KV Mechelen is sometimes referred to as a cult club, but the club is way more than that. Ultimately, ‘Malinwa’ was responsible for one of the most special episodes in Belgian football. With their extremely loyal fanbase, visiting a match in Achter De Kazerne is always a party.
There are only a few clubs with a special history like KV Mechelen. A history filled with ups and downs. They almost even went bankrupt at the beginning of the century. However, this has only made the character of the neighbourly club with its lively fans stronger. KV Mechelen is the perfect example of a traditional people’s club.
Recently, KV Mechelen has been a midtable club that sometimes finds itself in relegation battles. However, older football fans will remember the glorious times when KV Mechelen was a Belgian top club competing for titles in the illustrious 1980s. They became champions in Belgium in 1989, but 1988 was KV’s most magical year. Led by the Dutch manager Aad de Mos, the club from Mechelen won the European Cup II final against Ajax, de Mos’s former club. Lei Clijsters, Piet den Boer, Eli Ohana: There’s not one person from Mechelen who can’t tell you about the star players of that time.
The current appearance and name might not give it away, but the AFAS Stadium of KV Mechelen is more than 110 years old. However, in Mechelen, there are only a few people who will actually call the stadium the AFAS Stadium. For most, it’s called ‘Achter De Kazerne’ (Behind The Barracks), named after the now disappeared neighbouring military barracks. In recent years, the stadium got a much-needed renovation. The new look, with its descending roofs, is not bad, but it was inevitable that some of the former charms would be lost. But much to the delight of all people from Mechelen, they are still watching football on the same ground that their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents watched the team play: Behind The Barracks.
At the beginning of this century, KV Mechelen was facing bankruptcy. In order to save the club, many people from Mechelen got together, including club icons Fi van Hoof and Piet den Boer (who scored the winner against Ajax) and television presenter Mark Uytterhoeven, who is a massive fan of the club. One of the ways the fans and club icons raised money was through an auction where people, among other things, could bid for a gifted Citroën 2CV. The car became the symbol of Mechelen’s salvation. The Citroën is still shining in all its ‘beauty’ beneath the main stand. As long as the car is there, KV Mechelen will never disappear.
The roots of KV Mechelen lie in the heart of the city. In 1904, on one of the city’s most beautiful and picturesque streets, the IJzerleen, the football club was founded in Cave de Munich. Unlike the club, the building did not survive World War I and was completely destroyed. Nowadays, the bakery Le Pain Quotidien, which has nothing to do with KV Mechelen, is standing in its place.
Café Tilt, near Mechelen’s Vrijbroekpark, is a Belgian pub just like you desire. A brown, somewhat outdated interior, where you can drink wonderful pints and take a look at the walls full of KV Mechelen references. For many years, the bar pub was runned by Rozeke, the elder lady who had been the bartender here for decades. A woman in her eighties, who’s seen all the ups and downs of the club. Sadly, she passed away in 2023. The pub is also very popular among prominent figures of KV.
The Grote Markt, the grand square, is the beating heart of Mechelen and evidently, also the square where KV Mechelen celebrates its trophies. In 1988, after KV won the European Cup II final against Ajax, the entire city eagerly awaited the players who were returning from Strasbourg in France. The images of the players with the cup, dancing on the bus's roof in the middle of the square are legendary. In 2019, the players celebrated their national Cup trophy on the city hall balcony, again cheered on by thousands of fans.
There’s another club in Mechelen: Racing Mechelen. The club is a bit older, and even though KV and Racing have not been playing in the same division for many years, the rivalry still very much exists. But above all, Racing has a fantastic old stadium, the Oscar Vankesbeeckstadion. It’s definitely worth a visit, but be fast as there are plans for a major overhaul. SANTOS has already listed everything you need to know about the hidden gem of Belgian football here.
You can easily buy tickets for KV Mechelen on the club’s official website. If you’re on time, you can even get tickets for the games against the big teams or rivals of RSC Anderlecht.
Mechelen is situated between Antwerp and Brussels and is easily accessible by the E19 Motorway that runs between both cities. On match days it can be tough to find a parking spot near the stadium, so check the club’s website for the best places to park your car.
The stadium is also easily accessible by public transport. The train station Mechelen-Nekkerspoel is only a 10-minute walk from the stadium. From Mechelen train station, it is a 30-minute walk, in which you can directly explore some lovely parts of the city. But you can also take bus 550, 551 or 552 to get closer to the stadium from here.
Images: Marco Magielse, BSR Agency
