Early years (1899–1919) Cercle Brugge was founded on 9 April 1899 as
Cercle Sportif Brugeois by former students of the
Saint Francis Xavier Institute, colloquially known as
De Frères (English: The Friars) in Bruges. Originally, the organisation focused on five sports:
football,
cricket,
lawn tennis,
running and
cycling. Cercle Brugge became a member of the
Royal Belgian Football Association in 1900 and were awarded matricule number 12. The same year the club moved from their football field in
Sint-Michiels, which was owned by De Frères, to a pitch in
Sint-Andries, which offered better facilities and was closer to
Bruges' main railway station in 't Zand square. Cercle achieved their first success in the 1902 Henri Fraeys Cup, defeating Olympique Iris Club Lillois (the predecessor of
Lille OSC) and
US Tourcoing. After winning another few friendly cups, Cercle achieved their first big success, winning the national title in the
1910–11 season. Cercle ended a single point ahead of their main rivals
FC Bruges, after their confrontation on the season's last matchday ended in a 1–1 draw. Three years later,
Belgian football was devastated by
World War I: Cercle lost two first-team players, Louis Baes and Joseph Evrard, and their stadium and facilities sustained heavy damage. Former player
Alphonse Six also died.
Rebuilding (1919–1924) Cercle resumed competitive football in 1919 with an almost completely new team.
Louis Saeys was the only player to remain in the team from before the war. Expectations were low, but the club finished third in the league. In 1921 the club raised a monument in remembrance of those affiliated with Cercle who had died in WWI: the unveiling was marred by tragedy, when a
biplane scheduled to fly over the stadium as a tribute crashed, killing its two passengers. The monument still exists and now stands in front of the
Jan Breydel Stadium. In 1923, Cercle extended their stadium facilities again, moving 100 metres from their old pitch to a newly built stadium. This ground, later named the
Edgard De Smedt Stadium, became Cercle's home for more than 50 years.
Two national titles (1924–1930) In 1924, the club changed its name from Cercle Sportif Brugeois to Royal Cercle Sportif Brugeois. The club embarked on a successful period, led by two key players: Belgian record international
Florimond Vanhalme and
player-coach Louis Saeys. Cercle led the league midway through the
1925–26 season, but player injuries led to poor results that saw them finish in fifth place. Several important players left Cercle after this season, leaving hopes low for the
1926–27 campaign, but the year saw Cercle achieve their second national championship on the penultimate matchday with a thrilling 6–5 win over
Daring Bruxelles. The victory was overshadowed by two deaths at the club a few months earlier:
Albert Van Coile, who had succumbed to injuries sustained in a collision with the goalkeeper during a match against
US Tourcoing, and former chairman
René de Peellaert, who died from
pneumonia which he had caught during Van Coile's
funeral. In 1928,
goalkeeper Robert Braet emerged as a new star at Cercle: the player, who had only switched from the outfield to goal after an illness, went on to spend his whole career at Cercle, later becoming chairman. Cercle made a slow start to the
1929–30 season, entering the mid-season winter break in sixth place and seven points adrift of leaders
Antwerp. Nonetheless, by the closing weekend of the season they had narrowed the gap to a single point; the final game saw them score a 4–1 victory at home to
Lierse SK. The side then faced an anxious wait for the result of Antwerp against 10th placed
Standard Liège, contemporary telecommunication facilities at grounds being poor. In the end, the news reached team captain
Florimond Vanhalme that Antwerp had lost 3–5, meaning Cercle had won their third and (thus far) final title. Because of this title Cercle were invited to take part in the
Coupe des Nations, which is regarded as the predecessor of the
Champions League.
Decline (1930–1938) Cercle could not maintain the results of their championship season, ending 7th in 1931. New title aspirations disappeared completely as Cercle continued to finish in the middle of the league over the next several seasons. The experienced players who had helped achieve the title retired or left the team, and the youngsters who replaced them could not match their talent. The downward spiral reached a low with relegation to the
Belgian Second Division in 1936. Cercle took the opportunity to make sweeping changes, appointing a new coach and board. The changes proved successful, and Cercle won promotion back to the highest division after only two years.
World War II in Belgium (1939–1945) The Second World War made a regular football competition impossible in 1939. Cercle therefore took part in regional championships, in which each team met another multiple times. Cercle, though, had comparatively little competition in its native
West Flanders, and lost contact with the high standards maintained in the stronger
Antwerp and
Brussels regional championships. A national contest resumed in 1941; Cercle finished the season last but one in the league. Usually this would have meant relegation, but the
KBVB ruled that the circumstances of the war, which limited training opportunities and youth development, meant no team should be relegated. Cercle were made to play one match
behind closed doors during the
1943 season, after an incident during a game against
Anderlecht. Supporters, furious with referee De Braeckel's decisions to annul two Cercle goals for unclear reasons and to award
Anderlecht a goal that looked
offside, chased De Braeckel from the stadium. Two Cercle fans proposed to the Cercle Brugge board that they give the referee a ride to the Bruges railway station; the board accepted, but the fans instead drove the referee toward
Zedelgem, where they threw him from the car in the middle of nowhere. Immediately after liberation in 1944, an unofficial championship was organised among the teams who had in 1939 made up the top division. Most teams, though, were unable to participate, and the
Von Rundstedt Offensive spelled the end of the initiative. The end ranking of this competition has not even been archived by the Belgian football association.
