Richard "Richie" 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 oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

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 Hawt ...

(Hawks) in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(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 commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent. Growing up near

Wentworth, New South Wales Wentworth is a small border town in the far south west of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the Confluence (geography), confluence of Australia's two most important rivers, Darling River, the Darling and Murray River, the Murra ...

, 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 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...

just on the northern side of the Murray River in far western New South Wales, he played junior football for the local club. He moved to Melbourne to study at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in 1995, playing with the

University Blues Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. The club fields two teams, known as the "Blacks" and "Blues", who both compete in the Victorian Ama ...

where he attracted the attention of Hawthorn recruiters.

AFL career

Vandenberg was selected with pick 78 in the 1997 AFL Draft. 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 (his most recent being a four-week suspension in 2006). In 2004 he was involved in the 'Line in the Sand' incident, in which Hawthorn and

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

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

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 who is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club. He was previously the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the ...

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

Post football career

Vandenberg completed his Bachelor of Business at

Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...

. He has a long association in the wine industry as a grower through his family enterprise. He is the chief executive officer of LCW Corp, a grape and wine producing company. In 2016 he was appointed to the board to fill the casual vacancy following Andrew Newbold's resignation. He resigned from the board following the 2022 Board Election when his preferred candidate was defeated by popular vote.https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/1257945/board-announcement

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