A small nation, a big story
On a sunny afternoon in Adelaide in November 2022, cricket’s established order took another hit. South Africa, loaded with stars and gunning for a semi-final berth, were outplayed by a disciplined Dutch side in blazing orange. The shock reverberated around the cricketing world. Less than a year later, in 2023, it happened again — this time South Africa and Bangladesh both fell in the space of ten days at the ODI World Cup in India. And if anyone thought this was new, they had simply forgotten Lord’s 2009, when the Netherlands stunned England on their own patch – a feat that they actually repeated in the T20 World Cup in 2014.
What might look like isolated upsets is, in fact, a pattern. Time and again, Dutch cricket has seized its moment on the biggest stage, a country of just 6,000 registered players delivering victories over giants with millions in the game. Beneath those moments, though, is a deeper story — one of reform, resilience, and ambition.
Behind the headline wins is a systematic build: stabilizing governance, professionalizing the national set-up, re-wiring talent pathways, investing in women’s and youth, and spreading the game from its traditional heartlands to new frontiers. The recent turning point arrived in early 2022, when a new board led by chair Guido Landheer took charge with a deceptively simple order of operations: (1) restore stability and trust, (2) raise high-performance standards, (3) build a broader base — and (4) secure the long-term partners needed to lock it all in.
“We have a long tradition, but also a bright future,” Landheer says. “You see growth of youth players, growth of clubs, and success of the national teams. To be a long-term success at international level, you need a strong base — that’s what we’re building.”
The vision is clear — and urgent. Dutch cricket has punched above its weight on a volatile financial base tied to ICC cycles. The next chapter requires commercial partners who see the moment for what it is: a rare chance to align with a national program that delivers global impact at exceptional value — and to be recognized as the backers who helped turn a great story into a sustained reality.
A heritage older than football
Cricket in the Netherlands is not a fad imported by a diaspora boom. It’s native. The first organized cricket in the Low Countries dates back to the 1840s — older than football in the Dutch sporting imagination — with early clubs forming in the West, nurtured in multi-sport institutions that raised generations of players and volunteers. The names are stitched into the game’s fabric: HCC, Rood en Wit, VOC, VRA and Quick Haag. If you grew up near those grounds, as chair Guido Landheer and Interim CEO Lucas Hendrikse did near Quick Haag, summer cricket wasn’t an anomaly; it was simply part of club life.
“When I was young, my friends took me to watch,” Landheer recalls. “The seed was planted. Years later my kids played; I volunteered; I ended up chairing the cricket section at Quick — and eventually the KNCB.” The line runs straight through generations of Dutch families, and it is being re-drawn today by new Dutch families.
For decades, the Netherlands were the archetype of a high-performing Associate — qualifying for global events, producing moments of wonder, then retrenching when funding ebbed. The modern mission is to break that cycle: to convert heritage and moments into momentum and systems; to make “giant-killing” less an upset than an expectation; to pair romance with reliability.
Leadership reset: stability first, ambition always
Three of the current board members took office in 2022 with a frank brief: steady the ship, rebuild trust with clubs, and re-orient the program around a practical long-term vision. Landheer’s background in economics and public policy helped frame the path. Besides him Nitin Potdar joined as board member Cricket Development, bringing a lot of experience from fast-growing cricket club Qui Vive where he was a board member, while Willemijn Vorderman took on the role of Board Secretary, bringing extensive experience in governance and compliance. In the past year, the board also brought in additional complementary firepower: Lucas Hendrikse, a corporate operator with decades at DSM-Firmenich and a lifetime in Dutch cricket; Rashid Shah, a seasoned markets executive focused on marketing, sponsorship, and brand; Sybrand Engelbrecht, former Dutch international with corporate acumen; and treasurer Jacques van Zuydam, a finance leader with a cricketer’s heart.
“First stability,” Landheer says. “Then high performance and growth — but we also need a stable financial base. If we qualify for a World Cup, ICC support increases; in other years it drops. That volatility makes it hard to invest on a structural basis. We want partners who believe in us for the long term.”
Hendrikse has streamlined the management structure around two executive pillars: high performance (currently led by men’s head coach Ryan Cook, doubling as high-performance director, along with High Performance Manager Roland Lefebvre) and domestic cricket & development (combining growth with operations). “The quality of the organization is dramatically improving,” he says. “We’re bringing serious management and cricket expertise into the same room so we can have serious conversations with potential partners. We’re not looking for a logo; we’re looking for partners whose ambitions we can serve.”
That philosophy informs how KNCB speaks with municipalities about facilities, in how it advises clubs on growth, in how it positions the national teams to compete, and in how it frames the sponsorship proposition. It’s a national governing body that talks like a business, because to grow rapidly in modern cricket, that’s a must.
