From student to sports and exercise policy officer: “I stimulate people in our municipality to be more active.”

Collaborative and small-scale.

Both my Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes contained a lot of group assignments based on real-world cases. I liked that because we applied theory to concrete situations. For example, in one group project, we advised the municipality of Enschede on how to meet the regional energy goals. We examined policies, considered stakeholders’ interests, and, in the end, presented our proposal to them. Those group assignments taught me to work with different people, and that is very helpful in my job now.

My responsibilities are diverse but all tied to the same goal: encouraging people in our municipality, from children to the elderly, to be more physically active. There is a policy plan the alderman needs to implement to improve sports and physical activity in the municipality, and my role is to assess what actions will contribute to these goals and advise accordingly. Part of that is making sure sports facilities are well-maintained, and I also support sports associations that may struggle with finances or a shortage of volunteers. In addition, we organise sports promotion initiatives and a Sports Awards Ceremony.

Moreover, I am involved in setting up a new organisation that will manage all sports facilities in the municipality. Recently, we conducted a large-scale study, interviewing people from sports clubs and foundations, as well as councillors and other stakeholders, and prepared advice based on the information we gathered. The recommendation was to establish a single municipal sports organisation responsible for the management and operation of all facilities. That was approved, and now we are in the process of setting it up.

I know how much joy sport can bring, not to mention its health benefits. At the same time, a lot of people have sedentary lifestyles due to digitalisation, but also because of socio-economic reasons. For example, it is harder for people with financial difficulties to join a sports club. In my role, I bring sport closer to everyone, and that motivates me. My colleagues and the volunteers I work with are also passionate and genuinely committed to what they do, and that is a big source of motivation, too.

I have been playing football since I was a child, and I also enjoy playing padel. And I used to play tennis and run. In addition to my job, I am a football coach at FC Twente/Heracles Academy. I see it this way: the more experience I gain on the pitch, both in coaching and playing, the more I can bring to my work. After all, how can I give advice on sports policy when I am not involved in the world of sport myself? Besides, that practice will be useful in a future management role at a sports organisation, which is my aspiration.

I did my Master’s thesis project at the municipality of Wierden. I looked into different levels of governance, how they function together, and what could be improved. Afterwards, they offered me a position working on various public administration policies. When I saw the vacancy for a sports and exercise policy officer, I immediately applied because sport is my passion, and I want to make a positive impact on people’s lives through it.

Research and stakeholder analysis have been incredibly useful. I also learned to listen to different parties and bring them together. In the profile I chose, I studied the foundations of local and regional governance, and that was helpful when I started working at the municipality, knowing how everything functions and who is responsible for what.

One of the main takeaways was learning to justify my recommendations to the alderman. Along the way, I have developed interpersonal skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. While in my Master’s, I learned to identify and understand various stakeholders’ interests, now I am learning how to communicate with all those different stakeholders.

Now I see myself as a sort of sportsman in the regional governance world, but my ambition is to become a policymaker or an executive in the sports world. That could be at the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), NOC*NSF (the Dutch Olympic Committee), or another professional sports organisation.

During your studies, it is completely normal if you find some of the study material abstract. Once you start working, everything will come together, and you will see that many aspects reflect what you have learned during your studies. I wanted to continue learning after graduation, so I decided to pursue a Master’s in Sport Policy and Sport Management at Utrecht University to deepen my knowledge in sports management. Therefore, my advice would be: keep developing yourself.