Projects per year
Personal profile
Expertise
- Elite sport - sport policy - SPLISS - Sport impact - high performance sport - Olympic Games - international performances - International comparative studies - Management of sport organisations Event management - alent development– competitiveness- strategic sport management - athlete role models – trickle down effect
- Evaluation - monitoring - policy effectiveness
- Mixed methods research
Expertise
Veerle De Bosscher is professor in sports policy management at the department of Sports and Movement sciences of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium. She is the founder of SPLISS (Sports Policy factors Leading to International Sporting Success, www.spliss.net), a worldwide international network dealing with the strategic underpinning of elite sport and the societal impact, on which she also obtained her PhD in 2007 and won a Best Paper Award during the SMAANZ conference in 2009. This network has grown into worldwide recognized research collaboration, involving over 20 countries, 60 researchers and 40 policy makers interested in elite sport policy and its effectiveness. Over time the SPLISS model (almost 1000 citations in google scholar) has been widely discussed and used by several scholars and empirically applied by policy makers and National Olympic Committees internationally.
Veerle’s research further focusses on youth sport policy, Olympic Games, athlete pathways and Paralympic development and her main expertise lays in measuring (elite) sport policy effectiveness, and benchmarking nations. She supervised 15 PhD students and (co-)authored over 150 publications in high standard peer reviewed journals and as book chapters. Her research is appealing to various researchers and sport organisations as is confirmed by the numerous invitations as a keynote or invited speaker during more than 50 scientific and applied conferences worldwide.
She was a former Visiting Professor at Victoria University (Australia) and at Utrecht University (the Netherlands). She is a board member of the European Sport Management Quarterly (ESMQ), the Global Sport management Journal, former co-editor of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics (IJSPP), former board member of the European Association of Sport Management (EASM). She consults for various sport organisations. In Flanders (Belgium) she is a member of the steering committee of elite sport, strategic elite sport working groups, the youth sports commission and the Research Platform on Sport (OPS, Sport Vlaanderen).
External positions
Visiting Professor, Victoria University
2017 → …
Professor, Utrecht University
2013 → 2016
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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AIIFUND142: Optimizing elite sport policies in Luxembourg: a data-driven policy assessment and practical steps to develop international sporting success.
De Bosscher, V. (Administrative Promotor)
1/10/25 → 31/03/27
Project: Fundamental
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AIIFUND155: Inspiring and connecting effects of top-level sport
De Bosscher, V. (Administrative Promotor) & Derom, I. (CoI (Co-Promotor))
1/07/25 → 30/09/27
Project: Fundamental
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AIIFUND156: Visibility and reach of top-level sport
De Bosscher, V. (Administrative Promotor) & Derom, I. (CoI (Co-Promotor))
1/07/25 → 30/09/27
Project: Fundamental
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VLOV221: OPS 2.0 - onderzoeksplatform Sport 2024-2029
Derom, I. (Administrative Promotor), De Bosscher, V. (CoI (Co-Promotor)), Van Limberghen, G. (CoI (Co-Promotor)) & De Wortelaer, J. (CoI (Co-Promotor))
1/11/24 → 31/10/29
Project: Fundamental
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VLOV228: Social impact measurement of events
Derom, I. (Administrative Promotor), Smismans, S. (Collaborator), Van der Steen, L. (Collaborator) & De Bosscher, V. (CoI (Co-Promotor))
1/05/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Fundamental
Research output
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Sport policy in the Philippines: Institutional dynamics and context conditions
Ramos, R. A. & De Bosscher, V., 5 Feb 2026, In: International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. 45 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Understanding the context of elite sport system through an organisational neo-institutional lens
Ramos, R. A., De Bosscher, V., Jacobs, S. D. & Pankowiak, A., 29 May 2026, Managing High Performance Sport: Second edition. Sotiriadou, P. & De Bosscher, V. (eds.). 2nd ed. London: Routledge, p. 105-120 16 p. (Foundations of Sport Management).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Research › peer-review
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A case study on leveraging elite athlete role models to promote sport participation among youth within a non-profit organisation
Praet, L., Derom, I. (Contributor), Smismans, S. (Contributor) & De Bosscher, V. (Contributor), 12 Dec 2025. 1 p.Research output: Unpublished contribution to conference › Poster
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Direct support for athletes from the armed forces in successful European sporting nations
Weber, A. & Bosscher, V. D., 20 Nov 2025, Sport Management in Europe. Mrkonjic , M., Bayle , E., Klenk , C. & Schwizer , D. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., p. 178-193 16 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure) -
