Elite Sport at the Municipal Level

Elite sport is primarily a national responsibility, funded through national resources and organised by national governing bodies. At the same time, elite sport also takes shape at the local level: where young athletes develop their talent, where training sessions and competitions take place, and where residents come together around sporting events and enjoy elite sport. For this reason, municipalities also invest in elite sport. But how is elite sport organised at the local level, and how can municipalities ensure that elite sport creates value for the residents of their city? This project explores these questions.

Project Background

The Dutch government aims to increase the societal value of elite sport. With this objective in mind, the ZonMw Blue Shift program was launched in 2025. The program runs until August 2027 and aims to investigate how elite sport can become more socially relevant, more visible, and more future proof. Within this program, Work Package 7 focuses specifically on the local level.

Objective

To investigate how elite sport takes shape at the local level and what its significance is for municipalities and their residents.

Work Package

As part of this work package, case studies are being conducted in two major cities with a strong elite sport profile: Rotterdam and The Hague. Both municipalities have an established track record in the field of elite sport. However, the intention is to look beyond the G4/G5 municipalities. There are many other municipalities with a strong reputation in elite sport, such as Heerenveen (speed skating), Apeldoorn (Omnisport), Assen (TT Circuit), Rosmalen (Libéma Open tennis tournament), Zandvoort (Formula 1 circuit), and Velsen (Tata Steel Chess Tournament). Additional research will therefore be conducted in 12–15 of these smaller elite sport municipalities.

Is elite sport solely a national responsibility, or do municipalities also have a role to play? I believe they do. After all, people live in municipalities. That applies to talented young athletes, elite athletes, and spectators alike. It all starts in your municipality.

– Koen Breedveld, Professor of Impact of Sport

Results

A preliminary study mapped the number of municipalities in which elite sport plays a significant role. The findings show that elite sport is present in 109 municipalities—approximately one-third of all Dutch municipalities. Moreover, elite sport is not confined to the four largest cities but is also firmly embedded in many smaller municipalities.

Impact

This project contributes to knowledge about elite sport at the local level and helps municipalities consider whether they should invest in elite sport and, if so, how they can ensure that elite sport creates meaningful value for their municipality and its residents.

More Information

Visit the Project BlueShift website for general information about the program and detailed information about the individual work packages.

Duration

This project started in September 2025 and ends in August 2027.

Funding

Funded by ZonMw.

Collaboration

This project is a collaboration with Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Team

From the Impact of Sport research group (Centre of Expertise Health Innovation), the project team consists of Professor Koen Breedveld and researchers Gaby Dijkstra and Julian Brouwer.

Contact

Koen Breedveld ([email protected])