# RKC Waalwijk
**RKC Waalwijk**, full name Rooms Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk, is a Dutch professional football club from Waalwijk in the province of [North Brabant](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-brabant), founded on 26 August 1940. The club plays in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, to which it returned after relegation from the [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) at the end of the 2024-25 season.[1](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) • [3](https://cambuur.nl/friksbeheer/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Digitaal-Cambuur-RKC.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rooms Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk[1](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats) |
| Founded | 26 August 1940, Waalwijk (Noord-Brabant), Netherlands[1](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats) |
| Stadium | Mandemakers Stadion, 7,186 seats[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) |
| League (2025-26) | Keuken Kampioen Divisie, second tier; finished 6th of the Eerste Divisie with 58 points and reached the promotion play-off quarter-finals[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) • [4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/bb14adb3/history/RKC-Waalwijk-Stats-and-History) |
| Squad | 27 players, average age 25.3, total market value €6.63m[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) |
| Promotions to the Eredivisie | Four: 1988, 2009, 2011, and 2019[5](https://www.rtl.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/4728076/rkc-promoveert-na-spektakelstuk-deventer) |
| Name change | "Waalwijk" added to the club name RKC in 1997[6](https://www.soccernews.nl/team/rkc-waalwijk/) |
## History
The club was founded on 26 August 1940 as Rooms Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk, a Roman Catholic combination of local sides, and remained an amateur club for a long period before gradually working its way into professional football.[1](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats) • [7](https://rkcwaalwijknieuws.nl/rkc-waalwijk-van-brabantse-amateurs-naar-nationale-professionals) In 1997 the place name was added, and the club has been known as RKC Waalwijk since.[6](https://www.soccernews.nl/team/rkc-waalwijk/)
**Eredivisie years.** RKC first reached the Eredivisie in 1988. Under trainer [Martin Jol](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-jol) at the start of the 2000s the club grew into a stable mid-table side in the Eredivisie and held its place in the top flight each season of that spell.[5](https://www.rtl.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/4728076/rkc-promoveert-na-spektakelstuk-deventer) • [8](https://eredivisie.nl/videos/succesvolle-jaren-van-rkc-onder-martin-jol-2001-2003-highlights/)
**The 2019 promotion.** RKC returned to the Eredivisie in 2019 after five years away, in one of the more dramatic play-off campaigns in Dutch football. Having finished eighth in the regular [Eerste Divisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eerste-divisie) season, the team of trainer Fred Grim entered the promotion/relegation play-offs in the first round, eliminated NEC and then the Eredivisie side [Excelsior](https://www.edgepedia.org/excelsior), and met [Go Ahead Eagles](https://www.edgepedia.org/go-ahead-eagles) in the final. After a 0-0 first leg in Waalwijk, RKC won the return in Deventer 5-4, with Stijn Spierings equalizing in the fifth minute of added time and Mario Bilate converting a late penalty.[5](https://www.rtl.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/4728076/rkc-promoveert-na-spektakelstuk-deventer) It was the club's fourth promotion to the Eredivisie, following 1988, 2009, and 2011.[5](https://www.rtl.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/4728076/rkc-promoveert-na-spektakelstuk-deventer)
## Recent seasons
The [2024-25 Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/2024-25-eredivisie) season ended in relegation: RKC finished 17th with 6 wins, 7 draws, and 21 losses in 34 matches, 25 points, and a goal difference of -30, with Oskar Zawada the top scorer on 9 goals.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/bb14adb3/history/RKC-Waalwijk-Stats-and-History) The club dropped to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie for 2025-26, its first season back at the second level in two years of league membership.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) • [3](https://cambuur.nl/friksbeheer/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Digitaal-Cambuur-RKC.pdf)
In 2025-26 RKC finished 6th in the Eerste Divisie with 16 wins, 10 draws, and 12 losses in 38 matches, scoring 71 goals and conceding 59, and reached the promotion play-offs, where it fell in the quarter-finals; Jesper Uneken was the top scorer with 14 goals.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/bb14adb3/history/RKC-Waalwijk-Stats-and-History) The 2026-27 season opened with 3 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss in the first 8 matches.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/bb14adb3/history/RKC-Waalwijk-Stats-and-History)
## Stadium
RKC plays at the Mandemakers Stadion in Waalwijk, a ground named after the club's main sponsor with a listed capacity of 7,186 seats.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235) • [9](https://pure.tue.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/46984299/685277-1.pdf) The ground opened as Sportpark Olympia in 1996, was renamed Mandemakers Stadion in 1999, and has been RKC's home since 1996, under the name RKC Waalwijk from 2000 onward.[10](https://www.allesvanfeyenoord.nl/Mandemakers%20Stadion.pdf)
## Club record
Across its recorded top-flight history the club has played 978 matches with 284 wins, 243 draws, and 451 losses, scoring 1,246 goals and conceding 1,629. Its widest victory was 6-0 at home against Venlo on 28 August 1988, and its widest defeat 7-0 away against AZ on 24 April 2004.[1](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats)
## References
1. [RKC Waalwijk, Rooms Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk, BDFutbol](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/e/e6020.html?p=stats)
2. [RKC Waalwijk - Club profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/rkc-waalwijk/startseite/verein/235)
3. [SC Cambuur match program vs RKC Waalwijk](https://cambuur.nl/friksbeheer/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Digitaal-Cambuur-RKC.pdf)
4. [RKC Waalwijk Stats, Records and History, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/bb14adb3/history/RKC-Waalwijk-Stats-and-History)
5. [RKC promoveert na spektakelstuk in Deventer, RTL Nieuws (ANP), 28 May 2019](https://www.rtl.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/4728076/rkc-promoveert-na-spektakelstuk-deventer)
6. [RKC Waalwijk - nieuws, wedstrijden, uitslagen & transfernieuws, Soccernews.nl](https://www.soccernews.nl/team/rkc-waalwijk/)
7. [RKC Waalwijk: van Brabantse amateurs naar nationale professionals, RKC Waalwijk Nieuws](https://rkcwaalwijknieuws.nl/rkc-waalwijk-van-brabantse-amateurs-naar-nationale-professionals)
8. [Succesvolle jaren van RKC onder Martin Jol (2001-2003), Eredivisie](https://eredivisie.nl/videos/succesvolle-jaren-van-rkc-onder-martin-jol-2001-2003-highlights/)
9. [Mandemakers stadion, Eindhoven University of Technology repository](https://pure.tue.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/46984299/685277-1.pdf)
10. [Mandemakers Stadion infobox](https://www.allesvanfeyenoord.nl/Mandemakers%20Stadion.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of continental Europe and Israel › Dutch and Belgian football clubs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license