SPAR Netherlands has deepened its collaboration with the Dutch Athletics Federation. Originally launched in 2022, the partnership now encompasses all sections of the Dutch Athletics Federation, including sponsoring the Dutch League.

The goal is to encourage physical activity and promote athletics among young people. Through this partnership, SPAR supports the Athletics Federation’s mission to keep people in the Netherlands active.

SPAR on bib numbers

From February 2024, SPAR will sponsor the Dutch League and be featured on the bibs of over 10,000 athletes participating in 120 competition races across 150 clubs in the Netherlands. This major athletics event, which began in April, includes all age categories from U14 to the first division.

School sports programmes

“Ren.Spring.Gooi” (Run.Jump.Throw) is the existing sports promotion programme of the Athletics Federation. It is tailored to the exercise level of primary school students with a ready-to-use series of gym class lessons. In 2023, 500 primary schools in the Netherlands were introduced to the SPAR Ren.Spring.Gooi box, with hundreds of boxes distributed in the run-up to and during National Sports Week.

Longstanding athletics sponsoring

SPAR has a longstanding involvement in athletics. At European level, SPAR has sponsored 76 athletics events since partnering with European Athletics in 1996. In the Netherlands, SPAR has also been a sponsor of the Dutch Athletics Championships for several years, helping to showcase the versatility of athletics and promote local associations.

“For many customers, SPAR is the go-to for healthy food and plays an essential role in promoting the quality of life in communities. It is inspiring to see how, in collaboration with the Athletics Federation, we have been uniting these aspects for years through our shared ambition to get more people moving. This year, we are taking it further by sponsoring local competitions. In this way, we build even stronger ties with local communities”, said John van der Ent, CEO of SPAR Netherlands.

Source: Atletiekunie

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About SPAR Netherlands

The SPAR brand was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by the Dutch wholesaler Adriaan van Well. It was established as a voluntary chain of grocers under the name DESPAR – an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig. SPAR Netherlands’ main distribution centre supports licensed independent retailers operating throughout the country.