Sports clubs, swimming pools and village houses in Coevorden receive compensation from the municipality for the increased energy costs. And football association Sweel is very happy with that.
VV Sweel has already taken some drastic measures to bring down the expensive energy bill. For example, the canteen and the changing rooms are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so that the heating does not have to be on and the showers remain unused. “Per month we lose 2500 euros more than usual”, chairman Anita Klingenberg explains the seriousness of the situation. “We believe that we should also take responsibility ourselves.”
On Tuesday there was good news for VV Sweel and other sports clubs, swimming pools and village houses in Coevorden. A motion was passed in the city council stating that these organizations will be compensated with retroactive effect from 1 November in their extra (variable) energy costs. This arrangement should last at least six months, until April next year. The municipality will then look at a possible follow-up.
Klingenberg breathes a sigh of relief. “We are very happy with this,” she says. “We are a healthy association, but with these increases it is crazy. Fortunately, we have received understanding from our members. That is also the advantage of a village club: we receive many suggestions.”
It is still unclear exactly how much money will be transferred to the football club, but according to Klingenberg, the club’s energy bill is returning to ‘normal’ due to the compensation from the municipality. “We appreciate that the municipality recognizes that sport is important. Associations have a social function and we feel supported in that. What we absolutely did not want was to increase the contribution, which would cause us to lose members. This support helps enormously.”
The fees must be paid from the jar with unused corona funds. There is still about 350,000 to 400,000 euros in it. The rest must come from the general reserves of the municipality. Coevorden is also making 2 million euros available for sustainability.