About the park
Organisation
The Spoorpark Foundation has a clear structure, with an executive board that holds ultimate responsibility for implementing the charter. After the development phase of the first few years, the board now mainly operates in the background. Responsibility for and implementation of agreements, as well as day-to-day management and the development of annual plans, have been assigned to park manager Sophie Peters. She is therefore the primary person responsible.
In 2025, the board consisted of Anita de Haas, Laura de Jongh, Catelijne de Rijk, Mitch de Man, Lucy Bathgate and Noud Derks. Halfway through the year, Lucy Bathgate and Noud Derks stepped down. Catelijne de Rijk and Mitch de Man had already joined the board earlier and took on new roles within it. Catelijne became secretary, and Mitch became a general board member.
Our Team
In addition to Sophie, Anja Eijkemans, Theo Horsten and Marieke Ordelmans also work for the park. Anja is assistant park manager and volunteer coordinator. This means she is responsible for ensuring that general communication from the park to the volunteers runs smoothly. Theo serves as caretaker and groundskeeper. He works to maintain the park’s well-kept, green appearance. Marieke is responsible for the website, social media and all other forms of communication from the park in her role as content marketer.
Volunteers
The Spoorpark can count on a large group of highly committed volunteers, divided into various teams: a team of green workers, litter pickers, handymen, park coaches, and tower keepers. Theo Horsten, along with the green volunteers, maintains all the greenery in the park throughout the year. Cleaning elements such as the grandstand, boulevard, and stairs is also part of their work. The litter pickers ensure the daily removal of litter, even on weekends. The tower keepers group maintains the Kempentoren daily and checks it before closing time. The volunteer coordinators oversee the litter pickers, park coaches, and green volunteers. The park manager can turn to the handyman team for renovation and maintenance work on elements in the park and office building.
Social Advisory Council
The Social Advisory Council (hereinafter referred to as the SAC) provides the foundation and its park partners with impartial and unbiased feedback on the implementation of the charter and the Governance Code, and advises them accordingly. It consists of 8-12 members who serve for a maximum of (twice) four years each and share their observations with the attendees at biennial meetings. Members of the SAC:
- Serve on a personal basis for a maximum period of 4 years;
- Receive only reimbursement for travel and any accommodation expenses;
- Are independent and represent sectors such as leisure, events, hospitality, sports, youth, entrepreneurship, participation, and ecology;
- Have a strong affinity with the city of Tilburg and its residents;
- Provide both solicited and unsolicited advice, gather information, and stay informed;
- Oversee the composition and succession of board members;
- Assess the profile drafted by the board and recruit for succession;
- Do not have a supervisory role over the board;
- Are not a legal entity;
- Do not nominate board members themselves.
