National Sports Centre Papendal
National Sports Centre Papendal is the Netherlands' national high-performance sports and Olympic training centre near Arnhem.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
National Sports Centre Papendal is the Netherlands' national high-performance sports and Olympic training centre, situated in wooded surroundings near Arnhem in the Veluwe region. The site serves elite athletes, sports federations, coaches, sports-science practitioners, educational institutions, event organizers and business visitors. It is closely associated with the Dutch Olympic movement and is the home base of NOC*NSF, the Netherlands Olympic Committee and national sports federation umbrella organization. The complex has also hosted sports organizations and has been used as a training environment by football club SBV Vitesse. The concept behind Papendal emerged from discussions within the Dutch Sports Federation, founded in 1959. The federation identified the need for a national high-performance campus where athletes and affiliated sports bodies could share specialized facilities, scientific support and accommodation. In 1963, the federation acquired woodland from the City of Arnhem for this purpose. The original estate covered approximately 93.5 hectares and was subsequently expanded to roughly 123 hectares. Princess Beatrix officially opened the High Performance Centre Papendal in 1971. At opening, the campus included a main building with a restaurant, a sports hotel, an indoor sports hall, grass pitches, an athletics track, a temporary sports-medicine facility and a laboratory for research into sporting surfaces. Papendal later became an important venue in Dutch disability sport. During the 1980 Paralympic Games in Arnhem, some events were held at Papendal, and Princess Margriet opened the Games on 21 June 1980. Papendal's current role combines training, education, accommodation, sports medicine, performance development and event services. In 2009 it was designated as one of the Netherlands' Centres for Elite Sports and Education, enabling athletes to train, study and live within an integrated high-performance environment. Approximately 550 elite athletes use the facilities, with about 400 reported as using them daily. The campus also accommodates sports-related organizations and educational partners, while its hotel and conference facilities serve athletes, teams, companies and congress organizers. A major modernization program transformed the estate over more than a decade, with more than 20 building projects contributing to updated training and support infrastructure. The Arnhemhall, opened in 2013, added two large team-sport halls, strength-training rooms, a boxing hall, an athletics multi-event hall, a sprint hall, coaching areas and a restaurant. Residential capacity includes a sports hotel for young full-time athletes and additional accommodation located away from the main site. Papendal also presents itself as a sustainability-oriented sports campus. Around 70 percent of the buildings are connected to a seasonal cold- and heat-storage system using groundwater wells approximately 120 metres deep. The system stores heat for winter heating and uses cooler groundwater for summer cooling. In 2016, 1,270 solar panels were installed on the Arnhemhall roof; the panels were described as supplying approximately one-third of that facility's electricity needs. In 2013, the high-performance centre was separated from NOC*NSF and a private company, High Performance Centre Papendal B.V., was established. Papendal remains an active national sports hub, combining elite-athlete development with sports accommodation, conferences, commercial meetings and support for Dutch sporting institutions.
History
Papendal's origins lie in the postwar development of organized Dutch sport. When the Dutch Sports Federation was established in 1959, one of the issues discussed was how Dutch sport could achieve greater scale and international competitiveness. A proposal emerged for a central high-performance facility that could be used by the federation's affiliated sports organizations. Rather than distributing all specialist resources among separate clubs or regional venues, the proposed centre would bring training, accommodation, research and sports support together. The Dutch Sports Federation acquired woodland from the City of Arnhem in 1963. The initial property covered approximately 93.5 hectares and was later expanded to about 123 hectares. The location, in the wooded area of Papendal near Arnhem, provided space for outdoor fields and future development while remaining accessible to the city and the wider Netherlands. Princess Beatrix opened the High Performance Centre Papendal in 1971. The first campus included a central building and restaurant, a sports hotel, an indoor hall, grass pitches, an athletics track, temporary sports-medicine facilities and a laboratory for research on grass and non-grass playing surfaces. Papendal's history became connected not only with Olympic preparation but also with disability sport. Arnhem hosted the 1980 Olympics for disabled people, now recognized as the Paralympic Games, and Papendal served as one of the venues. Princess Margriet opened the Games on 21 June 1980. This reinforced the centre's role as a national venue for high-level sport and as part of the Netherlands' broader Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure. Over subsequent decades the site expanded beyond a single training centre into a larger sports campus. National sports organizations, federations, educational institutions and other sports-related bodies established activities at Papendal. NOC*NSF became based at the campus, and Papendal also became associated with football club SBV Vitesse, whose first-team squad has used the site's football pitches for training. The campus developed a mixed operating model that included athlete preparation, sports administration, accommodation, education, events and business meetings. A significant institutional change occurred in 2013, when the high-performance centre was separated from NOC*NSF and High