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The KNVB plays a central role in Dutch football and in society. To realise the KNVB’s ambition and mission towards 2030 and beyond, a clear and future-proof employer brand is essential. Not merely to fill vacancies, but to attract and retain the best people for this organisation with a social impact. Together with ZUID, the KNVB redefined its employer identity. The aim of the project was not only to lay the foundations for a new, standalone layer of communication, but above all to create a strategic tool for culture, leadership and reputation. The result is an employer brand that is recognised and embraced internally, and appeals externally to a new and diverse talent pool.
The KNVB has a strong mission, a committed management team, a great deal of internal pride and a strong sense of team spirit. But this large organisation also faces complexities. Think of the high level of daily urgency, divergent interests and perspectives, and decision-making that takes place under intense time pressure. There is no lack of ambition, but in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, too little attention was paid to fundamental choices. Who do we want to be as an employer, now and in the future? Which priorities do we emphasise, and which do we deliberately not?
ZUID created space for focus and direction. In strategic sessions with the management and core teams, we articulated beliefs and ambitions and uncovered tensions between identity and image. Our role was not to create something new, but to distil, connect and sharply position what was already there. Our ZUID team certainly knew their stuff. They developed a clear employer branding strategy, a strategic compass.
That strategy formed the basis for a comprehensive message house (communication framework) with a clear core promise, well-supported pillars and practical language. As a result, the KNVB now has a consistent and credible foundation for communication, HR and leadership.
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In this project, we acted as the ‘critical friend’ to the leading figure in Dutch football. We helped the KNVB not to avoid tensions, but to harness them. The tensions between performance and social impact, between ambition and humanity, and between the individual and the collective, became the core of the employer’s identity. We connected these contradictions to create a multi-layered, credible employer narrative.
This narrative is not an end product, but a guiding framework for realising the intended employer identity through behaviour, choices and development. A foundation that grows alongside the organisation and its undeniably significant social role.
Ook bouwen aan werkgeverschap dat richting geeft aan de toekomst van je organisatie? Ervaar het ZUID-effect.
Beyond the unexpected
