Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as Antwerp Cricket Club by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before the creation of the Royal Belgian Football Association, Antwerp is regarded as the oldest club in Belgium.[2] At first there was no organised football played by its members, until 1887 when the football division was founded with an own board, named Antwerp Football Club. Being the oldest active club at the time, it was the first club to register to the Association in 1895. Consequently, when matriculation numbers were introduced in 1926, the club received matriculate number one.[3][4]
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Full name | Royal Antwerp Football Club | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Great Old, The Reds | |||
Founded | 1880; 142 years ago (1880) | |||
Ground | Bosuilstadion Antwerp, Belgium | |||
Capacity | 16,144[1] | |||
Manager | Mark van Bommel | |||
League | Belgian First Division A | |||
2021–22 | Belgian First Division A, 4th | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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Over the course of the club's history, Royal Antwerp have won four Belgian league titles as well as three Belgian Cups. In 1900, most of the players left the club for the new neighbouring club of K. Beerschot V.A.C., and this was the start of a long rivalry between both clubs.
The club is the most recent Belgian team to have reached a UEFA competition final, the 1993 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, where they lost 3–1 against Parma at Wembley Stadium.[5]
Royal Antwerp had a long-term partnership with the English club Manchester United, taking their young players on loan so that their development can be aided with first team football, and young players who require European work-permits can benefit from Belgium's more relaxed laws.[6] An example is Dong Fangzhuo, who was unable to play for United immediately due to work permit problems and was loaned to allow him to gain first team experience.
Despite being one of Belgium's best-supported clubs, Antwerp have been under-achievers for several years. They have not won a league title since 1957, and have spent several seasons in the second division. They were promoted to the top flight in 2000, only to be relegated in short order in 2004. They returned to the first division after 13 years in 2017.[7]
In August 2020, the Great Old won their first major trophy in nearly 30 years when they upset league champions Club Brugge in the final of the Belgian Cup.[8]
On 21 March 2022 Marc Overmars was announced as Royal Antwerp's Director of Football, just over a month after having resigned from the same position at Ajax due to admitting to sending inappropriate messages and pictures of his genitals to female colleagues. His arrival caused four club sponsors to withdraw within a week.
Royal Antwerp have played their home matches at the Bosuilstadion since 1923.[9]
Royal Antwerp share a fierce rivalry with city neighbours Beerschot A.C. (now K Beerschot VA). Although in the 2000s-2010s the two clubs have met sparingly, when they do, there is usually fan violence.[10] Royal Antwerp are often seen as a culture club with a diverse, cross-class support across the city while Beerschot have either heavily working class or upper class support, locally based in South Antwerp.[11] Beerschot supporters often refer to RAFC fans as "joden" or "Jews" due to the fact that to get to Antwerp's stadium they must pass through the Jewish district, while Great Old supporters refer to Beerschot followers as "the rats".
Season | Division | Royal Antwerp vs K Beerschot VAC | K Beershot VAC vs Royal Antwerp | |||||||
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Date | Venue | Score | Attendance | Date | Venue | Score | Attendance | |||
1976–77 | First Division | 28 November 1976 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 1 | 26 November 1977 | Olympisch Stadion | 2 – 0 | |||
1977–78 | First Division | 15 April 1978 | Bosuilstadion | 0 – 0 | 26 November 1977 | Olympisch Stadion | 4 – 2 | |||
1978–79 | First Division | 10 December 1978 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 2 | 20 May 1979 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 3 | |||
1979–80 | First Division | 20 January 1980 | Bosuilstadion | 1 – 1 | 15 September 1979 | Olympisch Stadion | 1 – 1 | |||
1980–81 | First Division | 5 October 1980 | Bosuilstadion | 3 – 2 | 13 February 1981 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 1 | |||
1982–83 | First Division | 28 November 1982 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 1 | 9 April 1983 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 1 | |||
1983–84 | First Division | 15 October 1983 | Bosuilstadion | 0 – 1 | 18 February 1984 | Olympisch Stadion | 1 – 4 | |||
1984–85 | First Division | 17 April 1985 | Bosuilstadion | 3 – 1 | 8 September 1984 | Olympisch Stadion | 2 – 0 | |||
1985–86 | First Division | 20 October 1985 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 2 | 15 March 1986 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 0 | |||
1986–87 | First Division | 15 February 1987 | Bosuilstadion | 1 – 1 | 13 September 1986 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 0 | |||
1987–88 | First Division | 4 October 1987 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 1 | 19 March 1988 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 2 | |||
1988–89 | First Division | 25 February 1989 | Bosuilstadion | 4 – 1 | 2 September 1988 | Olympisch Stadion | 5 – 1 | |||
1989–90 | First Division | 17 February 1990 | Bosuilstadion | 4 – 0 | 16 September 1989 | Olympisch Stadion | 1 – 1 | |||
1990–91 | First Division | 7 October 1990 | Bosuilstadion | 3 – 0 | 23 March 1991 | Olympisch Stadion | 1 – 2 | |||
Season | Division | Royal Antwerp vs K Beerschot VA | K Beershot VA vs Royal Antwerp | |||||||
Date | Venue | Score | Attendance | Date | Venue | Score | Attendance | |||
2017–18 | Europa League playoff | 15 April 2018 | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 0 | 14,194 | 29 April 2018 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 0 | 8,600 | |
2020–21 | First Division A | 25 October 2020 | Bosuilstadion | 3 – 2 | 0 | 7 February 2021 | Olympisch Stadion | 1 – 2 | 0 | |
2021–22 | First Division A | Bosuilstadion | 2 – 1 | 16,144 | 5 December 2021 | Olympisch Stadion | 0 – 1 | 11,000 |
RAFC also have developed a long-standing rivalry with Club Brugge.[12] They also have a local rivalry with KV Mechelen, although there is mutual respect due to a shared hatred of Beerschot.[13]
The best football players of Antwerp and Rotterdam contested a yearly match between 1909 and 1959 for the Meuse- and Scheldt Cup (Maas- en Schelde Beker). It was agreed to play the game at Antwerp's stadium De Bosuil in Belgium and at Sparta Rotterdam's Het Kasteel stadium in the Netherlands. The cup was provided in 1909 by P. Havenith from Antwerp and Kees van Hasselt from Rotterdam.
Belgian First Division
Belgian Second Division
Belgian Cup
Belgian Super Cup
Challenge International du Nord
European Cup Winners' Cup
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Manager | ![]() |
Assistant Manager | ![]() |
Assistant Manager | ![]() |
Assistant Coach | ![]() |
Assistant Coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeping Coach | ![]() |
Fitness Coach | ![]() |
Match Analyst | ![]() |
Physical Therapist | ![]() |
Technical Director | ![]() |
This is a list of former players acquired on-loan via Manchester United's partnership with Royal Antwerp from 1998 to 2013.
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