A solid disappointment for students who can exercise cheaply through their university or university: the government wants to put an end to the subsidized student sports centers. According to the ministry, the support is unfair competition. In Tilburg, students will take hundreds of euros extra costs per year to keep exercising.
“Sport has been offered since the 1960s as part of student life, so that you as a student can not only work on your mental, but also on your physical health,” says Paul Hoeijmans, head of the Tilburg University Sports Center. Universities and colleges see it as a public task to make this possible. “We do that with resources we get from the government, and that is actually fine.” But the government now thinks differently.
The Ministry of Education states that public money is not intended for sports facilities, cultural activities or canteens. These facilities are in principle private, the ministry writes in a letter to all education boards in MBO, HBO and WO. Certainly not if the commercial market is disturbed. According to the rules, it is not actually allowed, but from 2026 it will be maintained much stricter.
“If this continues, the student sport will stop.”
In Tilburg, more than 12,000 students from three educational institutions use the sports facilities of the university. For the students it means more than just exercising, Mandy Braam knows. She speaks on behalf of the umbrella organization of 23 student sports associations that are all run by students. From cricket to squash and from skating to jiu-jitsu, the range is diverse. “It is a community with many associations where you get to know new people, leave weekends together and can try out new sports.”
The lower price keeps it affordable for students who have less to spend. In addition, the financial support of the university is indispensable. “If this is indeed implemented, then the student sport actually stops. It is then no longer affordable,” said Mandy.
“From 200 to 700 euros per year.”
Howijmans also indicates that the cabinet’s measures can mean the end of the student sport. The University in Tilburg has calculated that the costs for a student sports subscription can rise without support from around 200 to no less than 700 euros per year. That is because universities are then no longer allowed to offer their own sports buildings, fields and materials for free, but have to rent out at commercial rates.
“Most students cannot imagine that this will really disappear,” says Mandy. If the plans become more concrete, they do not exclude action. Hoeijmans hopes that the Ministry of Education will return to the decision.