High performance: the sum greater than its parts
The modern Dutch surge at elite level is built on two upgrades: better systems and better certainty. When Ryan Campbell suffered a heart attack in 2022, Ryan Cook stepped in, shepherding the side through a stacked home slate against full members, then into a T20 World Cup campaign that secured top-eight and automatic qualification for 2024. Cook’s permanent tenure kept continuity intact; the focus sharpened on culture, cohesion, and clarity.
“The Dutch environment is intimate,” Cook says. “Players from diverse backgrounds, different journeys — our task was to pull them toward a common cause, playing for one another and for the badge. We tried to be greater than the sum of our parts.” That meant professionalizing the daily rhythm: centralizing training where possible, increasing contact time, and, critically, contracting more players. “Many players had been essentially volunteers,” Landheer notes. “We started to give more players national contracts. Not at big-member levels, but enough to create stability.”
The results are visible in the record:
● Repeated global qualifications across formats for the men’s team in 2022–2026 windows.
● Wins by the men’s team over full members (England, South Africa twice, Bangladesh), cementing the “giant-killer” persona.
● A women’s program on the rise, competing in global qualifiers and a core group investing their winters in high-performance environments abroad.
● ODI status for the women’s team since 2022.
● A U19 men’s team pipeline that narrowly missed a World Cup ticket — and still fed teenagers like 17-year-old Cedric de Lange into senior tours.
Cook talks as much about structures as about scores. “We’re broadening the base of players ready for international cricket,” he says. “We revived a Pro Series (North vs South) to bridge the gap between club cricket and the international game. We’ve created clearer pathways and accelerated the most promising talent into robust competition. The aim is to make the step up normal.”
The women’s program is experiencing a similar renaissance under head coach Neil MacRae. The ambition is unapologetic: qualify consistently, compete fiercely, and turn breakthrough performances into a steady diet. The more consistently both national teams appear on global broadcast, the more predictable the value proposition becomes for partners — not just eyeballs, but resonance.
Grassroots growth: from canals to new cities
Dutch cricket’s growth story is no longer confined to Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. In recent seasons, new clubs have sprung up and new fields have opened in corners where the game rarely touched in decades. Hendrikse tells the story of Maastricht, in the deep south, cutting a ribbon on a cricket field he’d never visited as a player because cricket simply didn’t exist there. “We’re seeing the sport spread over the country,” he says. “It’s becoming a full-country sport.”
A strong demographic tailwind is helping to drive that spread. The Netherlands of 2025 is not the Netherlands of 1995. A fast-growing South Asian and broader expat population — especially in tech corridors like Eindhoven — is changing who lives, works, and plays in Dutch cities. “In Eindhoven, you see an enormous number of Indian expats wanting to play,” Hendrikse says. “For companies like ASML, that’s not just sport; it’s a way to connect with communities where cricket is almost a religion.” In and around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, clubs are seeing a surge of South Asian, South African, British, Kiwi, and other expat members. That influx, combined with “curious cross-over” Dutch kids from hockey, football, and tennis who find a home in cricket, is widening the base.
Few have invested in that base more relentlessly than Rashid Shah. In 2018, he launched an academy with a simple mission: get more kids — and more girls — playing cricket. By his count, the academy has conducted hundreds of clinics across schools and multi-sport clubs, materially shifting youth numbers at some of the country’s biggest institutions. At VRA alone, Shah says, youth membership roughly tripled in five years. “We’ve created role models at the top,” he says. “Kids want to be the next Scott Edwards, Babette de Leede, Max O’Dowd or Sterre Kalis — and the national team shows there’s a path.”
The growth is tangible — and sometimes outpaces infrastructure. In Almere, Shah notes, players told a national TV crew they were thousands strong with no dedicated ground. Municipalities are listening, but building cricket from scratch requires expertise, persistence, and funding. KNCB has codified minimum facility standards for new clubs; the next phase is making it easier for municipalities to meet them.
Underpinning all of this is a wider clubs strategy: support legacy multi-sport clubs while nurturing dedicated cricket clubs that are often the fastest growers. KNCB’s role is to help both succeed — from facility advocacy to training program templates to competition operations that keep the game moving and visible.
The financial reality: why partners matter
For all the progress Dutch cricket has made — historic wins, World Cup consistency, grassroots expansion — the uncomfortable truth is that its financial base is still precarious. Like most Associates, the KNCB lives on a funding model dictated by the International Cricket Council. When the national teams qualify for World Cups, ICC funds rise sharply. When they don’t, those funds drop.
