Tough times for sports clubs, sports halls and swimming pools. Due to the high energy prices, the costs are almost unaffordable. And members are at risk of being the victims of this. That is why SportDrenthe has pinned its hopes on the central government and the municipalities.
“Everyone is currently looking for solutions for sports associations,” says director Mieke Zijl of the representative. “Because it would be a bad scenario if members had to pay more contributions to save clubs. But associations have their backs against the wall.”
Sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF has sent Minister Conny Helder of Sport a burning letter about the problems at the various sports accommodations due to the rising energy prices. General director Marc van den Tweel wants to use the letter to once again convey his “great concerns” about the impact of the rising taxes on sport. A spokeswoman confirms this following reports from De Telegraaf. NOC*NSF also fears that sport will no longer be accessible to everyone if the contributions increase due to the high costs.
Until measures are introduced, NOC*NSF sees an important role for municipalities. “In consultation with operators at the local level, they can best assess what support is needed in specific situations to keep sports providers afloat in the short term,” writes Van den Tweel. He asks the minister to call on the municipalities to generously support ‘sports providers’ in this situation and to enable the municipalities to fulfill this role.
Mieke Zijl endorses the NOC*NSF emergency call. “Although I have not yet heard of acute problems at associations in Drenthe. But many clubs will notice this. Take a tennis club. They sometimes also have a hall where lights are on and the heating has to be turned on. If the advance goes up, then this will have to be paid.”
SportDrenthe itself can do little for clubs that are in acute trouble. “We lobby towards the central government and keep our finger on the pulse of municipalities. We can also contribute ideas to various savings that can be implemented and encourage clubs to become more sustainable,” says Zijl. A provincial plan has been set up for this purpose together with the Nature and Environment Federation. “Fortunately, many associations have already made use of this. Those associations will now be happy with it. But it is also a good investment in the longer term.”