Students stand up for student sport

It came a bit out of the blue: sport is becoming more expensive for students and staff at universities and universities of applied sciences. A sports pass could cost up to 500 euros more per year, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (UNL) warns.

That’s because the ministry has ‘clarified’ the financial rules in higher education. Educational institutions are essentially only allowed to spend money on teaching, research and the dissemination of knowledge. And therefore not on sports (or culture, canteens and so on).

“This is, to put it mildly, pretty disastrous”, says Luuk Minnaar, chair of Studentensport Nederland. Around 120,000 students at mbo, hbo and university use the student sports centres, he says. Some 400 student sports associations rely on these centres.

Sport has a long tradition in higher education. Many of the associations have been around for decades. Some rowing clubs even date back to the 19th century.

Thanks to the sports centres, you can try out dozens of sports during your time as a student, says Minnaar: tennis, kickboxing, dodgeball, climbing… “It’s ideal. You arrive in a new city, what do you do? Many students discover a sport they end up practising for the rest of their lives.”

He fears a downward spiral: if it becomes more expensive, fewer students will take part in sports, which then drives the price up even further, and so on. And that’s despite sport yielding so many benefits, such as lower healthcare costs. “According to researchers, the societal return is 2.76 times the cost”, says Minnaar.

Then there are the typical benefits of any student association: you make friends and get a chance to grow personally. Students gain valuable experience by serving on committees and boards.

The Dutch Student Union (LSVb) believes it is ‘time for tough action’ now that the government is putting student health at risk, says chair Abdelkader Karbache. “Once again, students are being bullied by this coalition.” He says he has received many concerned reactions, so it won’t be hard to mobilise students.

What does the union have in mind? “We could, for example, go rowing in the Hofvijver in The Hague, or show up at the ministry with vuvuzelas”, he says. “But hopefully the House of Representatives will block the plan. We’ll wait and see.”

Municipalities will also run into trouble because of this policy, Karbache predicts. Where are all those students supposed to go to play sport? Local councils often already support sports clubs in their area. What will be left of that if they also have to deal with student sport?

The news has indeed caused a stir in municipal councils, says MP Luc Stultiens of GroenLinks–PvdA. In cities such as Rotterdam, Nijmegen, Groningen, Wageningen and Tilburg, members of his party have submitted questions to local administrators: what’s going to happen here? And will they raise the issue in The Hague?

“It’s not yet on everyone’s radar what this actually means”, Stultiens fears. To change the government’s mind, he plans to submit a motion soon. He hopes a parliamentary majority will back him.

He’s optimistic. “The new policy doesn’t solve any actual problem. And from left to right, everyone in parliament agrees on the importance of student wellbeing and sport.”

City councillor and student Mina Morkoç (GroenLinks) is worried. “There are 13,000 students participating in sports at Erasmus Sport, of which 6,000 are members of a student sports association. If those associations need to rely on municipal subsidies or other funding sources in the future, we have a problem. I’m concerned that not all of these associations will be sustainable.”

Last Friday, she submitted written questions to the board of mayor and aldermen regarding the future of student sports in Rotterdam and what the board is willing to do about it. “I hope the alderman dares to speak strongly in favour of preserving student sports, for example in a letter to the minister.”

Morkoç herself was a member of the tennis club Passing Shot. “I found it very valuable to meet people from other fields of study there. Sport is not just a luxury or a form of relaxation, but also contributes to broad education and wellbeing. That is important in student life. Especially in a city like Rotterdam, where students face high rents and expensive groceries and where student life is spread across the city and many different educational institutions. Sports associations provide connection and a place for people to come together.”

Student organisations are doing their best to talk to political parties about the issue. “It’s a heavy blow for student sports associations”, says Mylou Miché, chair of the Dutch National Student Association (ISO).

She says the policy is already doing damage, with new investments in sports facilities being postponed. She hopes the House of Representatives will soon rein in the minister. “Let’s just grant student sport an exceptional status. It shouldn’t be sacrificed just because the rules are suddenly being interpreted differently.”

Education Minister Eppo Bruins is, for now, sticking to his position. He wants to ‘safeguard the boundaries of public funding’ and prevent market disruption. He bases his stance in part on an opinion from the state advocate.

That opinion, however, states that an exception is possible for matters of public interest. “Local governments have, for example, applied this exception to offer sports facilities at below-market rates”, the advice reads. “The policy rule does not include such an exception, but it is conceivable.”