Amsterdam, 7-11-2017
Board members of the AFBN and the Amsterdam Crusaders have met recently to discuss the plans for the Crusaders first senior full contact tackle team. In 2018, the Crusaders would like to take part in the Big6 competition as well as a series of AFBN-sanctioned international games. The Crusaders’ participation in the Big6 necessitates having A-status players on the roster. This has been the case for the past two seasons and has led to a situation whereby the Crusaders hold a significant competitive advantage over the rest of the teams in the first division (Eredivisie) of the Dutch competition. This situation is not beneficial to either the Eredivisie or the Crusaders. Therefore, the AFBN has agreed to allow the Crusaders to play sanctioned international games in 2018 rather than taking part in the Eredivisie. This will provide the competition with a better competitive balance while allowing the Crusaders to provide their first team with a challenging schedule allowing them to further develop as a European top club. The outcome should produce an overall positive result for the sport and will be evaluated at the end of the 2018 season.
