15 international sports you can easily play in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is famously known for being a die-hard football nation — but did you know that the country also offers a plethora of international sports?

Every country has at least one sport that is considered to be an intrinsic part of its culture and society.

Since so many internationals established the Netherlands as their humble abode, they have brought along a variety of national sports to share with the Dutch. 🤩

You’d actually be surprised to know that your local sports club will offer more than your usual mix of physical activities! 

From rugby to floorball (yes, floorball), here are 15 international sports that any superjock or rookie can find in the Netherlands. 👇

1. Netball

Believe it or not, the good feeling you get when you sink a shot into a hoop isn’t exclusive to basketball. 

Netball involves two teams of seven players who pass a ball around with the ultimate goal of shooting it into a net. 

Sound familiar? Well, there’s a slight alteration. With this sport, there’s no dribbling, no backboard, no wild Stephen Curry fans, and a little less bumping and shoving. 😉

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The general rule of the game is that players can take one step before passing and must shoot within three seconds. Super challenging!

2. Gridiron (American football)

If you’ve watched at least one All-American Hollywood film from the 2000s, then you should already be acquainted with American football — or at least the concept of it. 🏈

Gridiron football became a leading spectator sport in the United States and Canada. It achieved peak popularity, particularly amongst the US crowd, and is now a forever favourite for colleges and universities in the country.

While gridiron has not yet been taken up by the rest of the world to the same extent as other sports, it certainly caught the eye of the Dutch.

3. Rugby

Are you not averse to being pushed, tossed, and kicked around like a beach ball? Or, in simpler terms, do you like pain? Then you’ll find pleasure in playing rugby. 😬

As any non-athletic, sissy-ish girl would describe the British sport (aka, the writer), it involves two teams of 15 players who run to opposite sides of a massive arena with the ultimate goal of flinging the ball to the ground.

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Apparently, the Dutch love a good “no guts, no glory” proverb and cultivated a number of rugby unions over the years. 

So, any forgotten dreams you have of becoming a rugby champ can now be realised in the Netherlands — but not without a bruise or two (or ten).

4. Australian football

A long-lost child of rugby and American football, Australian football or “footy”, is one of the most fast-paced games in the world — and the Dutch love to play it! 🤩

It’s a contact sport that requires two teams of 18 players, and the general objective is to score by kicking the ball between four goalposts. 

So, if you’re one to enjoy the familiar, ruthless ways of rugby and American football, then chances are you’d like footy as well! It continues to grow amongst the Dutch crowd. 

5. Hurling

Most commonly recognised as an Irish pastime, hurling is quite the ancient sport, with Irishmen playing it as far back as 1272 BC! 😲

Hurling scratches a similar itch to field hockey and lacrosse — with it being a stick-and-ball sport.

It calls for two teams of 15 players, who compete to score by driving the ball (concrete in weight and texture) through a goal across a large field.

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While it’s certainly long in the tooth, it’s also said to be the world’s fastest field game. The ball can travel up to a whopping 180 km per hour in a single match!

6. Cricket

Ah, cricket. Not quite yet the ultimate global sport — but still the second most popular in the world. In fact, in the few countries where it is played (the Netherlands included), cricket is worshipped like a religion.

Introduced by the Brits, it’s a strategic game played by two teams of 11 players, with one side batting a ball in an effort to bag runs and the other on the field trying to stop their opponent from scoring. 

7. Lacrosse

A sport that’s swiftly taking the world by storm, lacrosse requires as much finesse and trickery as it does strength and agility. 

Many parts of lacrosse are akin to hockey, so much so that it’s often said to be “hockey on land”. It originated as a Native American sport, where it used to be a battle between hundreds of tribesmen in the days of yore.

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Now, it’s competitively played by two teams of ten players who master a racket-like stick (or crosse) to throw, catch, and carry a ball down a large field and into the opposing goal. 

8. Floorball

Back in the day, floorball had quite a popular rep amongst Dutch high schools. Commonly called “uni-hockey”, it was often played in P.E. classes during the cold season.

