RCS Verviétois wasn't the only team in the city of Verviers. A lot of people will know that. But less people will know that the second team (that also went bankrupt) also played on very high levels and did that in a very remarkable stadium which has been a lost ground for six years now. Almost unbelievable this lost ground is still standing.
RCS Verviétois was founded in the last years of the 19th century, but shortly after that SKILL was founded. In 1907 to be exact, making it one of the oldest teams as well. And it shows as they received matricule number 34 in 1926. For 11 years they played in the regional leagues only, just to merge in 1918 already with Racing de Lambermont. The team name changed into Skill Racing Union. The suffix Verviers was only added to the name in 1932 officially. A few years after the merger (in 1923) the team successfully reached second division for the very first time. At that time a great success, but they had to play in the shadows of CS Verviers as they were in first division.
In 1926 both teams competed in second division, but CS remained the bigger team as SRU relegated to third division at the end of the season. All throughout the 30s and 40s SRU would go up and down between third division and the regional leagues. But the 50s were very promising. In only 2 years time SRU went from fourth division to second division again only to end that season a few points behind CS. Unfortunately in 2 years time SRU went back to fourth division. They would never go back to second division again.
It all went further downhill in the 60s. SRU had to fight for promotion to the national leagues again and they only succeeded in doing that in 1970. This would repeat itself the next 20 years. One big hit in 1984 though. CS relegated to the regional leagues and for the first time ever SRU played in a higher league (4th division).
In 1990 SRU underwent a second merger (with FC Ensival) and became Royale Union Verviers Ensival. A few years later (in 2001) the team went bankrupt a first time, but they managed to keep everything and start over in the lowest regional league. To remember the glory days, the team name changed back into Skill Racing Union Verviers. But Verviers was hit with unfortunate times. In 2010 SRU filed for bankruptcy a second time and did not come back. Only a few years before RCS Verviétois underwent the same.
It seems like SRU always played in Stade Jonckeu, but an open letter from SRU in 2010 (right after the bankruptcy) shows the team HAD to move to Stade Jonckeu out of (according to one of our followers) the Stade Communal de Bielmont. Maybe someone can shed some more light on the history of the stadiums used by SRU Verviers? Anyway, Stade Jonckeu is a first class lost ground. Beautiful environment, very nice stand - bewildered by nature during the past 6 years. Looking at the state of the stand, it's a shock to see the stadium still there...
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