2015–16 Belgian Third Division

The 2015–16 season of the Belgian Third Divisions is the 89th season of the third-tier football league in Belgium, since it was established in 1926.

Belgian Third Divisions

Season	2015–16
← 2014–15 2016–17 First Amateur →

Participating teams

The league is composed of 37 teams split into two groups of 18 and 19. Teams will play only other teams in their own division.

As a part of changes in the Belgian league system to be implemented in 2016, the Third Division was rebranded as First Amateur Division and contracted to 16 teams. The three-period rankings and promotion playoff between third and fourth tier teams were scrapped. The 11 (or 12) teams in each group relegate to the restructured fourth division called Second Amateur Division, while the last placers also relegate to the new fifth division called Third Amateur Division.^[1][2]

For the 2016–17 season onwards, the Amateur Superleague is made up of 16 teams, namely the nine relegated from the 2015–16 Second Division, the 2015–16 champion and runner-up of each Third Division group, the winner of qualifying playoffs contested by four teams in each group, and the winner of the match between losing playoff finalists. These teams must meet technical and administrative criteria.^[3]

Group A Acrenoise Bornem Eendracht Aalst FCV Dender EH Gent-Zeehaven FC Gullegem Hamme Izegem La Louvière Centre Londerzeel Olsa Brakel Oudenaarde Racing Mechelen Sint-Eloois-Winkel Sint-Niklase Sparta Petegem Temse Torhout

Group B Beerschot Wilrijk Berchem Sport Bocholter VV Cappellen Diegem Sport Grimbergen Hamoir Hasselt Hoogstraten Liège Oosterzonen Oosterwijk Rupel Boom Sprimont Comblain Tempo Overijse Tienen-Hageland Union La Calamine Walhain Wallonne Ciney Woluwe-Zaventem

League tables

Due to a reform in the Belgian football league, the Belgian Third Division ceases to exist and is replaced by the Belgian Second Amateur Division from the 2016–17 season, now at the fourth level of Belgian football. A newly created league, the Belgian First Amateur Division is formed at the third level, effectively pushing the teams in this division one level down the pyramid. Only the top two teams in each division and the two promotion playoff winners are "promoted" to the new league, meaning they will remain at the third level, while most of the teams effectively drop to the fourth level. The two teams finishing in last position in each group are relegated to the Belgian Third Amateur Division, which in fact means a drop from level 3 to level 5 of the pyramid.

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Hamme (C, P)	34	21	5	8	66	31	+35	68	Qualification to the 2016–17 Belgian First Amateur Division
2	Sint-Eloois-Winkel ^[a]	34	16	13	5	56	43	+13	61	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
3	Oudenaarde ^[a]^[b] (P)	34	17	9	8	70	45	+25	60	Qualification to the 2016–17 Belgian First Amateur Division
4	FCV Dender EH (P)	34	16	11	7	69	43	+26	59	Qualification to the Promotion play-offs
5	Londerzeel	34	17	8	9	58	37	+21	59
6	Sparta Petegem^[b]	34	16	8	10	66	54	+12	56	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
7	Eendracht Aalst^[b]	34	15	9	10	66	55	+11	54	Qualification to the Promotion play-offs
8	Temse^[b]	34	15	8	11	60	48	+12	53	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
9	La Louvière Centre^[b]	34	14	8	12	54	44	+10	50	Qualification to the Promotion play-offs
10	Olsa Brakel	34	11	13	10	56	46	+10	46	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
11	Gullegem	34	10	15	9	50	45	+5	45
12	Gent-Zeehaven	34	11	10	13	50	56	−6	43
13	Sint-Niklase	34	11	9	14	51	57	−6	42
12	Bornem	34	9	11	14	54	56	−2	38
15	Izegem	34	7	7	20	51	73	−22	28
16	Torhout	34	8	4	22	29	75	−46	28
17	Acrenoise	34	5	9	20	37	86	−49	24
18	Racing Mechelen	34	5	7	22	33	82	−49	22	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division

Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2016. Source: Group A at Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted
Notes:

1. Sint-Eloois-Winkel did not apply for a Belgian remunerated football license and is thus not allowed to play in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, third placed Oudenaarde was promoted instead.
2. Normally, the teams finishing in positions 3 to 6 were set to participate in the promotion playoffs (together with the teams finishing in the same positions in Group B) for the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. Due to the fact that Sint-Eloois-Winkel, Sparta Petegem and Temse did not apply for a license and Oudenaarde was promoted, the playoff was contested by the four teams finishing highest in the league that did receive a licence, allowing Eendracht Aalst and La Louvière Centre to take part as well.

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Beerschot Wilrijk (C, P)	36	21	8	7	64	39	+25	71	Qualification to the 2016–17 Belgian First Amateur Division
2	Oosterzonen Oosterwijk (P)	36	19	14	3	68	38	+30	71
3	Bocholter	36	19	7	10	52	41	+11	64	Qualification to the Promotion play-offs
4	Hasselt (P)	36	18	6	12	63	41	+22	60
5	Wallonne Ciney^[a]	36	17	6	13	57	42	+15	57	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
6	Sprimont-Comblain (P)	36	16	8	12	56	43	+13	56	Qualification to the Promotion play-offs
7	Liège^[a]	36	15	8	13	58	56	+2	53
8	Hamoir	36	15	7	14	70	74	−4	52	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Second Amateur Division
9	Rupel Boom	36	15	6	15	65	55	+10	51
10	Berchem Sport	36	14	8	14	51	55	−4	50
11	Cappellen	36	14	7	15	51	56	−5	49
12	Hoogstraten	36	13	9	14	60	60	0	48
13	Walhain	36	12	11	13	48	57	−9	47
14	Tempo Overijse	36	12	9	15	47	56	−9	45
15	Union La Calamine	36	12	4	20	44	59	−15	40
16	Tienen-Hageland	36	10	10	16	52	56	−4	40
17	Grimbergen	36	9	7	20	38	55	−17	34
18	Woluwe-Zaventem	36	9	6	21	34	61	−27	33
19	Diegem Sport	36	8	7	21	33	67	−34	31	Relegation to the 2016–17 Belgian Third Amateur Division

Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2016. Source: Group B at Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted
Notes:

1. Ciney did not apply for a Belgian remunerated football license and is thus not allowed to play in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. As a result, seventh placed Liège was allowed to participate in the promotion playoffs for the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division.

Promotion play-offs

The eight teams taking part in the promotion play-offs are playing to win one of the three remaining places in the 2016-17 Belgian First Amateur Division. The final match between the winners of Round 2, Sprimont-Comblain and FCV Dender EH, was not played as both teams already achieved promotion by winning Round 2. Hasselt beat La Louvière Centre in the third place match and took the final promotion spot. The five losing teams will play in the 2016-17 Belgian Second Amateur Division, effectively one level lower than in the 2015-16 season.

	Round 1						Round 2						Round 3
	Bocholter	1	1	2
	Sprimont-Comblain	2	3	4
							Sprimont-Comblain	3	3	6
							Hasselt	0	0	0
	Liège	1	0	1
	Hasselt	1	0	1 (a)
	Londerzeel	1	1	2
	FCV Dender EH	2	0	2 (a)
							FCV Dender EH	2	1	3			Third place
							La Louvière Centre	0	1	1
	La Louvière Centre	1	5	6									La Louvière Centre	2	0	2
	Eendracht Aalst	3	0	3									Hasselt	3	4	7

References

1. Chenot, Vincent (10 June 2015). . sudinfo.be (in French). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
2. Lecaillon, Stéphane (15 June 2015). "Le football belge réformé et régionalisé ce lundi". L'Avenir (in French).
3. (in French). SportBelge. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.