Dender

The Van Roystadion is the compact home of FCV Dender, located at Stadionlaan 5 in Denderleeuw, a municipality in the East Flanders province of Belgium. The stadium holds 8,157 spectators and serves as the proud base of a club that has written one of Belgian football's most remarkable recent stories. Named after the Van Roy family, historical benefactors associated with the club and the local area, the ground occupies a site in the heart of Denderleeuw and has hosted football at various levels over many decades. Its recent elevation to top-flight football represents a historic milestone for both the club and the community.

FCV Dender's promotion to the Pro League for the first time in their history was achieved through sustained investment, shrewd management, and genuine community backing. The club navigated their way through the Belgian National Division and the Challenger Pro League to earn their maiden top-flight campaign, bringing professional elite football to a municipality that had never previously experienced it at this level. The Van Roystadion, while small by Pro League standards, has been upgraded to meet the necessary criteria for first division participation, with improvements to facilities, infrastructure, and capacity management undertaken to prepare for the higher level of competition.

The atmosphere at the Van Roystadion on match days reflects the extraordinary nature of Dender's achievement - a tight-knit community packed into a compact ground to watch their club compete against Belgium's biggest names. The Dender river, after which the club takes its name, flows nearby, and the surrounding Flemish landscape gives the stadium a rural-meets-urban character distinct from the larger Belgian clubs. FCV Dender's story is one of Belgian football's most inspiring recent chapters, and the Van Roystadion stands as its humble but proud centrepiece.