This is one of the findings of the Dutch Sports Innovation Monitor (in Dutch), conducted by the University of Amsterdam and the Mulier Institute on behalf of Sportinnovator. The monitor gives Dutch sports organisations an average innovation score of 6.3 out of 10 for 2025. The score is unchanged from the baseline measurement in 2021. The study considers radical and incremental innovation, product and process innovation, and digital transformation.

The research also shows that organisations with higher innovation scores tend to report stronger sporting performance, greater success in attracting and retaining participants, and higher satisfaction among employees and volunteers.

Scope for more radical innovation

Henk Volberda, Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Amsterdam Business School explains that sports organisations are particularly strong at steadily improving existing activities and processes. More disruptive forms of innovation are less common. He says that this type of innovation is important for organisations seeking to maintain their position in a changing sports landscape. Investment in research and development, data and digital technologies, including AI, can help create the conditions for new forms of sporting provision and organisation.

The monitor identifies marked differences across the sector. Sports clubs have the lowest innovation scores. Limited resources, more traditional offerings and relatively low use of digital tools can make it harder for them to adapt to the changing needs of current and prospective participants. Commercial and elite sports organisations generally score higher.

Collaboration and creative skills

The research highlights co-creation and creative skills among employees and volunteers as key drivers of sports innovation. Organisations that work with public authorities, knowledge partners and sports innovation centres achieve higher innovation scores.

Volberda is also Director of the Amsterdam Centre for Business Innovation, ACBI. ACBI initiated the Dutch Sports Innovation Prize together with Sportinnovator and the Mulier Institute. In 2025, the prize was awarded to the Dutch Volleyball Association, Nevobo.

Nevobo was recognised for embedding innovation in its policy and organisation. Its approach includes digitalisation of operational processes and collaborations that have helped renew youth volleyball. The example illustrates the value of combining technology, leadership and partnerships.

Innovation with social impact

The monitor finds that sports innovation currently focuses primarily on improving sporting performance and economic outcomes. Social objectives, such as inclusion and health, receive less attention. The researchers therefore recommend making social objectives an explicit part of innovation processes.

According to Volberda, sports organisations should invest not only in facilities and technology, but also in collaboration and the creative capabilities of their people. This can help organisations develop innovations that strengthen both sporting outcomes and the wider social value of sport.