Luminus Arena: K.R.C. Genk
By Zergori (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Have you ever wondered what the ‘KRC’ stands for in KRC Genk? Well wonder no more; it stands for Koninklijke Racing Club, with Koninklijke translating roughly to ‘Royal’. The club plays its games at CegekA Arena, a multipurpose venue located in the Belgian city that the club is named after. With a capacity of just under 25,000, the stadium rarely sells out but still welcomes over 20,000 people every time Genk have a home game.
Officially the stadium in its current form opened in 1999, though it stands in the same spot as a ground known as the André Dumont Stadium. It was used for the first time the year before Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosted the 2000 UEFA European Championships, although it was never intended to be used as a host venue. It’s been used twice by the Belgian National Team, once in a friendly match against Slovenia and also in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina, both in 2009.
Stats
| Luminus Arena Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1999 |
| Capacity | 23718 |
| Average Attendance | 20000 |
| Record Attendance | 24956 () |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Nickname | Fenixstadion |
| Former Name | Thyl Gheyselinckstadion, het Fenixstadion, Cristal Arena |
| Sponsor | Luminus |
| Clubs Hosted | KRC Genk, Heusden-Zolder |
| First Fixture | KRC Genk v Standard Liège (28/08/1999) |
| KRC Genk Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1988 |
| Nickname | Blauw-Wit (Blue-White), Racing, KRC, De Smurfen (The Smurfs) |
| Club Mascot | Genkie |
| Rivals | Standard de Liège |
| Previous Stadiums | Noordlaan Stadium, André Dumont Stadium |
| Kit | Blue & White (Home) / White & Blue (Away) |
| Shirt Sponsor | Beobank |
| Team Owner | Peter Croonen |
| Record Goalscorer | Branko Strupar (131) |
| Record Appearances | Thomas Buffel (300) |
Luminus Arena Photos
Luminus Arena Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The CegekA Arena is made up of a bowl of continuous seating, as is common in most European venues. It has two tiers and about one-third of the second tier is given over to hospitality areas. Behind the Southern goal is a terraced area, whilst in the Northern corner there are actually four small tiers.
KRC Genk Ticket Prices
The cost of tickets depends on how old you are, which game you want to see and where in the ground you’d like to sit. Matches are categorised, with games against the likes of Standard de Liège costing a little more than ones versus non-rivals. Adults will pay between €17 and €32 depending on your answers to the above criteria, concessions between €11 and €21.
How To Get KRC Genk Tickets
You can get tickets from the Ticketshop KRC Genk, online and at the Arena itself. The ticket counter is open from two hours before kick-off until the start of the match.
Where to Buy
Getting To Luminus Arena
Train – A train journey from London to Genk takes just under six hours. You’ll head firstly to Brussels and then on to Genk itself. Genk Train Station is the closest to the ground, but it’s still about four miles away.
Bus – Bus number G1 is the one that calls closest to the stadium.
Car – The CegekA Arena sits almost smack bang in the middle of the N76 and the N75 and not far from the A2. They’re the main roads you’ll be looking for if you’re driving to the ground, with plenty of signs visible as you get closer.
By Air – Maastricht Aachen Airport is about 25 miles from the centre go Genk and is the major airport you’ll be heading to if you’re flying.
Taxi – A cab from Genk Train Station to the arena will set you back about €20 and should take around ten minutes to complete its journey.
Parking Near Luminus Arena
There is a large parking area near to the stadium.
Useful Resources
Luminus Arena Hotels
There is nowhere particularly close to the stadium, but there are plenty of accommodation options within a 5 mile radius.
Green Hotel - £50+
Hotel-Brasserie De Klok - £60+
Hotel Stiemerheide - £80+
Pubs and Bars Near Luminus Arena
It’s a similar story with pubs as it is with hotels. If you aren’t simply going to have a pint at the stadium, then these are the next best options.
Olympia
The Three Wise Men
't Stadscafé
Facilities
They’ve certainly got everything in good order when it comes to hospitality and events, and even though it was built in the 90s the place has a nice feel to it with everything the average supporter would want.
Hospitality
As mentioned, the upper section of the Western Tribune is dedicated to business seating. Much like with the regular seating, Genk’s hospitality options are broken up into categories. Do you want just a posh seat? Would you prefer dinner in a smart environment as well as a match ticket? Or how about the less formal setting of the Cristal Bizz Café? The choice, as Our Graham used to say, is yours.
Private Hire
CegekA Arena is pretty much the perfect venue for whatever kind of corporate event you might be looking to host. There are two large spaces that can accommodate up around 850 guests as well as a number of smaller rooms for those of you looking to host a more intimate meeting. Whatever sort of do you’re looking to hold there can be taken of, basically.
Stadium Tours & Museum
You can do a tour of Genk’s home stadium once a month. It takes around three hours and costs €11 for adults and €9.50 for concessions and young children. It’s two Euros cheaper if you’re a Genk season ticket holder. The tour takes in all of the spaces you’d expect as well as a few that aren’t – if there’s a training session on, for example, then you might get to watch some of it!
About KRC Genk
Koninklijke Racing Club Genk was established in 1988 when two different Genk-based clubs merged together. Waterschei’s Sport Vereeniging Thor and the amusingly named KFC Winterslag became one under the new name of KRC Genk, keeping Winterslag’s ranking. The club won its first Belgian championship ten years after it was formed and has won four in total. Interestingly the wins have come roughly a decade apart, in 1999, 2002, 2011, and 2019.
Genk is one of Belgium’s most successful clubs when it comes to youth development. Over the years they have seen players such as Yannick Carrasco, Steven Defour, Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois, Divock Origi and Kevin De Bruyne go through their ranks before going on to make their name at some of the biggest sides in the world. Perhaps the fact the the youth training ground is right next to the stadium has helped them in this, as players have had an opportunity to work alongside experience professionals during their training.
Luminus Arena History
The CegekA Arena is the fourth largest sports venue in Belgium. Only the King Baudouin Stadium, the Stade Maurice Dufrasne (home of Genk’s rivals Standard Liege) and the Jan Breydel Stadium where both Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge play are bigger. Between 2007 and 2016 it was known as Cristal Arena because of sponsorship by a Belgian brewery company called Cristal Alken. That changed in 2017 when the Belgian power company Luminus took over the sponsorship of the ground until 2021, when a 10 year deal was signed with IT company CegekA.
The stadium stands on the site of the former venue the André Dumont Stadium. It was completely rebuilt in 1999 when Genk won their first top-flight title. It was originally known as Thyl Gheyselinckstadion and was renamed as Fenixstadion after the re-build. It was intended to be used as a venue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, had Belgium won the rights to host it. Had that happened then the capacity would also have been increased to 45,000.
Future Developments
There are no immediate plans to make any major changes to the stadium moving forward, although they have enlisted the help of a development company to explore ways to maximise the effectiveness of the building. A posh new sports training complex is in the works too.