Assen Sportstad

What Assen Sportstad does

Stichting Assen Sportstad is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2020 and headquartered in Assen, Netherlands, with a 12-person Projectbureau. It functions as the central coordinator for sports, movement, and physical activity across the municipality of Assen, operating under the Asser Sportakkoord II — a governance framework signed by 150+ organizations spanning sports clubs, schools, healthcare providers, welfare organizations, and municipal departments, organized around six themes including inclusion, social safety, vital providers, movement skills, space for sport, and the societal value of top sport.

Its core service portfolio combines (i) the Assen Actief booking/discovery platform, co-developed with Vaart Welzijn and launched in September 2024, which aggregates sports, health, and cultural activities for residents; (ii) management and rental of municipal indoor and outdoor sports facilities on hourly or seasonal terms; and (iii) targeted programs including Beachweek Assen (an annual beach sports event culminating in Eredivisie Beach), TT CityRun (an inclusive running event with "On Wheels" and "100% recreation" categories), Mix 'n Move (a sports carousel for asylum-seeker youth aged 14-18 at the AZC), De Dynamische Schooldag (movement-based learning in schools), and adaptive sports offerings for people with disabilities and psychiatric vulnerable populations.

The organization is structured as a quasi-governmental coordinator rather than a commercial entity. Funding flows from the municipality of Assen and Dutch national sports policy grants (NPO sportgelden), with no disclosed private equity, venture, or shareholding interests. Governance rests on a board chaired by Marco ter Harmsel with treasurer Jaap Meijering and additional board members, while operational execution sits with the Projectbureau led by manager Lennart Stekelenburg and sport coordinators aligned to each Sportakkoord II theme. Go-to-market is community-led: awareness is driven through the website, newsletter, social media, and the partner network rather than commercial sales motion.

Name

Assen Sportstad

Legal name

Stichting Assen Sportstad

Website

https://assensportstad.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Assen Sportstad is a Dutch non-profit foundation coordinating sports and physical activity across the municipality of Assen via the Asser Sportakkoord II (150+ signatories), the Assen Actief booking platform, municipal sports facility management, and inclusive community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports Coordination

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

Keywords

• Municipal sports coordination
• Community sports programs
• Sports facility rental
• Inclusive sports initiatives
• Sports event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Assen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Assen Sportstad is a non-profit foundation that coordinates sports and movement for all residents of Assen, Netherlands. It runs the Assen Actief booking platform for discovering sports, health, and cultural activities; manages indoor and outdoor municipal sports facilities available for rental; and delivers community programs and events such as Beachweek Assen, TT CityRun, Mix 'n Move, and De Dynamische Schooldag, alongside implementing the Asser Sportakkoord II across six thematic areas.

Product overview

Assen Sportstad is a Dutch sports foundation operating a multi-service portfolio focused on promoting sports and physical activity in Assen, Netherlands. The core offering consists of Assen Actief, a booking platform for sports and cultural activities developed in collaboration with Vaart Welzijn, combined with diverse sports facility management. Key programs include Beachweek Assen (annual beach sports event), Mix 'n Move (sports for asylum seekers), TT CityRun (inclusive running event), and De Dynamische Schooldag (movement in education). The organization also manages Asser Sportakkoord II, a comprehensive sports agreement program supporting vital sports providers, inclusion, and safe sports environments across six strategic themes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assen Actief booking platform Central online platform for residents of Assen to discover and book introductory lessons, courses, open days, events, and other activities related to sports, health, and culture. Operated as a collaboration between Assen Sportstad and Vaart Welzijn.
• Beachweek Assen Annual beach sports event held on the Koopmansplein in Assen, featuring six beach volleyball fields, clinics, tournaments, side-events, and entertainment for all ages, culminating in the Robijn Quickwash Eredivisie Beach competition where the twelve best men's and women's teams in the Netherlands compete.
• TT CityRun Annual inclusive running event in Assen featuring special categories such as 'On Wheels' and '100% recreatie' that enable participation for everyone regardless of ability, including runners, rollers, walkers, and participants needing support.
• Mix 'n Move Sports carousel program for youth aged 14-18 at the asylum seekers center (AZC) in Assen, allowing them to discover various sports and sports clubs outside the AZC, supporting social connection and integration through sport.
• De Dynamische Schooldag Program encouraging schools in Assen to implement dynamic school days in which students engage in movement and active learning rather than prolonged sitting, treating movement as an essential part of learning.
• Sportaccommodaties (Sports Facilities) rental Rental of indoor and outdoor municipal sports facilities in Assen — including sports halls, gymnasiums, and sports fields such as De Kloosterveste Sporthal, De Marsdijkhal, De Peelohal, and multiple sport parks — available on an hourly basis for incidental use or on a seasonal basis for sports seasons.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Vaart WelzijncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration partner for the Assen Actief platform and multiple sport initiatives including social safety in sports and healthy sports environment programs.
• Asser Sportakkoord signatoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 150 organizations including sports clubs, schools, healthcare providers, welfare organizations, and municipal departments have signed the Asser Sportakkoord, committing to shared sports ambitions.
• Gemeente Assen (Municipality of Assen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner providing support for sports policy and accommodation management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NOC*NSF: The Dutch Olympic Committee and Sports Federation, the national umbrella body coordinating Olympic and amateur sports across the Netherlands. Broader incumbent that administers the national Sportakkoord program within which Assen Sportstad operates.

Direct peers

• Sport Utrecht: Utrecht's municipal sports organization focused on increasing sports participation and supporting local sports clubs. Directly comparable in coordinating sport policy, club support, and facility operations within a Dutch municipality.
• Sportbedrijf Rotterdam: Rotterdam's municipal sports organization managing sports facilities, events, and participation programs. Directly comparable in operating model, facility management, and inclusive sport programming across a Dutch municipality.
• Sportbedrijf Amsterdam: Amsterdam's municipal sports company that operates sports facilities, programs, and events to promote sport participation. Directly comparable to Assen Sportstad as a Dutch municipal sports coordination entity managing facilities, programs, and inclusive initiatives at city scale.

Emerging players

• Uniek Sporten: Platform and network dedicated to adaptive sports in the Netherlands, referenced directly on the Assen Sportstad website. Comparable as a specialized niche provider addressing disability sports access; both share mission of inclusive participation.

Others

• Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen: Dutch knowledge center for sport and physical activity providing research, advisory, and program support. Comparable as an enabling partner that municipalities like Assen Sportstad reference for evidence-based sport programming and policy.
• Sport en Bewegen (branchevereniging): Dutch trade association for fitness centers, sports clubs, and leisure operators. Comparable as an ecosystem stakeholder representing the club providers that Assen Sportstad's Asser Sportakkoord coordinates and supports.
• Buurtsportcoach Network (various municipalities): National network of community sports coaches deployed across Dutch municipalities to drive participation. Assen Sportstad currently hires a Buurtsportcoach Inclusie; this network is comparable as the talent pipeline and programmatic framework underpinning the role.
• Stichting NL Actief: Dutch industry association for active leisure (fitness, sports centers). Comparable as an ecosystem stakeholder and potential funder/partner for inclusive sport initiatives like those coordinated by Assen Sportstad.

Regional players

• Sportbedrijf Groningen: Municipal sports company of Groningen, a neighboring Dutch city in the same northern region as Assen. Comparable in operating model and mission; primarily serves a different municipality but operates in the same regional sport ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assen-sportstad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Assen Sportstad