Lommel SKis aBelgian association footballclub based in the city ofLommel,Limburg,that competes in theChallenger Pro League.[2]
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| Full name | Lommel Sportkring | ||
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| Founded | 1932 | ||
| Ground | Soevereinstadion,Lommel | ||
| Capacity | 8,000[1] | ||
| Owner | City Football Group | ||
| Chairman | Harm van Veldhoven | ||
| Head coach | Ryan Garry(caretaker) | ||
| League | Challenger Pro League | ||
| 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League, 4th of 16 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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History
editThe roots of the club date back to the 1920s when the clubVlug & Vrij Overpelt-Usines(Fast & Free Overpelt-Factories) was founded, registering as an official club with theRoyal Belgian Football Associationin 1927 to receive matricule 1064. The club dissolved in 1933 only to be re-established in 1937 asVlug & Vrij Overpelt(Fast & Free Overpelt) with matricule 2554 and played at stadiumDe LeukensinOverpelt.It was commonly known asOverpelt Fabriek(Overpelt Factory), named after the Overpelt district in which thezincfactory was situated and was a club for the local factory workers.
In 1954, the club reached the national football levels, that time at the fourth level of the Belgian football pyramid, and continued to theBelgian Third Divisionin 1957. Near the end of the 1950s, the name was changed again, now toVlug en Vrij Overpelt-Fabriek(Fast and Free Overpelt-Factory).
In 1982, the club was promoted to theBelgian Second Divisionwhere it remained for three seasons before being relegated again and starting an up and down movement between the second and fourth divisions. In 1987 the club obtained the royal designation, thus changing the name in 1988 toKoninklijke Vlug en Vrij Overpelt-Fabriek(Royal Fast and Free Overpelt-Factory). Midway the 1990s the club played three more seasons in the second division but promotion to the highest level would never be obtained. In 2003 neighboursK.F.C. Lommel S.K.dissolved following bankruptcy. Lommel had been founded in 1932 and its biggest achievements included playing the2001 Belgian Cup Finaland playing in both the1997and1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup.Overpelt-Fabriek and Lommel merged intoK.V.S.K. United Overpelt-Lommel,often referred to asKVSK United,with KVSK an abbreviation standing forKoninklijke Voetbalvereniging en Sportkring(Royal Footballassociation and Sportscircle). It continued with the matricule 2554 of Overpelt-Fabriek but moved from De Leukens to the Soevereinstadion inLommel.The club colours became a combination of those of Lommel (green & white) and Overpelt-Fabriek (red & blue). The new club started the 2003–04 season in the third division and only narrowly missed out on promotion. The following season the team became champions undefeated throughout the whole season (30 matches) and was promoted to the second division. During the 2005–06 season the team came close to promotion to the highest level as it led the table before the last match but lost away toOud-Heverlee Leuvenand saw the title and promotion move toMons.The followingpromotion playoffswere lost toLierse.
In 2010, the club merged with third division team KFC Racing Mol-Wezel and changed its name toLommel Unitedand started two very successful seasons, ending second in both2009–10and2010–11.This however was a turning point, as almost all starting players decided to leave the club after those two seasons, forcing Lommel United to rebuild the team with many youngsters. A highlight was the2014–15 seasonin which Lommel United again finished second. After that, the team only narrowly managed to obtain a place in the new second-level league calledBelgian First Division B,but during the2016–17 seasonthe team started with only 3 wins out of 28 matches and despite a strong finish, the team was relegated to theBelgian First Amateur Division,thereby losing its professional status. Following that season, the team changed its name toLommel SK.
In May 2020, it was announced thatCity Football Group,a subsidiary ofAbu Dhabi United Group,had purchased Lommel SK, making it the ninth club to join their stable.[3]
Current squad
edit- As of 26 January 2025[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules;some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President |  Harm Van Veldhoven
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| CEO |  Mike Green
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| Sporting Director | James McCarron
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| Head coach | Ryan Garry
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| Goalkeeper coach |  Nicolas Nerinckx
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| Head of Science and Medicine | Sjoerd Den Dekker
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| Head of Team & Player Development | David Gibas
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| Sports Scientist | Stefan Winters
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| Team Manager | Daan Deboutte
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| 2008 | Manchester City F.C.* |
|---|---|
| 2009–2012 | |
| 2013 | New York City FC§ |
| 2014 | Melbourne City FC* |
| Yokohama F. Marinos*§ | |
| 2015–2016 | |
| 2017 | Montevideo City Torque* |
| Girona FC*§ | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Shenzhen Peng City F.C.*§ |
| Mumbai City FC*§ | |
| 2020 | Lommel S.K.* |
| ES Troyes AC* | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Palermo F.C.*§ |
| 2023 | Bahia*§ |
References
edit- ^stadionArchived8 September 2018 at theWayback Machine,lommelunited.be (last check 30 March 2018)
- ^"Apuia Ralte to travel to Belgium for Lommel SK training stint".mumbaicityfc.Mumbai, Maharashtra:Mumbai City Football Club.3 September 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2022.Retrieved3 September2022.
- ^Jackson, Jamie (11 May 2020)."Manchester City parent company add Belgian team to their stable".Guardian Uk.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2021.Retrieved11 May2020.
- ^"Spelers"(in Dutch). Lommel S.K.Retrieved1 January2025.