Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
Many know Ostend for its coast – few might know that its venerable football club has been enjoying its best spell in over a century.
KV Oostende, aka KVO or the Kustboys, were cup finalists and European debutants in 2017. With the departure of billionaire owner Marc Coucke for Anderlecht that December, however, Ostend’s fortunes took a dip for the worst, and the club came close to relegation in 2019. In 2023, the inevitable happened.
A shame. Set halfway along the famous Kusttram that runs the length of Belgium – calling at the KVO’s Versluys Arena as it does so – Ostend is part Belle-Époque, part Poirot and bags of fun. Bars and restaurants line the seafront, and any stadium visit can be combined with a day on the beach.
Opened in 1934, the ground was originally the home of AS Oostende, the city’s leading club before the merger with VG Oostende in 1981 to create KVO. Founded in 1911, red-and-green shirted AS played 55 seasons in the Belgian League, four of them in the top flight, mainly in the 1970s.
Formed seven years earlier in 1904, VG Oostende spent their first seven decades in the lower leagues. Promoted to Division 2 in 1974, VG had been based at Armenonville, a 10,000-capacity ground at Maria Hendrikapark, since 1921.
After the 1981 merger, a splinter group of VG fans kept the club going, playing until 2001 at Armenonville, now part of the city’s main hospital. For a decade or so, VG played near Ostend airport at Mispelplein, shared with other lowly local clubs Hoger Op Oostende and SK Voorwaarts. Like VG in 2013, both clubs have since folded.
The Belgian national side have never played a game on the coast – Bruges, 30km away, is the nearest. Meanwhile, in March 2016, work began on a new stand, the E-Tribune at the Albertpark. Meeting the minimum first-class football requirements in Belgium of 8,000 capacity with 5,000 seats, it outshines several of its more modest counterparts in the Jupiler Pro League for comfort and ambience.
The overhaul forced the club to close the stadium before the 2016 championship play-offs and stage home matches at the Stadion Schiervelde, home of now-defunct SV Roeselare, 40km from Ostend.
The modernised Albertpark was then renamed the Versluys Arena for the 2016-17 campaign.
Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and timings
Ostend-Bruges International Airport, 5km (3 miles) south-west of downtown Ostend, serves mainly TUI Belgium routes to southern Europe and sundry holiday destinations. It’s close to the Versluys Arena, almost walkable, in fact, should anyone fancy a bizarre groundhop between Ostend and Barcelona or Nice.
Brussels Zaventem Airport is 122km (75.5 miles) away. The hourly train from the airport runs direct to Ostend (€24, journey time 1hr 45mins) or change at Brussels Midi. If you’re arriving by Eurostar into Midi, Ostend (€17) is 1hr 15mins.
The Kusttram stops alongside, handy for both town and stadium and there are local buses too, all run by De Lijn. A single ticket with 1hr’s unlimited changes is €3 – a day pass is €7, €9 from the driver. Simply run them through the yellow machines on board.
For a cab, call Taxi Oostende on +32 800 25 500.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Bars line the lower end of mainly pedestrianised Langestraat, parallel to the seafront. There at No.38 you’ll find Taverne Koekoek, a classic pub/restaurant where signature chicken dinners, fine Belgian beers and a TV for major games. For a real sports bar, Cosy Corner (No.76) is more pub-like.
If you’re after late fun, Hemingway (No.15) on the same stretch has DJs and cocktails.
The seafront, Albert I-promenade, is sadly bereft of decent bars – it’s mainly restaurants and ice-cream parlours. Ocean (No.64) is a more contemporary version of the genre.
Pub-like and firmly football-focused, the Taverne Floride (No.81) has a whole mess of beers, and a sea-facing terrace. The TV schedule is posted up, in the dark, homely interior.
Another football hang-out is St Michel at Jozef II-straat 58 by St Petrus Church, near the train station – except that it flies the flag of Anderlecht rather than KV Oostende.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre
Visit Oostende has an accommodation database with a booking function.
Ostend specialises in old-school, spa and seaview hotels – though none near the stadium.
Further up the seafront towards town, the four-star Hotel Andromeda Oostende just behind Albert I-promenade offers both spa and seaview, as well as recently renovated rooms. Nearby, the Imperial is a comfortable, upper/mid-range lodging with a 24-hour bar.
If you’re here with the family, the 110-room Hotel Ostend on Londenstraat has a play area as well as gym, sauna and solarium for grown-ups. For a seriously healthy stay, offering hot-stone and bamboo massages, the Glenmore Hotel has mid-range rooms and pricy paid extras.
By the central square of Marie-Joséplein – and the tram for the stadium – the Hotel du Parc echoes the Poirot days, though the rooms are only three-star. A sunny terrace and sauna help things along, though.
