The City of Amsterdam invests in sports facilities

The municipality of Amsterdam invests €22 million in various sports facilities to meet the growing need. The investments are planned across all parts of the city. This investment is aimed at getting people to move more and play outside, making sports complexes more sustainable, and topsport. The Bosbaan is also being worked on and renewed with sustainable materials.

Bosbaan Amsterdam Forest

The Bosbaan in the Amsterdam Forest is a (inter)nationally well-known rowing course. To comply with the applicable rules for international rowing events, the Bosbaan has been widened twice. In 2026, the World Rowing Championships will be held at the Bosbaan. Before then, the municipality wants to have the Bosbaan in order. In addition to rowing, other sports are also practised on the Bosbaan such as; fishing, swimming, canoeing and dragon boat rowing.

GreenMatter deck planks

For this project, we replaced the wood from all starting platforms on the rowing course with recycled artificial grass deck planks. The deck planks are made from recycled artificial grass from worn-out sports fields and in this way the municipality of Amsterdam is again actively contributing to reducing the artificial grass waste pile. In total, 6,835 kg of recycled artificial grass was used. The new deck planks have an expected technical lifespan of 50 years and are 100% recyclable at the end of their lifespan. Earlier, we also restored almost a complete artificial grass field at the Bosbaan in the form of combination bulkhead panels. Soon, an inventory will be made at the Bosbaan of how the municipality can further contribute to sustainability. For example, this could include replacing the ceremonial platform, the fishing pontoons, and other jetties. The City of Amsterdam takes the lead to manage its waste not only in a circular, but above all in a meaningful way.