Dashboard 2022: the figures behind the work of the VA

The VA (Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit, the Dutch combat sports authority) works towards a healthy, safe and well-organised combat sports sector. You can see this at events and in the gym. Most of the work, however, takes place out of sight. The VA dashboard sets out the most important key figures on the VA as an organisation, on the work of the VA and on the combat sports sector at a glance.

If you train at a gym, you may be familiar with the Keurmerk Vechtsportautoriteit (the VA quality mark for gyms). More than four hundred gym owners use it to demonstrate that they have their affairs in order.

The more than 15,000 competitive fighters know our Fightpassport. Thanks to this uniform digital system, they no longer have to work with different paper competition booklets issued by different federations. They also know that we have made agreements with the Dopingautoriteit (the Dutch Anti-Doping Authority) in order to counter cheating.

Promoters and municipalities know us mainly from our guidance document on combat sports events, our safety plan format and the audits. In 2022, these instruments helped promoters to organise no fewer than 212 events in a responsible manner.

What most people do not see is that the VA consists of an office, a board, a supervisory board and almost one hundred volunteers. That we are in contact with gym owners, promoters, municipalities and the police day in, day out. That we help people with training courses. That we help victims of inappropriate behaviour find their way to the right bodies.

You can find that, and more, here on the dashboard (pdf).