GoalMine

GoalMine is an interactive football experience housed under the stands of the Cegeka Arena (also known as Cristal Arena), the home stadium of KRC Genk. Rather than a traditional museum with display cases and memorabilia, GoalMine is built around hands-on participation — visitors play, interact, and test themselves rather than simply look at objects behind glass. The venue covers more than 600 square metres on the south side of the stadium, right next to the club shop, at Stadionplein 4 in Genk.

What is there to see and do?

The visit combines arcade-style games, audiovisual displays, photos, sound recordings and interviews that together tell the story of football from several angles. One of the standout attractions is a penalty-kick game: visitors kick a ball into a lit-up disc positioned in front of a video screen, on which a goalkeeper reacts in real time, recreating the feel of a genuine one-on-one penalty duel. Guests can also take on KRC Genk's own goalkeeper in a simulated penalty shootout and pose for a souvenir photo as a fan of the club.

Why does the name reference mining?

The name GoalMine is a deliberate play on words, pairing the English "goal" with a nod to the mining heritage of the Limburg region, where Genk is located. For decades the town and its surroundings were closely tied to the coal industry, and the closure of the mines in the second half of the twentieth century reshaped the local economy and the identity of its residents. The exhibition inside GoalMine sets out to show how football — and KRC Genk specifically — became a new source of regional pride after mining declined, weaving industrial history together with the story of the sport.

Visiting alongside the stadium

Once a month, on the first Saturday, an "Open Stadiontour" is organised: an open day that combines a visit to GoalMine, starting around 1:30 pm, with a guided tour of the stadium itself running from roughly 2:30 to 4:30 pm. It's a chance to see the venue's backstage areas after experiencing the interactive exhibition. Outside these dates, GoalMine also welcomes organised groups, including school trips, for which the programme is adapted with an educational focus on football and the region's history.

Who is GoalMine for?

Thanks to its hands-on, playful format, the attraction works particularly well for families with children and football fans visiting Genk who want something more engaging than a conventional exhibition. Its location right by the stadium makes it easy to combine a visit with a KRC Genk match day or with exploring Thor Park, the district where the sports complex is situated.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is GoalMine located? Under the stands of the Cegeka Arena, on its south side, at Stadionplein 4 in Genk, next to the KRC Genk club shop.

Is GoalMine a museum? Not in the traditional sense — it's an interactive experience built around games, simulations and multimedia rather than display cases of artefacts.

Can a visit be combined with a stadium tour? Yes, on the first Saturday of every month an Open Stadiontour combines a GoalMine visit with a guided tour of the stadium.

Where does the name GoalMine come from? It's a wordplay combining the English "goal" with the mining history of the Limburg region where Genk is located.