1984: the section is established
The Dutch women's game had been organised, informally, since the mid-1970s; the bond had given it formal status only a few years before AAC followed suit. The 1984 founding date is recorded in the club's own institutional history. The earliest squads, fixtures and coaching staff have not been documented in the surviving archive, a gap the club would like to fill.
2007 – 2011: the first cluster of titles
Twenty-three years after the section was set up, AAC's women won their first Dames Ereklasse title in 2007–08. It started a four-year run at the top of the Dutch women's game: titles in 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11, four in a row. Few clubs in the Dutch game, men's or women's, have managed that.
2012 – 2020: middle years
The 2010s included further national championships, with AAC remaining a consistent presence in the Dames Ereklasse top four. The specific year-by-year breakdown of titles in this period is not laid out in one place in the archive; the modern Dames Ereklasse champions list is the authoritative source for the full title count.
2024 – 25: the eighth title
The most recent men's national championship is from 1976–77. The most recent women's title is far closer to today: 25 May 2025, at the National Rugby Centre Amsterdam, with a 17–0 final win over RUS.
Eight Dames Ereklasse titles place AAC second on the women's all-time table behind SRC Thor, a position the club's own pages identify plainly.
2025 – 26: the final again
One year on, AAC reached the final again, a Dames Ereklasse decider against RC Waterland on 30 May 2026. Waterland won 39–12, and AAC finished as runners-up. The 2026 squad is built around a senior core that has been together through multiple Ereklasse seasons, blended with younger players promoted from the youth section.
The line, in one place
The arc of forty years comes down to a small set of numbers:
- 1984: women's rugby established at AAC
- 2007 – 11: four national titles in four years
- 2010s – early 2020s: further Dames Ereklasse championships
- 2024 – 25: eighth national title, sealed 17–0 over RUS
- 2025 – 26: Dames Ereklasse runners-up, lost final 12–39 to RC Waterland
- A senior women's XV and a full youth section underneath
What survives, what doesn't
The 1980s and 1990s of AAC women's rugby are thinner in the archive than the modern era. Squad photos, fixture lists, player letters and captain's reports from those first two decades would all help fill in the gap. If you played in those years, or knew someone who did, please get in touch.
Sources. Club records for the 1984 founding date and the title count. Rugby Nederland and the modern Dames Ereklasse champions list for the year-by-year title roll. The 2026 Dames Ereklasse final page for the 2025–26 final on 30 May 2026.