The Netherlands Sports Council (NLsportraad) is an independent advisory body that focuses on strengthening the significance of sport in society. The Netherlands Sports Council provides strategic and operational recommendations on sport-specific themes as well as the relationship between sport and other policy areas. The Council drafts recommendations transparently in consultation with numerous relevant parties in the field. The recommendations from the Netherlands Sports Council are underpinned by innovation, research, and feasibility. The Netherlands Sports Council consists of a maximum of ten members and is chaired by Tom van 't Hek.
Role and tasks
The Netherlands Sports Council has the task of advising the cabinet and parliament, at their request or on its own initiative, on sport in the broadest sense of the term. The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport is the principal contact person within the cabinet for sport. The Council provides independent advice. The role and tasks assigned to the Council are based on the Advisory Bodies Framework Act and any requests for advice submitted by the cabinet. Recommendations can also be provided at the request of Parliament.
Evidence & Feasibility-based recommendations
The Council ensures that its recommendations can be used for policy development and implementation. Recommendations are evidence-based as well as practical in terms of delivery. The Netherlands Sports Council bases itself on the most recent scientific knowledge to ensure that its recommendations are indeed evidence-based. The Council calls on experts to assist in carrying out analyses and to substantiate its recommendations. The Council always aims to provide recommendations that can be implemented in very practical ways by policy makers and that have real-world benefits. For this reason the Council explores various ways to interact with government ministries, other government bodies, the sports sector, the business community, and other relevant stakeholders. The Netherlands Sports Council works proactively to communicate its recommendations to all relevant parties.
Publications
The Council publishes English summaries of the publications. In case readers want to know more about the recommendations, the Council is always willing to give further explanation and discuss the advice. The Council can be contacted by e-mail: info@nlsportraad.nl.