Sport in the Netherlands ranges from enormous volunteer-run amateur club networks to elite football, hockey, cycling and speed skating. NOC*NSF’s 2025 figures count 4.4 million unique members of affiliated sports federations, 5.4 million memberships and about 21,300 clubs.
Sports you will see often
Football, tennis, golf, field hockey, swimming, cycling, running, fitness and speed skating all have a visible place in Dutch sport. Participation does not always mean club membership: adults also exercise independently or through commercial gyms, while club sport remains particularly important for children.
Sports with a particularly Dutch profile
- Field hockey: a large club network and prominent elite game.
- Speed skating: indoor rinks, clubs, marathon skating and the cultural dream of natural-ice tours.
- Cycling: everyday transport and a separate competitive/recreational sporting world.
- Korfbal: invented in the Netherlands and traditionally mixed-gender.
- Frisian regional sports: keatsen, fierljeppen and skûtsjesilen.
Do not confuse professional and amateur sport
The professional game is what you watch; the amateur association system is usually how you participate. A newcomer who wants to play football or hockey should normally search for a local vereniging, not the professional club in the nearest stadium.