VA and NVB: this is the current division of roles

The Nederlandse Vechtsportbond (NVB, the Dutch martial arts federation) started operating in 2024. Agreements have been made about the division of tasks between the federation and the VA. Because we regularly receive questions about who is responsible for what, we set this out again below.

The NVB is the sports federation for kickboxing, thai boxing and MMA in the Netherlands. The federation is responsible for the organisation of the sport. It must ensure that promoters are able to organise bouts. That means officials must be available. The rules of the sport must be clear. Matchmaking must be fair and transparent. In addition, the federation must pursue a policy that represents the interests of martial arts in the broadest sense.

The VA is the regulator. Our task is to monitor whether everyone in martial arts works within the frameworks agreed within the martial arts sector and with the government. When it comes to the rules of the sport, for example, the NVB determines those. The VA does not assess every rule on its merits, but it does monitor whether they fit within the agreed frameworks. However, if the NVB adopts a rule on clinching in kickboxing, for instance, or on the duration of rounds in thai boxing, the VA has no involvement in that.

Complaints about refereeing and judging of bouts are also handled by the NVB. Only disciplinary cases concerning serious misconduct are, for the time being, still handled by the VA's disciplinary committee.

Assessing the substance of the NVB's policy and its performance is a matter for the members of the NVB. These include competitive fighters, gym owners and officials. If they believe that policy should be changed on certain points, they must raise this with the NVB themselves. If members feel they are not being sufficiently heard, they can also approach the NVB's Bondsraad (federation council).

Bondsraad
The NVB's Bondsraad is a group of (former) athletes, officials, gym owners and promoters who scrutinise the NVB board on behalf of the members. They look at the main lines of policy and review the annual accounts. If this Bondsraad indicates that it is dissatisfied with the policy pursued, it is up to the NVB board to act on that signal. The NVB board needs the confidence of the Bondsraad in order to continue functioning.

If the members of the NVB consider that the Bondsraad is not performing its supervisory work properly, they can replace the Bondsraad at the annual general meeting of members. In principle, therefore, the members have the final say. The VA has no role in these processes either.

Democratic organisation
The VA thus has no involvement in the NVB's policy, as long as the NVB stays within the agreements that the VA and the NVB have set out in their covenant. The substance of policy is determined by the NVB board, and must be scrutinised by the Bondsraad and ultimately by the members themselves.

As a young organisation, the NVB must develop into a properly functioning democratic federation in which the members have the final say. Whether this is happening sufficiently is for the national sports umbrella organisation NOC*NSF to assess, which requires all federations to function democratically. To test this, the umbrella organisation has drawn up minimum quality requirements.

If you have questions about the division of roles, email the VA or the NVB.