RC Dragon Brno (legally Rugby Club Dragon Brno, z.s., abbreviated RCDB) is a rugby union club in Brno, Czech Republic. Founded in 1946, it has men's, women's, youth and mini-rugby teams, and in 2026 its first fifteen played in the Czech Extraliga. The association plays rugby in official competitions in all age categories and also offers recreational tennis.
History
The club was founded in 1946 as Sokol Brno I. The founding meeting was held in Brno on 14 February. The club later played as ZJŠ Brno and Zbrojovka Brno, and has been called RC Dragon Brno since 1991. In full, its names have been Sokol Brno I (1946–50), Sokol Zbrojovka Brno (1951–52), Spartak Zbrojovka Brno (1953), Spartak ZJŠ Brno (1954–68), TJ Zbrojovka Brno (1969–90) and RC Dragon Brno (from 1991). A women's team was formed in 2008 and plays in national sevens and fifteens competitions.
In 1960 the team trained at the Zbrojovka Brno ground behind Lužánky, where a clubhouse was built in 1970–1972. In 1998 the club moved to a newly built ground at Cacovice, which was rebuilt between 2001 and 2010; during that period tennis became part of the club. In 2018 the men had to leave the top division for the first time in more than seventy years, dropping to the 1. liga; they returned in 2019 by winning it.
In 2026 the men's first fifteen was one of six teams in the Extraliga. In the first leg of the two-legged Extraliga play-off (baráž) against RC Zlín, Dragon won 55–24 away on 30 May. The Czech rugby union's final 2026 ranking placed the club fifth in the Extraliga seeding group for spring 2027, with a warning that the format might change. The reserve side, RC Dragon Brno B, finished second in the 2026 3. liga, winning five of its eight regular-season matches and scoring 236 points while conceding 201. It then lost the 2. liga play-off to TJ Sokol Mariánské Hory, 7–54 and 0–53. In Group B of the autumn 2026 men's cup, Dragon lost their opening match 53–5 to Sparta on 15 August.
In June 2026 the club approved a new code of ethics and a safeguarding commission, as part of its aim to be a leader among Czech rugby clubs.
Honours
- National champions, men's fifteens: 1950 (as Sokol Brno I), 1965 (as Sparta ZJŠ Brno); 2000
By the club's count, the 1950 and 1965 titles were Czechoslovak championships; in 2000 the club won the Czech Cup as well as the national title, and in 2013 it finished third in the KB Extraliga.
Ground
The club plays its matches on the Cacovický ostrov (Cacovice island) in the Maloměřice district of Brno. The club's address is Cacovice 9, 614 00 Brno. The ground has a clubhouse and refreshments, run by a tenant. The club has played there since 1998.
Teams and training
The club's youth teams are divided by age into groups for 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18-year-olds, and its oldest junior side is the U19. Its youngest players start from two and a half years old in the Baby ragby section, and there is also a girls' U15–U17 group. An SCM pathway caters for selected players aged 12 to 23. The club's Free ragby section plays mixed touch rugby on Thursday evenings, in which players are touched rather than tackled. In 2026 the men and the U16 side were also entered in the national sevens championships.
As of August 2026, the spring and autumn training times at the Cacovice ground are:
| Team | Training |
|---|---|
| Men and men's B team | Tuesday and Thursday 18:00–20:00 |
| Women | Tuesday and Thursday 17:30–19:00 |
| U19 | As the men, plus Wednesday |
| U16 and U14 | Monday, Wednesday and Friday 17:30–19:00 |
| U12 | Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 16:30–18:00 |
| U10, U8 and U6 | Tuesday and Thursday 16:30–18:00 |
| Baby ragby | Tuesday 15:30–16:30 |
| Free ragby | Thursday 17:30–18:30 |
In winter the club also trains at other venues, including Elite Gym, FC Medlánky and several schools. Confirm times with the club. New players are offered a month of free training as a trial period ("ragby na zkušenou"). The club asks them to bring sports clothing suited to the season and weather, and trainers if they do not have rugby boots. Membership fees for 2026 are CZK 10,000 for men (CZK 8,000 for university students), CZK 5,000 for women, CZK 10,000 for youth players, with reductions for siblings and coaches' children, and CZK 1,500 for other members. Members over 70 pay nothing, and membership includes use of the club gym. Fees are paid in two half-yearly instalments.
Club life
The club colours are green and black. The club sees its work with children as what makes Dragon what it is, and it hosts a yearly Dragon Cup. Kappa has been the club's exclusive sportswear supplier since 1 November 2025. Home matches are streamed live on the Kletch Sport Live channel.