De Leunen

The ground at Rauwelkoven has outlived the club it was built for. K.F.C. Verbroedering Geel went bankrupt, and in 2008 the pitch passed to a side that arrived from elsewhere: F.C. Verbroedering Meerhout moved in, took the name Verbroedering Geel-Meerhout, and in 2013 became ASV Geel — Allemaal Samen Verbroedering Geel. The tenant changed twice in five years; the address did not.

The fullest night here belongs to the club that no longer exists. On 25 May 2006, in the promotion play-offs for the Jupiler League, Verbroedering Geel met Lierse SK in front of 10,000 people — the highest figure the ground has recorded. Geel lost 2-3.

What stands at De Leunen today is not quite what stood there then. The terraces were built for a crowd that came mostly to stand: the old configuration counted a few over 1,600 seats against nearly 9,000 standing places. Professional licensing pushed that the other way. The renovation across the 2015/2016 season cut the total to 8,000 and inverted the balance — 5,000 seated, 3,000 standing.

The surface is natural grass, and the club runs its affairs from the same site off Rauwelkoven.