Covid-19 hits Dutch sports sector hard
The Mulier Institute, an independent, non-profit, scientific sport-research institute in the Netherlands, has estimated that Covid-19 has caused EUR 0.4 to 0.6 billion damage to the Dutch sports sector.
According to the institute, close to 80% of the entrepreneurs in the culture, sports and leisure industry predicted what the result of the first six months of the year would be. The national average is 27% of companies consulted.
Almost seven in ten entrepreneurs in the sector experienced a drop in turnover during the second quarter of the year. None of the entrepreneurs interviewed experienced growth. In the third quarter, 82% of the companies experienced a drop, but 6% started to witness growth.
The Mulier Institute concluded that, thanks to the rescheduling of activities, the industry has managed to stay afloat. 13% of the entrepreneurs interviewed agreed that the forced closure of many sports facilities has resulted in them doing more specialised maintenance work or overhauling sports facilities prematurely.
Nevertheless, 40% of those interviewed claimed that scheduled investments took off at a lower pace than anticipated. 2% even claimed that some investments were put on hold completely, and 15% saw investments being scrapped.
The figures presented originate from the Dutch Business Survey (COEN). Each month, Dutch entrepreneurs are asked by the national statistics agency (CBS) about the developments in recent times and expectations for the coming period.
The measurement always takes place at the beginning of the reported quarter.
Loss for clubs is estimated to be EUR 1 billion
The Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) fears that sports associations, clubs and event organizers will lose an additional EUR 1 billion in revenue. NOC*NSF calculated the following losses for clubs and associations:
- Loss of contributions sports clubs: EUR 140 million
- Loss of income canteens: EUR 150 million
- Cancellation or postponement of (major) sporting events: EUR 200 million
- Loss of income for local entrepreneurs in sports: EUR 300 million
- Paid football: EUR 110 million
- Loss of income sports federations: EUR 50 million
This brings the total estimated damage to the sports sector up to 1 August to approximately EUR 950 million, according to NOC*NSF. Combined with the conclusion made by the Mulier Institute, the total loss could be in the region of EUR 1.5 billion.
