K.V. Kortrijk

Belgian professional football club
Football club
K.V. Kortrijk
Full nameKoninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk
Nickname(s)De Kerels (The Guys)
Founded1901; 123 years ago (1901)
GroundGuldensporenstadion,
Kortrijk
Capacity9,399[1]
OwnerMaciek Kaminski
ChairmanJohn Polkowski
Head coachFreyr Alexandersson
LeagueBelgian First Division A
2022–23Belgian First Division A, 14th
WebsiteClub website
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours
Current season

Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk (often simply called KV Kortrijk or KVK) is a Belgian professional football club based in Kortrijk, West Flanders. They play in the Belgian First Division, and they achieved their best ranking ever during the 2009–10 season, finishing fourth after the play-offs. KV Kortrijk was founded in 1971, though their roots can be traced to 1901. They are registered to the Royal Belgian Football Association with matricule number 19. The club colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Guldensporenstadion, named after the Battle of the Golden Spurs which took place in Kortrijk in 1302.

KV Kortrijk first entered the first division in the early 20th century, between 1906–07 and 1910–11. They eventually had to wait 65 years to return at the highest level, when they spent 15 seasons at the top flight, interrupted by a season in the second division (between 1976–77 and 1978–79 and between 1980–81 and 1991–92). KV Kortrijk also played the 1998–99 season in the first division before they returned to the Belgian Pro League in the 2008–09 season.

History

In 1901 SC Courtraisien was founded. The club merged with FC Courtraisien in 1918. They received in 1951 the name Koninklijke Kortrijk Sport. They had the matricule n°19 like the oldest club SC Courtraisien. Stade Kortrijk was founded in 1923 with matricule n°161. Because Stade Kortrijk and Koninklijke Kortrijk Sport didn't play well anymore, they merged in 1971. They could play with matricule n°19 and the new name was KV Kortrijk.

Due to bankruptcy, KV Kortrijk had to relegate in 2001 to the third division. From 2004 to 2008 KV Kortrijk played in the second division, however, in the 2007–08 season they managed to get promoted to the first division.

KV Kortrijk was bought for €5 million by Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan on 12 May 2015.[2]

Honours

Colours and badge

KV Kortrijk's colours are generally red and white. The home kit is usually all red with white trim and red shorts. The away kit is similar, except in blue. The club's logo is a white shield, split into thirds by a red upside-down, V-like shape, and the letters "KVK" are split into each third, in a red font. On top of the shield is a crown.

Stadium

KV Kortrijk plays their home matches at the Guldensporen Stadion. It is located in Kortrijk, Belgium, and the current capacity of the ground is 9,399. In the summer of 2008, the ground's capacity was increased from 6,896 to 9,399,[1] after Kortrijk's elevation into the Belgian First Division. Guldensporenstadion literally means "Stadium of the Golden Spurs". The stadium is named after this in reference to the Battle of the Golden Spurs which, in 1302, was fought in Kortrijk. The stadium has a traditional local stadium look about it and is single-tiered all around the ground.

Current squad

As of 7 February 2024[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Belgium BEL Tom Vandenberghe
2 DF England ENG Ryan Alebiosu
4 DF Ukraine UKR Mark Mampassi (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow)
5 DF Germany GER Christalino Atemona
6 DF Chile CHI Nayel Mehssatou
7 FW France FRA Mounaïm El Idrissy
8 MF Belgium BEL Youssef Challouk
9 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Jonathan Afolabi
10 MF Algeria ALG Abdelkahar Kadri
11 MF Belgium BEL Dion De Neve
13 GK Belgium BEL Ebbe De Vlaeminck
14 MF Norway NOR Iver Fossum
15 MF Bulgaria BUL Kristiyan Malinov
16 MF Belgium BEL Marco Kana (on loan from Anderlecht)
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Zambia ZAM Kings Kangwa (on loan from Red Star Belgrade)
20 FW Uruguay URU Felipe Avenatti
21 DF Belgium BEL Martin Wasinski (on loan from Charleroi)
24 DF Japan JPN Haruya Fujii (on loan from Nagoya Grampus)
27 MF France FRA Abdoulaye Sissako
33 DF Japan JPN Ryotaro Tsunoda (on loan from Cardiff City)
39 FW Wales WAL Isaak Davies (on loan from Cardiff City)
44 DF Portugal POR João Silva
54 FW England ENG Sheyi Ojo (on loan from Cardiff City)
68 FW Guadeloupe GLP Thierry Ambrose
70 MF Belgium BEL Massimo Bruno
76 FW Senegal SEN Djibi Seck
89 MF Belgium BEL Lynnt Audoor (on loan from Club Brugge)
95 GK Belgium BEL Lucas Pirard

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Romania ROU Raul Opruț (at Hermannstadt until 30 June 2024)
MF Belgium BEL Massimo Decoene (at Oostende until 30 June 2024)
FW Algeria ALG Billel Messaoudi (at Göztepe until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Belgium BEL Dylan Mbayo (at Dordrecht until 30 June 2024)
FW Malaysia MAS Luqman Hakim (at YSCC Yokohama until 1 January 2025)

Club staff

As of 8 January 2024
Position Staff
Chairman United States John Polkowski
Owner United States Maciek Kaminski
Board Member United States Neil Livingstone
Head Coach Iceland Freyr Alexandersson
Assistant Coach Denmark Jonathan Hartmann
Iceland Ísak Jákobsson
Goalkeeper Coach Iceland Sigþor Jóhannesson
Head of Performance Iceland Hákon Björnsson
Video Analyst Iceland Ólafur Albertsson
Scout Iceland Ári Vilhamsson
Iceland Valdimar Freyr Valdimarsson
Iceland Jóhann Rúnarsson
Iceland Herman Sigurjónsson
Team Manager Iceland Birkir Ólafsson

Managers

References

  1. ^ a b Guldensporenstadion Archived 2015-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, kvk.be (last check 30/03/2018)
  2. ^ Buyse, Frank (12 May 2015). "Officieel: Maleisische miljardair Vincent Tan neemt KV Kortrijk over" (in Dutch). Nieuwsblad – Sportwereld. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  3. ^ "spelers – KV Kortrijk". kvk.be. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2021-07-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to KV Kortrijk.
  • Official website
  • Kortrijk at UEFA.com
  • v
  • t
  • e
K.V. Kortrijk – current squad
  • v
  • t
  • e
K.V. Kortrijkmanagers
  • v
  • t
  • e
Seasons
Clubs
2023–24 teams
Former
Active
Defunct
Statistics and awards