Topend Sports Logo

Sport in The Netherlands

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to The Netherlands, or Holland as it is sometimes known. The Kingdom of The Netherlands is made up of the countries of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten. The Dutch people love to play and watch sports. The most popular sport in The Netherlands is football (soccer), though a large range of sports are played and watched.

the Netherlands hockey team at the London 2012 Olympicsthe Netherlands hockey team at the London 2012 Olympics

Through the influence of western culture, the Netherlands became known for its love of sports. There are various types of competitive sports that one can see in this country but there are two popular sports that people love to both play and watch. These sports are football and. Football became popular mainly due to the field hockey influence of western culture, since their sports organization began in the early 19th and 20th century, football’s popularity also grew alongside it. The largest football federation in the Netherlands is the Royal Dutch Football Association and they became a member of FIFA in 1904. Their national football team has competed in the Olympic Games many times and has brought home some medals and pride numerous times.

Field hockey is the second most popular sport in the Netherlands. Their national women's team became one of the most successful teams in World Cup history and their male counterparts won the World Cup three times and they brought home quite a number of gold medals.



Volleyball and basketball are also popular in the Netherlands and because of those sports the country has been quite successful in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games as well as other international competitions.

Popular sports of The Netherlands (see more)

Traditional or Regional Sports

The Netherlands Sporting Success

Great athletes from The Netherlands

The Netherlands Sports trivia

The Netherlands at major events

Past sporting events events hosted in The Netherlands

Upcoming sporting events in The Netherlands

Annual sporting events held in The Netherlands

Sporting Facilities in The Netherlands

Other

Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.



Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

Country Extra

We have details of sport in every country — popular sports, players, results, major events and facilities.

 → How to Cite