The association
The organisation of the Elfstedentocht
The Royal Association The Friesian Eleven Cities (Koninklijke Vereniging De Friesche Elf Steden) aims to promote the sport of ice skating, particularly by organising the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) on ice, if possible, annually.
The association consists of a board of 10 people and has over 32,000 members. Each year, the board, together with the district heads, assistant district heads, and many volunteers, organises the Elfstedentocht. Whether the event can ultimately take place depends on the weather. A minimum ice thickness of 15 centimetres is required across the entire route for the Elfstedentocht to take place.
The members of the association come together on a yearly basis on the second saturday of december in the general members meeting.
Role of the association
The Koninklijke Vereniging De Friesche Elf Steden organises the Elfstedentocht. However: the organisation involves more than just the events taking place on the ice. Think of the thousands of visitors who come to Friesland when The tour is going to take place. De Veiligheidsregio Fryslân (the coöperation between the fire departments and health services in the province) is in coöperation with emergency services, transportation services, Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality responsible for everything that does not take place on the ice. Think about the transportation of visitors and crowd control in the cities along the route.
The association is responsible for everything that happens on the ice and the participants of the tour. This way, all responsibilities are well shared. Of course the association works closely with collaborating partners to ensure the Elfstedentocht will be held and will be memorable for everyone involved.
