Summary of Sport events in the Netherlands - Advice on a strategic agenda and policy framework for sports events

Publication | 02-04-2019

Sports history and legacy

The Netherlands has a solid portfolio of major sports events organised on an annual basis such as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the TT Assen, and the ‘Nijmeegse Vierdaagse’ walking event (Hallmark events). In addition, the Netherlands regularly organises elite sport events for which a bid has to be submitted: European football Championships, World Championships, Olympic Qualification Tournaments, and World Cup events. An important development is the increasing number of large-scale grassroots sports events and combined elite grassroots sports events, particularly in cycling and running as well as events for specific target groups such as the Invictus Games, the Police and Fire Games, and the EuroGames.

• The Netherlands Sports Council advises the Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport (in the following referred to as the Minister) to work together with the relevant partners to strengthen the infrastructure for sports events and to introduce the term ‘sports legacy’ for recurring sports events with a special value for the Netherlands. The Netherlands Sports Council recommends developing a long-term programme to strengthen the benefits (for society) delivered by sports events and to link this program to all types of sports events.

The Dutch approach

The Netherlands Sports Council concluded that the sports events organised in the Netherlands are generally on a solid footing. Visitors are satisfied, media coverage is excellent, the business case is solid, and regional economic benefits are often the result. Nevertheless, the Netherlands Sports Council also finds that sports events could potentially deliver greater benefits for society and that the partnership in relation to events could be improved. The international context is also changing. For example, the global market for sports events is growing, and event organisers, sports associations, businesses, and government bodies in the Netherlands are not responding adequately to these changes. Within this context, it is still important to ensure that sports events are organised in a manner appropriate to the Netherlands (the Dutch approach). This means organising sports events in an efficient, innovative, inclusive, accessible, safe, and sustainable manner with a maximum of economic and social impact.

• The Netherlands Sports Council advises the Minister to work together with partners to further develop the Dutch approach and to view this as the new benchmark in the organisation of sports events. The Netherlands Sports Council also advises the Minister to work together with partners to strengthen the influence of the Netherlands in international sports organisations.

Multi-sport, multi-city

Sports events are the outcome of various industries and policy areas. Organising a sports event is of course about sport but it’s also about logistics, financing, marketing, safety, accessibility, sustainability, (volunteer) work, health, education, inclusiveness, et cetera. Collaboration and synergy are the key concepts for ensuring that a major sports event is successful and significant.

The Netherlands has all the potential qualities to be a full-fledged land of sports events, on condition that the parties in the Netherlands invest collectively in a long-term National Sports Events Agenda. These unified efforts are needed not only to bring attractive sports events to the Netherlands but also to obtain more benefits from sports events and to ensure that more people enjoy these benefits, including people who are not sports fans. The role of the Minister is important for establishing collaboration within the Cabinet but also for creating a partnership between government bodies, sports associations, and businesses. The National Sports Agreement serves as the basis for this. Partnership helps in realising shared goals and also leads to increased mutual understanding of the goals and interests of the other party. Within the Cabinet, collaboration between the Minister and the State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate is essential due to the self-evident spin-offs and developments in relation to regional development, tourism, trade, and innovation.

• The Netherlands Sports Council advises the Minister to play an initiating and coordinating role in the formulation of a National Sports Events Agenda and to ensure that the relevant partners collaborate with each other for that purpose.
• The Netherlands Sports Council advises the Minister to sharpen the focus of the agenda and collaboration via sports events that target more than one sport and/or take place at more than one location (multi-sport/multi-city).
• The Netherlands Sports Council recommends acquiring experience with multi-sport/multi-city in the coming years: ranging from the organisation of collective National Championships to the organisation of an attractive ‘dot on the horizon’ such as the Youth Olympic Games or the European Championships.

Guarantee Fund

Finally, the Netherlands Sports Council requests attention for improving a number of preconditions that are essential for transforming the Netherlands into a full-fledged sports events country. This refers, in the first place, to the manner of financing as well as the (tax related) regulations in connection with sports events.

