K. Breedveld

Starting a sport in the Netherlands: a life-course analysis of the effects of individual, parental and partner characteristics.

In this article we investigate the effects of parental, individual and partner characteristics on the starting of a sport. Employing event history models we analyze 72,491 person-years of 2276 individuals from the Family Survey Dutch Population 1998 and 2003. Our results show that growing up in a family in which sport is common increases the likelihood of starting a sport. We further conclude that parents from the higher social classes more often stimulate their children to start participating in a high status sport. Our results also indicate that a respondent’s educational attainment is positively related to enrollment in sports. The importance of a spouse is particularly demonstrated, as a sport-playing partner expresses a positive influence on a respondent’s sport participation. Moreover, in starting a sport it is more favorable not having a partner, even than having a non-sporting spouse.

Measuring sports participation in the Netherlands: The need to go beyond guidelines

Abstract Introduction: Sport is a social category. What people label as sport, varies historically and across cultures. That makes it difficult to compare outcomes of sports participation research. In this article, we will draw out how and to what extent methodological differences have influenced outcomes of Dutch sports participation surveys. In addition, we will go into attempts to enhance comparability between surveys by issuing a Guideline for Sports participation Research (GSR). Methods: secondary analyses were performed on different sports participation surveys in the Netherlands. In addition, we report on two specific case studies to describe why outcomes of sports participation research differ between surveys, even if they appear to use similar questions. Also we go into the experiences with the GSR. Results: the Netherlands are characterized by a high sports participation rate. Incomparability of sport research appear to stem from three different aspects: (1) sampling and fieldwork, (2) question formulation and (3) analysis procedures. It was found that sports participa-tion was positively correlated with response, meaning that social surveys generally overestimate sports participation rates. Experiences with the GSR learn that in order to enhance our understanding of sports participation, it is simply not enough to issue guidelines on how to conduct the research. There is a clear need for more coordinated research.

A landscape of sport facilities in the Netherlands.

This article explores the geographical distribution of sport facilities in the Netherlands and evaluates the supply and proximity of such facilities in relation to area level deprivation and urbanity. In today’s context of financial austerity, many municipalities must critically assess their spending on sport provision. Most government funding to sports goes to construction and maintenance of sport facilities, so there is an increasing need for information and indicators by which to gauge the adequacy of such facilities. The current study draws on sports place theory and the deprivation amplification model to examine the presence, variety and proximity of sport facilities in the Netherlands as a whole and according to area level deprivation and urbanity. Data were provided by the Sport Facility Monitor, a national dataset offering geographical information on (nearly) all sport facilities in the Netherlands. These data were linked with population statistics from Statistics Netherlands to allow spatial analyses. Our results indicate that by assessing the distribution of sport facilities in a structured way, relevant information can be obtained for sport facility planning and sport participation policy. Furthermore, our results show that certain standard sport facilities are fairly evenly distributed throughout the Netherlands, irrespective of the local population size. For more specialised facilities, however, higher population thresholds appear to be required. We conclude that, even though there are inequalities in the distribution of sport facilities, the Netherlands overall provides a sufficiently dense sport infrastructure with various types of facilities offered in close proximity to most inhabitants.

Sport participation and the social and physical environment: Explaining differences between urban and rural areas in the Netherlands

Abstract In this study, we investigated the intensity of sport participation in the Netherlands comparing urban and rural areas. Using a socio-ecological theoretical model, we focussed on the extent to which the rural–urban divide in sport participation is explained by micro-level (socio-demographics), meso-level (safety and socio-economic status of neighbourhoods) and exo-level (variety and proximity of sport facilities) characteristics. We tested our theoretical expectations using representative data on 17,910 Dutch inhabitants between 6 and 79 years of age. Our study reconfirmed the importance of individual socio-demographics (micro-level), such as age, education and household income for sports participation. Furthermore, our results showed that weekly sport participation was more common in rural than in urban areas. This rural–urban divide in sport participation especially was attributed to social environmental factors (meso-level); physical conditions of the environment provided no explanation. Our findings should, however, not be taken as a denial of the importance of the physical environment (exo-level). This study was conducted in the Netherlands, a country with a high density, abundant sport facilities and a supportive sport climate. Moreover, variety of sport facilities nearby proved significant in explaining an individual’s monthly sport participation. To conclude, this study enhances our understanding of the rural–urban divide in sport participation and highlights the importance of especially meso-level features in addition to the socio-demographics. It thus may inform policymakers to critically assess sport promotion policies.

A study on the frequency of participation and time spent on sport in different organisational settings

ABSTRACT Research question: As a result of the expansion of opportunities for leisure-time sport participation (LTSP), the question arises if differing organisational settings relate to differences in participation behaviour. This paper compares participation frequency and time spent on sport between club-organised and non-club-organised sport participants. Research methods: Data originate from the 2009 Household Study on Sport Participation in Flanders (Belgium). The sample consists of 4020 sports participants that are parents of school-aged children. The frequency of LTSP, time per training session and total time spent on sport per week are constructed as dependent variables for log-linear regression analyses. The organisational setting for LTSP is the main independent variable. Analyses are conducted at a total sample level and a sport-specific level. Results and findings: Participation frequency and time spent on sport increase when participants engage with club-organised sport. The association between the organisational setting for LTSP and the dependent variable varies as a function of different variables related to participation in a specific sport. Implications: As a contribution to ongoing debates on the promotion of LTSP in different organisational settings, results of this study allow for discussing the popularity of non-club-organised sport in relation to advantages of club-organised sport. For managers in sport organisations, it is important to gain insight in participation behaviour of (potential) participants to develop targeted strategies. Results are also relevant to policy-makers in order to adequately allocate resources aimed at increasing participation rates and time spent on sport among a broader range of the population.