Second decline and return (1945–1961) Cercle could not avoid relegation in the first season after the war and, despite being favorites for promotion the following season, struggled to compete in the lower league, finishing their first season there in seventh place. The next four seasons brought more mediocre league positions, until in 1951 the KBVB revealed plans to create a new second division. Clubs in the current second tier were required to finish eighth to remain in the second level; Cercle ended in 15th place that season, leaving them even further away from the top flight. Cercle remained in this third tier until 1956, when they won their league. They spent the next season once again battling relegation, this time with more success, though their second season back in the second tier went less well. The club secured only nine points in the season's first half, avoiding relegation only with a win under coach
Louis Versyp in the season's last match. A few weeks later Versyp was replaced by the
Frenchman Edmond Delfour. This replacement inaugurated a more successful new era at Cercle who, under Delfour's command, missed promotion only barely in 1960 and returned at last to the top flight in 1961.
Short resurrection (1961–1965) Cercle had taken 15 years to return to the highest division, and remained there for only five more. They scarcely escaped relegation in their first season back at the top level, thanks only to a successful proposition by Antwerp that changed the way teams with equal points were ordered in the league. Until this season, where two teams had the same number of points the one with fewer defeats was ranked higher; under Antwerp's scheme, the team with the greater number of victories placed higher. Thanks to the changed rule Cercle finished ahead of
Thor Waterschei, who would have placed above them under the previous rule. Ironically, Antwerp became victims of their own proposal: Standard obtained the second place, with Antwerp having equal points but fewer victories (but also fewer defeats).
Barren years and the five-year-plan (1965–1971) This spell in the top division saw Cercle enjoy little success, and in
1965–66 they finished last behind
Berchem. Worse, the team was accused of corruption by
Lierse player Bogaerts, who said Cercle's vice-president Paul Lantsoght had engaged in bribery. The Belgian football association sentenced Cercle to relegation from the second division to the third. Lantsoght launched a
lawsuit against the KBVB, which he won in June 1967, but the damage was done: Cercle remained in the third division, losing many of their players, and were not able to achieve promotion immediately. In 1967, Cercle appointed
Urbain Braems as
head coach. Braems designed an ambitious plan to restore Cercle to the top division within five years. During Braem's first season the club competed with
Eendracht Aalst for promotion: they played one another two matches before the end of the season, tied on 41 points, but Aalst with the greater number of victories to their name. Cercle had to win the match to take the lead, and lost it 0–1: but Cercle's youth team coach, André Penninck, had noticed that the Aalst team delegate had made a mistake, switching the names of the substitutes, which meant that, according to the match paper, Aalst had ended the match playing illegally with two
goalkeepers. Cercle lodged a complaint with the Belgian football association, who confirmed Aalst's 0–1 win, and also dismissed a first appeal. Cercle then made their second and final possible appeal, and on this instance ordered the football association to apply the rules. On 21 June 1968, Cercle received the news that the decision had been overturned, and they would be promoted to the second division. In July of the same year, Royal Cercle Sportif Brugeois changed their name to Cercle Brugge K.S.V. Cercle were immediately able to play a role in the second division title contest, thanks to a successful transfer policy. After 20 matches Cercle led the league, only to finish the season fourth, four points behind champions
AS Oostende. Next season, Cercle again finished four points behind the champions,
KFC Diest. But in 1971, one year before the end of the five-year-plan, Cercle achieved their goal: they won promotion and were back at the top.
