Koninklijke Sint-Truidense Voetbalvereniging (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkoːnɪŋkləkə sɪnˈtrœydə(n)sə ˈvudbɑlvərˌeːnəɣɪŋ]), commonly known as Sint-Truiden or STVV (pronounced [ˌɛsteːveːˈveː]) or by their nickname De Kanaries (pronounced [də kaːˈnaːris]), is a Belgian professional football club located in the city of Sint-Truiden, Limburg that plays in the Belgian Pro League, the highest tier of football in Belgium.
Founded in 1924 with matricule number 373, STVV has played their home games at the Stayen since 1927. The club's best league finish was second in 1965–66. They also reached the final of the Belgian Cup twice.
Contents
History
The club was created in 1924 following the merger between FC Union and FC Goldstar, two clubs from Sint-Truiden. The colors of the club were chosen to be yellow and blue, to match the colors of the city, and it was named Sint-Truidense Voetbal Vereeniging. The first game of the team, against Cercle Tongeren, was played in front of only 9 attendees. In the late 1930s, Léopold Appeltans was the leading player of Sint-Truidense. On 21 November 1948 he became the first capped player for Belgium while playing at this club. In the late 1940s it qualified for the second division. It also changed its name to Sint-Truidense Voetbalvereniging in 1947. Five years later it finished second in the second division and thus promoted to the first division. Successful manager Raymond Goethals arrived at Sint-Truiden in 1959. Under his management, the team finished second of the top division in 1966.
The former Sint-Truidense goalkeeper Jacky Mathijssen became the manager of the club in 2001 and remained at the helm for three seasons after which he left for Charleroi. He was replaced by Marc Wilmots, who was fired shortly after. The team finished the season under the coaching of the trio Guy Mangelschots, Eddy Raymaekers and Peter Voets. At the end of the 2004–05 season the board of directors hired Oostende manager Herman Vermeulen but he was dismissed on 9 February 2006 as the club languished in seventeenth position. In 2008 the women's team of FCL Rapide Wezemaal joined STVV.
On 15 November 2017, Japanese-based electronic commerce and Internet company DMM.com acquired Sint-Truidense, becoming the full owner. Since the takeover, the club began recruiting and developing Japanese players, such as, Daichi Kamada, Wataru Endo, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Daniel Schmidt, Zion Suzuki, Daiki Hashioka and Joel Chima Fujita.
Honours
Belgian First Division
Runners-up (1): 1965–66
Belgian Second Division
Winners (4): 1986–87, 1993–94, 2008–09, 2014–15
Belgian Cup
Runners-up (2): 1970–71, 2002–03
Belgian League Cup
Winners (1): 1998–99
European record
Current squad
As of 3 September 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coaching and medical staff
Head coach: Frédéric De Meyer
Assistant head coach:
Physical coach: Stefan Winters
Team manager: Peter Delorge
Goalkeeping coach: Jurgen De Braekeleer
Team representative: Romain Proesmans
Kit men: Benny Liebens & Valere Stevens
Club Doctors: Pieter Bormans & Peter Bollars
Physiotherapists: Wouter Robijns & Par Vandenborne
Masseur: Roger Reniers