Former professional club RBC Roosendaal is experiencing a remarkable rise in the amateur leagues. The club secured promotion to the Third Division, the fourth tier of the Netherlands, on Saturday.
RBC lost the return leg of the promotion final 2-0 to XerxesDZB, which also played professional football in the distant past. However, this defeat did not prevent the Brabant team from being promoted, as they had won the first match 5-0 on Wednesday.
Thus, RBC adds a new chapter to its impressive rise. The promotion to the Third Division is the third consecutive promotion for the club from Roosendaal, which is now only one level away from the Second Division. That is the highest amateur level in the Netherlands.
RBC has come a long way. The Brabant team was declared bankrupt in 2011 when they were still playing in the First Division, and they made a fresh start a year later in the Fifth Class, the lowest level in the Netherlands.
For a long time, RBC remained stuck in the basement of amateur football, but that changed recently. RBC crowned itself champion in the Second Class in 2023 and also took the division title in the First Class last year.
RBC played five seasons in Eredivisie
This season, RBC finished third in the Fourth Division C, which was not enough for direct promotion to the Third Division. Due to a substitute period title, RBC was still allowed to compete for promotion via the play-offs.
That unleashed a lot in Roosendaal. On Wednesday, the Atik Stadion, in which RBC still plays its home games, was sold out with 4,260 spectators for the first final match against XerxesDZB. The last time RBC played in a sold-out Atik Stadion was in 2011.
RBC played five seasons in the Eredivisie at the beginning of this century. The glory days began in 2000, when the club, under the leadership of coach Robert Maaskant, sensationally promoted to the highest level via the play-offs.
RBC was relegated again the following season, but Maaskant brought the club back to the Eredivisie a year later. After relegation in 2006, the club fell further and further back, mainly due to financial problems.