SL16 - Stade de la Cite de l'Oie

SL16 FC

Stade de la Cite de l'Oie

Rue de Mons 15

4600 Visé

Belgium

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Ground Number: 1271
Saturday 8th March 2024

SL 16 1-2 Club NXT

Challenger Pro League

SL16FC & STADIUM HISTORY

SL16 are the development side of the famous Belgian side Standard Liege. They were only established in 2022 when bafflingly, the Belgian FA allowed four youth sides to join the league's second tier - the Challenger Pro League despite other clubs having better credentials. It wouldn't be the last side that I would see this weekend with a history that would be baulked at in England though. SL16 finished 10th out of 12 teams, above fellow youth side Genk and Virton. To their credit, today's opponent, Club NXT, the development side of Club Brugge finished 4th. Further expansion to 16 teams occurred over the close season but SL16 still find themselves bottom.

They play not at their ground, but a stadium in Vise, a city 12 miles from Liege with a population of just under 18,000. The Germans entered Belgium on 4 August 1914, and entered Visé that day as part of the opening movements of the Battle of Liège. A small group of Belgian gendarmes opposed the advancing Germans and two of their number, Auguste Bouko and Jean-Pierre Thill, were killed in the action becoming the first Belgian casualties of World War I. On 7 August, in the Lixhe section of the town, the German 90th Infantry Regiment killed eleven civilians and destroyed eleven houses. The Stade de la Cite de l'Oie is also home to URSL Vise who play in the tier below, the Belgian National Division, the top semi-pro league in the country. Lower down, FC Richelle United of the Derde Klass ACFF also use the stadium.

MY VISIT

This was the last game that I decided upon on my weekend away and it was also the most frustrating. Whereas Saturday at 3 PM is the most common kick-off at home, there was very little to choose from in Belgium. I also had the added complication of having to drop my bag in Liege and be back in time for the RFC Seraing match in the evening. It boiled down to two options, my preferred option of Jong MVV Maastricht or SL16 which was the development side of Standard Liege. I emailed MVV twice and contacted them via various social media sites to find out if the game was going ahead and it was at their main ground. However, they were too bone idle and ignorant to reply, much like Sunderland when fellow hopper Dan enquired about their youth team game. Manners cost nothing, even if they are delivering bad news. Happily, SL16 were doing on-the-day ticket sales and although not my first choice, they did at least play in Belgium's second tier which I'd be seeing a bit of on this trip. Standard Liège helped inform me that showing the ticket on my mobile was fine.

From the previous night's game, I made my way back to my room. I typed my blog whilst watching Krönungsstraße and having a few drinks. I still felt perfectly sober but had been drinking steadily all day. There had been a lot of junk food too and I'd rarely have a proper sit-down meal on any of the trips I'd been away. Rabbit in Cherry Beer really caught my fancy but it seemed a bit tricky to find. I'd have a bit of time to play with and a fellow groundhopper suggested a place in Liege that did rabbit with prune, so maybe I'd take the gamble. I had a reasonable night's sleep, around six hours and woke at 7. As well as having a shower and breakfast, I had some time to kill so I relaxed before leaving at 9.20.

It was just over a 50-minute walk to the Alemannia Aachen City Fan shop. I picked up a small pennant for €8.50 and made my way to the station. I had left it a bit tight for time and finding the correct platform, so in the end, I just jumped on the ICE train which was €9 extra, working out at £20, a rather expensive 60p a mile for a train that was cramped in places. In the end, I could have jibbed it, but I didn't think it was worth the risk. I was in Liege just before 11.10 and ten minutes later I was at the IBIS Styles hotel. I was glad to be able to check in early and have a rest as well as dumping my bag.

I had an hour in my room before going out for lunch. La Blonden was ten minutes from my room and the reviews looked decent. Homemade meatballs tempted me as they were a local recipe. It turned out to be a great choice, the sauce was delicious and the meatballs were very filling. Spot on and amongst the best meals I've had whilst on a football holiday. I was all finished by 1.30 and so had loads of time to kill before my train, allowing myself plenty of time for once. It was good that I did as due to lack of signposting, I got off a stop earlier at Bressoux. Not a very nice or interesting place, I tried to get a bus but the passenger pissed off without taking any passengers. I therefore headed back to the station and waited for the next train. It just meant I'd have less time pre-match. Visé was far nicer when I got there but I had to head straight to the ground, getting there 15 minutes before kickoff. Only one stand was available for supporters and the ground was very much geared towards the other teams that played there. There was the daft token system in operation once more, so I didn't bother with a drink.

SL16 had not won in ten games, though they had drawn their last two at Waregem and RFC Liège. Club NXT had won their last two, beating Genk U23 2-1 and winning 4-1 at Oostende. When the two sides met earlier this season, Club NXT won 4-1. It was a fairly even game but Club NXT took the lead on the half-hour, a low shot by Mohamed Boukkamiri. I recognised NXT keeper Josef Bursik as a player who shouted out instructions in English. He'd played for Stoke City, Accrington Stanley, Lincoln City, Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers in brief spells. SL16 equalised on 86 minutes, a ball over the top found Ilyas Ziani who finished from a few yards out. This sent the home crowd into raptures and they laid siege to the visitors' goal. However, on the break NXT grabbed a late goal, Lenn De Smet firing into the roof of the net from just inside the area.

THE GROUND

STADE DE LA CITE DE L'OIE is a smart and decent venue. It is situated around a twenty-minute walk from the centre of Vise and has reasonable transport links. At the ground is a bar offering a limited choice of drinks via a token system but no hot food that I could see. The ground itself is smart, a seated elevated stand holds around 1,500 plus there are another few hundred seats behind one goal. Opposite is a large terrace with a capacity of around 2,000 whilst the one remaining end is an interesting indoor area for VIP's.