Utrecht University and FC Utrecht started a partnership to contribute to the growth ambition of the Utrecht region. The partnership kicks off with two research projects: (1) team performance and team spirit, (2) community building.

The first project aims to contribute to the human capital agenda of the region and is managed by dr. Marian Thunnissen. The second project aims to narrow the gap in participation and health between rich and poor neighborhoods, and thereby sterngthen healthy urban life in Utrecht. This project is managed by prof. dr. Frank van Eekeren.

The overall project is managed by Frank van Eekeren, more information can be found here.

• prof. dr. Marian Thunnissen
• dr. Kathrine van den Bogert
• prof. dr. Paul Boselie
• prof. dr. Maarten van Bottenburg
• dr. R.T. (Rick) Borst

Design of MEL approach for the KNVB Worldcoaches programme in six countries (Marocco, Tunesia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Algeria).

• drs. Gerolf Pikker

The NWA route Sport & Exercise project 'Sport and Exercise Science opens up to Society' aims to contribute to strengthening the three Roadmaps 2030, i.e. (1) Moving Smarter and Better, (2) Healthy Generation and (3) Lifestyle as Medicine, by creating connections between society and science.

The aim of this project is to (1) to map the potential impact that each of the three roadmaps are set to deliver by 2030, and to (2) ensure that the processes and methods used to achieve this impact  are tailored to the local scale (e.g., municipal and/or regional).The micro – the end users’ or citizens’ – perspective is important here, as interventions and direct results relate to medium and long-term societal impact. The complexity of the real-world (i.e., constant flux, interdependency) and the lack of reliable measures to capture the societal impact delivered by sports and exercise interventions, points out to the importance of systemic approach. Therefore, in our project we consider the interdependency between micro (individual), meso (community, organization) and macro (ecosystem) layers of the socio-ecological system in impact creation.  Our research questions are the following:

-          What type of impact (i.e., social, societal) can potentially be created within each roadmap? Which layers of socio-ecological system can be targeted within each roadmap?

-          What kind of scientific knowledge is necessary for this impact to be created?

-          What actors and which processes within ecosystem are necessary for this impact to be created? How important and to what extent the participation of the citizens, communities and organizations should be considered in each of the roadmaps?

• dr. Indre Kalinauskaite (TU/e)

Development of an instrument to measure the social value of Dutch Eredivisie Clubs and implementing the instrument.

• dr. Jan-Willem van der Roest

Undermining crime is a hot topic in Dutch public administration, policy and media. The mixing of the 'under- and upperworld’, is seen as a societal problem and a creeping threat of the integrity of public administration and its institutions. There is ongoing reporting and evidence that a significant amount of these criminal activities is taking place in and around sport, including a growing concern that undermining crime takes place at the local, amateur sport club level.

The objectives of the project are twofold:
1) Understanding the processes and impact of undermining crime in local sport clubs from the perspective of sport organizations better, by focusing on structural, cultural, social and geographical indicators;
2) Develop input for interventions, such as trainings/workshops, and stimulate discussions on how to deal with and prevent clubs from undermining crime and related integrity issues that emerge in sport.

We focus on a sample of sport clubs, in which processes and mechanisms related to criminal infiltration will be studied by using a mixed methods approach.

• prof. dr. Mariëtte van den Hoven
• dr. Gerald Mollenhorst
• dr. Inge Claringbould
• prof. dr. Maarten van Bottenburg

Study into the added value of the Netherlands Sports Council, commissioned by the Minister of Sport.

• Paul Duijvestijn
• Bram van Dijk
• Ronald Nijboer (allen DSP)

Research into the design of a research tool that measures the impact of the Johan Cruyff Foundation.

• dr. Jan-Willem van der Roest

Research on the future strategic positioning of the sport for development.nl program, within the framework of a broader international and interdepartmental sports policy.

The development of academic substantiation for the KNVB WorldCoaches programme, based on the current programme and recent research findings and theoretical insights.

• Rutger de Kwaasteniet MSc

The development of academic substantiation for the KNVB WorldCoaches programme, based on the current programme and recent research findings and theoretical insights.

• Rutger de Kwaasteniet MSc

What's the meaning of a Krajicek Playground for the personal development of children, sport leaders and scholarshippers, and the organizational developmnet of community based organizations, in particular with regards to social security and health?

• dr. Jeroen Vermeulen

• Marlous Aalbers
• dr. Joske Nauta (VU mc)
• dr. Evert Verhagen (VU mc)

Research into a joint approach by PSV Foundation and the Council of Eindhoven, in order to create more public value(s).

The main aim of ‘National Sports Governance Observer: Benchmarking sports governance across national boundaries’ is to assist and inspire national sports organisations to raise the quality of their governance practices.

Specific objectives:

- enabling sports leaders and outside stakeholders to measure, discuss and amend the governance standards and practices of sports organisations by adapting and applying the Sports Governance Observer benchmarking tool in national sports organisation.

- establishing sustainable networks between academics, practitioners and other key stakeholders with a common interest in good governance in sport at a national as well as international level through national training workshops and the Play the Game conference.

- educating and training sports leaders, researchers, and government representatives to understand, introduce, evaluate, and sustain good governance standards and practices in their respective organisations.

- providing government officials with knowledge and tools that enable them to engage in dialogue with the sports movement with a view to inspiring better governance in sport and creating a robust framework for sport’s use of public grants.

