Marc van den Tweel (NOC*NSF): ‘Bottom line is the will to Excel’

Van den Tweel is the driving force behind the 2032 Sports Agenda, an ambitious initiative that has earned unanimous support from the federations and aims to make the Netherlands the world’s most active and sports-oriented nation. The aim is that, in ten years, 80% of the Dutch population will engage in sports activity at least three times a week and that every citizen will feel welcome in a socially safe, inclusive sports environment. The agenda also aims to position the Netherlands among the top ten elite sports nations globally.

His passion for this vision is evident. ‘A strong sports culture has a significant societal impact,’ he told Karst Bongers, Business Lead at TENEA Executive Services (part of LTP Business Psychologists). ‘To achieve our goals, everyone at NOC*NSF has to be driven to make a difference.’ And he experiences this drive firsthand: ‘The energy here is palpable.’ Creating societal impact has been a constant throughout Van den Tweel’s career, he previously was director of Natuurmonumenten, the World Wildlife Fund and the Ronald McDonald Children’s Fund.

Van den Tweel welcomes visitors to Papendal, an expansive sports complex nestled in the forests near Arnhem, where over 500 elite athletes train each year. It is a world where sports and science converge. Here, athlete Femke Bol sprints in a high-tech track hall outfitted with hundreds of sensors that capture each movement, helping her perfect that one step that could mean the difference between silver and gold. In another hall, wheelchair basketball players are perfecting their moves with the help of innovative technology. Nearby, track cyclist Harrie Lavreysen follows an ultra-precise training schedule as he prepares for new victories.
In modern-day sports, every fraction of a percentage counts. ‘Behind every performance is a huge data operation. Athletes are constantly monitored and dietary patterns balanced down to the gram. But’ Van den Tweel argues, ‘ultimately, it is always about the drive to excel.’ Strangely, the historical Dutch successes were nowhere to be noticed when he moved into the Papendal office in 2021. ‘The passages had sports-hall striped floors but looked cold.’ The brand-new NOC*NSF chief changed that. There were loads of paraphernalia of Olympians and other sports heroes in storage. Some were dusted off and put on display. In the office of Van den Tweel, for instance, hangs the bicycle on which Joop Zoetemelk won the Tour de France in 1980. ‘A completely different time,’ the NOC*NSF director reflects. 'As a boy, I would listen to the crackling World Broadcast with my parents on a French campsite. I was so excited by Zoetemelk's victory that I decided to start saving up for a racing bike. I desperately wanted a Raleigh, on which my idol raced the Tour. But it was a hundred Dutch guilders more expensive, so it became a Peugeot. 40 years later, I did manage to get my dream bike’ Van den Tweel says with a wink toward the wall.

Your ambition is to make the Netherlands the world's sportiest country. What is the rationale behind it?
'It obviously creates a healthier, more vital population. But there is far more to gain. A strong sports community contributes to cohesion in society. Sport unites. On the playing field, cultural, social and economic differences do not matter. Connections can develop between people who would not normally encounter one another. Consider the Laakkwartier in The Hague. In this highly polarized neighborhood, where half the residents vote PVV (far-right) and the other half Denk (left-leaning), the local football club, thanks to an inspired chairman, is one of the few places where these different groups meet. In addition, the ambition to be the sportiest country in 10 years' time is important internally. The sports world is, by nature, rather short-term oriented. In sport, there is always a match or tournament that requires immediate attention. As a result, structural investments and a long-term strategy too often get neglected. A long-term perspective helps to set a course, to maintain it and to motivate others to join you.’

How is NOC*NSF going to achieve this ambition?
'Every year we define concrete goals. And these are not just sports-related; it is the environment, the context, that increasingly determines whether we can be structurally successful. We are therefore focusing more explicitly on sustainability, for example. We also get involved in spatial planning on local level more often. Sports facilities are routinely sacrificed for housing. Often a sports hall is relocated to the city periphery, but this reduces sports participation by five to ten per cent. Furthermore, we pay attention to current social themes such as inclusion, integrity and transgressive behavior; these impact on society as a whole and therefore also on sport. With this broader view, we are in a better position to get the twelve million Dutch people playing sports.'

Do you do enough exercise yourself?
'I love cycling, mountain biking and spinning. I try to exercise two or three times a week, but in recent months I have not been able to do it that often. I fall into the same traps as the average Dutch person. But I have been quite active again in recent weeks. And I am going to keep that up!'

How important is recreational sport in the Netherlands for NOC*NSF?
'We are known primarily as the organization that guides top athletes on their way to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. These magical events obviously get enormous attention. But our other pillar is recreational sports. About 55 per cent of staff are devoted to this. Through and with the federations, we provide a safe sports environment, invest in sports facilities and make buildings more sustainable. We also provide training courses for coaches, referees and administrators at sports associations or clubs. And we support sports associations and clubs with, for example, a scheme for free applications for a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG). These may be less exciting or tempting activities, but they are essential for the sports sector to function well.'

If the government plans pass, the Dutch sports sector may have to cope with 45 million euros less per year. What will the impact be and does that jeopardize the ambition?
'It is very simple: if we want to keep our society healthy, we have to invest in sports. Associations in particular ensure that people keep playing sports on a structural basis, because they are part of a team. What is interesting is that people who play sports in a club who quit at some point - because of work or a busy family - often rejoin a sports club later. They also pass on this sports culture to their children.
The government's plans are at odds with the exercise standards that were formulated by the government several years ago. These guidelines, intended to promote the health of the Dutch population, were created for a reason. The level of physical health has declined tremendously in recent decades. People are exercising less and are therefore less vital. It is also shocking that children hardly play outside anymore, and thus exercise less. There is a reason why the number of obese people is increasing.'

