Member associations of Region 3
Northern/Western Europe
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Denmark, Netherlands
These four associations represent 450 clubs:
Noord-Brabantse Federatie van Schuttersgilden
Noord-Brabantse Federatie van Schuttersgilden (NBFS)
The Association of Archery Guilds of North Brabant was founded on 7 December 1935. The association is an amalgamation of 6 independent regional circles of archery guilds, whose most important unifying element is the brotherhood between the guild members, which is traditionally based on the Holy Scriptures in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church and to which every guild member is personally committed.
Purpose: To maintain and enhance the reputation of the archery guilds, to uphold the spirit and traditions of the Brabant shooting guilds in their entirety and to refine, develop and promote the guild system in the broadest sense, while acting in the interests of the shooting guilds in accordance with the intentions of the founders and benefactors of the shooting guilds and maintaining and preserving the character they have had since their inception.
Oud-Limburgse Schuttersfederatie
Oud-Limburgse Schuttersfederatie (Dé O.L.S.)
The 173 Dutch and Belgian Limburg shooting clubs currently have around 10,000 members from 10 shooting associations.
The first militia association was founded in Maasbracht in 1888. The aim was to offer archers from Maasbracht, Maasniel and Swalmen more opportunities to compete and to agree on ‘rules of the game’. Shooting clubs soon followed throughout the province of Limburg.
- On 6 April 1931, it was decided in Roermond to found an umbrella organisation for shooters, the ‘Limburgschen Schuttersbond’.
- In 1937, it was renamed Federatieve Bond van schutterijen in Limburg.
- In 1948, the merger of two Belgian-Limburg archery associations led to another name change: ‘De Federatie van Bonden van Schutterijen, Schietverenigingen en Broederschappen’ (The Association of Shooting Clubs, Shooting Associations and Brotherhoods in Dutch and Belgian Limburg).
- In 1965, the statutes were amended to make archers from both Limburgs full members of this association. The association was given its current name, ‘Alter Limburger Schützenbund’ (Dé O.L.S.).
Federatie van Gelderse Schuttersgilden
Schuttersnet is the information and meeting centre for guilds and shooters in Gelderland. Schuttersnet is an initiative of the Federatie van Gelderse Schuttersgilden and the St. Hubertus shooters. This is an organisation that supports and strengthens the shooting guilds and archers in Gelderland.
Det Broderlige Papegoye Compagnie
Det Broderlige Papegoye Compagnie, also known as Skånska armborstgillet, this is a cultural and historical guild dedicated to preserving the guild traditions that have existed in Skåne since the Middle Ages. The guild was founded on 14 and 15 May 1977.
The original founders were Nils-Gustaf Wallin, Carl Erik Hellström and Sigvard Olsson, who had a keen interest in crossbows and history. We are interested in historical crossbow shooting and organise the Papegoyeskjutning every year, where we shoot Goja on a pole, the Fughlaskjutning, where we shoot Goja with an apple, sceptre and heart, and the Skiveskjutning, where we shoot at a target with ten rings using a balance crossbow.
We wear historical clothing at our gatherings. When there is a festival, we have festive costumes, but otherwise we wear simpler costumes with a medieval cut. We regularly take part in historical events throughout Skåne, where we present our guild and give visitors the opportunity to try their hand at crossbow shooting.
The Executive Board of Region 3
Steven Vissers
Our newsletter is published every quarter.
If you have a news item you’d like to share, please email it to Steven Vissers. The deadline for submissions for the next newsletter is September 24, 2025.
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