RKC Waalwijk

RKC Waalwijk
Full name	Rooms Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk
Short name	RKC
Founded	26 August 1940; 84 years ago
Ground	Mandemakers Stadion
Capacity	7,500
Chairman	Peter Konijnenburg
Head coach	vacant
League	Eredivisie
2020–21	Eredivisie, 15th
Website	Club website
Home colours	Away colours

RKC Waalwijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɛrkaːˈseː ˈʋaːlʋɛi̯k]) is a Dutch professional football club based in Waalwijk, that currently competing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' ('Roman Catholic Combination' in Dutch) and was established as a merger of HEC, WVB and Hercules.

History

The club was formed on 26 August 1940 and used to play its home games at Sportpark Olympia. Its new stadium, the 7,500 seater Mandemakers Stadion was opened in 1996 and featured the home match against Roda JC. RKC's clubname was also expanded with the name of the town before that 1996-97 season. While considered one of the Eredivisie's smaller clubs, it nevertheless maintained its top flight status for many years. Its home colors are yellow and blue.

At the end of the 2006–07 season, RKC Waalwijk were relegated from the Eredivisie after a defeat in play-offs against VVV-Venlo.

On 3 June 2009 they were promoted to the Eredivisie division after a win in the play-offs against De Graafschap. Though, their spell didn't last long ending in the last place with only 15 points. In the season followed they would finish first in the Eerste Divisie promoting back in the top flight of Dutch football.

After another relegation at the end of the 2013–14 season, RKC Waalwijk finished 20th (last) in the 2014–15 season of Eerste Divisie. However, they didn't relegate to Topklasse (amateurs) because both of the two Topklasse champions declined promotion into professionalism. In 2016–17, they made the Eerste Divisie playoffs, losing 5–2 on aggregate to FC Emmen.

In the 2017–18 season, RKC was placed 16th out of 20 teams in the Eerste Divisie. In 2019, Waalwijk promoted back to the Eredivisie after a five-year absence, after beating Go Ahead Eagles in the play-off finals. After a 0–0 draw in the first leg at home, RKC won the second leg 4–5 away.^[1]

In the 2019–20 season, RKC finished in last place, but they survived relegation due to the season being declared void due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] In the subsequent 2020–21 season, the club managed to avoid relegation on their own by finishing in 15th place.^[3]

Results

Below is a table with RKC's domestic results since the introduction of professional football in 1984.

Domestic Results since 1956
Domestic league	League result	Qualification to	KNVB Cup season	Cup result
2017–18 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	2017–18	second round
2016–17 Eerste Divisie	10th	–	2016–17	second round
2015–16 Eerste Divisie	18th	–	2015–16	second round
2014–15 Eerste Divisie	20th	–	2014–15	second round
2013–14 Eredivisie	16th	Eerste Divisie (promotion/relegation playoffs: relegation)	2013–14	second round
2012–13 Eredivisie	14th	–	2012–13	third round
2011–12 Eredivisie	9h	–	2011–12	quarter final
2010–11 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie (promoted)	2010–11	semi final
2009–10 Eredivisie	18th	Eerste Divisie (relegation)	2009–10	second round
2008–09 Eerste Divisie	2nd	Eredivisie (promotion/relegation play-offs: promotion)	2008–09	third round
2007–08 Eerste Divisie	2nd	promotion/relegation play-offs: no promotion	2007–08	round of 16
2006–07 Eredivisie	17th	Eerste Divisie (promotion/relegation play-off: relegation)	2006–07	semi final
2005–06 Eredivisie	12th	–	2005–06	third round
2004–05 Eredivisie	9th	–	2004–05	round of 16
2003–04 Eredivisie	11th	–	2003–04	round of 16
2002–03 Eredivisie	9th	–	2002–03	third round
2001–02 Eredivisie	8th	–	2001–02	round of 16
2000–01 Eredivisie	7th	–	2000–01	second round
1999–2000 Eredivisie	11th	–	1999–00	quarter finals
1998–99 Eredivisie	16th	promotion/relegation competition: no relegation	1998–99	second round
1997–98 Eredivisie	16th	promotion/relegation competition: no relegation	1997–98	second round
1996–97 Eredivisie	16th	promotion/relegation competition: no relegation	1996–97	round of 16
1995–96 Eredivisie	11th	–	1995–96	second round
1994–95 Eredivisie	8th	–	1994–95	second round
1993–94 Eredivisie	16th	promotion/relegation competition: no relegation	1993–94	quarter finals
1992–93 Eredivisie	9th	–	1992–93	round of 16
1991–92 Eredivisie	10th	–	1991–92	third round
1990–91 Eredivisie	7th	–	1990–91	second round
1989–90 Eredivisie	8th	–	1989–90	second round
1988–89 Eredivisie	11th	–	1988–89	second round
1987–88 Eerste Divisie	1st	Eredivisie (promotion)	1987–88	semi finals
1986–87 Eerste Divisie	4th	promotion competition: no promotion	1986–87	second round
1985–86 Eerste Divisie	3rd	promotion competition: no promotion	1985–86	first round
1984–85 Eerste Divisie	5th	promotion competition: no promotion	1984–85	first round

RKC in Europe

Group = group game
1R = first round
2R = second round
3R = third round
1/8 = 1/8 final

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Score
1989	Intertoto Cup	Group	1. FC Kaiserslautern	1–1, 2–2
			First Vienna FC	3–4, 2–4
			Carl Zeiss Jena	2–0, 1–0
1992	Intertoto Cup	Group	Caen	1–0, 0–2
			Lyngby BK	1–1, 0–2
			FC Schalke 04	3–2, 4–2
2000	Intertoto Cup	3R	Bradford City	0–2, 0–1
2001	Intertoto Cup	3R	TSV 1860 München	1–2, 1–3

Current squad

As of 1 July 2021^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NED	Etienne Vaessen
2	DF	CUW	Juriën Gaari
3	DF	NED	Melle Meulensteen
7	FW	BEL	Cyril Ngonge
9	FW	NED	Finn Stokkers
10	MF	NED	Richard van der Venne
12	MF	NED	Hans Mulder
15	DF	NED	Lars Nieuwpoort
16	MF	MAR	Ayman Azhil (on loan from Bayer Leverkusen)
17	FW	NED	Morad El Haddouti
20	DF	BEL	Thierry Lutonda


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
21	MF	BEL	Lennerd Daneels
26	MF	BEL	Sebbe Augustijns
27	FW	NED	David Min
28	FW	COM	Saïd Bakari
29	DF	BEL	Shawn Adewoye
30	FW	GRE	James Efmorfidis
32	DF	NED	Nigel Langras
33	MF	NED	Yassin Oukili
34	DF	NED	Luuk Wouters
59	DF	ALG	Ahmed Touba