Together with the Ministry of Finances, the Dutch State Lottery works hard to improve Dutch society. It supports charities in the Netherlands in all fields, from culture to social welfare, public health and sports. What kind of initiatives are taken to promote sports for amateurs, professionals and disabled people?

Sponsor of a Dutch cycling team

The charity history of the Dutch State Lottery is impressive. Since its establishment decades ago it has supported sports in the Netherlands. For example, it’s the proud sponsor of a new professional Dutch cycling team. It works in two ways actually The team is made of young talents who strive to develop themselves as professional cyclists. The lottery also promotes cycling with famous names like Steven Kruijswijk and Robert Gesink. Professional and young cyclists are part of the ‘Orange Cycling’ idea, which is nowadays a unique part of the international peloton. Cooperation with the Royal Dutch Football Association Another great cooperation has been established with the Royal Dutch Football Association. Together with the RDFA, known as the KNVB in the Netherlands, it has developed a program called ‘Voetbalvriendjes’, which means ‘Football Friends’. During a football game children enter the football field while holding hands with a player. The Dutch State Lottery does not only support professional football, but the amateur part as well. This is why it works together with Toto, the main sponsor of the KNVB Cup. A couple of years ago, Toto and KNVB have developed a strategy to donate more money to amateur sports associations. They have to play Toto to support their own club. As a result, the association receives a commission over the total revenue and is paid for every new member as well.

Team Lotto Jumbo

There are more lotteries who support all kinds of sports associations. Lotto should definitely be mentioned. Since 2015 it has been the main sponsor of an unique project called ‘Team Lotto Jumbo’. This is a team with professional athletics who show incredible athletic performances all day of the year. The professional ice skating team is one group. Last year it celebrated many successes. Among the popular members are Sven Kramer and Kjeld Nuis. The successful sport teams show that a new organization model definitely works. Donations to the Dutch Disabled Sports Foundation Last but not least, the Dutch National Lottery actively supports disabled sports. You probably didn’t know that about 50.000 Dutch people who are a proud member of a sports club have to deal with a handicap. This is about 1 percent of the 5 million Dutch persons who have registered themselves at a sports association. This is a good reason for the Dutch State Lottery to invest in disabled sports and to be a Fairshare partner. 1 percent more is added to the sport sponsoring budget to support the Dutch Disabled Sports Foundation.