Richard Vandenberg (born 14 January 1977) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawth ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). He served as the captain of the Hawks from 2005 to 2007, the final three years of his career.

Early years

Vandenberg is of

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

descent. Growing in the agricultural district of Coomealla, with the town centre of Dareton, New South Wales, a small town near

Mildura Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

just on the northern side of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

in far western New South Wales, Vandenberg played junior football for the local club. He moved to Melbourne to study at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

in 1995, playing with

University Blues Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, kno ...

, where he attracted the attention of Hawthorn recruiters.

Football career

Vandenberg was selected with pick 78 in the

1997 AFL draft The 1997 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1997 Australian Football League (AFL) season. A Pre-season Draft and the second Rookie Draft were held prior to the 1998 season. It is considered to have been one of the most successful draf ...

. He was a solidly built player with a reputation for aggressive play, fronting the

AFL Tribunal The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League (AFL), an Australian rules football competition. The Tribunal regulates the conduct of players, umpires, and other officials associated with the AFL and its clubs. ...

on many occasions. In 2004, he was involved in the 'Line in the Sand' incident, in which Hawthorn and

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...

engaged in an all-out brawl during the third quarter of their round 11 match. As a result, he was suspended for six games. Vandenberg was made captain of Hawthorn when

Shane Crawford Shane Barry Crawford (born 9 September 1974) is a former Australian rules football player, television media personality and author. He played 305 senior games for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). During his A ...

stepped down at the end of the 2004 season. New coach

Alastair Clarkson Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and was previously head coach of t ...

chose Vandenberg because he was a man who was "very forthright, honest and has great integrity", qualities his teammates admired. He initially struggled to recapture his best form, but by 2006 had fitted into his new role more solidly. Vandenberg's 2007 season was marred by injuries, and retired at the end of the year after leading the Hawks to their most successful campaign since 2001.

Professional career

Vandenberg completed his Bachelor of Business at

Swinburne University of Technology The Swinburne University of Technology (or simply Swinburne) is a public university, public research university in Melbourne, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the Eastern Suburbs Technical College established in 1908, renamed Swinburne ...

. He has a long association in the wine industry as a grower through his family enterprise and is the chief executive officer of LCW Corp, a grape and wine producing company. In 2016, Vandenberg was appointed to the board to fill the casual vacancy following Andrew Newbold's resignation. Vandenberg resigned from the board following the 2022 board election, when his preferred candidate was defeated by popular vote.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vandenberg, Richie Australian rules footballers from New South Wales Australian people of Dutch descent Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club administrators University Blues Football Club players 1977 births Living people Swinburne University of Technology alumni People from the Far West (New South Wales)