Original Hummel football shirt Racing Club Heemstede

RCH was founded on February 25, 1911 under the name HFC Achilles in Haarlem. By order of the football association, the name had to be changed and they chose Racing Club Haarlem.

In 1923, the young Haarlem-squad became division champion of Region West and after the championship competition against the other division champions, Be Quick, Go Ahead Eagles and Willem II, even national champion. In 1932, the club moved to modern accommodation on Sportparklaan in Heemstede, where it celebrated its second national championship in history in 1953, after a decision match against Eindhoven in the Rotterdamse Kuip. In 1965 the name of the club changed to Racing Club Heemstede. At the end of the 1970s, the club had to change the stadium, after the wooden main stand was partially destroyed by fire.

In 1970, the club was returned to the amateur third division by the KNVB. The club was promoted in 1974 and 1981, after which it became the overall amateur champion in 1989 against VV Heerjansdam. RCH trainer Nick Stienstra and former goalkeeper Florian Vijent (then under contract with Telstar) died in the SLM disaster in Suriname in the same year. They were part of the Colorful Elftal that, even during that championship competition, annually promoted Surinamese football and crashed on landing. Radjin de Haan, who survived the landing, played for RCH for a number of years after his professional adventure at Telstar and Eindhoven had ended.

In the big league, RCH was successful for many years. Period titles and two championships meant that the club was often allowed to participate in the KNVB Cup. The year 1986, at the 75th anniversary, was the best with the elimination of Willem II and Heerenveen. Ajax (including Ronald Koeman and Frank Rijkaard) was too strong for a full Heemsteeds Sportpark in the quarterfinals with 3–1 (RCH goal by Leon Hoep). Relegation followed in 1994.

In both national championship years, RCH also supplied internationals. In the first heyday, Peer Krom was included in the national selection, for which he played fourteen times. Loek Biesbrouck even became captain of Orange in the fifties.

At a later stage, former players such as Johan Neeskens (as an Ajax player) and Barry van Galen (at AZ) also became international. Hans Werdekker had already left for EDO when he became an amateur international.