The Hague Sports Summers

For several years, the Impact of Sport Research Group has supported the municipality with research into the experiences of children who participated in activities as part of the Hague Sports Summer. As part of this, participating childcare centres are surveyed about their experiences.

Research 2024

With the Hague edition of the Team NL Sport Experience, the city joined a national initiative aimed at introducing more children to a wide range of sports in connection with elite sporting events. Read more about the initiative on the Team NL website.

Researchers from the Impact of Sport research group focused on a number of questions during these events: Who visited or participated in these events? What was the effect of visiting/participating on those involved? And more broadly: how do residents of the city of The Hague view elite sporting events?

For the research, visitor surveys were conducted, observations were made, interviews were held with involved organisations, and a questionnaire was distributed among 2,400 residents of the city.

Results 2024

The full final report of this project can be read here: De Haagse Sportzomer 2024 (in Dutch). A brief summary of the results is as follows:

In 2024, a successful sports summer took place in The Hague with three major events: the Tour de France Femmes, the European Beach Volleyball Championship, and the Team NL Sport Experience. The Tour de France Femmes attracted a broad audience, with a route through The Hague and a finish in Kijkduin. The European Beach Volleyball Championship, with finals in Scheveningen, was more focused on sports enthusiasts. Both events were appreciated by visitors and strengthened The Hague’s image as a sports city.

The Team NL Sport Experience organised sports activities for children, such as open sports sessions and beach games, which generated a great deal of enthusiasm. Although the direct effect on sports participation was limited, these events provided inspiration and increased engagement with sports such as beach volleyball.

The city deliberately chose to organise events in neighbourhoods with low sports participation, which generated a sense of pride. Future editions could benefit from better planning and stronger structural integration into ongoing programmes.

Method and Results 2025

For the research, the research group provided the municipality with a methodology to track the number of children present and to collect their feedback on how they experienced the activities. The research group analysed these data for the municipality and compiled them in the report De Haagse Sportzomer 2025 (in Dutch). The report also includes the results of a digital survey among childcare centres that brought children to the activities.

Partners

Municipality of The Hague

Funding

Municipality of The Hague

Team 

Wesley van den Breul, researcher Research group Impact of Sport 
Koen Breedveld, Professor Research group Impact of Sport

Contact

Wesley van den Breul ([email protected])