FC Swift Hesperange

RTL Today has for some reason decided to assign the new intern (me) the task of outlining the accomplishments of every club playing in Luxembourg's top football league. It is a journey that will take us through 16 clubs and to every corner of this little country.

Today we head a short way south of Luxembourg City to cover last year's surprise bronze medal winners in FC Swift Hesperange.

History

FC Swift Hesperange was founded in 1916 and has played under that name largely unchanged apart from a four-year period during German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II, when they were known as FV Rot-Weiss Hesperingen. The club spent the first seven decades of its existence as a lower-league club, playing anywhere between the second and fifth tiers of Luxembourgish football until they were promoted to the National Division for the first time in 1985.

Swift's first spell as a National Division club saw them routinely finish in the bottom half of the table, but they were able to capture their first-ever Coupe du Luxembourg trophy in 1990 after drawing with AS Differdange 3-3 then thrashing them 7-1 in a replay. Their cup win entitled them to a European debut in the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup the next season, and they recorded a historic 6th-placed finish in 1991 as well, but a surprise relegation followed just a year later in 1992 after seven seasons in the top flight. Swift briefly returned to the National Division in the 1994-1995 season, but were relegated both that year and from the Division of Honour the next season to become a third-tier side for the first time since 1983.

That double relegation was the darkest moment in Swift's recent history, but they bounced back by gaining immediate promotion back to the Division of Honour in 1997 and returning to the big time in 2001. This spell in the National Division lasted even longer than their first, and the club finished in the top half several times in the early 2000s, including a new record of 5th in 2003. After spending 11 seasons in the top flight, Swift were relegated in 2012 via the playoffs, taking a heavy 6-2 defeat to Wiltz 71. They did return in 2013-14, but were relegated again after finishing second from bottom.

Following their fourth relegation from the National Division, Swift spent several years recovering in the Division of Honour. They qualified for the playoffs after finishing 3rd in 2019, but lost the contest 2-0 to US Hostert. Swift were topping the table when the 2019-20 Division of Honour season was curtailed due to the emergence of Covid-19, though they were allowed to gain promotion by the FLF even without officially being handed the title. Along with Wiltz, Swift were responsible for expanding the National Division from 14 to 16 teams, as no teams were relegated from the league that season.

Upon their return to the league, Swift surpassed all expectations last season and broke their best position record yet again by finishing 3rd and securing a second-ever European berth as a promoted club. An astonishing 23-goal haul from former Stoke City youth product Hakim Abdallah drove Swift's success, and established the club as a force to be reckoned with heading into this season.

Accomplishments

In terms of top-level honours, Swift have just their Coupe du Luxembourg triumph in 1990 to display in their trophy case, though their roaring return to the National Division could mean that more silverware is on its way in the near future.

Both of Swift's forays into Europe have ended at the first hurdle. In the first round of the 1990-91 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup they were eliminated 6-0 on aggregate by Polish giants Legia Warsaw, and in qualifying for this season's inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League they ran Slovenian side NK Domžale close, but lost 2-1 on aggregate.

Stadium

Swift play at the Stade Alphonse Theis in Hesperange, which is located right near the Alzette river. Having visited the stadium to cover Swift's game against Fola Esch on March 13, I can personally say that the stadium is a very nice place to watch a football match, as the main stand is covered by a modern glass-paneled roof and the concession stand sells excellent sausages and fries that helped me brave the cold rainy day I experienced there. The stadium holds just over 3,000 people, and was completed back in 2000.

© Philippe Zwick

© Philippe Zwick

This Season

Swift have shown through their performances this season that last year was no fluke, as they currently sit 4th in the table and were in the title race for a significant portion of the season. Swift had been undefeated in 2022 and were second in the table until May 1, when they played leaders F91 Dudelange in a match with huge title implications and came up short, losing 1-0. They are now seven points behind F91 with just one game to play, which has made winning the league an impossibility. Instead, Swift must focus on moving back up into the top three, which would guarantee European football for next season. A win on the last day against Racing Luxembourg would do the trick if 3rd-placed Differdange 03 drop points, so there is still plenty to play for as Swift's season comes to a close.

After last season's danger man Abdallah signed for Belgian club Lierse in the summer, German attacking midfielder Dominik Stolz (who was also brilliant last season with 17 goals) has stepped up in his place, striking all 22 of his goals this season in the league to take hold of the top scorer's place in the National Division, which he leads by a margin of three goals. Stolz has been responsible for an overwhelming amount of Swift's offense, as the next-highest scorers are Belgian midfielder Maxime Electeur, French striker Rayan Philippe, and Congolese striker Benjamin Mokulu, who have each tallied six goals.

For more information, visit the club's website.