Royal Belgian Football Association facts for kids
| UEFA | |
|---|---|
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| Short name | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Founded | 1 September 1895 |
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| Headquarters | Brussels |
| FIFA affiliation | 1904 |
| UEFA affiliation | 1954 |
| President | Pascale Van Damme |
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is the main organization for football in Belgium. It helps manage and organize all sorts of football games across the country. The RBFA was one of the first members of FIFA (the world football organization) in 1904. It also helped start UEFA (the European football organization) in 1954.
The RBFA used to be based in Brussels, near the King Baudouin Stadium. Since October 2021, its main office is in Tubize. This new location is right next to its special training center for players.
Contents
Teams and Football Games
The Royal Belgian Football Association organizes many different football teams and competitions. These include national teams for men, women, and young players. They even have a national eSports team for FIFA video games!
The RBFA also runs the system of football leagues in Belgium. This system includes several levels of competition:
- First Division A (the top league)
- First Division B
- National Division 1
- Division 2
- Division 3
- Provincial leagues (local teams)
They also organize important cup competitions:
- Belgian Cup
- Belgian Supercup
The RBFA also manages Futsal competitions. Futsal is a type of indoor football played on a smaller court.
Women's Football Competitions
The RBFA organizes several leagues and cups just for women's football:
- Super League (the highest level for women)
- First Division
- Second Division
- Third Division
- Belgian Women's Cup
From 2012 to 2015, the RBFA worked with the Dutch football organization. They created a joint league called the BeNe League for women's teams from both countries. After three seasons, they decided to go back to having their own separate top leagues.
Leaders of the Association
Many people have led the Royal Belgian Football Association since it started. Here are some of the past chairpersons:
- 1895–1924: Baron Edouard de Laveleye
- 1924–1929: Count Joseph d'Oultremont
- 1929–1937: Rodolphe William Seeldrayers
- 1937–1943: Oscar van Kesbeeck
- 1945–1951: Francis Dessain
- 1951–1967: Georges Hermesse
- 1967–1987: Louis Wouters
- 1987–2001: Baron Michel D'Hooghe
- 2001–2005: Jan Peeters
- 2006–2017: François De Keersmaecker
- 2017–2019: Gérard Linard
- 2019–2021: Mehdi Bayat
- 2021–2022: Robert Huygens
- 2022–2023: Paul Van den Bulck
- 2023–present: Pascale Van Damme
Special Awards from the Association
Each year, the RBFA gives out special awards to people who have done great things for football. These awards recognize long service and important contributions.
The highest award is the Grand Order of the Baron de Laveleye. As of 2015, only five people have received this honor.
Other awards include:
- Gold Medal: Given to honorary members who have served for 10 years.
- Honorary Member: Given to certain international referees and chairpersons, usually after 40 years of service.
- Emeritus Member: Given to certain referees and chairpersons, usually after 30 years of service.
- Association Medal of Honour: Given to certain referees and chairpersons, usually after 20 years of service.
- Medal of Recognition: Often given to national football team players who have played in 35 international games. It can also be given to players with 20 games whose careers ended due to injury. This medal also honors people who have done something truly special for the RBFA.
Recognized for Fair Play
In 1992, the FIFA organization gave the Belgian Football Association a special honor. They received the FIFA Fair Play Award. This award recognizes good sportsmanship and fair play in football.
Helping Others: Charity Work
In 1986, the Belgian men's national football team did something amazing. They reached the semifinals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. While there, they started a project called Casa Hogar.
This project created a home for street children in the Mexican city of Toluca. The football players donated some of their money from the tournament to help these children. For 25 years, the RBFA continued to support Casa Hogar. This project helped 500 children by providing them with meals and education.
Current Supporters
The Royal Belgian Football Association works with many companies that help support football in Belgium. These companies are called sponsors.
See also
In Spanish: Real Asociación Belga de Fútbol para niños