Performance Centre Papendal B.V. was created as a private company. The organizational change did not end the campus's connection with the Dutch Olympic movement; instead, it established a distinct operating entity for the facilities and commercial activities while NOC*NSF continued to be based at Papendal. The centre's educational and residential role was strengthened when Papendal became one of four Dutch Centres for Elite Sports and Education in March 2009. The CTO model is intended to enable elite athletes to combine training, study and living arrangements in an integrated environment. Young athletes can stay in the sports hotel, while additional accommodation was developed approximately four kilometres from the main campus. This arrangement supports athletes who train at Papendal on a full-time basis. Modernization accelerated during the 2000s and 2010s. More than 20 building projects over a ten-year period substantially renewed the estate. The Arnhemhall, opened in 2013, added two large team-sport halls, two strength rooms, a boxing hall, an athletics multi-event hall, a sprint hall, coaching space and a restaurant. These facilities broadened Papendal's ability to support both individual and team sports and created a more flexible setting for camps, testing and daily training. Sustainability became a stated element of the modernization program. Approximately 70 percent of the buildings were connected to a cold- and heat-storage system using deep groundwater sources. In summer, cooler groundwater can support building cooling, while heat is stored for use during winter. In 2016, 1,270 solar panels were installed on the Arnhemhall roof, providing approximately one-third of the facility's power according to published descriptions. Today, Papendal functions as a national sports ecosystem rather than simply an athletics venue. Around 550 top athletes are reported to use its facilities, approximately 400 of them daily, and about 850 people work across the campus and its resident organizations. Alongside training infrastructure, Papendal offers a four-star hotel and conference centre used by athletes, teams, businesses and congress organizers. Its continuing identity rests on the combination of national sports importance, concentrated high-performance expertise, residential support and a broad event and meeting offer.
- 2016
Solar installation added to Arnhemhall
[1]A 1,270-panel solar installation was placed on the Arnhemhall roof and was reported to provide approximately one-third of the facility's power.
- 2013
Arnhemhall opened
[1]The multifunctional Arnhemhall expanded Papendal's capacity with team-sport halls, strength rooms, boxing and athletics facilities, sprint space, coaching areas and a restaurant.
- 2013
High Performance Centre Papendal B.V. established
[1]The high-performance centre was separated from NOC*NSF and organized as High Performance Centre Papendal B.V.
- 2009
Designated as a Centre for Elite Sports and Education
[1]Papendal became one of four Dutch Centres for Elite Sports and Education, supporting the integration of elite training, study and residential arrangements.
- 1980
Papendal hosted events during the Arnhem Paralympic Games
[1]Papendal was one of the venues used during the 1980 Olympics for disabled people in Arnhem, now known as the Paralympic Games.
- 1971
High Performance Centre Papendal opened
[1]Princess Beatrix opened the centre, which initially included accommodation, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, sports medicine support and a sports-surface research laboratory.
- 1963
Woodland acquired for the national sports centre
[1]The Dutch Sports Federation acquired woodland from the City of Arnhem for development of a national training campus. The estate was later expanded from approximately 93.5 to about 123 hectares.
- 1959
Dutch Sports Federation established
[1]The Dutch Sports Federation was founded, creating the institutional setting in which a national high-performance sports centre was later proposed.
Products and positioning
A national, integrated high-performance sports campus combining elite training, athlete education, accommodation, sports support services and conference facilities in a single Dutch location.
High-performance sports · 1971
Elite training campus
Papendal provides a concentrated training environment for Dutch elite athletes and sports federations. Its facilities cover indoor and outdoor preparation, athletics, team sports, strength and conditioning, coaching and athlete-support activities. The campus is designed to support recurring daily use as well as national-team camps and competition preparation.
Sports facility · 2013
Arnhemhall
Opened in 2013, the Arnhemhall is a multifunctional training building with two large team-sport halls, two strength rooms, a boxing hall, an athletics multi-event hall, a sprint hall, coaching space and a restaurant. It is intended to serve both team and individual sports and supports training, camps and performance preparation.
Sports accommodation · 1971
Papendal Sports Hotel
The sports hotel provides accommodation for athletes, teams and other visitors using the campus. Young athletes who train full-time at Papendal can stay there, while the broader hotel operation also supports training camps, business guests, meetings and sporting events.
Athlete development · 2009
Centre for Elite Sports and Education
Through the Dutch Centre for Elite Sports and Education model, Papendal combines high-level training with education and living arrangements. The model is intended to help athletes pursue sporting development while continuing formal study and accessing an integrated campus environment.
Business events
Conference and congress facilities
Papendal operates meeting, conference and congress facilities alongside its sporting infrastructure. These spaces are used for business meetings, sporting gatherings, congresses and events, allowing the campus to serve both the athletic community and external organizations.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/national-sports-centre-papendal · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled