Club
information
Much more than a sports club
Rugby Club Wageningen is an open, ambitious, and welcoming club where sportsmanship, respect, and fun go hand in hand. Rugby is at our core, but always in combination with togetherness and involvement. Whether you are young or old, an experienced player or a complete beginner: everyone is welcome to develop themselves, meet new people, and become part of the club. On the field, we challenge each other to get better; off the field, there is room for relaxation, socializing, and club spirit.
Rugby Club Wageningen is more than a sports club; it is a community. Volunteers, players, supporters, and the board work together to keep the club running and help it grow. From youth to senior rugby, from training sessions and matches to tournaments and social activities: together we ensure a safe, inclusive, and energetic environment where everyone can feel at home. Whether you come to play rugby, help out as a volunteer, or just enjoy the atmosphere along the touchline — together we make Rugby Club Wageningen a club we are proud of. 🏉
Core Values of Rugby
Just like Rugby Nederland, we believe that rugby shapes and connects you. Respect, discipline, and camaraderie are central to everything we do, both on and off the field. RCW is an open, social, and safe club where everyone is welcome and participates equally — regardless of background, religion, orientation, sex, or gender.
We are an international club, a home away from home, where English is spoken when necessary and the door is always open. Rugby is pre-eminently a sport for everyone: because of the different positions, there is a place for every body type and talent, including children who may not thrive as well elsewhere.
We are also a sport and a club where children can find a place if they drop out of other sports. For example, due to body type. Because of the specific positions within a rugby team, all types of physique and motor skills are needed. Combined with the core values of respect and discipline, this makes rugby a sport where all children can participate.
More than just a sport
RCW is more than just rugby. We are a club for and by members, where sport and social life come together and where we proudly promote our rugby values in Wageningen and the region.
1970 the beginning of
Rugby Club Wageningen
In the autumn of 1969, training sessions began on a worn-out football pitch at the Oude Tol, where a large garden center now stands. Before training could start, the field first had to be cleared of pebbles to make it suitable for tackling. In that first season, mainly friendly matches were played. Everyone wore a different colored shirt, which was often completely in tatters by the end.
50 Years of women’s
rugby in Wageningen
On April 12, 1975, the first women’s rugby match in the Netherlands was played:
Wageningen against the Olifantjes.
Thanks to good publicity, hundreds of people came to watch the match, especially family and friends. The final score was 4-0. The ‘third half’ was grand. Some Olifantjes were forced to stay behind in Wageningen because they missed their transport back.
A number of the Wageningen ladies were so enthusiastic that they wanted to keep playing after that day. Hein van Dijk became their coach, and from then on, RCW had a women’s section.
More and more women came to play in Wageningen, and rugby-loving ladies also signed up at other clubs. In the first year, matches were already played occasionally. These were organized entirely by the women themselves. RC Wageningen was a club that heartily supported this initiative. The NRB clearly was not yet.
The club’s clogs
A purple and a white clog, painted with ‘Rugbyclub Wageningen’, are awarded on certain occasions and worn with pride by their owners. Some boast that they have already worn out three pairs.
The first mention of clogs is in the 1980 anniversary booklet, in a report about the trip to Beauvais and Paris in 1973.
Referees
in Wageningen
What makes being a ref fun is being involved in the beautiful game of rugby from (usually) up close. The most important thing for them is the safety of the players. As a referee, you do your best to keep the game flowing while observing the rules. By communicating as clearly as possible, you want to provide an enjoyable match for everyone on and off the field. Training days for referees are regularly organized at Rugby Club Wageningen. Are you interested? Then contact the board member for rugby affairs.
Volunteers and the board
Volunteers
Volunteers are the beating heart of Rugby Club Wageningen. From coaches and team managers to bar volunteers, referees, and committee members: thanks to their efforts, training and matches can take place every week, events keep running, and the club remains a place where everyone feels welcome. They not only make rugby possible but also ensure that the atmosphere, traditions, and social life of the club continue to thrive.
The board actively assists these volunteers and creates the necessary conditions so they can do their work well and with pleasure. By supporting, coordinating, and stepping in where necessary, the board ensures continuity and clarity within the club. Together with the volunteers, they build a strong, safe, and future-proof club where everyone can contribute their part.
The board
| Chairman | Sander Dijkslag |
| Secretary | Gertjan Mulder |
| Treasurer | Marianne Plouvier |
| Facilities | Joris Hofstede |
| Rugby affairs | Amarins Bouma |
| General member | Julian Verdonk |
Articles of Association and Internal Regulations
Internal regulations
Club articles of association
House rules
Code of conduct
Confidential contact person
Confidential contact person (VCP) for undesirable behavior
We are Machteld Speets, Jan van Neerbos, and Machteld Vos de Wael, the confidential contact persons for Wageningen (sports) clubs, cultural organizations, and foundations that cannot provide this themselves. We are affiliated with the Wageningen Volunteer Center and have completed training for this role via NOC*NSF.
You can come to us with questions about and reports of all forms of undesirable behavior. This may include:
- Undesirable (sexual) behavior
- Bullying and being bullied, discrimination
- Feeling like you don’t belong for a certain reason
- Transgressive behavior: someone doing something you find unpleasant
As confidential contact persons, we will make an appointment on neutral ground. We listen to your story and help you look for ways to tackle the problem. We guide the process in which you take action yourself.
The conversation is confidential. To arrange this, email vertrouwenscontactpersoon@vcwageningen.nl
Machteld Speets, Jan van Neerbos, Machteld Vos de Wael
Practical information
Frequently Asked Questions
Location, directions & parking
What is the address of Rugby Club Wageningen?
You can find Rugby Club Wageningen at Sportpark De Zoom, Zoomweg 4, 6704 PE Wageningen.
What are the parking rules?
Free parking is available in the designated spaces at Sportpark de Zoom. Parking outside of these spaces may result in a fine. On Saturdays, one-way traffic applies on Zoomweg from south to north. If the parking spaces at the sports park are full, you can park on the right-hand side in the verge.
What should I keep in mind when visiting you?
Parking spaces are limited and Zoomweg is one-way on Saturdays. When the parking spaces at the sports park and along Zoomweg are full, you can park around the corner along Heidepark.
Clubhouse & facilities
Are there changing rooms/showers and when are they open?
The changing rooms and clubhouse usually open 1 hour before the match starts. Ask at the bar for the changing room key.
Is the clubhouse open during training sessions and match days?
On match days, the clubhouse usually opens 1 hour before the start of the match. During training sessions, the clubhouse is open and the bar is run by volunteers.
How can I pay in the clubhouse?
You can pay by card in the clubhouse. During tournaments, payments on the fields and in the clubhouse are sometimes made with tokens. These are available at the bar and can also be purchased by card. It is not possible to pay with cash at Rugby Club Wageningen.
Can I organize something in the clubhouse as a team or company?
This is possible upon request. Please contact the board to discuss the possibilities.
Pitch sponsors
Friends of RCW
On March 16, 2024, during RCW’s first Golden Oldies dinner, a new group was spontaneously formed: Friends of RCW (FoR). Over a hundred former members pledged to make an annual financial donation to support the club.
The objective of the Friends is to provide the club with financial support for items that might otherwise not be purchased or activities that might not be undertaken.
Friends of RCW will continue this; in the coming years, former members will be asked to keep supporting RCW financially to realize great projects. The club that gets it done!
