On 6 May 1971 two clubs from the Flemish city of Kortrijk, neither of them doing well, decided to join forces. That is how KV Kortrijk was born, and on 6 May 2027 it turns 56. Its roots, however, go much further back, all the way to 1901.

Two clubs, one club

The story starts in 1901 with SC Courtraisien, which merged with FC Courtraisien in 1918 and took the name Koninklijke Kortrijk Sport in 1951. The other side was Stade Kortrijk, created in 1923 from the union of Eendracht Kortrijk and Patronaat Sint-Rochus.

By the early 1970s both were getting below-par results. The merger produced Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk, or "Royal Football Club Kortrijk". The new club kept Kortrijk Sport's historic registration number, 19.

Red and white, the colours of the city

The club's colours are red and white, the same as those of the city of Kortrijk. The home kit is mostly red, with white details.

Fans call the players "de Kerels", roughly "the lads". The word Kerel often appears on the club's shirts and merchandise.

The crest is a white shield split into three parts by a red, upside-down V. It carries the letters KVK in red, with a crown on top.

A shirt full of symbols

Erreà's 2024-25 shirt was red, with a retro polo collar and white shoulders and sleeves. These carried symbols from the crest and the city's history, the number 19 and the Broel Towers, Kortrijk's well-known landmark. The upside-down V was printed in white on the back of the collar.

For the 2026-27 season the club is celebrating 125 years since 1901, and it chose pure simplicity. The new shirt is completely red, with no patterns, as a tribute to the founders, the former players and the supporters. The message was "back to basics".

Guldensporen, a ground named after a battle

The team plays at the Guldensporenstadion, the "Stadium of the Golden Spurs". It is named after the Battle of the Golden Spurs, fought at Kortrijk in 1302.

The ground was built in 1947 by Kortrijk Sport, on the site where the club had been playing since 1921. It was renovated in 1988 and 2008 and today holds just over 9,000 spectators.

Bankruptcy, rebirth and a final

Only five years after the merger, in 1976, Kortrijk had climbed from the fourth tier to the first. It stayed in the top flight in 1976-79 and 1980-92, and again in 1998-99.

In 2001 came bankruptcy and a fall into the amateur divisions. With Hein Vanhaezebrouck in charge, the team won the second division in 2008 and returned to the top flight, where it stayed for 17 years. In 2009-10 it achieved the best league finish in its history.

On 24 March 2012 it played its first Belgian Cup final, in Brussels. It lost 1-0 to Lokeren, even though their opponents had been down to ten men since the 19th minute.

In 2015 the club was bought by Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan. After relegation in 2025, Kortrijk secured its return to the top flight in April 2026. The red shirt has been worn by the brothers Émile and Mbo Mpenza, and by Christian Benteke.

Celebrate with us

Kortrijk's red shirt has seen promotions, a bankruptcy and a cup final, but it has never lost its bond with the city. It is a shirt for everyone who loves the authentic, down-to-earth football of Flanders.

Happy birthday, Kortrijk! May the Guldensporen always be full and may the Kerels always do the red shirt proud.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Guldensporenstadion during Kortrijk v Sint-Truiden, 2018 – KSKB1935, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.