a fan perspective. He directed me to Mario Wuyts, a former president of the Fagoempel Lierse SK Supporters Club. He kindly gave me an interview and a half a pint of Jupiler.
After having a Jupiler with Mario, it was time for me to head back to the stadium, find Terry and head to my seat. While I had thought that Terry would give simply give me my ticket then leave to attend to other match days affairs, he kindly allowed me to follow him into the Press Conference Room where the club was announcing a 10,000€ donation to a local charity. Before we entered into the Press Room, I saw the players tunnel and an emotion of giddiness overwhelmed me. Like a kid in a candy shop, I was in football heaven. I was in for a great night and it had only just begun.
After the press conference, I was lead into the player’s clubhouse where people had congregated to drink a pre-game tea and watch highlights from the Bundesliga. Terry was responsible for taking the mayor to her seat so I just stayed out of the way to facilitate smooth proceedings. As the room emptied, I saw a gentleman in corner on crutches. I approached him and we started to chat. His name was Selemani Ndikumana. I found out that he had recently broken his ACL and meniscus and was recovering from the operation. I could easily sympathise with him since I too had the same surgery. As the conversation progressed I discovered that he was a striker for Lierse SK and that he was also on the national team for Burundi. As I wished him luck with his recovery, Terry came back and we headed to our section.
Terry had given me a ticket to the exclusive club of Lierse SK, known as Club 30 (Lierse SK being the 30th professional team in Belgium). This was a club for exclusive members (1500€ membership fee). The game had just kicked off when I sat in my executive seat that was extremely comfortable. Tonight’s opponent was K.V. Red Star Waasland. Currently sitting in 9th place, Red Star found themselves without their star and leagues best striker Hervé Ndjana Onana (21 goals this season).
The first half had several exciting moments, which culminated in De Witte sending home a bouncing ball after it had initially been blocked by the keeper. The Canadian Tomasz Radzinksi also had a great first half playing extremely well. Certainly no one could have imagined that he recently celebrated his 35th birthday.
During the first half, the fans were very active and noisy. Lierse SK can boast as being one of the best supported teams in both the first and second division outside of the Big 3 (Anderlecht, Brugge and Standard). Tonight’s attendance was 6,998 but Terry explained that it was probably more like 7,200 since the official number only included those who paid for their tickets. Terry went on to explain that Lierse SK received the largest fan support in the second division. A band was also present at the match and would play a nice tune from time to time. Overall the atmosphere was good and I can only see it getting better once Lierse SK is promoted.
Soon after the commencement of the second half, Radzinksi slotted home an easy goal from the right hand side of the box. Being a Canadian myself and seeing Radzinksi playing the way he did, I think it would be great to have him in the line-up for this years CONCACAF Gold Cup. Having already scored 13 club goals this season, Radzinksi would surely be useful for the national team.
The final score was 2-0 for Lierse SK. Unfortunately Sint-Truidense also won their match and the gap between first and second team still rests at 5 points. With a handful of matches to be played, there is still a chance the Lierse SK will catch up and overtake the first position. If not they will be subjected to a playoff style competition with the three teams below them in the table. If they are one of the two teams to win this mini-competition, they will then play against either the 15th or 16th ranked team in the Jupiler League (the 17th and 18th are automatically relegated). If they win these games they will be promoted.
With the match finished, Terry and I went into the Club 30 lounge where he enjoyed a Duvel. He gave me an in-depth interview which enlightened me even more into the running of the club and its future. Following the interview, it was time for me to head back to the station and take the train to Brussels. Luckily, I caught the last train to Antwerp where I eventually boarded another for Brussels. Being it so close to St. Patrick Day, I was definitely feeling the luck of the Irish.
It was an incredible evening and definitely one I will never forget. The club, with the backing of Samy, is now seeing a time of optimism and hope after a few rough years of uncertainty. The fans will surely be rewarded for their dedication. In a day and age where football clubs have become corporations looking for their next revenue streams, Lierse SK can consider itself out of the ordinary. After being to the stadium, talking to the fans and management, I am convinced the Lierse SK is not just a club but also a community. From my experience, I believe that Lierse SK is a family where each fan, player, and member of administration is there for the betterment of the club.
My thanks go out to Terry, Mario and Lierse SK for giving me the opportunity to come and experience the club. It is certainly an exceptional club and you all have many reasons to be proud. Hopefully you are on the verge of a great season with a promotion to the Jupiler League and maybe even an appearance in Europe.
Cheers.
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