History Papendal

The Dutch Sports Federation was founded. One of the topics that were addressed during a meeting of the Dutch Sports Federation (NSF) was how Dutch sports could become bigger. The idea for a national High Performance Centre from which all the affiliated sports federations of the NSF could profit was introduced.

The plan for a national High Performance Centre was approved. The NSF bought woodlands from the City of Arnhem covering 93,5 hectares.

The woodlands were expanded to 123 hectares.

HRH Princess Beatrix opened High Performance Centre Papendal. At the opening, the grounds consisted of a main building with restaurant for 120 people, a sports hotel with 120 sleeping places, a large sports hall, a few grass pitches, a temporary centre for sports medicine, an athletics track with a synthetic top layer and a lab for scientific research of surfaces with and without grass.

Construction baseball field.

Construction driving range for golf and a special mini-golf course.

Start of the gymnastics boarding school at Papendal. The gymnasts stayed in host families and went to school near the gymnastics boarding school.

Arrival of the Central Institute for Sports Education (CIOS) to Papendal.

Construction pool.

The Olympics for disabled people took place in Arnhem. Part of the games took place at Papendal. On 21 June, HRH Princess Margriet opened the Olympics for disabled (currently known as the Paralympic Games).

HRH Prince Claus opened the artificial pitch.

HRH Prince Claus opened the meeting facility and the hotel.

HRH Prince Bernhard unveiled a memorial plaque in Hotel Papendal, in memory of the British troops who lost their lives at Papendal during the airborne landings of the Battle of Arnhem (17 – 26 September 1944).

Start ski boarding school of the Dutch Ski Association at Papendal.

Closure of the gymnastics boarding school.

The opening of a multifunctional congress and events location with a 3 star hotel (Hotel and Conference Centre Papendal) by HRH Prince Willem-Alexander.

The NOC*NSF officially merged. Both organisations had settled at Papendal before. The Dutch Sports Federation (NSF) since 1989 and the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) since 1990.

The former gymnastics hall was changed into a combat sports hall.

Vitesse came to Papendal. With the opening of the GelreDome, the old training facility was closed down. Eventually, Vitesse ended up at Papendal.

Following the Dutch successes at the Olympics in Sydney (2000), the NOC*NSF, in cooperation with the sports federations, developed a master plan for the future of Papendal as a national High Performance Centre.

The master plan was approved in essence by the city and province.

The red synthetic athletics track was renovated and provided with a new, blue top layer.

Construction of the Pitch & Putt course Papendal.

After the CIOS had decided to leave halfway during the nineties, they came back to Papendal in 2006 as part of the Rijn IJssel College.

Realisation of the first semi-permanent sprint hall and the second weight training room.

Start of the Handball Academy. More than twenty handball talents started to live, train and study at Papendal. Papendal started an intensive collaboration with the following LOOT schools: the Beekdal Lyceum in Arnhem, the College of Arnhem and Nijmegen and the Rijn IJssel College.

The pool at Papendal was outdated and taken down. The pool made room for the Sports and Innovation centre which was opened later that year.

Refurbishment of the restaurant of Hotel Papendal. The restaurant was renamed to Restaurant 2028. It used to be called Olympia and Sportiva.

HRH Prince Willem-Alexander opened the Sports and Innovation centre. The Sports Medical Centre Papendal is one of the organisations that established themselves here.

Realisation of the semi-permanent volleyball and badminton hall.

Papendal officially received the CTO predicate. Centre for Elite Sports and Education (CTO) A centre where elite athletes live, train and study. With limited travel time.

Opening of the wing with 4 star hotel rooms at Hotel Papendal.

Realisation archery facility.

The new Sports and Education building was put into service. The College of Arnhem and Nijmegen and the Rijn IJssel College started teaching classes in the building. Pim Mulier established itself here as well.

Opening of the BMX track, an exact copy of the BMX track for the 2012 Olympics in London. For the best possible preparation for the Olympic BMX bike riders. At the time, the Olympic track in London had not even been built.

Initial commissioning of the Sports hall west for practical classes of the CIOS and HAN, with a separate table tennis hall.

The refurbishment of the Sports hotel was finished. More than 105 young talents have their own room at this hotel.

High Performance Centre Papendal celebrated its 40-year anniversary spectacularly with the Papendal Sports Parade. It attracted more than 6,000 visitors including HRH Prince Willem-Alexander.

Official opening of the Arnhem hall with the innovative Elite sports restaurant.
Have a look insight the Arnhem hall.

Demerging of High Performance Centre Papendal from the NOC*NSF, private company High Performance Centre Papendal B.V. was founded.

Vitesse opened its new training facility.

Construction of Street Workout Park Papendal.

Commissioning of the Sports Business Centre Papendal.

Reconstruction of the BMX track in accordance with the design of the track for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

On Wednesday 8 March 2017 the Ruskahall at Papendal was officially opened. Around 50 judoka’s use the Ruskahall on a daily basis.

Commissioning of a new housing facility @Papendal in P50.

The first of March: Hotel Papendal officially receives the status of four star hotel.

The renovation of the athletics track is complete. With a total new 400m sandwich track, a softer 500m track, mondo sprint lanes, a strength rack and uphill sprinting facilities.

The Skybox @Papendal has been opened in November 2018. The Skybox is located on the well-known blue running track and World champion Dafne Schippers trains here when she is in the Netherlands and the most positive celebrity Churandy Martina is also at home here.

We have said goodbye to the term ‘CTO’, until recently known as Centre for Elite Sports and Education, and will continue under the collective name ‘TeamNL centre’. In this way we contribute to strengthening the TeamNL brand.