Fonds Niels Smith

Een aanvraag voor ondersteuning vanuit het Fonds Niels Smith kan jaarlijks voor 14 maart gedaan worden bij Henri ten Klooster, Hoofd sportcentrum de Bongerd.

De aanvraag kun je indienen met behulp van het onderstaande aanvraagformulier.

Een bijdrage vanuit het Fonds Niels Smith is eenmalig. De bijdrage kan worden besteed aan stages/trainingskampen, deelname aan toernooien of materiaalkosten. Personele kosten komen niet voor vergoeding in aanmerking.

Wil je in aanmerking komen voor ondersteuning, dan moet je:

• Ingeschreven zijn als WUR student
• Opgenomen zijn in het WUR topsportprogramma
• Geen of beperkte ondersteuning ontvangen van andere fondsen of NOC*NSF
• Bij voorkeur erkend zijn (geweest) door NOC*NSF

De Niels Smith sportbeurs is dit jaar toegekend aan lacrosse speler Iepe Bouw (29, masterstudent Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering) en badmintonspeler Kelly van Buiten (22, bachelorstudent Gezondheid en Maatschappij).

Boris van Hunnik (19) is a bachelor student in Biotechnology who plays in the national 3x3 wheelchair basketball training team and participates in the premier league with his own club team. He and his team are national champions in 3x3 wheelchair basketball. His aim is to progress from the national training team to the national men's team. After four years of intensive use, his sports wheelchair needs to be replaced, which the grant can cover. Lauren Heijnsdijk (19) is a bachelor student in Molecular Life Sciences and plays in Ladies 1 of the softball club UVV (Utrecht). The Ladies 1 play in the national league, the highest possible level in the Netherlands. After successful participation in the junior national U18 team last year, she can now train with the national women's team. Her ambition is to become a regular player in this team. To achieve this, she wants to take extra training as a pitcher, for which she can use her sports grant.

Handball player Esma Staal (20) plays in the premier league at VZV in the North Holland village of 't Veld. She also competes in European competitions with her team. Staal is also part of the Jong Oranje (under twenty). Sofie Dokter (19) from Groningen won gold at the Dutch heptathlon championship in 2022 and competed at the European championship this summer, where she finished 13th. Both athletes are getting better and better in their sport discipline and we hope to give them a boost to the top with this scholarship.

On March 26, 2020, student and sailor Floortje Hoogstede was awarded a grant of 1500 euros by the Niels Smith Fund.

Hoogstede, a third-year BSc Nutrition and Health student, was active as a sailor in the Laser Radial class, a one-man boat, until the corona crisis. “I am very happy with the award, because the contribution gives me the opportunity to continue sailing,” says Hoogstede. She would actually stop with major sailing events because of the costs: over 500 euros per event. “Except for clothing, which I get from my sponsor Magic Marine, I have to pay for almost everything myself; I pretty much emptied my piggy bank last year.’ Unfortunately, Hoogstede cannot go to major sailing competitions for the time being. They have been canceled due to corona. As soon as she is allowed again, she will continue in team sailing, because she has outgrown the youth class with the Laser one-man boat. "I'm in a new team and together we will sail competitions on four and five-person boats."

On Wednesday 15 May, Wageningen student Emma Oosterwegel, who combined her studies with top sport, received a grant of 1500 euros from the Niels Smith Fund. The top athlete participated in indoor heptathlon, javelin throw and the studies Soil, Water and Atmosphere at the university. The scholarship awarded to her was intended as a contribution to the costs of material and participation in tournaments.

Emma Oosterwegel (20) made the transition to the senior athletes last year and immediately took the Dutch title in the indoor all-around. Based on that performance, she was allowed to make her debut at an international all-around in Ratingen, Germany.

In the summer of 2019 she participated in the European Championship under 23 in Sweden and reached the fourth place. She wants to use the grant to finance the costs for this, among other things. She participated in the European Athletics Championships. The grant was a helping hand to realize this dream.

Steffie belonged to the top of track cycling among the Dutch juniors. At the 2017 World Championships, she placed 2nd in the keirin section. She made the transition from the juniors to the promises in 2018. It was her ambition in 2018 to also make the step from the talent group to the top sports group among the U21s. In the next two to three years she developed to world level among women. The grant was a helping hand to realize this dream.