It creates what chair Guido Landheer calls a “fragile ladder.” Some years, there is enough to contract players, hire regional development officers, and keep the ProSeries running for men (and the SuperSeries for women). Other years, those same programs teeter. “If you qualify, ICC helps. If not, money steps down,” he explains. “That volatility makes it hard to invest on a structural basis. We need partners to believe in us for the long term.”
This volatility isn’t theoretical. In recent years, development posts in Eindhoven and The Hague have been funded on a year-to-year basis, renewed only if ICC distributions were strong. A women’s winter training program once earmarked for expansion had to be postponed when funds fell short. Even the ProSeries — crucial for bridging club and international cricket — has faced intermittent cuts.
CEO Lucas Hendrikse sees the risk clearly: “You can’t build an academy, tell kids there’s a pathway to the national team, and then stop halfway because you didn’t qualify one year. Stability is what makes development real. Without partners, we can’t guarantee that stability.”
Government support is minimal. Cricket is not yet an Olympic sport, which means Dutch state funding channels prioritize others — although that is about to change with LA28. And while municipalities will invest in pitches and facilities, they don’t cover the national body’s operational costs.
The opportunity — and the urgency — are clear. Commercial partners are the missing piece: the mechanism that will transform Dutch cricket from a story of moments to a story of permanence.
The sponsorship value proposition
If Dutch cricket has always been a romantic story — a small nation of 18 million taking on giants — today it is also a commercial story. For the right partners, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a chance to align with national teams that deliver global visibility, authentic values, and tangible business benefits at a fraction of the cost of sponsoring larger nations.
Board member Rashid Shah frames it succinctly: “Seven of the world’s top ten trading companies are in Holland, all recruit from India. Our story is perfect for them. They’re recruiting from cricket countries. What better way to connect than through cricket?”
The case breaks down into several interwoven narratives:
Global visibility: the world stage at bargain value
In February 2026, the Netherlands will once again be on the biggest stage: the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The event will reach more than 2.5 billion viewers across 180 countries. A sleeve logo on the Dutch shirt means instant recognition in markets stretching from Mumbai to Melbourne to Manchester.
And unlike a niche property, this isn’t an occasional glimpse. In 2022 and 2023, the Netherlands weren’t just participants — they were headline makers as they have been so often historically. Beating South Africa twice, knocking out Bangladesh, stunning England at Lord’s: these aren’t forgettable group-stage fixtures. They are front-page, viral-moment matches. A partner brand becomes part of that electricity.
As Hendrikse puts it: “It’s not about huge numbers. It’s about reaching the right communities, on the right stage, in the right way. The Dutch teams provide that.”
Dutch demographics: a wealthy market with a growing diaspora
The Netherlands combines two things rarely found together in sport: one of the world’s highest GDPs per capita and a rapidly expanding South Asian expat population. In cities like Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Almere, thousands of Indian and Pakistani families have made cricket their cultural anchor.
This is not theory. Clubs are swelling with expat members. Shah’s academy saw youth numbers triple at VRA in five years. In Almere, thousands of informal cricketers play without a formal ground. “We know the demand is there,” Shah says. “The question is how to meet it.”
For consumer brands, this is gold: a wealthy European market, with cricket-mad communities hungry for recognition. For employers — especially in tech and finance — it’s a recruitment tool as much as a marketing channel.
Corporate alignment: inclusivity and integration
Few sports embody integration like cricket in the Netherlands. At Groen-Geels cricket ground in Wassenaar during the Embassy Cup, India plays Pakistan on Dutch soil with local families filling the stands. Kids of Dutch, South Asian, Caribbean, and African backgrounds sit side by side, united by the game.
In a country where inclusivity and social cohesion are prized, cricket is a natural fit for brand narratives around diversity. As Landheer says: “Cricket reflects modern Holland. It’s history, but it’s also the story of new Dutch citizens, new clubs, and new communities.”
Recruitment and business value: cricket as a bridge
The Netherlands is a hub for global business. Seven of the ten largest trading firms in the world are headquartered here. Multinationals like ASML, Shell, ING, and Philips operate globally but rely heavily on Indian and Asian talent. For them, cricket is not just a sport — it’s the lingua franca of their workforce.
“Imagine being a Dutch company hiring 200 Indian engineers a year,” Shah says. “Cricket is the easiest way to connect. Sponsor the national team, and you send a message: we respect your culture, we welcome you, we share your passion.”
Cost-effectiveness: the value of being bold early
Finally, there is cost. Sponsoring England, Australia, or India costs millions. Sponsoring the Netherlands costs a fraction — but delivers many of the same global benefits.
