The professionalism of the top clubs in the Dutch Premier League for handball, field hockey, Korf, volleyball and water polo varies greatly. Hockey looks the most professional, and handball the least. This emerged from research conducted by the Institut Mollier among the top clubs.
The professionalism of the competition relates to matters such as the financial organization, the number of visitors, the quality and training of the coaches, and the interest of the media in this sport. Professionalism also seems to correlate with the income of the largest associations. Hockey associations have the highest income. It is here that the level of competition is also highest, as matches receive the most visitors, coaches are paid the highest and the sport gets the most national media attention. In handball it is exactly the opposite.
Less advanced clubs mainly need support in areas such as finances, media interest, accommodation and facilities. Handball has the fewest visitors and the lowest income. It is in korfball, after hockey, that most visitors come. There is also a lot of national media attention here.
Volleyball is the only sport in which, on average, more sponsorship income is earned than membership fee income. The level of competition here is lower. Water polo gets a little more income than handball. In this sport, the number of visitors, media interest, and training of coaches is low.
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