Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in theNetherlands are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two thirds of the population older than 15 years participates in sports weekly.[1]
Football is the most popularsport in the Netherlands, withfield hockey andvolleyball as the second and third most popular team sports.Speed skating,cycling,tennis andgolf are the four most widely played individual sports.[2] A number of native Dutch sports are also practiced, such asfierljeppen (polsstokverspringen),beugelen,kaatsen,klootschieten,kolven andkorfball.
Organization of sports began at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Federations for sports were established (such as the speed skating federation in 1882), rules were unified and sports clubs came into existence. ADutch National Olympic Committee was established in 1912. Thus far, the nation has won 356 medals at theSummer Olympic Games and another 147 medals at theWinter Olympic Games.
An influential figure in Dutch sport wasPim Mulier. In 1879, he founded the first rugby and football club in the Netherlands, and he was involved in forming the first tennis club in 1884. He also established the predecessor of theRoyal Dutch Football Association five years later, and introduced field hockey in 1896, as well asbandy. His hometownHaarlem and the EnglishBury Fen Bandy Club played the first international match.
The Netherlands Women’s netball team will compete against Claverdon, Bubbenhall, and an invitational side organised by Steve Campton, during the summer of 2025 in preparation for next year’s World Championships. Currently 167th in the world, they will look to build on recent positive displays against 166th placed Antarctica.
TheRoyal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is the largest sports federation in the country with 1,076,759 players (in 2005).[2] According to the KNVB's website, it has over 1.2 million members as of 2016.[3] The organization came into being on 19 December 1899, and was one of the founding members ofFIFA (the world Football Association) in 1904.
Dutch football teams won threeOlympic bronze medals in 1908, 1912 and 1920. Other successes came in the 1970s, whenthe national team played in the 1974 and 1978FIFA World Cup finals, losing to the tournament's host on both occasions. In the same period,Dutch league sidesAjax andFeyenoord wonEuropean Cups from 1970 to 1973. In 1988, the national team won the only international title so far at theEuropean Championships.PSV won the European Cup that year too. Ajax won the European Cup again in 1995.
Despite their wealth of individual talent, the Dutch national men team have only been able to claim one trophy in their entire history. This came at theUEFA Euro 1988 in which they defeated theSoviet Union to claim the coveted Henri Delaunay Trophy. In2017 the Dutch national woman team equalized this result when they beatDenmark, claiming their European title on home ground.
Many Dutch football players have gained international fame, such asJohan Cruyff,Marco van Basten,Ruud Gullit,Dennis Bergkamp,Patrick Kluivert,Ruud van Nistelrooy,Clarence Seedorf,Wesley Sneijder,Arjen Robben,Robin van Persie andFrenkie de Jong.Rinus Michels was named Coach of the Century by FIFA in 1999. Additional football notoriety came with the Dutch team's participation in the 2010 World Cup finals, in which they lost toSpain, giving Spain its first World Cup title. In June 2019 the Netherlands reached their 6th major final, where they lost to Portugal in theUEFA Nations League final. A month later the national woman team reached their firstWorld Cup Final againstUSA.
Football stadiumsJohan Cruyff Arena andDe Kuip haveUEFA's 5-star rating, enabling them to host finals of the UEFA Champions League and the European Championship.
TheRoyal Dutch Baseball Federation was established on 12 March 1912. They merged with the softball federation to form theRoyal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation in 1971[4] In 2008 there were over 24,000 players active at one of the 184 clubs in the country.[5]
The Netherlands boasts the most successfulnational baseball team in Europe, winning theEuropean Baseball Championship 20 times and frequently representing the continent in international competitions such as theWorld Baseball Classic andBaseball World Cup. There is a domesticprofessional baseball league whose best team,Neptunus ofRotterdam, regularly contends for theEuropean club championship, including five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004.
