ABSTRACT
The Netherlands has a sophisticated system of more than 27,000 sports clubs, including over 4.7 million people participating in organized sports, which is unique in the world (www.nocnsf.nl). Clubs of the same sport are united in one of 90 sports federations, such as the Royal Dutch Soccer Association (KNVB), and all sports federations are united by the Dutch Olympic Committee NOC*NSF. Soccer is the most popular sport in the Netherlands, with over a million active participants (Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbal Bond, 2008). About half are youth players under 19 years, especially boys (n = 508,288 boys and n = 60,798 girls). Whereas soccer has been a typical sport for men in the past, lately more attention is paid to stimulate soccer in girls as well. Children can start playing soccer at one of the 3,417 soccer clubs from the age of five.
