On Sunday 20 September 2026, Indoor Sport Centrum Eindhoven hosted twelve Rudra United home matches in one day — and for the first time ever, one of them was in the eerste divisie. Our first team beat GO! BC 1 by 7–1 and now lead their poule.
It was the busiest match day in the club’s history. From nine in the morning until late afternoon, twelve Rudra United teams played their round-two matches at home in Eindhoven: six senior teams, from the sixth division all the way up to the eerste divisie, the second-highest level of the Dutch Bondscompetitie, and six youth teams in the Jeugdcompetitie.
A first for Eindhoven badminton
Eindhoven has not seen eerste divisie badminton for years. Our first team reached this level with a squad built from within: a mix of Dutch players who grew up in the region and international players who came to Eindhoven to study and work. That mix is what makes this team, and this club, what it is.
Built from within, and aiming higher
Rudra United began as a small group of players in Eindhoven. The club now fields nine senior teams and six youth teams in the national leagues, and every step up has been made with players we developed or welcomed ourselves: Dutch players who grew up in the region, and international players who came to Eindhoven to study and work and wanted a club that takes competition seriously.
That is what this level means to us. The eerste divisie is the second-highest division in the Netherlands, one step below the Eredivisie, and Eindhoven has not had a team there for years. After two rounds our first team is top of the poule with 14 points, 14 individual matches won against 2 lost, and 28 games won against 5.
The next step: the Eredivisie
We are not hiding the ambition. We want to reach the Eredivisie, and we want to do it with players who came through our own system rather than with signings passing through. That is why Eindhoven Badminton Academy and our Regional Training Centre with Badminton Nederland exist: the players filling these teams in five years should be the children training in our halls today.
The depth is building. Four of our six senior teams top their poule after two rounds, and two of our six youth teams sit second in theirs. Rudra United 2 leads the fourth division, Rudra United 4 and Rudra United 5 lead their fifth division poules, and our younger teams are being rebuilt with academy players stepping up.
Rudra United 1 – GO! BC 1: 7–1
The team won seven of the eight individual matches. The women’s doubles was the tightest of the day: Nasim Safaei and Cera Samuels came back from a lost second game to take the decider 23–21.
| Event | Rudra United 1 | GO! BC 1 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s doubles | Ben Huang / Atreya Viswanathan | Gijs Polmans / Jeroen van den Born | 21-18 21-12 |
| Women’s doubles | Nasim Safaei / Cera Samuels | Meike Brul / Jamie Logt | 21-11 12-21 23-21 |
| Men’s singles 1 | Atreya Viswanathan | Maurice Paassen | 21-7 21-17 |
| Women’s singles 1 | Nasim Safaei | Jamie Logt | 21-18 21-13 |
| Men’s singles 2 | Rick Steuten | Jeroen van den Born | 21-10 21-9 |
| Women’s singles 2 | Amber Derksen | Meike Brul | 15-21 19-21 |
| Mixed doubles 1 | Rick Steuten / Cera Samuels | Gijs Polmans / Jamie Logt | 21-17 21-16 |
| Mixed doubles 2 | Ben Huang / Amber Derksen | Maurice Paassen / Meike Brul | 21-6 21-15 |
Twelve teams, one hall
Our six senior teams won four matches, drew one and lost one, and four of them now top their poule after two rounds. Six youth teams played alongside them in the Jeugdcompetitie.
| Team | Division | Opponent | Result | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudra United 1 | 1e divisie | GO! BC 1 | 7-1 | 1 in the poule |
| Rudra United 2 | 4e divisie | SCC BC 1 | 7-1 | 1 in the poule |
| Rudra United 3 | 4e divisie | Zwaluwen de BC 2 | 3-5 | 5 in the poule |
| Rudra United 4 | 5e divisie | OSS BC 1 | 6-2 | 1 in the poule |
| Rudra United 5 | 5e divisie | Victoria BC 1 | 7-1 | 1 in the poule |
| Rudra United 6 | 6e divisie | VBSC 3 | 4-4 | 4 in the poule |
Youth teams
| Team | Category | Opponent | Result | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudra United J1 | A-6 | Almere BV J2 | 5–1 | 2 in the poule |
| Rudra United J2 | B-8 | Olympia 56 BC J1 | 2–6 | 6 in the poule |
| Rudra United J3 | B-6 | Victoria BC J1 | 1–5 | 6 in the poule |
| Rudra United J4 | C | United BC J1 | 3–3 | 2 in the poule |
| Rudra United J5 | D | VBSC J4 | 1–5 | 6 in the poule |
| Rudra United J6 | D | Goirle BC J2 | — | 5 in the poule |
Rudra United J6’s result had not been published when this page was written.
Thank you
A home match day like this one runs on volunteers: the people who set up the halls, ran the score tables, kept the coffee coming and cleared up afterwards. Thank you to everyone who helped, and to the families and friends who came to watch and made it loud.
What is next
The Bondscompetitie runs until February 2027. Our home matches are played at Indoor Sport Centrum Eindhoven and everyone is welcome to come and watch, free of charge.
Want to play competition badminton in Eindhoven, or just come and hit for an evening? See Rudra United or adult memberships.
More from the day
Twelve teams, one hall and a full day of badminton. A few more moments from 20 September.
