Beerschot was founded at Het Kiel, a southern outskirt of Antwerp, where the 1920 Olympics had been held. In 1971 Germinal Ekeren added the prefix Koninklijk to their name (meaning Royal in Dutch). The team reached the top division in Belgian football in 1989 and finished 13th. They achieved their highest league position of third in 1996 and 1998 and subsequently qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, in 1999, due to the low attendance of supporters and limited expansion possibilities in Ekeren, the club merged with Beerschot who were then playing in the 3rd division and themselves had severe financial problems. The new team, K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen kept the matricule n°3530 of Ekeren to keep their place in the first division, but retained the stadium of Beerschot, rebuilding it in the process. By keeping the matricule of Ekeren, the honours of Beerschot were considered to be distinct and separate from the new team and the club finally dropped the name Antwerpen in 2003. In 2004 further financial difficulties were experienced and Marc Brys was brought in as coach. He led the team to victory in the Belgian Cup that year, and in doing so secured a place in UEFA Cup for his side. After only 7 matches in the Jupiler League 2005-06 season, he was fired due to bad results (4 points from 21 and a 3–0 defeat against the 18th placed team). May 2013, Naamloze vennootschap Beerschot announced it would be liquidated. After having failed to present a financial plan to the Royal Belgian Football Association, the club had lost its license to play in the 1st division. Unable to attract enough financial means to continue playing in a lower division they decided upon liquidation. Initially it was unclear what would happen to the matricule or players, but it became clear on 21 May 2013 that the club dissolved, meaning the matricule was lost and the players free to look for a new club. Late May 2013 the "entourage" and fans of Beerschot started negotiations with K.F.C.O. Wilrijk and Sportkring Sint-Niklaas in the hope of a "merge" of Beerschot with one of them. In June 2013 when K.F.C.O. Wilrijk adapted its name into F.C.O. Beerschot-Wilrijk, this "merge" took place. The new club started in the first division of the Belgian Provincial leagues. European competitions The matricule number 3530 played their first European game as KFC Germinal Ekeren in