Bruges is a wonderful city for a weekend away: Near the coast and fantastic pubs and restaurants. On top of that, the city has a stadium where football is played weekly, either by Club Brugge or Cercle Brugge.
Club Brugge has a bigger status than Cercle Brugge, both nationally and internationally. But don’t be fooled, because within Bruges, Cercle has a very loyal fanbase. One mistake you should avoid: Never call Cercle a football club, but an association. Because ‘Club’ is obviously the arch-rival. Blauw-Zwart (Blue-Black) and Groen-Zwart (Green-Black) have split the city in two for more than a century and winning the derby is of the utmost importance to both fanbases.
Despite their rivalry, Club and Cercle have been sharing the same stadium for almost fifty years: The Jan Breydel Stadium in Sint-Andries, a suburb of Bruges. Every week one of the two plays at home. However, Club Brugge has been looking to move and build their own modern stadium. It’s been the topic of discussion for many years already and it will take a while before plans will actually come to fruition. The Jan Breydel Stadium is not necessarily the most beautiful stadium in Belgium, but there is a football atmosphere where supporters are close to the pitch. Fun fact: In the main stand both Club and Cercle have their own entrance and changing rooms in their respective club colours.
The Burg is Bruges’ majestic grand square with the famous Belfort (Belfry) and its endless amount of terraces. It’s also the place where Club and Cercle are traditionally honoured for a special achievement, such as a title or promotion. Club Brugge was founded in the restaurant La Civière d’Or at the end of the 19th century as the third Belgian football club.
Cercle and Club both played in their own stadiums until 1975 when the Jan Breydel Stadium was opened. The stadiums were remarkably close to each other on the Torhoutsesteenweg. Unfortunately, nothing is left of Club Brugge’s former Albert Dyserynck Stadium, except for the street names (Albert Dyserynckstadion, De Klokke-Noord and De Klokke-Zuid). Despite this, nothing gives away that in this newly built neighbourhood, the famous home of Club once stood. However, the opposite can be said about Cercle’s Edgard Desmedt Stadium. The old entrance to the stadium is now the entrance to a playground that has the size of the former stadium on Torhoutsesteenweg 45. The letters C.S.B. (Cercle Sportif Brugeouis) are still shining on the entrance gate.
Want to grab a pint before kick-off? Then you have to be on De Platse, a row of pubs on Gistelse Steenweg, within walking distance of the stadium. Bars De Platse, Jan Breydel and Den Comptoir offer you a cold pint and a fun football atmosphere. At the snack bar Frituur Carlos you can get yourselves a hamburger or some Flemish fries. During every home game, many fans spent their time here. But besides a good time, you will also find history on De Platse. The bar ‘De Chalet’ was once owned by former Club and Cercle footballer Henk Houwaart and friends of former players Marc Degryse, Dennis van Wijk and Kenneth Brylle once ran the Café Los Amigos, which has unfortunately been demolished.
If you walk from the Gistelse Steenweg onto the Olympialaan you will spot the Jan Breydel Stadium at the end of the road. However, make sure to look up because the streetlights are full of flags of many Club and Cercle legends, from Raoul Lambert to Jan Ceulemans and Kalusha.
If you want to buy tickets to a match of Club Brugge, you have to create an account on the club’s official website. With this account, you can buy tickets for 90% of the matches. For the top games, you usually need a purchase history or a membership (which costs €50 a year).
It’s much easier to get tickets to a match of Cercle Brugge, simply because the club usually only fills half of the stadium. However, if you want to attend a big game like the derby, you might also only be able to get a ticket if you’ve bought one before.
From the E40 Motorway near Bruges, you will come across signs that will guide you towards the parking lots surrounding the stadium. Check the club’s website (either Club or Cercle, depending on whom you’ll watch) for how to reserve a parking spot.
If you travel by public transport, you can take bus 5 or 15 from Bruges’ main train station towards Jan Breydel. Get off at ‘Sint-Andries Kerk’, and you’ll be within walking distance from the stadium.
Images: Shutterstock, Marco Magielse