Evaluation of operational quality of youth sport clubs: application of the importance-performance analysis
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Willem, A. & Scheerder, J., 2025, In: International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. 25, 1, p. 25-49 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile18 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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De maatschappelijke impact van topsport in België
De Bosscher, V. (Creator), Descheemaeker, K. (Creator), Derom, I. (Creator) & Van Roey, A. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 6 Jul 2026
Dataset
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De maatschappelijke impact van topsport in Vlaanderen
De Bosscher, V. (Creator), Descheemaeker, K. (Creator), Derom, I. (Creator) & Van Roey, A. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 6 Jul 2026
Dataset
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La valeur sociale du sport de haut niveau
De Bosscher, V. (Creator), Descheemaeker, K. (Creator), Derom, I. (Creator) & Van Roey, A. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 6 Jul 2026
Dataset
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Omnibus: La valeur sociale du sport de haut niveau
De Bosscher, V. (Creator), Descheemaeker, K. (Creator), Derom, I. (Creator) & Van Roey, A. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 6 Jul 2026
Dataset
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Omnibus: De maatschappelijke meerwaarde van topsport in Vlaanderen
De Bosscher, V. (Creator), Descheemaeker, K. (Creator), Derom, I. (Creator) & Van Roey, A. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 6 Jul 2026
Dataset
Prizes
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2010 JMST Research Award for the best research study in 2010
De Bosscher, V. (Recipient), 29 May 2011
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Paper Award Sport Management Review - SMAANZ
De Bosscher, V. (Recipient), 27 Nov 2008
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best PhD Dissertation in Sport Management in Brazil
Martins Patatas, J. (Recipient) & De Bosscher, V. (Recipient), 13 Mar 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Certificate of excellence poster presentation SASMA: The effectiveness of the South African Sport Academy System towards High Performance Sport development
Jacobs, S. D. (Recipient), De Bosscher, V. (Recipient) & Venter, R. (Recipient), 24 Oct 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Gaston Beunen VBSW-award
Descheemaeker, K. (Recipient) & De Bosscher, V. (Recipient), 10 Dec 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File
Activities
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Taskforce topsport: Leerstoel topsportbeleid
Nica, J. (Speaker) & De Bosscher, V. (Speaker)
22 Apr 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a workshop/seminar
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A case study on leveraging elite athlete role models to promote sport participation in youth within a non-profit organisation
Praet, L. (Speaker), De Bosscher, V. (Contributor), Smismans, S. (Contributor) & Derom, I. (Contributor)
4 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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Sport policy in the Philippines: Institutional dynamics and context conditions
Ramos, R. A. (Presenter) & De Bosscher, V. (Presenter)
23 Aug 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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Societal value of elite sport: Understanding how athletes as role models can facilitate societal values
Praet, L. (Invited speaker), Smismans, S. (Contributor), Derom, I. (Contributor) & De Bosscher, V. (Contributor)
26 Mar 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a workshop/seminar
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Publieke percepties over de kenmerken en het gedrag van topsporters als rolmodellen
Praet, L. (Invited speaker), De Bosscher, V. (Contributor), Smismans, S. (Contributor), Stas, L. (Contributor) & Derom, I. (Contributor)
3 Dec 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
Press/Media
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Kwaliteit en kwantiteit van jeugdsportwerking binnen Vlaamse sportfederaties - Infographic -
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Willem, A. & Scheerder, J.
15/12/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Sporttakoverschrijdende logische map: kwaliteit en participatieverhoging van jeugdsport in Vlaamse federaties (n=41)
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Scheerder, J. & Willem, A.
15/12/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Sporten in tijden van crisis - Profiel van de corona-sporter
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Scheerder, J., Willem, A. & Thibaut, E.
1/05/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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De coronasporter is geboren
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Willem, A., Scheerder, J. & Thibaut, E.
11/04/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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VUB, UGent en KULeuven onderzoeken er in deze lockdown meer of minder aan sport wordt gedaan
Ricour, M., De Bosscher, V., Scheerder, J., Willem, A. & Thibaut, E.
6/04/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Other