KNVB in the world

We are a football association and football always comes first for us. We are a small country and play for prizes, produce unique talents and have international prestige. And although we are a small country, we are big in football. We succeed by being smart and leading the way in training and innovations and thanks to strong international relations. With every step we take, one question is central: how do we serve the interests of Dutch football?

Football is beloved by millions of people, so we have responsibilities and opportunities both on and off the field. Football bridges differences between people and countries. There are over 200 countries in the international football community; countries that have to deal with divergent interests, standards and values. We bring with us our Dutch standards and values on human rights, integrity and good governance. Ultimately, all countries belonging to FIFA make joint decisions.

Sometimes we are less happy with the outcome, sometimes we can collectively take a step in the direction we want. Such as the focus on human rights in the new World Cup bidding procedure, the introduction of VAR, investment in women’s football and bringing major international football events to the Netherlands. We achieved these results with a connecting approach: having conversations, listening carefully to each other and thus seeking common ground together.

Discussions

We stand for inclusiveness and do not want to pre-emptively exclude regions or countries in the world with different values

Discussions about global sporting events and human rights are complex but, above all, very important to have. We stand for inclusiveness and do not want to pre-emptively exclude regions or countries in the world with different values. At the same time, respect for human rights is an absolute bottom line for us. Being present on the international football stage gives us a chance to do our bit to make football a better place.

We are part of the global football community and desperately need each other. We want to further refine football, to keep our sport attractive for future generations. This is why we are active in FIFA and the UEFA, and we also bring a bit of orange colour to different places around the world with our WorldCoaches programme. Everything we do starts with a ball. We are a football association in everything we do.