OUR
HISTORY
Founded in 1930, AAC helped to establish and grow the sport of rugby in the Netherlands, winning 11 national titles along the way.
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1930
Once upon a time there was a world that did not yet know what a computer was, where Dutch people spoke of “sch” and the moon was still just cheese. In that world, on a beautiful day in 1930, two members of the Amsterdam Athletics Club, H. Bohlmeijer & T. Wijch, decided to also play rugby. Before that time, rugby had been an exclusive student sport in the Netherlands, carried by the Delftsche Studenten Rugby-Club. All that was going to change from that day on.
The first game is played on October 1, 1931; led by captain Puck van der Heyden, ARVC lost 14-18. After this good start, things would soon only go up with AAC Rugby.
In 1940 the first national championship is achieved and 10 more national titles would follow and it will not stop there!
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During the war years, rugby was almost dying, but after the liberation the sport was resurrected. As early as 1946, a visit was made to Liverpool to thank our liberators. Long before government chambers started to think about a Europe without borders, AAC rugby is boundless throughout Europe (both in front of and behind the Iron Curtain). With great pleasure our foreign friends are in turn welcomed in Amsterdam.
1940
1970
Not only in XV rugby AAC managed to distinguish itself in 1953 the association seized the very first Dutch 7s championship (a stunt that will then be repeated 14 times). It was therefore only logical that in 1972 the first International AAC Sevens Tournament was organized. A tournament that has only gotten bigger and better since then.
AAC is also growing along with rugby in the Netherlands. Since 1984 not only by men, but also by women. And certainly not without merit. Today, AAC boasts a ladies team that regularly feeds the international representative squads in both Sevens and 15s rugby. The AAC ladies compete in various international tournaments at the highest level. They have claimed the infamous Ameland beach rugby title, as well holding the Dutch national championship for four consecutive years, from 2008-2012