However, the sport never quite gained the same traction in the Netherlands as it did with its Swedish founders. It’s almost equivalent to ball or floor hockey but slightly easier to learn and requires lighter equipment. 

9. Softball

Many people often wonder why baseball is such a crowd-pleaser. In short, the sport perfectly embodies that light-hearted team spirit — and softball easily echoes this. 

While softball may not be as mainstream as baseball, it’s still a respected sport in its own right.

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First introduced in the US, the game requires two teams of nine players, and the objective is almost the same as baseball, with a few minor differences.

Softballs are larger than baseballs, the pitches are always thrown underhand instead of overhand, and a softball field is generally smaller than that of baseball.

10. Badminton

The speed of the game, the intense reflex and skills, and the supreme feeling of doing a jump smash — there are so many reasons why badminton is such a fashionable sport.

It’s a game that doesn’t dominate for being the biggest but more for its control and technique. It’s one of the only sports out there where you can go from defending to attacking in a matter of seconds. 😎

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Played in either doubles or singles, the object is to score points by striking a shuttlecock with a racket over the net. You’re deemed the winner once the shuttlecock lands on the ground of the opposing courtside. 

11. Field Hockey

Despite little sports coverage, field hockey is actually the second most popular sport in the Netherlands — right after football, of course. In fact, 350,000 Dutchies enjoy playing the sport, which is staggering for such a small country.

Field hockey is an outdoor game played by two teams of 11 players, who each use sticks to hit and aim a ball into their opponent’s goal across the field. 

Considering its reputation for being one of the most skill-based games out there, it’s no wonder why it’s so popular — and the Dutch know that feeling of scoring a goal and the buzz of the crowd all too well. 🤙

12. Rowing

It’s widely known that boating is a sought-after pastime amongst the Dutchies. One particular time when they make great use of their inextricable link to water is through rowing!

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Rowing is one of the oldest and most prestigious sports worldwide, first introduced by Egyptians as early as 1430 BC.

While the concept of it is quite simple, actually doing it is anything but. It involves pushing a boat from one point to another as fast as you can using wooden paddles (or oars). 

The Netherlands is bursting at the seams when it comes to rowing clubs — and it’s not the least bit surprising. Navigating the ways of the water just seems to be in their blood. 🚣

13. Capoeira

It’s not often that you get to combine your love for dancing with some sort of self-defence, so one might be thrilled to discover the Netherlands offers just that. 💃

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art disguised as a dance that’s performed to musical instruments and traditional songs from Brazil. It consists of specific offensive and defensive movements, from kicks to sweeps, as well as acrobatics.

Unlike in other martial arts, the person doing it is constantly in motion. So, let’s just say you’re sure to get a really good workout from it.

14. Judo

While we’re on the topic of self-defence, Judo is a universally-practised Japanese martial art that helps people develop strength, flexibility, agility, balance, and endurance.

There are several competitive moves used in Judo, some include throwing, pinning down, and forcing a submit through a joint lock or a choke. 

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One of the sport’s most notable benefits is that it covers techniques that can be performed by any average person. You don’t see many 70-year-olds wrestling, but you do see them doing Judo! 😉

15. Motocross

While motocross isn’t as accessible to the general public as mainstream sports, like basketball or football, it still holds a special place for the small community of rad racers.

In motocross, participants ride motorcycles, typically over dirt terrain, on courses that stretch from one to three miles long. It’s a physically demanding sport that requires you to throw down all the biggest and gnarliest tricks. 🏍️

New talent in the Netherlands continues to push the sport forward, with some of the world’s most elite dirt bike racers being Dutch.

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As a country that breeds some of the most talented athletes in the world, it’s no wonder the Dutch love sports as much as they do. Naturally, we have internationals to thank for bringing such a diverse sporting world to the land of orange.

Have you played any of these sports in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below! 👇

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in September 2022 and was fully updated in September 2023 for your reading pleasure.