“I mainly wanted to use the fair to gain experience at international competitions, and I succeeded! In December 2018 the Dutch elites championship was held. There I came third twice. Shortly afterwards I also won a competition in Ghent. I then trained with the team in Mallorca for a while."

"This year I will participate in a number of exhibition competitions and I can also participate in the European Games in Belarus. This will be the biggest race I've ridden so far. I hope to learn a lot there and of course also enjoy it. I will continue to compete in the European Under-23 Championships, and hope to qualify for the European Elite Championships this year."

"Besides the fact that I was able to gain a lot of experience, I also bought new track shoes from the fair. These are very expensive, because they have to be made exactly to size with a mold.""Of course I also have to study. Sometimes I have full-time courses that last all day five days a week. Fortunately, my coach responds well to this and I can train in the evenings. In this way I manage to keep up with my studies and I still enjoy it.”

Two WUR students received a sport scholarship on 25 April 2017 to the amount of 1.500 euro of the Fund Niels Smith, one of the funds of University Fund Wageningen.

The students, Dèlenn van Oostrom (21) and Hilde Jager (19) were talented top athletes who got an extra impulse allowing them to combine their passion with their study.

Judoka Krijn Schetters studied Biosystems at Wageningen University. His ambition was to win medals at the European Cups. With help of the Fund Niels Smith he was able to combine his studies with being a judoka. Because of the Fund he had the possibility to participate in a few European contests, while also being able to buy new sports gear.

“I am so grateful for the support of the Fund Niels Smith, because of them I had the chance to reach my goals.”

Professional Latin dancer Dieuwertje de Wagenaar studies Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University. Three years ago she discovered dancing as her passion. Since then she worked very hard to get to the top. Her hard work was rewarded in 2014 when she participated in the finals of the Dutch Championships. “Thanks to the Fund Niels Smith I get more acknowledgement for my Latin dancing and that is something I am really grateful for."

Archer Carrie Wegh has followed the Master Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University. She achieved good results at the juniors and seniors competitions with her archery. Her goal is to participate in the Olympic Games. Carrie did not yet have a paid NOC*NSF status. She used the contribution from the fund to compensate for the extra costs that she makes in order to combine her archery with her studies.

Speed skater Mayon Kuipers followed the Food Technology study at the Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences. Her goal was to participate in the World Championships short track- and long track speed skating. She bought material with the contribution that she received from the fund.

Javelin thrower Evelien Dekker was a Master Food Technology student at Wageningen University. “I have been in track and field athletics since I was six years old. When I was 16, I began to specialise in spear- and discus throwing.” She caught the interest of various U.S. universities through her accomplishments at international junior competitions. She studied Food Science for four years at the University of Florida and combined her sports and study there. She became the U.S. student championships winner in javelin throwing in 2010. As a result of combining top sports with a study, Evelien could not take a student job, even though the costs of practicing this sport were considerable. Evelien was very happy with the contribution she received from the Fund Niels Smith.

Evelien gave shot put- and discus training to young athletes between 12-17 years old. “I hope the top in the Dutch javelin throw can convince the Dutch Athletics Association to invest more money in this wonderful element of track and field.”

Establishment of the fund

Niels Smith was a talented soccer player, sportsmanlike and very involved. His attitude was one that could turn a losing game into a winning attitude so his team would not only come close, but would actually win the game. That small push in the right direction was all that was needed.

Niels always knew when to give that extra impulse, no matter how small. His death, chosen by himself at 15 years of age, was an enormous blow. The impulse was gone. Something had to be done with the energy that Niels gave to sports during his short life. Of this his mother, Marianne Remmers, was immediately convinced.

His ‘sports energy’ must live on in one form or another and Marianne decided to create the Fund Niels Smith in his memory. A fund that provides sporters with that ‘small impulse’ to help them fulfil their dreams.

Marianne says, “My dream is to support talented Wageningen- or Van Hall Larenstein sporters in their specific sports programme, within or outside of the Netherlands. I would also like to support foreign top sporters who choose to combine a study at Wageningen University or Van Hall Larenstein with their sports programme.”