Rotterdam Leisure

Rotterdam was chosen to be the European Capital of Sport in 2005 and the city has built itself a solid reputation for sport at the highest world level, catering for the recreation of the city’s inhabitants and visitors.

Football

Football is a great passion in the Netherlands, and Rotterdam is no exception. Rotterdam is home to three professional football teams: Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Feyenoord is the most successful of the teams and with PSV and Ajax, is considered one of the big three in Dutch football, having won the Dutch title 14 times.

The large stadium, ‘De Kuip’, is one of the major stadiums in Europe and has hosted a record 10 European finals including famously hosting the UEFA cup final in 2002, which was won by Feyenoord, the third European trophy in their history. De Kuip has also hosted the final of Euro 2000 among other sporting events.

World-class sport

Rotterdam hosts a number of international sporting events, well worth trying to see if you are visiting at the same time.

The Rotterdam International Marathon is one of the world’s most well-known marathons as a result of its fast, flat course that has seen a number of world records. The course starts and ends in the heart of Rotterdam on the Coolsingel, and the marathon is the biggest one-day sporting event in the Netherlands.

The ABN-AMRO world tennis tournament takes place indoors every February and attracts some of the biggest names on the ATP tour each year, with recent winners including Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt. The CHIO show jumping competition, held every August at the Kralingse Bos, makes up the three major sporting events in the city.

For those wanting to take part in sport while in Rotterdam, the city has plenty of options, with swimming, tennis, running, cycling and canoeing being just some of the most popular sports on offer.