Sports mean health!
Sports and physical activity are the foundation for a healthy and happy life, which is extremely important to the Dutch, so we have the perfect combination! Dutch children are used to seeing the world from a bicycle seat from an early age. Young people, meanwhile, are keen to play football, baseball or hockey. And what about the adults? Like young people, they devote much of their free time to team games as well as individual games. Investment in cutting-edge sports facilities makes it possible to train for almost all sports, so you can be sure to find something suitable for you, too. On the other hand, it seems that of all the different sports, these 3 sports are the most popular ones in the Netherlands.The national sports of the Netherlands? One word: football!
In the Netherlands, football is the most popular team sport, warming the hearts of thousands of Dutch people. Local football clubs, where you can train under an experienced coach, are popular among youths. The national sports of the Netherlands? One word: football! In the Netherlands, football is the most popular team sport, warming the hearts of thousands of Dutch people. Local football clubs, where you can train under an experienced coach, are popular among youths. But why is football so popular in the windmill country anyway? It all started in the 19th century when football came to the Netherlands from England. In 1879, the first football club, Haarlemsche, was established by a fourteen-year-old (!), whose name was Pim Mulier. What came into being a year later was Sparta Rotterdam, which is the oldest Dutch football club that still exists.The Dutch men’s national team has qualified for the World Cup three times but lost each time. However, this doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm and energy of the Dutch. Football is extremely popular regardless of age and gender (of the various sports available, it’s the one most favoured by women). Interestingly, despite the mentioned failures, the Netherlands has changed the character of the sport. In 1974, Rinus Michels first introduced the principle of “all attack and all defend”, also known as total football – you can argue about its pros and cons, but you must admit that it stirred up the world of football, and a Dutchman was responsible for it.
Art on ice
There is one sport that has stolen the hearts of the Dutch and, like a phoenix, is reborn every winter. Ice skating is firmly embedded in the culture of the tulip country; its origins go back to a couple of centuries ago when winters were really cold and the Dutch were able to get around efficiently on frozen water surfaces in this way. Today, skating is treated as a form of recreation, but the sight of Dutch people on ice-covered rivers or lakes is not unusual. As many as 20 per cent of the inhabitants of the northern provinces of Groningen and Friesland take part in speed skating on an amateur and regular basis. If you want to try your hand at the Dutch people’s beloved winter sport, there are as many as 23 artificially frozen indoor ice rinks and five skating lanes.“Thialf” in Heerenveen is the most famous indoor ice rink and the skating centre of the country, where the best speed skaters can reach an impressive velocity of 55 km/h. Between 1924 and 2018, the Netherlands won 130 Winter Olympic medals in this sport. Bearing this in mind, there’s no talk about the national sports in the Netherlands, without ice skating!
The magic of cycling
In the Netherlands, the bicycle has become an iconic, often indispensable means of everyday transport. Having said that, its role in this country is not only strictly practical but also recreational, not to mention cycling as a sport. The love of two-wheelers knows no boundaries such as age, gender or… weather (read about why it’s a really good idea to choose a bike in the Netherlands!).The Dutch national sports don’t exist without cycling. The Dutch national team tops the medal table at the world championships, and cross-country is hugely popular. Matthew van der Poel, Peter Sagan, and Marianne Vos are just a few of the country’s top riders, successful in various competitions.
3 sports, but unlimited possibilities
We gave you an overview of a selection of the most popular national sports in the Netherlands, but the possibilities don’t end there! The Netherlands is a unique country in terms of living conditions, including work, leisure, and the environment. In addition to the usual sports and games, such as tennis and baseball, there is a lot of space for discovering interesting Dutch sports. How about pole vaulting over a canal? Try fierljeppen!
