Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in the Netherlands are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two thirds of the population older than 15 years participates in sports weekly.
Rudolf Jozef "Ruud" Krol is a Dutch former professional footballer who was capped 83 times for the Netherlands national team. Most of his career he played for his home town club, Ajax. He became a coach after retirement. Regarded as one of the best defenders of all time, Krol mainly played as a sweeper or left-back, though he could play anywhere across the back line, or in midfield as a defensive midfielder, due to his range of passing with both feet, temperament, tactical intelligence, and his ability to start attacking plays after winning back the ball.
Petrus Johannes "Piet" Keizer was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a left winger.
Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. His older brother Gerrie, also a midfielder, won three European Cup titles with Ajax in the early 1970s. Mühren is among the few players to have won all three major UEFA-organised club competitions, the European Cup (1972–73), the Cup Winners' Cup (1986–87) and the UEFA Cup (1980–81). The last of these was won with Ipswich Town, while the other titles were won while playing for Ajax. He is also one of the two Dutch players, together with Danny Blind, to have won all UEFA club competitions.
Arend "Arie" Haan is a Dutch football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He scored 6 goals in 35 matches for the Netherlands national team of the 1970s. At club level, he enjoyed a successful career with AFC Ajax, R.S.C. Anderlecht, Standard Liège and PSV Eindhoven.
Floris Jan Bovelander is a former field hockey player from the Netherlands, who was a member of the Dutch national squad that won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Six years earlier, at the Hockey World Cup in Lahore, where he scored nine times, he won the world title with the Dutch side at the expense of host nation Pakistan.
Ties Kruize is a former field hockey player from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1972 and 1984 Olympic Games and finished in fourth and sixth place, respectively. He became world champion in 1973, European champion in 1983, and retired from international competition in 1986, after the Hockey World Cup in London.
Teun Floris de Nooijer is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, who twice became Olympic champion with the Dutch national squad, in 1996 and in 2000, and was on the team in 2012. He currently plays for Dutch side HC Bloemendaal and in Hockey India League for Uttar Pradesh Wizards.
Sohail Abbas, is a former professional field hockey player from Pakistan who played as a Full-back. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time he is the all-time second highest goal scorer in international field hockey and highest goal scorer in modern field hockey with 348 international goals. A drag-flick specialist noted for his lethal flicks with great accuracy and speed in front of goal from penalty corners he is widely regarded as the 'King of the drag flick'.
Lucas Martín Vila is an Argentine former field hockey player who played as a forward.
Gerardus ("Gerrie") Dominicus Hyacinthus Maria Mühren was a Dutch footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the older brother of Arnold Mühren, who likewise played for the Netherlands national team.
Nicolaas Bernard "Nico" Spits is a retired field hockey player from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1964 and 1972 Summer Olympics and finished in seventh and fourth place, respectively. In 1972, he played alongside his younger brother, Frans Spits. He was the Olympic flag bearer for the Netherlands in 1972.
Johan Henk André Bolhuis is a retired field hockey player from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics and finished in fourth place in both Games. He was the Olympic flag bearer for the Netherlands in 1976.
Ron Berteling is a Dutch retired ice hockey player and coach. He represented the Netherlands ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics, and served as captain of the Netherlands men's national ice hockey team from 1982 to 1993. He appeared in 14 Ice Hockey World Championships, and holds the record of 213 games played for the national team. He played in 26 seasons of the Eredivisie, competing the Netherlands' top league for the Amsterdam Tigers and the Rotterdam Panda's. He was named the league's most valuable player for the 1987–88 season, won four Eredivisie titles, five Dutch Cups as a player and a sixth as a coach. He received the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1994, was made the namesake of the Ron Berteling Schaal in 2007, and received the Torriani Award from the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2020.
Jeronemus Johannes "Jeroen" Zweerts is a retired field hockey player from the Netherlands. He played seven matches and scored one goal at the 1972 Summer Olympics, where his team finished in fourth place. He was part of the Dutch team that won the World Cup in 1973.
Wouter Leefers is a retired field hockey player from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, where his teams finished in fourth place on both occasions. He missed the 1980 Games which were boycotted by the Dutch Hockey Federation.
Niels Overweg is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a defender for DWS, Go Ahead Eagles, FC Twente and DS'79. He was capped four times for the Netherlands national team. After retiring from play, he was also active as manager.
Thierry Brinkman is a Dutch field hockey player who plays as a forward or midfielder for Hoofdklasse club Den Bosch and captains the Dutch national team. He is the son of former Dutch international Jacques Brinkman and the brother of Tim Brinkman, a Dutch footballer.
Jip Janssen is a Dutch professional field hockey player, who plays as a defender for Kampong and the Dutch national team.
Safdar Abbas is a former professional field hockey player from Pakistan who represented the Pakistan national field hockey team as a forward. Abbas is the youngest player to represent Pakistan at the age of sixteen years in 1973.
