On 9 April 1899, a group of old boys from a Catholic school in Bruges founded a club that would become the first Belgian champion from Flanders. Cercle Brugge is the city's "other" team, with a very rich history of its own. On 9 April 2027 it turns 128.

The old boys of "De Frères"

The club was set up by the former pupils' association of the Saint Francis Xavier Institute, a school run by the Xaverian Brothers that locals simply called "De Frères". Its first name was French: Cercle Sportif Brugeois, the Bruges Sports Circle.

That "Cercle" gave the club its current name, and also the nickname "De Vereniging", Flemish for "the Club". In November of the same year the team joined the Belgian federation, and it later absorbed the city's Rapid Football Club.

Catholics against liberals

Cercle presented itself as a Catholic club, in contrast to the more liberal Club Brugge. Pupils from the Xaverian institute usually ended up at Cercle, while those from the state Athenaeum went to Club. That is how one of Belgium's oldest derbies was born.

The first known match between the two took place on 4 November 1900 and ended 0-0. The rivalry had moments of tension but also of solidarity: in 1926, when Bruges flooded, the two clubs joined forces. Today they share the same ground, the Jan Breydel, where Cercle has played since 1975.

Green and black

Cercle has worn green and black since its early years, often in vertical stripes. The sources do not record why these colours were chosen, but they became its identity: its fans simply call it "Groen-Zwart", the Green-and-Blacks.

From 1902 the club enjoyed the high patronage of Count Charles d'Ursel, governor of West Flanders. Later it became "Royal" (the K in today's KSV stands for Koninklijke), which is why a crown dominates its badge.

The banter in the city never stops. Club fans call Cercle supporters "Snobs", while Club themselves are nicknamed the "Farmers".

Three titles and a double

In 1911 Cercle became the first club from Bruges, and the first from Flanders, to win the Belgian championship. The 1927 double and a third title in 1930 followed, with captain Florimond Vanhalme leading the way.

The double season also brought tragedy. Player Albert Van Coile died after colliding with the Tourcoing goalkeeper during a match, and Club players and fans joined the mourning. Another legend of those years was Louis Saeys, a key figure and later player-coach.

1985: a Cup on penalties

After 1946 Cercle spent around fifteen years in the lower divisions. The big return to glory came in 1985, when it won the Belgian Cup by beating Beveren on penalties, 55 years after its last trophy.

In the following years the green and black was worn by Zambian Kalusha Bwalya and by Josip Weber, who became Belgium's top scorer and played for the national team at the 1994 World Cup. More recently, Kévin Denkey was the Pro League's top scorer in 2023-24 with 27 goals.

Celebrate with us

From an old boys' association to the first Flemish title, Cercle Brugge has proved that a city's "smaller" club can write a big story. Its green and black remains one of the most distinctive colour schemes in Belgian football.

Happy birthday, Cercle! May the Jan Breydel be filled with green and black for many years to come.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Cercle Brugge playing Anderlecht, December 2023 – Haggis MacHaggis, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC0 1.0.