K.F.C. Vigor Wuitens Hamme

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Hamme
Full nameKoninklijke Football Club Vigor Wuitens Hamme
Nickname(s)De Wuitens
Founded2 May 1908; 117 years ago (1908-05-02)
GroundGemeentelijk Stadion Vigor Wuitens Hamme, Hamme
Capacity6,000[1]
ChairmanBart De Bruyne-Van den Broeck[2]
ManagerKim Verstraeten[3]
LeagueBelgian Division 2
2024–25Belgian Division 3 VV A, 2nd of 16 (promoted via play-offs)[4][3]
Websitevwhamme.be

Koninklijke Football Club Vigor Wuitens Hamme, simply known as VW Hamme is a Belgian association football club based in Hamme, East Flanders. The club is affiliated to the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB) under matricule 211 and plays in the Belgian Division 2, the fourth tier of the Belgian league system.[5][2] The team's colours are blue and black, and the club is nicknamed De Wuitens.[a]

History

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The club was founded on 2 May 1908 as Vigor FC Hamme-sur-Durme, initially joining the UBSSA, the forerunner of the Belgian FA. It affiliated to the RBFA in 1922 and received matricule 211 in 1926; in 1934 it was granted the royal designation and became K.F.C. Vigor Hamme.[5] The club first reached the national divisions in the 1930s and, during the World War II era, rose as high as the second tier (then known as Division 1).[5]

On 1 July 1972, Vigor merged with local side Jonge Wuitens V.V. Hamme. The merged club adopted the name K.F.C. Vigor Wuitens Hamme and retained matricule 211.[5] After a difficult period that included relegation to the provincial leagues, Hamme returned to the national structure in the early 1980s and climbed back to the third tier in 1992.[7]

Hamme won Third Division A in 1996–97 to earn promotion to the second tier for the first time in almost half a century;[8] after one season it returned to the third level but won promotion again in 2002 and subsequently spent most of the 2000s in the second division.[9] In 2009, the club was relegated to the third tier,[10] but it won the third-tier title again in 2015–16 amid the national league reform that created the amateur divisions; Sporza noted Hamme as champions of Third Division A as the new structure came into effect.[11]

After several seasons at amateur level, Hamme missed out on the 2023–24 Third Amateur (Derde Afdeling VV A) title by a narrow margin,[12] but in 2024–25 secured promotion via the play-offs, defeating Schoonbeek-Beverst 3–1 in Hamme.[4] Local press described the win as a release for the club, achieved despite finishing runners-up in the regular season.[13] The result returned Hamme to the Belgian Division 2 for 2025–26.[3]

Stadium

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Hamme play home matches at the Gemeentelijk Stadion Vigor Wuitens Hamme in Sportpleinstraat, Hamme. The ground has a capacity of approximately 6,000.[1]

Honours

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Hamme honours
Honour No. Years
Belgian Third Division 3 1941–42, 1996–97, 2015–16
Belgian Fourth Division 2 1961–62, 1991–92

Notes

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  1. ^ Wuitens refers to local Hamme folklore; see e.g. the recognised heritage group "Die Hamse Wuitens".[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gemeentelijk Stadion Vigor Wuitens Hamme". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Bestuur – K.F.C. V.W. Hamme". vwhamme.be (in Dutch). K.F.C. V.W. Hamme. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Van Moortel, Renzo (6 May 2025). ""We zijn klaar voor tweede amateurklasse": tienkoppig VW Hamme wint van Schoonbeek-Beverst en mag promotie vieren". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Vigor Wuitens Hamme pakt verdiende promotie naar tweede nationale". TV Oost (in Dutch). 4 May 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Geschiedenis – K.F.C. V.W. Hamme". vwhamme.be (in Dutch). K.F.C. V.W. Hamme. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Die Hamse Wuitens". Inventaris Immaterieel Erfgoed Vlaanderen (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Voorbeschouwing Vigor Wuitens Hamme – Bocholt VV". Bocholtvv.be (in Dutch). 1 December 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Carl Meseure wil met VW Hamme terug naar tweede klasse". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  9. ^ "KFC Turnhout – VW Hamme: voorbeschouwing en selectie". KFC Turnhout (club site) (in Dutch). 8 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  10. ^ "VOETBAL 3de Klasse: Vigor-Wuitens Hamme". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 12 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Voetbalhervorming 2016–2017: de spelregels voor 1A, 1B en de amateurreeksen". Sporza (in Dutch). 29 April 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Westhoek kampioen in derde amateur A, VW Hamme strandt op tweede plaats". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  13. ^ "VW Hamme trekt met man minder promotie over de streep: "Dit is een opluchting voor de hele club"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 4 May 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
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