Royal Antwerp Football Club, also referred to as “The Great Old” – or in the local dialect “Den Antwaarp” – is the oldest club in Belgium, founded in 1880, and proud registration #1 bearer at the Belgian Football Association.
In the Club’s rich history, Royal Antwerp FC have won five Belgian league titles, four Belgian Cups, and one Belgian Super Cup. RAFC is also the most recent team to win the double (+treble) in Belgium (Cup and League + Super Cup in 2023), and is the last Belgian team to have reached an UEFA competition final: the 1993 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final, played at the Wembley Stadium here in London [we just continue to have many interesting links between our beloved club and the UK!].
RAFC plays their home games at ‘De Bosuil’ Stadium in Deurne – an Antwerp borough to the east of the city. The stadium is one of the most iconic football spots in Belgium since 1923, and since 2017 being renovated to a modern state-of-the-art football complex.
Royal Antwerp FC is a story apart. It’s Belgium’s oldest football club, in one of the country’s biggest cities, with an enormous fiery fanbase. You’re guaranteed a good atmosphere in the Bosuilstadion.
SANTOS Football Planet
Next to its famed name and iconic #1 registration, it is mostly Belgium’s exceptional and fanatic legendary supporters legion that makes up the true spirit and DNA of this traditional and unique team.
You won’t witness anything like what the fans of this club do anywhere else in the world. I’ve played for the biggest clubs in Europe, but the way these supporters rally behind the team, ignite the entire stadium with their passion, and elevate the players to extraordinary heights, whether we win or lose, is truly unparalleled. The devotion and fervour of these fans are beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.
Mark van Bommel (coach 2022-2024)
Joining a Royal Antwerp FC game – whether on home ground or away – is an unseen 90-minute adrenaline rush, driven by passionate and unrelenting supporter chants. The Bosuilstadion is also referred to as “The hell of Deurne Noord”, with countless stories of visiting teams that – even after a comfortable leading score – still bite the dust by the end of the game: mostly thanks to the energetic and furious support of Antwerp’s red & white legion.
With the Antwerp Supporters Club UK introduction in 2016 we also wanted to honour the original English founders of this legendary football club: as it were indeed British students residing in Antwerp who started the club in 1880.
If you are – just like many of us – a passionate football fan, in love with Antwerp’s link to its English football-culture-heritage and DNA, we’re looking forward to seeing you joining our RAFC UK fanbase!
Royal Antwerp Football Club / Official Website
RAFC on: TransferMarket / ProLeague / Belgian Football Association
ROYAL ANTWERP FOOTBALL CLUB
Stadium: De Bosuil
Address: Oude Bosuilbaan 54a, 2100 Antwerpen/Deurne, Belgium
Founded: 1880, Antwerp (Belgium)
Belgian FA registration: Number #1
Colours: Red & White
National League: Jupiler ProLeague, Belgium
European League: UEFA Champions League (23/24)
Coach: Jonas De Roeck (BE)
Squad Captain: Toby Alderweireld (BE)
Goal Keeper: Senne Lammens (BE)
Top Scorer (23/24): Michel Ange Balikwisha (BE)
★★★★★
League Titles: 5 (2023, 1957, 1944, 1931, 1929)
National Cups: 4 (2023, 2020, 1992, 1955)
Super Cups: 1 (2023)
UEFA European Cup Winners: Runner-up (1993)
Pictures: R Antwerp FC