New Year’s greetings from the chairman As the recently installed chairman of Badminton Netherlands, I look back on 2025 with mixed feelings. You can safely say that 2025 was an eventful year. A year of changes, uncertainty, but also resilience and direction. One of the most drastic moments was without a doubt the loss of a solid financial basis for our top sport, due to the withdrawal of NOC*NSF. That stirred up a lot of emotions. Disappointment, worries, misunderstanding and often justified anger. For some, it meant making rigorous choices — sporting, professional or personal. That hits! At the same time, as a badminton world we have shown what we are capable of. Continuity has been found through appropriate action. Not yet as it was, of course, not yet, but with a new, hopeful direction. A direction that suits our sport: a sport of strategy, speed, agility and coordination. It was precisely under pressure that new forces emerged. A modern vision has been developed and we are working with conviction on translating vision and mission to the professional field and to the badminton court. It is also encouraging that badminton is alive and well in the Netherlands. Research shows that more than 300,000 Dutch people play badminton. That’s not strange as far as I’m concerned. Badminton has all the ingredients of an attractive sport: you can play it quickly together, it is good for your fitness, extremely versatile and, above all, social. And – perhaps even better – it is not only physically, but also mentally challenging. Research even shows that the risk of Alzheimer’s is demonstrably lower in racket athletes. In many ways you can say: badminton is a healthy sport. Of course, sport and health are not unique to badminton. What is unique is the connection. That connection and natural diversity is the strength of our sport. As a board, we want to further and/or strengthen that connection again. Our new vision focuses consciously and firmly on this. Towards associations, with an eye for the wishes of our times. We hope that the conversation is not just about: what do I get for it? But also about: what can we achieve together? Ultimately, we are a union together. Together with 100,000 members you can really achieve more than with 32,000. For our top athletes, for our youth training courses, for well-trained trainers. But also for stronger and broader competitions and above all: for healthy, future-proof associations. Where the sport grows and flourishes! Read more here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/emkVucyn
I wish you a sporty, healthy and connected 2026. Robert Hoogland Chairman of Badminton Netherlands
