We return to the end of the 19th century. In our country there was a strong presence of Englishmen. The English colony had settled here after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Many former soldiers stayed here and were later joined by former colonials, nobility and industrialists. They lived in Bruges because of the coastal region nearby and the textile and linen industry. Because of the Anglophilia that prevailed there, there was a rapid integration of the British into local high society. And the Belgian nobility also adopted their forms of recreation fairly quickly. Gymnastics, athletics, rowing, cricket but especially football.

November 13, 1891. Together with some English pupils from Worthams College, Bruges students founded the Brugsche Football Club. Disagreements between the Dutch speakers and French speakers caused a split afterwards. The French speakers continued under the Football Club Brugeois. Important founders of the first years of existence are William Greenhill, Philip and Gustave De Lescluze, Gaston De Craecke, Ernest Neirynck, Jean Schaeverbeke, Jules and Emile Van Haerdenberg, the brothers Edouard and Jules Lescrauwaet, Camille Kerckhofs, Pierre Boereboom, Emile Van Middel, Emile Van Mullem, Albert Walin, Achille Grant Dalton and Charles Grimshaw Atkinson.

1897. Both teams were struggling with some problems. The Brugsche had a large following, could manage financially, but needed its own field. De Brugeois in turn had the 'Rattenplein' that it could rent weekly but had far too few spectators. Eventually, the Brugeois was absorbed by the Brugsche (1897). The team continued under the Football Club Brugeois because the Rattenplein contract was in their name.

1895-1910. FC Brugeois began the national competition with difficulty in 1895, but with the arrival of Charles Cambier, Hector Goetinck and twice National top scorer (1905 and 1906) Robert Deveen, FCB grew to the top of the league. Twice a second place finish and in 1910 a lost test game for the championship. The Brugeois did win the Coupe de la Dernière Heure, the forerunner of the Belgian Cup, in 1909 and 1910.

1914-1920. The Club Brugeois became an opponent to be feared and a great rival for the Brussels aristocratic teams. It may have lost the 1914 Cup final, but with new English acquisitions Joseph Shaw and Thomas Ashworth, it was ready to make a bid for the title. But World War I became the big game breaker. While most of the country was in German hands, most Club soldiers were at the front, playing in the little spare time with the military team "The Front Wanderers" in France and England. In the first championship after the War, FCB proved that it was stronger than the others. Club grabbed its 1st title in 1920. And just in that year all 25-year-old football teams received royal recognition, Club became Royal Football Club Brugeois.

The 20s to 50s. Despite RFCB having one of the largest supporter numbers in Flanders, the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s were literally with many ups and downs. Club relegated four times and could not settle permanently in First Division until 1959. Louis Versyp, Albert Coene, Robert Naessens, Roger Vanhove, Berten Carels, Adrien and Robert Somers, Daniel Van Pottelberghe (National Top Shooter 2nd Class in 1952), Georges Blancke, Lucien Masyn, Adrien Delporte, Fernand Boone and Fernand Goyvaerts were the key players in these decades.

The 1960s. Slowly but surely, FCB grew back to the top in the 1960s. It was not yet possible to win a title. They did win the Belgian Cup twice, which allowed Club to enter Europe for the first time in 1968. With the first foreign pros like Kurt Axelsson, Walter Loske, Tom Turesson, Henk Houwaart, Robbie Rensenbrink, supplemented by Johny Thio, Erwin Vandendaele, Johny Thio, Pierre Carteus, but especially Raoul Lambert from Bruges, there was enough class. A second title was finally won in 1973.

The Dutchification in Flanders also had its effect at our Club. The official name now became Club Brugge KV. Club had been in the top 3 in Belgium for several years but now we went on to conquer Europe. Three titles in a row with the first double in 1977. In 1976 they reached the finals of the UEFA Cup and narrowly lost to Liverpool FC in two finals. In 1977 the quarterfinals of the National Champions and in 1978 the final of the Cup of Champions, the Champions Cup. At Wembley, Club went down 1-0 against yet another Liverpool FC. Until today, no Belgian team has played a final of the National Champions. This golden generation, with Birger Jensen, Georges Leekens, Fons Bastijns, Jos Volders, Rene Vandereycken, Roger Van Gool, Paul Courant, Julien Cools, Jan Sörensen, Roger Davies and Raoul Lambert, was coached by Ernst Happel, a world-class player.

The 1980s. After the 1980 title there was a small slump, but Georges Kessler brought us European soccer again and Henk Houwaart brought us those unforgettable miracle matches. In 1986 another two test matches decided the championship. Again Club lost narrowly, but two years later the seventh championship was achieved. Antoine Vanhove's transfer policy continued to bear fruit. Jan Ceulemans, Philippe Vande Walle, Hugo Broos, Alex Querter, Franky Van der Elst, Kenneth Brylle, Jean-Pierre Papin, Willy Wellens and Marc Degryse to name but a few.

The 1990s. Coach Georges Leekens and Hugo Broos continued to pick up where they left off in the 1990s. Three titles and three cups, another double, a semifinal in Europe and, as the first Belgian team, a participation in the first Champions League.

National

Internationaal