Achieving societal impact is a priority for both the KNVB and PwC, which is why PwC has been a strategic knowledge partner to the Royal Dutch Football Association since September 2023. Research by PwC has shown that football connects more than eight million Dutch people every year. Players, parents, volunteers and fans devote more than a quarter of their free time to the game, making football perhaps the 'largest social network in the Netherlands'. This connecting force fits in seamlessly with PwC's mission to build trust in society and help solve important problems.
All in for societal impact
The knowledge and expertise of all PwC colleagues is now being deployed on a significant number of concrete issues. These range from the societal impact of professional football to equality of opportunity, from sustainability to renewal, innovation and technology. Organising the Women's World Cup is an excellent example of where greater equality of opportunity can be created.
As manager of the Events & Travel department at the KNVB, Bart van Soest and his team are responsible for issuing bids to attract international tournaments and finals to the Netherlands. In 2016 he wrote a long-term strategy for the KNVB which had achieving a greater societal impact as the goal. His long-term aim at the time was to win the bid for the 2027 Women's World Cup. “And in 2017 we saw first-hand what a powerful societal impact could be achieved by organising a major tournament for women.”
Van Soest is referring to the 2017 UEFA European Women's Championship that was held in the Netherlands. “This event made clear just how much impact a tournament of this stature could have on the position of women in football. While there were hardly any female commentators on radio and television prior to 2017, that situation has changed enormously. Parents also now consider it very normal for their daughters to play football.”
World Cup bid: data creates transparency
These developments encouraged Van Soest to go for the ultimate prize of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027, and the KNVB submitted a joint bid with Belgium and Germany at the end of 2023. PwC supported the KNVB with this as a knowledge partner, including by preparing a forecast report on the economic consequences of such a tournament for the Netherlands.
“At PwC we have considerable expertise in the field of data and analysing large data sets,” says Dirk Cremers, data analytics expert at PwC. “We used data to provide insight into the potential effect on various host cities in the Netherlands of organising the World Cup. It was important to identify both the opportunities and the risks, for instance by comparing visitor numbers and the resulting extra expenditure to the adverse impact of other tourists postponing their trips. These are the kind of insights and transparency we can generate for the KNVB."
“A report drawn up by PwC only serves to increase confidence.”
Bart van Soest,Events & Travel manager at KNVB
Quality assured
Transparency is a key word here. “'Many parties are involved in submitting a bid,” continues Van Soest. “We work together with the national government, municipalities, interest groups and stadium owners. While all involved are very enthusiastic, the process does demand a great deal from everyone. Partnering with PwC to quantify and understand the economic impact of a World Cup gives parties the assurance they need to take risks. And a report drawn up by PwC only serves to increase that confidence because it is an independent party. There’s also no doubt in anyone’s minds about the quality and expertise offered by PwC in making such an analysis.”
PwC and KNVB: 'Sparring at a high level'
The collaboration between PwC and the KNVB brings together a variety of expertise, as Cremers explains. “In this case we had all the knowledge in terms of data and the financial aspects, while the KNVB obviously has the substantive know-how related to football and organising tournaments. We genuinely strengthen each other.”
Van Soest agrees. “The fact that we have worked with PwC before is a major advantage. Again and again I see that we speak the same language.” For Van Soest, “sparring at a high level” is a key benefit of working with PwC. “The PwC team often made me think in new ways during the bidding process. You can presume that your expertise, knowledge and experience make certain things clear but in practice this is not always the case. The PwC team asked good and critical follow-up questions that helped us move forward together. And all this happens from a position of trust, which makes the dynamic even more interesting.”
“We used data analytics to map out the effects of the World Cup on various host cities.”
Dirk Cremers,data analytics expert at PwC Nederland
Women's football: unchanged ambition
Both Cremers and Van Soest are proud to have contributed to such a societal project. “It would be wonderful if women's football would come even more to life in the Netherlands and I hope our collaboration with the KNVB will support this,” says Cremers. The fact that the 2027 Women's World Cup will not be organised by the Netherlands is certainly not the end of the matter. “Our bid has created momentum among all the parties involved and I’m sure that the attention and awareness generated is now finding its way into their other plans and objectives."
That said, the fact that their World Cup bid did not ultimately succeed is a bitter pill for Cremers and Van Soest. Losing is rarely fun but it is an inextricable element of sport. “We made it to the final and I’m incredibly proud of that,” concludes Van Soest. “Our ambitions have not changed – we just have to find another way to achieve them.”