When do young adults stop practising a sport? An event history analysis on the impact of four major life events

This article investigates the relationship between four major life events and stopping sport participation in young adulthood. We employ a neo-Weberian theoretical framework related to changes in temporal and social resources to explain how beginning to work, starting to live on one’s own, starting to cohabit or getting married, and the birth of one’s first child affect the risk to stop practising a sport and to end a sport club membership. We used detailed retrospective life-course data from the Dutch SportersMonitor 2010 on 3540 individuals to examine the sport careers and major life events of young adults (aged 18–35). Our event history analyses indicate that the risk to stop practising a sport increases when young adults begin to work, move out to live on their own, and start cohabiting or get married. The risk of ending a sport club membership rises when young adults start to live on their own and when they cohabit or get married. The birth of the first child increases the risks of both stopping a sport and ending club membership for young women, but not for young men.

Diversity in Participation Reigns, Policy Challenges Ahead: Sport for All (Ages) from a European Perspective

Sport for All has been a major concern in sport policies in many European countries since the 1960s and 1970s. It continues to be on the agenda until today, even though the perspective has somewhat changed, as a growing emphasis on both health-enhancing physical activity and elite sport can be observed. In this chapter, we explore sport participation in Europe. We start off by discussing different representations of the organisation of sports in Europe. The so-called ‘church model’ is presented, which provides an alternative to the more traditional pyramid, but highly hierarchical representation of the ‘European sports model’. This first, conceptual section is followed by a presentation of empirical findings on sport participation in Europe. Analyses are based on the Eurobarometer, a large-scale repeated cross-sectional survey issued by the European Commission to inform policies, and conducted in all 28 member states of the European Union. The findings indicate that there are large differences in terms of sport participation throughout Europe. Both a geographical divide as well as a social divide can be observed. The chapter ends with a discussion of the findings that explores what brings about the identified differences. The large variety in terms of sport policy, organisation and provision within Europe, and the influence of societal values and cultural preferences outside the realm of sport are key explanatory factors. It is concluded that sport remains the outcome of processes of social differentiation and social inequality.

The Netherlands: A joint venture of clubs, businesses, municipalities and schools in sport

In the Netherlands, sport is rooted in a long-lasting tradition of non-profit private initiatives. These origins are still visible in the great number of sport clubs and volunteers that shape today’s Dutch sport landscape. The last decades however, have seen a growth in commercial initiatives. All in all, sport currently takes up 1% of the Dutch economy and 1.3% of its labour force. Most expenditures in sport are created by households (61%) and by the national and local governments (24%). The 25,000–28,000 sport clubs still represent an important economic factor in the Netherlands, if only for their 56,000 full time equivalents of voluntary work. However, it is not expected that sport in the Netherlands will ever become a full-blown commercial sector. Municipalities, schools and sport clubs will continue to play important roles in shaping the Dutch sport landscape, keeping costs for the final consumer low, and adding to the accessibility and sustainability of the sport system as well as to the social ties between citizens.

The Netherlands: How the interplay between federations and government helps to build a sporting nation

In this chapter, we will highlight the current state of affairs as well as the historical background of the way in which sport is governed in the Netherlands. In order to do so, we will focus on the role of the national government, the sports clubs and sport federations and the local governments. We will show that sport in the Netherlands very much forms a showcase for the Dutch political-economy tradition of coalitions and of responsibilities and initiatives that are shared between public and private organisations. We will argue that that system has been important in establishing a sound and cost-effective sporting infrastructure, perhaps favouring grassroots sport whilst not being blind to the significance of elite sports. We will also, however, go into the threats to the system, coming from the influx of commercial forces and the need to make difficult choices when it comes to elite sports.

Providing for the rich? The effect of public investments in sport on sport (club) participation of vulnerable youth and adults

Abstract The relevance of local sport policy to achieve ‘sport for all’ has been widely recognized. Public spending on sport is seen necessary to keep sport affordable, while specific policy programs are aimed to include groups that lag behind in sport participation. This paper explores the impact of local government’s sport expenditures on sport (club) participation and more particularly its impact on sport (club) participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic positions, in the Netherlands. Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model is used as a theoretical starting point for our analyses and we performed multiple 3-level logistic regression analyses. The analyses were conducted separately for youth and adults using information from a large national population survey enriched with secondary data on municipal sport expenditures and policy programs. Our findings suggest that the effect of sport policy is most substantial for youth sport club participation. For adults, sport participation tends to be negatively associated with municipal sport expenditures and policy programs. With regard to the impact of sport policy on participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic positions, we find that for youth higher municipal sport expenditure is associated with smaller sport club participation differences between higher and lower socio-economic groups. Overall, our results imply that in the Netherlands municipal sport policy does matter, although primarily for youth, in addition to the social environment and socio-economic position of individuals. With these results our study contributes to an evidence-base for sport policy and to the current body of knowledge on explaining differences in sport participation.