Around 1,000 debaters in the Netherlands are connected to the Nederlandse Debatbond. Every major city has its own active debating society. Becoming a member of a debating society is often very easy and costs little money. In the table below, you will find an overview of all debating societies in the Netherlands that are linked to the Nederlandse Debatbond. Almost all Dutch debating societies are affiliated with us. Do you want to become a member of a debating society? Then check the table below for the society closest to you! You can click on the name of the society to go to their website.
| City | Society | About |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | A.S.D.V. Bonaparte | The Amsterdam Student Debating Society Bonaparte was founded in 1998. Since then, Bonaparte has grown to be one of the largest debating societies in the Netherlands. At Bonaparte the mind is sharpened and the student life is enjoyed. Every member decides themselves what they want to get out of their membership. Contact: info@asdvbonaparte.nl |
| Delft | TU Delft Debating Club | The TU Delft Debating Club originated from a group of friends who wanted to engage in deeper discussions and ended up growing into a vibrant society. We are known for both our relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to improve persuasiveness. Contact: debating@tudelft.nl |
| Eindhoven | E.S.D.A. Chronos | Chronos is the first debate association in Eindhoven, founded in 2016. We are an open-minded and inclusive community of people who are curious about what is going on around the world. You are welcome to come and meet us for our weekly English debates on Mondays in the TU/e campus, 6 pm to 9 pm. After that, we will go to have a drink together in Hubble! Contact: secretary@esdachronos.nl |
| Enschede | Twente Debating Society | (Unfortunately, the Twente Debating Society is currently not active) The Twente Debating Society is the youngest debating society in the Netherlands, being founded in 2010. As of late, the society in Twente organises weekly debating sessions, workshops, and meetings to train their members in competitive debating. In 2011, TDS won the novice tournament in Leiden which is very promising for the future of this new society! Contact: bestuur@twentedebatingsociety.nl |
| Groningen | G.D.S. Kalliope | Kalliope is the debating society of Groningen! Every Monday evening, there is a training and a drink. Next to that, Kalliope organises many more fun activities! Contact: info@gdskalliope.nl |
| Leiden | Leiden Debating Union | The Leiden Debating Union is a debating society for students from Leiden. The society is not associated with one of the large student associations and aims to combine debating talent from all student ranks in Leiden. The society was founded in 2004 under the name of ‘De Leidsche Beck’. In 2009 the LDU won the European Championships and spoke in many (semi)finals of the European and World Championships. The society comes together on a weekly basis on Tuesday and Thursday to debate in English. Contact: info@leidendebatingunion.nl |
| Maastricht | Eloquentia Maastricht | Contact: |
| Nijmegen | N.S.D.V. Trivium | The Nijmegen Student Debating Society Trivium is a young and active society. Some members come to debate, others mostly come for the social atmosphere. At Trivium, the mind is sharpened and the student life is enjoyed. Contact: info@nsdvtrivium.nl |
| Rotterdam | Erasmus Debating Society | The Erasmus Debating Society (EDS) is the oldest debating society of the Netherlands. Our focus on cosiness and competition creates an excellent atmosphere but also a well-filled trophy room. Our debaters won everything, the National, European, and World Championships! Become a member of EDS and learn from the best! We train on Monday evening at the Erasmus University. Contact: info@debate.nl |
| Tilburg | T.D.V. Cicero | The Tilburg Debating Association Cicero is the debating association for students and pupils from Tilburg and the surrounding area. Every Monday evening Cicero debates current motions. Is debating something for you? Find out by coming to our debate evening! This is every Monday evening from 19:00 at the University of Tilburg (Cz114). Contact: tdvcicero@gmail.com |
| Utrecht | Utrecht Debating Society | The Utrecht Debating Society is an accessible yet ambitious debating society in Utrecht. Every Wednesday evening we enter into a verbal battle with each other and, afterwards, cool down with a beer in our local bar downtown. One who likes to engage in the art of public speaking in a casual atmosphere is welcome with us. Until recently, the UDS was the only non-English society in the world that won the European Championships in the Open category. Contact: info@utrechtdebatingsociety.nl |
| Utrecht | UCU Debating Union | (Unfortunately, the UCU Debating Union is currently not active) The (English-language) UCU Debating Union is the debating society of University College Utrecht, an international liberal arts and sciences college of the Utrecht University. Debating was first spotted at UCU in 2000, but the debating society has had its ups and downs, with the most notable top result reaching the ESL final at Zagreb Euros in 2003 before disappearing into anonymity for a couple of years. The current Union was founded in 2008 and has strong backing from enthusiastic debaters. They won the Cambridge ESL final 2009. UCU Debating Union holds weekly meetings on Wednesday, together with UDS. Contact: ucudebatingunion@gmail.com |
| Wageningen | Wageningen Debating Society | (Unfortunately, the Wageningen Debating Society is currently not active) |
| Nationally | Dutch Schools Debating College Foundation | The DSDC Foundation selects and prepares the National Selection of high school debaters. We offer debate education year-round to gifted high school students. Our speakers represent The Netherlands at the World Schools Debating Championships and other international debate tournaments. Contact: dutchschools@gmail.com |
Are you passionate about competitive debating? By becoming a member of most societies, you are automatically a member of the Nederlandse Debatbong. If there is nog society near you, you can choose to found a debating society yourself. For more information, you can contact our board via info@debatbond.nl.