• The Netherlands Sports Council advises the Minister, together with the ministers of Economic Affairs and Finances, to investigate the possibilities for establishing a financial instrument (such as an event fund) that would reflect the wish to encourage greater cooperation between public and private parties in relation to a National Sports Events Agenda.
• In addition, the Netherlands Sports Council advises the Cabinet to examine the possibilities for establishing a guarantee fund for maintaining Dutch sports legacy. A more favourable tax environment also has a positive impact on the participation of private parties. The Netherlands Sports Council has already issued an advice on this subject previously.
• To reduce the regulatory pressure in relation to sports events, the Netherlands Sports Council recommends developing a regulation model that can be used throughout the country.

Recommendations

The Netherlands Sports Council gives the following set of recommendations in favour of a National Sports Events Agenda and the sports events policy framework, as part of the discussion about the National Sports Agreement.

1. Develop a National Sports Events Agenda
   • In coordination with the Minister and the State Secretary of Economic affairs, sports associations, government bodies, and businesses will develop a collective National Sports Events Agenda for a period of 10 years.
   • The parties will put one or more multi-sport/multi-city sports events on the agenda, starting with the organisation of collective national championships and ending with an attractive ‘dot on the horizon’.
2. Invest in impact
   • In collaboration with the partners in the National Sports Events Agenda, the Minister will develop an ongoing programme for sports events, taking the place of 
   • incidental side events. As a result, investments in and knowledge about sports promotion activities that are organised at the same time as sports events are used more effectively and efficiently. This programme is also open for annual held Hallmark events.
3. Invest in collaboration
   • The Minister will involve a minimum of 20 businesses, 20 sports associations, 20 municipalities, and all the provinces in the National Sports Events Agenda.
   • The Minister will ensure that interdepartmental input is provided for the National Sports Events Agenda, starting with the State Secretary of Economic Affairs.
   • The Minister ensures that clear and transparent agreements are made with municipalities and provinces about responsibilities and mandates within the National Sports Events Agenda.
4. The ‘Dutch approach’ will serve as a benchmark.
   • The Minister, in collaboration with the partners in the National Sports Events Agenda, will focus on the Dutch approach and prepare a plan to further develop this Dutch benchmark.
5. Utilise and strengthen the existing infrastructure.
   • Starting in 2021, the Minister will open his policy framework for the financing of sport development and societal impact to all types of internationally attractive sports events.
   • In collaboration with the provinces, the Minister will develop and introduce a form of recognition for Hallmark events, which have been organised for years and form the Dutch sports legacy.
   • Sports associations, with support from NOC*NSF and the Minister, will develop long-term visions of sports events that are in line with the National Sports Events Agenda.
6. Strengthen the international influence of the Netherlands.
   • Together with NOC*NSF, sports associations, and the other partners of the National Sports Events Agenda, The Minister for Sport and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will formulate a strategy to strengthen the influence of the Netherlands within international sports federations.
7. Role of the national government: provide guidance, coordinate, and facilitate
   • The Minister, together with the State Secretary of Economic affairs, will ensure the development of a Cabinet-wide vision of sports events. In doing so, the Minister will involve the areas of policy that can benefit from the organisation of sport events as well as the areas of policy that facilitate the appropriate preconditions for sports events.
   • The Minister will invest in the National Sports Events Agenda and will prioritise multi-sport and multi-city events, starting with collectively organised National Championships and ending with an ‘attractive dot on the horizon’.
8. Facilitate the necessary precondition
   • Together with the ministers of Economic affairs and Finances, the Minister will consider which other appropriate financial instruments, other than subsidies, could be used to implement a National Sports Events Agenda, and works out further details of guarantee fund together with the partners of the sports agreement.
   • The Minister and the State Secretary of Finances will consider how they could encourage investments by private parties (in kind) and businesses (in cash) in sports events via regulatory tax adjustments.
   • The national government, provinces, and municipalities work together on a regulation model for sports events and ensure that there is a single agency where organisers can go to for regulatory issues.
   • The Minister will encourage collaboration, knowledge development, and knowledge sharing between partners in the National Sports Events Agenda.