Sports clubs moan under energy costs: “Worse than the corona crisis”

And there is so much more. According to the clubs, the situation is now worse than during the corona crisis, because then they received support.

“Energy costs unsustainable”

“You have to count that from an energy cost of 100 to 120,000 euros that we can easily go to times three, times four, it is also the hot water for the showers. But of course it is the heating of a room with 5,000 seats. .”

The message from Jurgen Vanpraet, the boss of basketball club BC Oostende is clear. The enormous energy cost to heat up the hall to 21 degrees in winter is unsustainable.

“This room is constantly warmed up because we not only have the basketball school where the continuous training, this is not only the home of Filou Oostende, but also the home of the wheelchair basketball players who have nowhere else to go and can also use this room for free from us. .”

If the government does not intervene, BCO will have to work on a smaller scale, says Vanpraet. A scenario she absolutely wants to avoid.

“I think we should do everything we can to keep energy costs as low as possible, these are small interventions. But the increase is so great that you can’t do anything even with small interventions. It is time for the government to take measures quickly. to take.”

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“Worse than corona crisis”

And at volleyball club Knack Roeselare they also feel the rising energy prices: the costs are rising across the board: from the petrol for the vehicle fleet to the energy costs in the players’ houses that the club rents.

Dirk Spencenier- Director Knack Volley Roeselare: “That’s just the beginning, then we still have the inflation that will start to play because energy prices have risen so much, so that we had an additional cost of 30% for catering if we include that. once 40,000 then we quickly go to 100,000 euros No, that’s not possible -Is it worse than the corona crisis? -Why? We have received support during the corona crisis. Now that is a situation that you have to solve yourself, we can’t go to anyone now. The corona story was different, there was more solidarity. Now it’s going to be different.”