Baseball is especially popular on the island ofCuraçao. In 2005, the PabaoLittle League Champions ofWillemstad advanced all the way to the championship game in theLittle League World Series. FormerNew York Yankees outfielderAndruw Jones, now of theTohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles inJapan'sPacific League, is arguably the most successful and popular baseball player to emerge from Curaçao, and in 2006 was a member of theNetherlands national team that participated in the inauguralWorld Baseball Classic.Jair Jurrjens, pitcher for theAtlanta Braves, became the first pitcher from Curaçao to pitch in the major leagues.John Houseman became the first Dutch-born player in the Major Leagues when he made his debut for theChicago Colts in 1894.[6]Bert Blyleven was anAll-Star, a two-timeWorld Series champion and was elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 2009, the Netherlands twice upset the Dominican Republic in the2009 World Baseball Classic. The Dominican Republic's entire roster played inMajor League Baseball (MLB), while the Netherlands only had one player on an MLB roster. The Dominican teams' combined salary total in the MLB was about $84 million, while the Netherlands totals for $400,000. The Dominican Republic were highly favoured but in its first game against the Dominican, the Dutch won 3–2. The Dominican Republic won its next game against Panama to set up a rematch against the Netherlands. The Dutch stunned the Dominicans again and won 2–1 in extra innings.[7] At the2013 World Baseball Classic the Netherlands performed even better. With a mix of experienced veterans and talented youngsters they progressed through the preliminary rounds to the semi-final, where the team lost to the Dominican Republic. The team again reached the semifinals at the2017 World Baseball Classic, but again fell one game shy of the championship, losing this time toPuerto Rico.
TheRoyal Dutch Hockey Federation was formed on 8 October 1898 and is, with 185,923 members (in 2005), the fifth largest sports federation.[2]Men's Hoofdklasse Hockey andWomen's Hoofdklasse Hockey are the country's primary hockey competitions, which are contested by 12 clubs in both the male and female league.
As of 2024, theNetherlands women's national field hockey team is the most successful team inWorld Cup andOlympic history, having won the title nine and five times respectively. TheDutch male hockey team has won both theWorld Cup and Olympic gold on three occasions. Several Dutch hockey league clubs have won theEuropean Cup. At theParis 2024 Olympics both the men's and women's teams won the gold medal.
Korfball is a mixed gender or only femaleball sport, with similarities tonetball andbasketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four females and four males in each team or with eight female players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball through a bottomless basket that is mounted on a 3.5 m (11.5 feet) high pole. Mixed gender korfball is more generally played in the north of the Netherlands, while all female korfball is generally played in the south of the Netherlands.The sport was invented byDutchschoolteacherNico Broekhuysen in 1902. In theNetherlands, there are around 580 clubs and over 100,000 people playing korfball. The sport is also very popular inBelgium andTaiwan, and is played in 54 other countries.The Dutch korfball union is called Koninklijk Nederlands Korfbalverbond (KNKV).
Basketball is also a popular sport in the Netherlands. Thenational team had its most successful time during the 1980s. At the1983 European Basketball Championship the team finished in the final four and qualified to the1986 FIBA World Championship where the Dutch left behind strong competition such asTeam Australia andTeam Germany. During that time, the Dutch had its strong players inJelle Esveldt and a youngRik Smits. Smits later became anNBA All-Star and emerged as the Dutch basketball-icon for years to come.
Since 2000, basketball in the Netherlands went through some revival and has been home to severalNational Basketball Association (NBA) players, includingFrancisco Elson andDan Gadzuric.
Whilethe men's national handball team has only qualified for the World Championship once and also once for the European Championship and never for the Olympic Games,the women's team have been more successful, with a gold medal at the2019 World Women's Handball Championship as the best result.
Volleyball is the third most participated team sport in the country. Founded on 6 September 1947, theDutch Volleyball Federation is with 128,693 players (in 2005) the ninth largest sports association.[2] TheA-League is the highest division in which eight men's and women's teams compete for the national championships.
Thenational men's team is the most successful exponent, winning the silver medal at the1992 Summer Olympics and the gold medalfour years later inAtlanta. The biggest success of thewomen's national team was winning theEuropean Championship in 1995 and theWorld Grand Prix in 2007
The Netherlands featured national teams inbeach volleyball that competed at the women's and men's section at the2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.[8]
TheRoyal Dutch Cricket Federation was formed in 1883.[9] In 2021 the federation had 5000 members, which indicates that cricket is a minority sport in the Netherland yet still growing.[10] The premier division is called theTopklasse, in which ten teams compete for the national championships.
TheNetherlands national cricket team qualified for thecricket World Cup on five occasions; 1996, 2003, 2007,2011 and 2023. The country has been considered one of the stronger associate in the world and in Europe alongside Scotland. Netherlands is ranked within the top 15 teams in the world and has co-hosted theICC Cricket World Cup in 1999.
