Optisport

What Optisport does

Optisport Exploitaties B.V. (founded 1994, headquartered in Tilburg, Netherlands) is the market-leading operator of public sports and leisure accommodations in the Netherlands and Belgium. The company manages approximately 400 facilities — including 83 swimming pools, 5 indoor ice rinks, 21 Optisport Health Club fitness centers, and a wider network of indoor sports halls — under long-term contracts with more than 80 municipalities. It employs ~2,500 staff, welcomes roughly 20 million consumer visits per year, and reports approximately EUR 160 million in annual turnover.

The product portfolio is organized around five activity pillars: swimming (the Zed & Sop national curriculum for children aged 4+, Liz & Wes Spetterles baby/toddler program for ages 0–4, recreational and lane swimming, and Aqua'Groepslessen group water-fitness), fitness (21 Health Clubs with combined gym, pool, and group-class access), ice skating (5 rinks with lessons delivered via Duosport and Sven Kramer Academy), indoor sport (sports hall rental for football, hockey, korfball, martial arts, yoga), and adjacent consumer activities (padel via The Padellers partnership, glow golf, bowling, mini-golf, children's party packages, and horeca). Supporting offerings include corporate event hosting, school swimming programs, and recreational swimming. The technology layer is operationally light: a Drupal-based corporate website, the Mijn Optisport self-serve customer portal for bookings and the Leerlingvolgsysteem (student tracking) system, and standard social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Revenue is generated across five streams: managed-service exploitation contracts with municipalities (the B2G core, providing revenue floor and length-of-tenor stability), recurring subscriptions for swimming lessons and fitness memberships (B2C), usage-based entry fees for recreational activities, on-site hospitality, and venue rental for events and children's parties. Multiple ISO certifications (ISO 9001 quality, ISO 50001 energy, VCA safety, Schoon & Veilig) anchor the compliance posture required for municipal procurement. Growth is delivered through a mix of new contract wins (e.g., Sportpark Glanerbrook from May 2026 for 13 years), programmatic tuck-in M&A (Aquayara in Almere, Capital Sports Zwijndrecht), and partner-vertical expansion (padel), with a refresh of the C-suite (CEO Albert Arp from July 2025, CFO Niels Vaessen from January 2026) signaling the start of a new strategic phase.

Name

Optisport

Legal name

Optisport Exploitaties B.V.

Website

https://optisport.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Optisport is the market-leading operator of public sports and leisure facilities in the Netherlands and Belgium, managing ~400 sites — swimming pools, ice rinks, fitness clubs, and sports halls — for 80+ municipalities while serving 20 million consumer visits annually, with ~2,500 employees and EUR 160M in turnover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Facility Operation Contracts: Optisport operates sports facilities (swimming pools, ice rinks, sports halls) under long-term contracts with municipalities. Revenue comes from municipal contracts for exploitation and management of public sports facilities.
2. Swimming Lessons: Revenue from teaching swimming lessons for children (starting from 0-4 years with baby swimming), children from age 4, and adults. The company uses the Zed & Sop swimming program.
3. Fitness Memberships: Health Club memberships offering access to fitness facilities, swimming pools, and group classes at Optisport Health Clubs.
4. Recreational Activities: Entry fees and tickets for recreational swimming, ice skating, and other sports activities at Optisport facilities.
5. Horeca (Catering/Hospitality): Food and beverage sales at Optisport facilities, including restaurants and cafes within sports complexes.
6. Event Hosting and Party Packages: Revenue from hosting children's birthday parties, corporate events, and family outings at Optisport locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Optisport develops, operates, and manages public sports and leisure facilities across the Netherlands and Belgium, including approximately 400 locations comprising 83 swimming pools, 21 fitness centers (Health Clubs), 5 ice rinks, and multiple sports halls. The company manages these facilities under long-term contracts with over 80 municipalities while also offering swimming lessons, fitness memberships, group classes, recreational activities, children's parties, and corporate events directly to consumers.