Can businesses play a role in keeping investment levels on track?
'We managed to grow our connection to the corporate sector in recent years. Top athletes have been supported by major sponsors for some time. But the financing of sports for the ordinary Dutch person is under pressure in various ways. The VAT increase from nine to 21 percent on sports subscriptions is tough. More difficult are the cuts in the maintenance and construction budget for sports facilities. This will be cut by more than 30 percent, and again the following year. The result will be higher membership fees. What also affects us is the planned 7.3 percent increase in the gambling tax. Lotteries spend much of their proceeds on social causes. For example, the Dutch Lottery supports some 25,000 associations through the sports federations. An increase in the gambling tax may reduce the contribution to the sports sector by more than twelve million euros compared to 2023. This is a loss of revenue that will not easily be compensated for by the business sector.
At the same time, though, we are tapping into new sources and models of revenue. Our contact with the corporate sector and industry has intensified significantly. And this is not only about sponsorship or revenue, but also about more social themes such as inclusive employment. For example, it is an uncomfortable paradox that during the Paralympic Games we were applauding and paying attention to what people with disabilities are capable of for two weeks, and then after the Games we cannot see beyond what is impossible. The opportunities for people with disabilities in the labor market are far too few. While there are disabled people with enormous drive. This is where the Netherlands should make a difference.’

Did you identify different emphases in top-level sports?
'The focus during the Olympics was, as always, very much on winning medals. We wanted to finish in the top ten. With the record number of fifteen gold medals, we achieved this. At the same time, there was a focus on enjoyment. For a long time, this was unthinkable in top sports. But in the end it is what it is all about, even at the highest level. From what I experienced, the Netherlands was not only more successful than ever at the Games in Paris, but they also had enormous fun. It fits the spirit of the times. Younger athletes look at performance differently. Think of cyclist Mathieu van der Poel, who achieves victory at the best moments, but he succeeds also because he enjoys the sport tremendously.’

And if we zoom in on the internal organization; what changes have you made internally since your arrival in 2021?
'We first abandoned the matrix structure (a corporate structure in which teams report to multiple managers). It was too complicated, did not work and resulted in a lack of clarity about responsibilities. Now there are names with clear lines for reporting. In addition, we organized the structure more effectively. For example, we had separate marketing and communications departments; we merged these to promote synergy. We also recruited new leaders with an explicit mandate to work together on top and recreational sports, without losing focus. That was a break with the past, in which top sports and recreational sports operated more separately. The heads of recreational and top-level sports come from the sports sector itself - they earned their stripes there and speak the language of athletes and the sports world. This ensures not only the safeguarding and utilization of knowledge and experience and the DNA of sport, but also credibility. At the same time, in strategic positions, we also very consciously bring in people from outside. The common motivation here is a great passion for sport. Everyone here is sports crazy.’

Have you changed anything about the culture?
'When I arrived here, there was a culture of professional autonomy. That basically meant that everyone did their own work but without sufficient coordination. We replaced this with connected autonomy. It is important for professionals to be able to work independently, but with an eye on goals to be achieved and connected to the organization's core values and vision. This change was necessary; the organization was becoming too fragmented. In line with management guru Stephen Covey's thoughts on personal leadership, we encourage employees to take responsibility and stand for something. I do not want to glorify Covey unduly, we use his vision primarily as inspiration for a culture in which autonomy, personal leadership and connectedness go hand in hand. Although we are not there yet, we see that this approach is paying off.'

What effect has it had thus far?
'On the one hand, the culture has become stricter - there are more frameworks and expectations. On the other hand, the employees are given more autonomy. For example, we stopped controlling leave days centrally. Employees now bear that responsibility themselves. Some employees find it challenging. There are employees who are afraid that colleagues will not take enough time off or will abuse it. We will have to wait and see whether it works, but I think it is important to stimulate personal leadership and responsibility and to experiment with it.’

How much pressure is there within NOC*NSF?
'With events like the Olympics, the performance of top athletes is constantly monitored. My position too then comes under the magnifying glass. The fact that the Netherlands did not win any medals during the first week of the Games in Paris led to criticism in the media, but for us it was exactly as expected. In the end, with fifteen gold medals and sixth place in the medal rankings, things worked out well. In the sports world, disappointing performances often have quick consequences. We have a remarkably high turnover of administrators, directors and managers compared to other sectors. Whether that is a good thing? There are some questions about that.'

How do you handle that pressure?
'It does help that I am from outside the sports world. This allows for a broader view and creates some distance. Although I have a great passion for sports, I have one leg inside and one leg outside the organization. That helps to keep things in perspective. If you grew up in sports as a manager, this is often more difficult.'

In terms of leadership, what have you learned here?
'What makes NOC*NSF interesting is the association structure. It is a fantastic self-cleansing mechanism, because an association structure is democratic by nature and therefore largely transparent. It goes hand in hand with regular accountability. That does require a specific approach. There is a constant balance between speed and diligence. This is a learning process I am still working on.'

This interview was published in Management Scope 10 2024.