Royal Antwerp F.C.
| Full name | Royal Antwerp Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Great Old, The Reds | |||
| Founded | 1880 | |||
| Ground | Bosuilstadion Antwerp, Belgium | |||
| Capacity | 16,144[1] | |||
| Owner | House of Orange-Nassau | |||
| Chairman | Piet van Boldwijn | |||
| Manager | Mark van Bommel | |||
| League | Belgian First Division A | |||
| 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A, 4th | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
|
| ||||
Royal Antwerp Football Club is a Belgian football club from Antwerp. Founded in 1880 as the Antwerp Cricket Club by English students, the club is regarded as the oldest club in Belgium.[2] The football division was founded in 1887 and named the Antwerp Football Club.
History[change | change source]
Royal Antwerp has won four Belgian league titles as well as three Belgian Cups. In 1900 most of the players left the club to K. Beerschot V.A.C.. This was the start of a long rivalry between the two clubs.
The club is the last Belgian team to reach a UEFA competition final. In the 1993 European Cup Winners' Cup Final they lost 3–1 against Parma at Wembley Stadium.[3]
Royal Antwerp had a partnership with the English club Manchester United[4] An example is Dong Fangzhuo. He was unable to play for United immediately due to work permit problems and was loaned to Antwerp.
Although the club is on Belgium's best-supported they reached no trophies. They have not won a league title since 1957 and also spent several seasons in the second division. They were promoted to the top flight in 2000 and relegated in 2004. They returned to the first division after 13 years in 2017.[5] In August 2020 they won the first title since 1957. They won the Belgian Cup versus Club Brugge .[6]
Stadium[change | change source]
Royal Antwerp plays their home matches at the Bosuilstadion since 1923.[7]
Honours[change | change source]
National[change | change source]
Belgian First Division
Belgian Second Division
- Champions: 1999–2000, 2016–17
Belgian Cup
- Winners: 1954–55, 1991–92, 2019–20, 2022/23
- Runners-up: 1974–75
Belgian Super Cup
- Runners-up: 1992
International[change | change source]
Challenge International du Nord
- Winners: 1902, 1906
European Cup Winners' Cup
- Runners-up: 1992–93
Players[change | change source]
Current squad[change | change source]
- As of 8 August 2022.[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coaching staff[change | change source]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Mark van Bommel
|
| Assistant Manager | Andries Ulderink
|
| Assistant Manager | John Stegeman
|
| Assistant Coach | Jürgen Dirkx
|
| Assistant Coach | Egid Kiesouw
|
| Goalkeeping Coach |  Brian Vandenbussche
|
| Fitness Coach | Peter Catteeuw
|
| Match Analyst | Jerry Vanacker
|
Manchester United Players loan partnership[change | change source]
This is a list of former players on-loan via Manchester United's partnership with Royal Antwerp from 1998 to 2013.
Jamie Wood
Dong Fangzhuo
Fraizer Campbell- Luke Chadwick
- John Cofie
- Jimmy Davis
- Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
- Adam Eckersley
- David Fox
- Luke Giverin
- Colin Heath
- Tom Heaton
- Kirk Hilton
- Eddie Johnson
- Ritchie Jones
- Michael Lea
- Lee Martin
- Paul Rachubka
- Ryan Shawcross
- Danny Simpson
- Alan Tate
- Ronnie Wallwork
- Neil Wood
Arthur Gómez
Danny Higginbotham
Darron Gibson- John O'Shea
Gyliano van Velzen
Craig Cathcart- Jonny Evans
Phil Bardsley- David Gray
Souleymane Mamam
Other websites[change | change source]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Bosuil mag voortaan 16.144 supporters ontvangen GVA, 7 April 2018
- ↑ "Blow for Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium's oldest football club". VRT. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ↑ "Parma 3, Royal Antwerp 1". AP. 12 May 1993. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ↑ "Manchester United's Royal Antwerp Loanees". Five Cantonas. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ↑ "New life breathed into the Great Old as Royal Antwerp return to top flight". Inside World Football. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ↑ "Antwerp wins Belgian Cup as soccer resumes in Belgium". Washington Post. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ↑ "Stadiums & Pitches". rafc.be. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- ↑ "Eerste ploeg" [First team] (in Dutch). Royal Antwerp F.C. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.