Settling at the top flight (1971–1996) Cercle tried immediately to avoid the relegation battle by fortifying their squad, signing
Fernand Goyvaerts and
Benny Nielsen. Early results saw them win points from both Anderlecht and Club Brugge, respectively champions and vice-champions that season, and they finished the season in fifth place, the first of a succession of secure midtable finishes. In 1975 the club left the Edgard De Smedt Stadium goodbye to move to the
Olympia Stadium, which was later renamed the Jan Breydel Stadium during
Euro 2000. Between 1967 and 1977, Cercle had had only two coaches, Urbain Braems and
Han Grijzenhout, but Grijzenhout left after a lucrative offer from
SC Lokeren. Cercle appointed
Lakis Petropoulos as new coach, but the appointment proved an uneasy one: language difficulties between the Greek coach and his players were compounded by player injuries, and the club was unexpectedly relegated. Han Grijzenhout was again appointed as coach to get Cercle back to the first division as soon as possible. After only one season, Cercle became champions, ending one point before
SK Tongeren. Again, Cercle enjoyed a comfortable period in the top division, climaxing with a
Belgian Cup win in 1985. The final saw Cercle face
SK Beveren; the score was 1–1 after 90 minutes, and 30 minutes' added time produced no further goals, so the match went to
penalties. Beveren player
Paul Lambrichts kicked the last penalty of the series against the crossbar, and Cercle celebrated. For the first time since
1930, Cercle qualified for an official European tournament. They drew
Dynamo Dresden as opponents, winning the home match 3–2, but in
Dresden Cercle lost 2–1, losing the confrontation on the away goals rule. Cercle again reached the Belgian cup final in 1986, this time meeting city rivals
Club Brugge. Cercle lost 0–3, with two questionable penalties scored by
Jean-Pierre Papin. A next high point came in the recruitment of
Yugoslav striker Josip Weber in 1988: despite a difficult start in Belgium, Weber proved to be Cercle's best post-war goal scorer, ranking as the team's top scorer from 1989 to 1994 (when he left for Anderlecht) successively. Weber was also national top scorer from 1992 until 1994. Another prominent player,
Romanian record international
Dorinel Munteanu, signed for Cercle in the 1990s. In 1996, Cercle once more reached the national cup final, again facing Club Brugge: this time, Cercle lost 2–1. Nonetheless, Club's double victory meant Cercle still qualified for the
UEFA Cup, in which they drew the
Norwegian side
SK Brann. Cercle won the home match 3–2, but lost 4–0 in
Bergen. Cercle then lost some important players whom they failed to adequately replace, and were relegated, along with
K.V. Mechelen, in 1997.
Second division (1997–2003) Cercle aimed at an immediate return, but were thwarted early on. They finished their first season in 10th place, and gained only a single place increase in league position over each of the next four seasons. In
2002–03 the board chose a new chairman, former
Standaard Boekhandel director
Frans Schotte, and a new coach, former player
Jerko Tipurić, who had also been coach in Cercle's
1996–97 relegation season. The new staff helped Cercle to achieve promotion once more in 2003. .
Settling in the top flight again (2003–2015) The 2003–4 season saw newly signed players
Harold Meyssen and
Nordin Jbari proving instrumental in avoiding relegation, and the Cercle board chose not to extend Tipurić's contract.
Harm Van Veldhoven was chosen to replace him, and oversaw three decent but unspectacular seasons for Cercle, brightened by the emergence of the talented
Stijn De Smet and
Tom De Sutter. When Van Veldhoven was announced as new coach of
G. Beerschot, Cercle chose former Anderlecht player and assistant manager
Glen De Boeck as his successor. In his debut year, De Boeck surprised with successful attacking and attractive football. Cercle ended the season fourth in the top division, their best post-war ranking. The 2009–10 season saw them ending as runners-up in the
Belgian Cup final, which was enough to qualify for the
Europa League. Shortly afterwards, manager Glen De Boeck surprisingly signed a contract with
Germinal Beerschot, only one month after having signed a new 4-year-deal with Cercle Brugge. De Boeck declared to the press that he only had some questions about his
lawn mower for Beerschot president Herman Kesters, but had finally ended up signing for the
Antwerp side. Cercle Brugge appointed
AA Gent reserves coach
Bob Peeters as their new manager. It will be Peeters' first experience in the
Pro League. This season also brought Cercle's first European attendance in the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League, where they defeated
TPS from Finland and reached the third qualifying round where they lost against
Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. In November 2012 Peeters was fired for poor results. Despite attracting star player
Eiður Guðjohnsen, he failed to get Cercle away from that last place and was replaced by
Foeke Booy. The team still struggled to avoid relegation. After the bad results they sacked
Foeke Booy and the new trainer was
Lorenzo Staelens.
Lorenzo Staelens would be replaced by
Arnar Vidarsson in their last season in first division. A few months later Vidarsson would also be replaced by
Dennis Van Wijk, Cercle eventually lost Play-Off III to
SK Lierse and relegate to second division.
Second division, financial difficulties and take-over by Russian Oligarch (2015–present) The first season in the second division, Cercle ended 5th out of 17. The next season (2016–17), the competition was renamed to 1B and contained 8 teams. Manager
Vincent Euvrard was sacked after a disappointing start and was replaced by
José Riga. Cercle ended 7th in the competition and had to play a relegation poule with
Tubize,
Oud-Heverlee Leuven and
Lommel United to secure their place in 1B. Lommel United ended last in the play-downs. During the season it was obvious that Cercle could not compete with other teams any more due to their financial status and the fact that many of the other teams had foreign investors. Cercle also began to search for an investor. On 15 February 2017 Cercle found in
Dmitry Rybolovlev a partner to continue their existence in the future. Dimitri Rybolovlev is now the majority shareholder and owner of Cercle. On 10 March 2018, Cercle became champion in the
Proximus League, the Belgian
second division after winning against
Beerschot 3–2 on aggregate. The winning goal – a penalty kick, was scored by
Irvin Cardona, a loaned player from Monaco, in the last minute of the game and thus the season. Cercle reached the knockout stage of a European competition for the first time during the
2024–25 UEFA Conference League. They lost in the round of 16 to
Jagiellonia Białystok with an aggregate score of 2–3. == Honours ==