Creating a future-proof handball community in the Netherlands

The women’s side won five medals within four years, including World Championship gold in 2019, and the men’s team have broken through to become regular participants in major tournaments. Dutch players are featured in top clubs across Europe and several have fought for the coveted EHF Champions League trophies — and some have even won it.

That success on the top level has been built on a solid and carefully considered base, which, for the last five years in particular, has been driven by the creation of opportunities for all. In 2025, the Dutch Handball Federation (Nederlands Handbal Verbond; NHV) joined the EHF Master Plan project, aiming to take another big step forward.

Key facts

• the Dutch Master Plan project agreement was signed in June 2025 but officially started in April, making March 2028 the end point
• the focus of the Master Plan period is on the “bonded strength” project, which aims to strengthen the sport on a club level
• the target age groups of the bonded strength project are children aged five to 10 and adults aged 30 to 45
• already, 20,000 children have been reached through activations held in over 100 schools
• 2025 was a notable year for handball in the Netherlands, with the co-hosting of the Women’s World Championship together with Germany; the NHV intends to capitalise on the event to significantly grow the visibility of handball
• overall, the NHV is guided by its Handball Agenda 2032, which aims to make handball the number one team sport in the country in the next seven years

Creation of the concept

The current chapter for Dutch handball began in 2020. That year, the NHV was one of 26 sports organisations in the Netherlands to collaborate with the Netherlands Olympic Committee*Netherlands Sports Federation (Nederlands Olympisch Comité*Nederlandse Sport Federatie, NOC*NSF) in a new agreement to target inclusion. Based on that, the NHV outlined the Handball Agenda 2032, which guides all day-to-day work taking placed in the country under the tagline “everyone experiences handball”. The overall goal is that by 2032, handball will be a household sport in the Netherlands.

Strong organisation, underlined by a diverse contribution starting from the top of the NHV; professionalisation; financial stability; proactive clubs; and a dynamic federation office are the core elements of focus to achieve the ambitions outlined in the Handball Agenda 2032. With that foundation, there are eight goals guiding the agenda:

1. Every child up to age 12 has experienced and/or practised handball
2. At and around the clubs, the strength and passion of volunteers is supported by professionals
3. Every player has a suitable handball community with a fixed base
4. Every handball player up to age 21 has a competent coach, trainer and referee
5. There is a suitable handball offering in every municipality
6. The national teams consistently perform at the top of global tournaments
7. Handball is visible: that is, the fan base grows and successful partnerships are strengthened
8. Everyone feels welcome in a socially safe and inclusive handball environment

In May 2022, at the general assembly of the NOC*NSF, the Dutch Sport’s Strategic Plan 2032 was created. That plan is focused on ensuring everyone in the Netherlands is involved in sport on a daily basis, which extends not only to participation but other roles such as administration and even spectating — aligning perfectly with the core goals of the NHV.

The national strategic plan and the guidance of the Handball Agenda 2032 provide a strong basis for decisive work on the part of the NHV. The NHV adds to the ongoing work with the core project in focus of their Master Plan agreement: “Bonded strength: Building a future-proof handball community in the Netherlands.”

Building the future-proof handball community

Despite the success of the national teams and the fact there are 336 local clubs in the country, boosting handball’s popularity in the Netherlands has been a challenge. In mid-2024, when the NHV was applying to be part of the Master Plan project, there were 50,000 registered handball players in the Netherlands. Ahead of handball on the ranking of participation in indoor sports were basketball (60,000 members), korfball (85,000) and volleyball (100,000). The NHV is targeting 70,000 members by the end of the Master Plan project in 2028, and by 2032, wants handball to be the biggest indoor team sport in the Netherlands.

The handball clubs in the Netherlands are located in 208 municipalities across all 12 provinces, which means the sport is already widely available, particularly given the fact that the NHV are one of the most active with providing a broad range of options, including wheelchair and walking handball.

However, clubs have been struggling due to “societal trends such as digitalisation and individualism and the increasing need (especially from younger generations) for more flexibility and professionalism,” as stated in the original project submission outlining the bonded strength project.

“From the perspective of the customer journey of (potential) handball players, the challenges faced by clubs vary: Some struggle with local visibility, others fail to actively introduce residents to handball, and yet others face challenges in organising the right local handball offering. Therefore, tailored support is needed,” the submission continues.

