Het succes van de buurtsportcoach: vertrouwen, maatwerk en continuïteit

In 2008, when the ‘combined functions’ (in Dutch ‘combinatiefuncties’) were introduced, no one could foresee the success of this position, now called the community sports motivators. In 2021, almost all Dutch municipalities participate in a broad program to stimulated physical activity (in Dutch ‘Brede Regeling Combinatiefuncties’). For example, in St. Eustatius there is a community sports motivator, too. The value of the community sports motivators – to stimulate and enhance physical activity – is evident. The Association of Sports and Municipalities (VSG), which is closely associated with the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), has played an active and important role in coordinating and implementing widely the community sports motivators in the Netherlands. Important success factors in the strategy to coordinate and implement the community sports motivators are mutual trust, tailoring and continuity. In this article an overview of the strategies used to implement the community sports motivators is provided, as well as some perspectives about the near future.