Most recently at the2009 World Twenty20 in England, the Dutch team made a name for themselves by their victory over hosts, England, in the opening match of the tournament. Though they failed to qualify for the Super Eight stage afterward, their win against England, considered one of the biggest wins in Dutch cricket history. Recently the Dutch have managed to beat two time world champions West Indies in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Zimbabwe 2023 considered ones of the biggest upsets in Cricket history due to it eventually leading to the West Indies not being able to qualify for the World Cup in India 2023.[citation needed]
In ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Dutch team led by captain Scott Edwards has surprised the cricket world by beating South Africa and Bangladesh by big margins.[11]
In terms of licensed athletes,bandy is the second biggest winter sport in the world.[12]
Bandy was introduced to the Netherlands in the 1890s and enjoyed some following for a couple of decades before ice hockey took over as the most popular winter team sport in the 1920s. However, bandy lived on in the Netherlands, and in the 1970s, it got a more organised form again.[13]Bandy Bond Nederland became the first non-founding member ofFederation of International Bandy in 1973.The national team normally plays in Division B ofthe World Championships. After winning the division in2018, the team played in Division A in2019. In2025 a new Division B gold medal came.[14]
For the first time, the Netherlands will feature a national team at the 2022Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships.[15]
TheRoyal Dutch Speed Skating Association [nl] (KNSB) was formed on 17 September 1882.[16] With 161,673 members they are the seventh largest sports federation (in 2005).[2]
The first official known speed skating competition ever for women was held inLeeuwarden from 1 to 2 February 1805 and was won byTrijntje Pieters Westra.[17][18]
After a successful period around 1900, withJaap Eden andCoen de Koning as World Champions, Dutch speed skating successes became numerous in the 1960s. ChampionsKees Verkerk andArd Schenk were immensely popular, causing a real speed skating hype in the country. Successes continue up to today, with the likes ofYvonne van Gennip (3 Olympic gold medals in 1988),Rintje Ritsma (4-time WorldAllround Champion),Jochem Uytdehaage (2 Olympic gold medals in 2002),Marianne Timmer (3 Olympic gold medals in 1998 and 2006),Ireen Wüst (5 Olympic golds in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 6World Allround Speed Skating Championships) andSven Kramer (4 Olympic gold medals in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 9 World Allround Championships). The Dutch speed skaters' performance at the2014 Winter Olympics, where they won 8 out of 12 events, 23 out of 36 medals, including 4 clean sweeps, is the most dominant performance in a single sport in Olympic history.Thialf Stadium inHeerenveen was the second indoor 400m speed skating oval in the world, the first to host an international championship and remains a world-class facility today.Dutch speed skaters have won 77 world single distance championships (since 1996).
Sjoukje Dijkstra is the most successful Dutchfigure skater, winning theWorld Championships three times, theEuropean Championships five times and two Olympic medals. Her Olympic gold in 1964 inInnsbruck was the first time an athlete from the Netherlands won gold at an Olympic Winter Games.Dianne de Leeuw won the silver medal in figure skating at the1976 Winter Olympics.
TheRoyal Dutch Cycling Union was instituted on 26 January 1928. Two Dutch road racing cyclists have won theTour de France:Jan Janssen andJoop Zoetemelk. In 2017,Tom Dumoulin won theGiro d'Italia, becoming the first Dutchman to win the race and the first DutchGrand Tour winner since Zoetemelk's Tour win in 1980.[19] Eight Dutchmen have been World Champion on the road (Theo Middelkamp (1947),Jan Janssen (1964),Harm Ottenbros (1969),Hennie Kuiper (1975),Gerrie Knetemann (1978),Jan Raas (1979),Joop Zoetemelk (1985) andMathieu van der Poel (2023)), but only one Dutchman has won the time trial World ChampionshipTom Dumoulin (2017). Eight women have been road race World Champions (Keetie van Oosten-Hage (1968, 1976),Tineke Fopma (1975),Petra de Bruijn (1979),Leontien van Moorsel (1991, 1993),Marianne Vos (2006, 2012, 2013),Chantal Blaak (2017),Anna van der Breggen (2018, 2020) andAnnemiek van Vleuten (2019, 2022)) and four have been World Champions in the time trial (Leontien van Moorsel (1998, 1999),Ellen van Dijk (2013, 2021, 2022),Annemiek van Vleuten (2017, 2018) andAnna van der Breggen (2020)). At the Olympic Games the Netherlands has won 23 gold medals in cycling (ten in road cycling, 11 in track cycling and one each in mountain biking and BMX). Only three countries have won more gold cycling medals at the Olympics.Erik Dekker won the 2001 Cycling World Cup.Mathieu van der Poel is a three-time world champion incyclo-cross and Dutch women have won more medals than any other country at thecyclo-cross World championships.
