Tilburg Bridge clubs are in need. Their favorite cafe stops or the rent is increased so much that it is no longer affordable. Of the six bridge clubs, five are in acute problems: “Damn right there”, says Adri Hartsuiker of bridge club Theseus that has to leave the permanent place after 37 years.
Heart sugar is still with Theseus in the Denksportcentrum on the Bredaseweg. But not for long: “Our manager is going to stop. The Denksportcentrum was originally a pub. The manager took it over twelve years ago, on the condition that it had to be available mainly for mind sports for at least ten years.”
That went well for a long time, until there was no income for months due to corona. Now the case is going to end. There is no takeover candidate, says Hartsuiker: “There is too little turnover. Because during the day and at the weekend nothing happens, only on weekday evenings were we there or a chess club.”
End of an era, because Theseus (founded 1985 and 150 members) always played in the same Denksportcentrum. “Now we have to look for another location and that is difficult, because there are only few places available.”
“I promised before the holidays that the contribution will not go up.”
And the places that are there raise the rent considerably. The bridge club in De Blaak notices this. They now pay ten euros for a half-day in sports café De Blaak, which will be eleven euros per hour: a threefold increase. Chairman Noud van Woerkom is not happy with it: “Before the holidays I promised the members that the contribution will not be increased. Well, if the plans don’t change, it has to go up anyway.”
Members of De Blaak now pay 70 euros for their membership. Van Woerkom expects that to be 110 euros: “I hope our members can afford that. But the costs are rising on all sides and this is added anyway. At some point you have to make choices.”
Bridgeclub De Blaak rents from the municipality. Van Woerkom feels surprised by the rent increase: “We only heard about it very late. Otherwise we would have taken action much earlier. I do not get it either. Because I think running the sports café is cost-effective. And most bridge clubs are mostly seniors. That should motivate you to exercise. The municipality should enthuse us, right?”
The political party Lokaal Tilburg has now asked questions about the rent increase to the Tilburg city council. The party wants the municipality to sit down with the bridge clubs to find a solution.
“Maybe we can sit together in one place?”
Theseus does not yet know when to leave their permanent home. The future is also uncertain for bridge club WAC, now that their permanent place Boerke Mutsaers is closing. Adri Hartsuiker of Theseus thinks that cooperation with other clubs can be a solution: “We are now in contact with other clubs that are also in trouble. Maybe we can sit together in one place so that it is better filled.”