- producing, providing and disseminating national as well as comparative international and national data based on the Sports Governance Observer tool and the ‘Sports Governance Observer 2015’ report.

- initiating public debates on sports governance to a wider public in order to raise the awareness of the topics and challenges related to good governance among athletes, sports volunteers, association leaders, fan groups, sponsors and policy makers, thus enabling them to create more efficient organisations and engage in the debate about and decision-making processes in sport.

• KU Leuven
• German Sport Univerity Cologne
• University of Warsaw
• Molde University College
• University of Bucharest

The Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University collaborate in a research into Sport and Integrity. Central question: What integrity issues are addressed in both professional and amateur football, and how do sport administrators, media and individual players react on specific incidents? The researchers will pay special attention to the interaction between media attention and the action by stakeholders.

The research objective is to gain better insight into the way integrity is constructed (or: negotiated) in football organizatons, which will result in recommendations for administrators and policymakers about ways to discuss and handle integrity issues.

• dr. Kim Loyens
• dr. Inge Claringbould
• prof. dr. Eggo Müller

Development of M&E system for the programs of the Johan Cruyff Foundation.

• Sofie van den Hombergh MSc

The development, set up and execution of the monitoring, evaluation and learning program of the Dutch Sport for Development program in 8 countries.

Study that looks for an appropriate KNVB WorldCoaches program in Lebanon that matches with the local context, the existing program, program partners and academic insights in creating social cohesion.

The Minister of Sport requests for insight in the most recent issues with regard to integrity and major sport events in the context of the Dutch presidency of the EU. The research is conducted by Mulier Institute and Utrecht School of Governance.

• Koen Breedveld en Paul Hover (Mulier Instituut)

Research into the possibilities to improve, enlarge and sustain the school sport programme Challenge010 in Rotterdam.

• Sofie van den Hombergh MSc

Evaluation and study into opportunities to improve 'Schoolplein14, a school sport program by the Johan Cruyff Foundation. 

Research into the legacy of the start of the Tour de France in Utrecht, executed in collaboration with Utrecht University of Applied Science and Mulier Institute. Financed by the foundation Le Tour Utrecht.

• dr. Jan-Willem van der Roest

• Froukje Smits (Hogeschool Utrecht)
• Paul Hover (Mulier Instituut)
• Hans Slender (Hanze Hogeschool)

Study into critical factors for succes and failure of Challenge010, a school sport program in Rotterdam. The study is financed by foundation De Verre Bergen.

• Sofie van den Hombergh MA

PhD study into ways of public values creation by football organisations (amateur, professional and association).

Research into the value of Dutch initiatives for development, trade and diplomacy in the context of mega sport events in Brazil and Japan. The research will be linked to the USBO Research Project Rio de Janeiro 2015 and to the development of a global master programma 'Sport for development' in collaboration with universities in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Literature review and empirical reserach into the features of financial sustainable Sport for Development organizations.

Study into the societal impact of the PSV in the Community program in Eindhoven.

• Peter Streefkerk (student)

Analyses of the performance by Dutch athletes during Sochi 2014 and the perfromance enhancing elements.

Richard Krajicek Foundation and Johan Cruyff Foundation jointly provide a course for so called buurtsportcoaches. The aim of the course is provide tools that contribute to a safe sport environment. The evaluation studies the impact of the course on the coach and the neighbourhood and the possible improvements.

• Anne van de Vijver

Monitoring and evaluation of social impact, i.e. better attitude of school children with regards to a healthy lifestyle, of the 'Schoolplein 14' poject of the Johan Cruyff Foundation.

• Anne van de Vijver

Development of  KNVB's WorldCoaches life skills manual and education programme.

The study focuses on:

1) The description of the personal development of maladjusted children during the Ruud van Nistelrooy Academy program, from the perspective of the children and their social environment.

2) The development of a monitoring methodology.

• dr. Jeroen Vermeulen

• Marjolein van den Bergh MSc

The development of a good governance in sport instrument, applicable in the Dutch context and based on the international Sport Governance Observer. After that, measurement of good governance in several Dutch sport bodies.

• Anne van de Vijver MSc

The reserach focuses on:

1) Evaluation of impact with regards to sport partcipation and healthy life style

2) Obtain insights in the decisive mechanisms of the program

• dr. Jeroen Vermeulen
• prof. dr. Maarten van Bottenburg
• prof. dr. Albert Meijer

Policy and literature review about the meaning of sport in developing countries, culminating in a publication. Commisioned by Right To Play, NSA International and KNVB.

KNVB, organizations from the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs run the 'Football for Water' program in Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique. USBO develops the life skills component within the program by developing a manual for coaches and a monitoring and evaluation method.

Study into the meaning of social activities executed by amateur football clubs, and into the way their meaning can be increased.

Mapping the social activities and impact by Dutch professional football clubs.

The Dutch football association (KNVB) wants to extend its WorldCoaches program in which it educates coaches in developing countries. USBO develops the 'Life Skills' part of the program in which coaches are tought how to address social issues. The program will enter new countries: Marocco, Tunesia, Egypt, Jordan and Indonesia.

• Academics from Denmark
• Switzerland
• England
• Slovenia
• Belgium
• Germany

• Selene Brinkhof (UU)

• Selene Brinkhof (UU)
• prof Marc Theeboom (VU Brussel)
• Ellen Verheyen (VU Brussel)

• Karin ter Horst (student)

• Selene Brinkhof