In commercial terms, it is a classic “emerging property” play. Get in now, and you ride the growth curve. As Dutch cricket grows, so too does the visibility of those who backed it first.
Landheer sums it up: “The partners who step in now will be remembered as the ones who believed in that future.”
The ETPL and the franchise future
If the national teams are the flagships, the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) is the next vessel in Dutch cricket’s fleet. A joint initiative with Ireland and Scotland, the ETPL is designed to give European cricket a sustainable franchise competition — one that creates opportunities for players, content for broadcasters, and events for fans, without overreaching financially.
The idea is simple but powerful: pool resources across three nations, bring in international players, and stage a compact but competitive T20 league rooted in European soil. For Dutch players, it means more exposure and professional experience. For fans, it means watching stars alongside local heroes in familiar venues.
The ETPL’s target launch is August 2026, aligning with the upward trajectory of Dutch cricket.
Rather than building a separate Dutch-focused franchise league, Landheer says: “We focus on ETPL — if we invest in franchise cricket, this is the right priority. We don’t need ten leagues; we need one good one.”
Hendrikse sees it as a missing link. If it takes off as planned, “it will give us exposure, opportunities for players, and spectators. Our best talent will play with and against international professionals at home. That raises standards and builds interest.”
For sponsors, ETPL would add another layer. Beyond ICC events, it would create an annual, repeatable platform with broadcast content, social engagement, and ticketed live matches. Imagine a Dutch star like Bas de Leede batting with an IPL veteran in Voorburg on a summer evening, broadcast globally — that is the product ETPL offers.
And unlike some Associate franchise experiments, ETPL has credibility. It is backed by three national boards, aligned with ICC calendars, and focused on quality over quantity. For commercial partners, that means less risk for any individual board, more potential return.
The vision: the next decade
Where does Dutch cricket go from here? The leadership team does not hide its ambition. They want Dutch cricket to be a tier-one Associate now, a full-member challenger within a decade. To get there, they have set out a vision built on four pillars:
On-field goals. Both men’s and women’s national teams qualifying for every T20 World Cup, competing consistently with top-ten nations, and securing landmark series at home. “We want to normalize beating big teams,” coach Ryan Cook says. “Not as shocks, but as expectations.”
Grassroots goals. A cricket club in every top-50 Dutch city. Participation doubled. Women and girls forming at least half of all new youth entrants. “We should at least double the number of players,” Hendrikse says. “And we want cricket in every city of significance.”
Societal role. Cricket as a platform for inclusivity and integration. Embassy Cup-style tournaments that bring communities together. Outreach programs in schools that show boys and girls — Dutch, Indian, Pakistani, Afghan — that cricket is theirs to share.
Commercial dream. A stable of long-term partners underwriting growth, giving the KNCB the freedom to invest in people, not just survive event to event. As Landheer puts it: “We want partners to step in, say we believe in you, and build with us.”
This is not just rhetoric. Already, the foundations are visible: new clubs opening, youth numbers rising, the national team performing, and ETPL on the horizon. The next decade could be transformative — if the resources align.
Why now is the moment
Dutch cricket has always punched above its weight. But what makes this moment different is that it has the leadership, the systems, and the momentum to go further than ever before. The risk is not that it can’t compete — the risk is that without partners, it won’t be able to sustain and expand.
Board member Rashid Shah puts it bluntly: “Now is the time. If we don’t act, we’ll miss the moment.”
For brands, that moment is clear. Align with Dutch cricket today, and you join a story of heritage, inclusivity, and giant-killing drama. You place your logo not just on shirts, but in the hearts of a fast-growing community. You help turn upsets into expectations, and expectations into a legacy.
As Landheer says: “The future of cricket is orange.”
Timeline: Cricket Netherlands since 1845
● 1845 – First Dutch cricket club founded.
● 1860s–1900s – Cricket spreads through multi-sport clubs in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam.
● 1960s – Netherlands among the first ICC Associate Members.
● 1988 – Women’s team debut at ICC Cricket World Cup
● 1996 – Men’s team debut at ICC Cricket World Cup.
● 2007 – Women’s team plays test match against South-Africa
● 2009 – Men’s team have a famous win over England at Lord’s in T20 World Cup.
● 2011 – Women’s team win European Cricket Championship
● 2014 – Men’s teams beat England and Ireland, reach T20 World Cup knockouts.
● 2022 – Men’s team defeat South Africa in Adelaide, qualify automatically for 2024 T20 World Cup.
● 2023 – Men’s team beat South Africa and Bangladesh in ODI World Cup, secure global recognition.
● 2026 – Women’s team set to play in the ICC T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Nepal.
● 2026 – Men’s team set to play in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
