KRC Genk were born in the summer of 1988, from the union of two miners' clubs in Belgian Limburg. The founding date usually given is 1 July 1988, the start of the new football season. On 1 July 2027 "Racing" turn 39: young in years, but with four league titles in the trophy cabinet.

Two mines, one team

Before Genk there were two clubs, Waterschei Thor and KFC Winterslag, teams from neighbouring mining communities. Their rivalry was so fierce that many Winterslag fans refused to go to their old rival's ground even after the merger.

The merger took place in 1988, the year the Winterslag mine closed. The new club kept Winterslag's registration number 322. It also took the "Koninklijke" (Royal) in the name Koninklijke Racing Club Genk from Winterslag.

The mines had brought thousands of immigrants to Genk, among them many Italians in the 1950s. Belgian-Italians are still the town's largest immigrant community and add colour to the stands. When the mines closed, the Ford factory took their place in the local economy.

The predecessors had already made history

Waterschei had won two Belgian Cups, in 1980 and 1982. In 1982-83 they reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup, having first knocked out Paris Saint-Germain, and were stopped there by Aberdeen, the eventual winners.

Winterslag had their own great night too. In the 1981-82 UEFA Cup they knocked out Arsenal on away goals.

Why blue and white

Waterschei wore yellow and black and Winterslag red and black. So as not to offend either side, the new board kept none of the old colours. It chose something brand new: blue and white.

The team is also known by the nickname "de Smurfen", the Smurfs. Its badge has changed several times since 1995, with the most recent version arriving in 2021.

One ground, many names

For its first two seasons Genk played at Noordlaan, Winterslag's ground. It then moved to Waterschei's André Dumont stadium, which was renamed Thyl Gheyselinck in 1992 and became the Fenixstadion after its 1999 redevelopment.

Since then it has changed name with almost every sponsor: Cristal Arena, Luminus Arena and, since 2021, the Cegeka Arena. It holds about 23,700 spectators.

Titles and academy stars

Genk were crowned Belgian champions in 1999, 2002, 2011 and 2019 and have five Belgian Cups, the latest in 2021. They played in the Champions League group stage in 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2019-20. Their best European run was the Europa League quarter-finals in 2017.

Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne both played for Genk and were both in the 2011 title-winning squad, and Christian Benteke, Kalidou Koulibaly, Divock Origi and Leandro Trossard also wore the shirt. In the 2019 title, under coach Philippe Clement, Tanzanian striker Mbwana Samatta stood out.

Today Genk play in the Pro League, Belgium's top flight.

Celebrate with us

Two rival mining neighbourhoods became one club, and that club became a school for some of the best players in the world. Happy 39th birthday to Genk, with many more blue dreams to come!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Inside Genk's stadium, then the Cristal Arena – Hobby-Fotograf2013, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.