Nickname(s) Essevee Arena/Stadium Regenboogstadion Manager Francky Dury Founded 1 July 2001 | Ground Capacity 12,500 League Belgian First Division A Location Waregem, Belgium Chairman Willy Naessens | |
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Full name Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem Ground Regenboogstadion,
Waregem 2015–16 Belgian Pro League, 6th Profiles | ||
S v zulte waregem
Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem ( [ˈspɔrtfəˌreːnəɣɪŋ ˈzɵltə ˈʋaːrəɣɛm]), commonly known as Zulte Waregem or by their nickname Essevee ( [ɛsəˈveː]), is a Belgian professional football club based in Waregem, West Flanders. Zulte Waregem plays in the Belgian Pro League. Their highest finish at the highest level was a 2nd place in Belgian First Division 2012–13. They have won 1 Belgian Cup. They subsequently qualified for the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, only to lose in the round of 32 to Newcastle United.
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The club is a product of a partnership in 2001 between Zultse VV and KSV Waregem, a former first division regular. No merger was applied. Zulte Waregem first reached the highest level in Belgian football by winning the 2004–05 second division. The club outfits are red and green. They play their home matches at the Regenboogstadion, the former stadium of KSV Waregem.
History
Zulte Sportief was founded in 1950 and directly became a member of the national association (matricule n° 5381). The club Zultse V.V. (with the same matricule) was started after the 1976 merger between Zulte Sportief and S.K. Zulte. In 2001, the team merged with K.S.V. Waregem, who had played in the first division for many years. No team from Zulte ever achieved promotion to the second division before S.V. Zulte Waregem in 2002. Zultse V.V., though, gained access to the third division in 1995. The club finished 14th out of 16 for two seasons and was relegated the second time after the playoff.
In 1999, the season in which it came back, Zultse finished 4th in this division. Two years later, the new club became champion of the 3rd division A. The registered office of Zulte Waregem lies in Zulte but the club is based in the stadium of K.S.V. Waregem in Waregem and the red and white colours of K.S.V. Waregem prevail.
The club got a chance to shine on the European stage during the 2006–07 season, reaching the Round of 32 of the UEFA Cup, facing off against English club Newcastle United, although they lost 4–1 on aggregate. Their second European appearance was in the 2013–14 season as Zulte Waregem finished second in 2012–13 Belgian Pro League and qualified for the third qualifying stage of the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League, where they lost to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven (5–0 on aggregate). Zulte Waregem dropped to the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League play-off round, where they defeated APOEL F.C., drawing 1–1 at home and winning 1–2 in Nicosia thanks to a late goal from Jens Naessens. At the group stage their rivals were Rubin Kazan, Wigan Athletic and Maribor. Zulte Waregem started with a draw against Wigan. After that they lost to Rubin (4–0) and Maribor (1–3), but later managed to defeat Maribor at Ljudski vrt (0–1) and Wigan at DW Stadium (1–2). Finally, a loss against Rubin at home and Maribor's win over Wigan eliminated Zulte Waregem from the European competition.
Stadium
Zulte Waregem plays its home matches at the Regenboogstadion, which means Rainbow Stadium in Dutch. The stadium used to be the home of K.S.V. Waregem until the withdrawal of the club. It has 6,800 seats, with a full capacity of 10,200. The hospitality accommodations and the field can be seen their own Virtual Tour or on Google Streetview. The field is surrounded by a track. The Regenboogstadion does not meet UEFA's requirements for hosting UEFA Cup games, so Zulte Waregem's home games in the 2006–07 competition were played at the home of K.A.A. Gent.
Honours
Current squad
As of 27 January, 2017Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.