Product overview

Optisport is a sports facility management company operating approximately 400 locations across the Netherlands and Belgium, making it the market leader in public sports facility exploitation. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized around five core pillars: Optisport Zwembaden (83 swimming pools), Optisport Health Clubs (21 fitness centers combining gym, swimming, and group classes), Optisport Ijsbanen (5 ice rinks), and Sporthallen (sports halls). The product ecosystem includes the Zed & Sop swimming lesson program for children, Liz & Wes baby/toddler swimming, Aqua'Groepslessen water fitness classes, and Optisport Health Club fitness memberships with unique combined swimming and gym access. Supporting offerings encompass recreational activities (ice skating, padel, glow golf, bowling, mini golf), children's birthday party packages, corporate events, restaurant/horeca services, and facility rental. The Zed & Sop national swimming program uses character-based learning (Zed the shark, Sop the starfish) with progressive diploma levels (A, B, C). The company operates on a B2G (government) and B2C model, partnering with 80+ municipalities for public facility management while serving individual consumers directly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zed & Sop Swimming Lessons

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million visitors annually brought in motion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DuosportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuosport provides skating courses at various ice rinks operated by Optisport. They offer lessons for youth and adults, beginners and advanced skaters, schools and companies. Duosport instructors teach the finer points of skating at Optisport ice rinks.
• Sven Kramer Academy (SKA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSven Kramer Academy provides professional skating instruction at Optisport ice rinks, offering courses for all levels from beginner to advanced skaters.
• Bedrijfsfitness NederlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate fitness partnership allowing employees to receive significant discounts on Optisport Health Club memberships through their employer.
• Go-VitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate wellness partnership enabling employee fitness subscriptions at discounted rates through employer programs.
• The PadellerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Padellers operates padel courts at Optisport locations (Stadskanaal, Uitgeest). They handle padel bookings and operations as a partner brand within Optisport facilities.
• Clingendael Media GroepminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertising partner for Optisport narrowcasting system. Handles sales and service for advertising opportunities on Optisport digital screens at their venues.
• AquaayaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired two swimming pools and swim school in Almere, continuing operations under Optisport brand since May 1, 2024.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SportCity: Dutch premium fitness chain with multiple sites in the Netherlands. Competes with Optisport Health Clubs for fitness subscribers in overlapping Dutch geographies.
• Basic-Fit: Largest low-cost fitness chain in the Netherlands and Belgium with hundreds of 24/7 locations. Competes with Optisport's Health Club segment but operates a fundamentally different low-cost, asset-light, digital-first model.

Regional players

• Everyone Active: UK operator of leisure facilities on behalf of local councils, including swimming pools, gyms, and sports halls — comparable in B2G operating model to Optisport's Dutch municipal contracts.
• Serco Leisure: International public services operator with a leisure facilities division managing pools, gyms, and sports centers under government contracts in the UK, Australia, and the Middle East — comparable outsourced-leisure-services model.
• GLL / Better: UK-based non-profit leisure trust operating public leisure facilities (swimming, fitness, sports halls) under local authority contracts — the closest UK analog to Optisport's municipal sports facility model.
• Alliance Plus: French operator of municipal sports and leisure facilities (pools, ice rinks, fitness), directly comparable in business model to Optisport but operating exclusively in France.

Direct peers

• Sportfondsen Nederland: Dutch operator of public sports and swimming facilities under long-term municipal contracts, directly comparable to Optisport's core B2G facility management model in the Netherlands.
• ForActiv: Netherlands-based operator of sports accommodations, swimming pools, and ice rinks under municipal contracts, overlapping closely with Optisport's portfolio of public facility concessions.
• Pellikaan: Dutch developer and operator of sports and leisure facilities, including swimming pools and fitness centers, frequently working with municipalities — comparable in scope and customer base to Optisport.
• De Wissel: Dutch sports and recreation facility operator providing swimming lessons, fitness, and sports programs through municipal partnerships, comparable to Optisport's local-level B2G/B2C model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTdpLkDE3Iit2-6YoWBdrXg
• Facebookfacebook.com/optisportofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/optisport
• Instagraminstagram.com/optisport.nl

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Optisport