TheRoyal Dutch Tennis Federation was founded on 5 June 1899 and is, with 709,277 members (in 2005), the second largest sports federation in the Netherlands.[2]
One of the most successful tennis players wasTom Okker, nicknamed The Flying Dutchman who was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years from 1968 through 1974, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in 1969.Betty Stöve reached the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977 and won 10 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles between 1972 and 1981.Also noticeable isRichard Krajicek, who wonWimbledon in 1996, and thePaul Haarhuis/Jacco Eltingh doubles team, which won fiveGrand Slam titles and twoworld championships.Esther Vergeer is a four-timeParalympics tennis champion.
Netherlands is home to several tennis tournaments, including TheABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament inRotterdam, one of the best visited indoor tournaments in the world.
TheRoyal Dutch Athletics Federation came into existence on 28 April 1901 and is, with 108,934 members (in 2005), the 13th largest sports federation.[2]
Most successful competitor wasFanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals at the1948 Summer Olympics. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by theInternational Association of Athletics Federations. Other notable athletes includeNelli Cooman,Elly van Hulst,Rens Blom, Henk Evers,Tinus Osendarp,Chris Berger,Tollien Schuurman,Ellen van Langen,Ria Stalman,Gerard Nijboer,Rutger Smith,Maria Gommers,Bertha Brouwer,Lien Gisolf,Dafne Schippers,Sifan Hassan andFemke Bol.
TheRoyal Dutch Equestrian Federation in its present form was founded after a fusion on 1 January 2002. It is the sixth largest sports federation in the country, with 180,023 members in 2005.[2] Numerous Dutch horseback riders have become world and Olympic champions in their field, includingCharles Pahud de Mortanges,Anky van Grunsven,Jos Lansink,Piet Raymakers,Jeroen Dubbeldam andGerco Schröder.
Joost Luiten has won four tournaments in theEuropean Tour, also he has represented Europe at the 2013 Seve Trophy and 2014 EurAsia Cup. Meanwhile,Christel Boeljon has four wins in theLadies European Tour and represented Europe at the 2011 Solheim Cup.
The national professional golf tournaments in the Netherlands are theKLM Open (European Tour),Dutch Ladies Open (Ladies European Tour) andDutch Senior Open (European Senior Tour).
Formed on 14 August 1888, TheRoyal Dutch Swimming Federation has 148,599 members and is the eight largest sports federation.[2] Famous competitors includeRie Mastenbroek, who won the gold medal at the1936 Summer Olympics in the 100 mfreestyle, 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyle. Recent champions include tripleOlympic gold medalistsPieter van den Hoogenband andRanomi Kromowidjojo, four-time Olympic championInge de Bruijn, and the current world record holder of the 50 metres freestyle,Marleen Veldhuis.
Jan Plas, who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kurosaki, brought kickboxing to the Netherlands in 1978 where he foundedMejiro Gym and the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association). Ever since its inception in 1993, Dutch kickboxers have dominated theK-1 scene, causing "Wimbledon effects", with two record holding title championsErnesto Hoost andSemmy Schilt, other world champions and contenders includePeter Aerts,Remy Bonjasky,Andy Souwer,Albert Kraus,Rob Kaman,Ramon Dekkers,Alistair Overeem,Badr Hari,Rico Verhoeven and many more world champions. The Netherlands are considered as the best country in the world for kickboxing.
TheDutch Judo Federation in its current form was instituted on 15 September 1979.[20]Anton Geesink was the first non-Japanese competitor to become World Champion inJudo in 1961. Other notable judoka includeAngelique Seriese,Wim Ruska,Dennis van der Geest andMark Huizinga.
Walking on a defined route as part of an organised event is a popular activity in the Netherlands. The main national walking organisation is the Royal Dutch Walking Association (Koninklijke Wandel Bond Nederland, or KWBN), which is affiliated to theDutch Olympic Committee/Dutch Sports Federation.[21] KWBN affiliated groups organise over 1,500 events a year, attracting an estimated 500,000 participants.[22] This includes the annualNijmegen Four Day Marches, which has nearly 50,000 participants from around the world.[23] Although these events are non-competitive, the KWBN promote walking as a sport, in order to "contribute to a healthier, fitter and more vital Netherlands”.[24]
| |
| Summer Olympic Sports |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Sports |
| |
| Other IOC Recognised Sports |
| |
| Paralympic Sports | ||
| Others Sports | ||