NHV Manager of Product Development and Club Support Danny de Ruiter, outlining how the initial concept was put together, says: “We used sports behaviour research to gain insight into sports participation, needs and trends in the Netherlands. The study we used looks beyond participation alone — it also examines motivations, barriers, and other factors that influence sports behaviour.

“We see many opportunities when comparing these findings with our current membership data and how it has evolved over the years. The collaboration with the EHF helped us bring focus and start by working with the youngest age group. This can sometimes be challenging, as we see so many opportunities for our sport — especially in a year when we are the proud hosts of the World Championship.”

Three concrete areas for improvement were defined early on:

1. Increasing local visibility and awareness
2. Increasing introductions to handball in schools, after school and at clubs
3. Supporting local clubs in organising their offerings in an effective manner and developing a robust club structure

In addition, two specific target groups were defined: young children, aged five to 10; and adults aged around 30 to 45, essentially parents and working adults. Young children, a target age group in multiple Master Plan projects across Europe, were chosen for numerous reasons, including the chance to recruit long-term players. The adult bracket was selected due to the relatively high dropout rate among this cohort, which the NHV determined occurs because of the different needs for free time, where handball may not have previously fit.

Clear goals regarding the two age groups were defined:

• 5–10 year age group: grow from 10,301 members in 2024 to 14,000 in 2027
• 30–45 year age group: grow from 4,418 members in 2024 to 6,000 in 2027

Both of these figures would represent 36 per cent growth.

To improve the “customer journey” of handball players, both current and potential, clubs are crucial, and collaboration between the NHV and those working on the local level is therefore the core focus of the project.

The NHV is working with a nationwide network of local project teams, each of which comprises four to eight mainly young people who receive support through education and in other areas. In this way, the vision is that a sustainable base that will continue growing after the conclusion of the Master Plan period will be established. In addition, the different departments in the NHV all have specific responsibilities.

Year by year: “A streamlined handball funnel”

The NHV is currently in the first of three phases designated for the Master Plan project, with one phase allocated per year. In the current timeframe, the focus is on building the structure with an initial selection of 30 to 35 clubs. As of October 2025, work had begun with 16 clubs and 20,000 children had been reached through clinics held at 123 schools.

“One challenge has been prioritising which opportunities to focus on first, given the many possibilities this special year presents. We want to develop products and services that meet the needs of our primary target group — the youngest age groups — as well as secondary audiences, such as parents, who play an important role in sports participation,” says de Ruiter of the challenges with implementation encountered so far.

“A particular challenge is keeping our handball clubs actively involved, as they are ultimately where our potential new members join. Everything needs to fit together and make sense, from the initial introduction to eventual membership — a streamlined handball funnel.

“In our project, we work very closely with a select number of clubs, which is working really well. We call these our ‘golden clubs.’ Our clubs rely on volunteers, and it’s amazing to see the energy and dedication within them to make this a success together.”

Phase two will involve executing activations, innovative competition formats and targeted local marketing with that first group of clubs, as well as starting the process with the next group of approximately 35 clubs. In phase three, another set of clubs will begin their journey, while the work with the first and second groups of clubs moves forward amid careful assessment of the development up to that point.

The 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship as a springboard

The co-hosting of the World Championship represented a significant opportunity for handball in the Netherlands. With the event as a catalyst, the NHV mainly targets participation — both increasing it and enhancing it in terms of involvement and engagement of young people in club activities. In addition, the NHV aims to strengthen the network between the office and its employees, local clubs and partners.

“Hosting a major championship — it’s a unique opportunity to showcase handball in the Netherlands. We hope the World Championship will create greater awareness and enthusiasm for our sport, not just among children but also parents,” says de Ruiter.

“For example, to support our clubs, we have put together a special promotion and media kit, which is distributed during our club meetings. The kit is designed to help clubs engage and excite existing members, as well as attract new ones. With this, we hope to put handball even more in the spotlight.”

Photos © Rikard Qini; Kolektiff Images; Matchlens; Slovakian Handball Federation; Vuk Raicevic 

This article was written in November 2025 and published in the monthly Inside EHF newsletter