– It’s starting to get scary, says Kate Tømmervold to news. The manager of the Trønder club Klæbu IL is worried. Before, she received perhaps one inquiry a month from families who could not afford to pay for their children’s sports. Now the situation is completely different. – There are two to three e-mails every other day. It has become another threshold for saying that you need help, says Tømmervold, who is the day-to-day manager of a sports club with 1,600 members. But there is a difference from before. Now also family members with permanent jobs and houses come with a plea for help. Concerned news has contacted a number of sports clubs in Norway. Club managers see a worrying development. The problem of paying for membership fees and training fees is no longer just a problem of poverty. In various parts of the country, there are reports of an increasing problem: – It is expensive to live. The shopping cart is more expensive. The stream is more expensive. Then the sports offer is perhaps the first thing that comes up in a family, says Marius Sigolsen, who is the day-to-day manager of Bøler IF, on Oslo’s eastern edge. People from all walks of life live there. Sigolsen sees an alarming development. The number of those who are struggling is increasing. This also applies to middle-class families. – It is not only those who have general living conditions challenges. But simply everyone, says Sigolsen. He nevertheless states that they should never say no to children. – But we are forced to be allowed money, so we manage to include everyone, says Sigolsen. Marius Sigolsen, daily manager of Bøler IF. Photo: news Many struggles Several clubs in different parts of the country tell the same story. But it also varies how the club, which has been contacted by news, is framed. Municipal activity cards help in some places. Others, on the other hand, fear the consequences of the increasing problems. – It makes me sick to my stomach to think about saying no to children, who will not be allowed to train because they are unable to pay the membership fee and training fee. The fear is that it will be like this, says May-Liss Ryan in Steinkjer Fotballklubb. People from all walks of life live in the center of the Trønder city. Recently, Ryan, who is responsible for inclusion at the club, has seen how the payment problem has increased. – We have approximately 400 players in the club and 90 players state that they cannot pay for cups, membership fees and training fees, says May Liss Ryan in Steinkjer Football Club. Several club managers news has spoken to see an alarming trend in children’s sports. Here from children’s training in the Oslo area Photo: NTB Last year there was just under NOK 200,000 in training fees that did not come in. But the payment problem is increasing. It happened again in several of the clubs news has been in contact with. This is happening at the same time that figures from the Debt Register this spring have shown that consumer debt is increasing in Norway. At the same time, the number of debt collection cases has also increased. Ryan sees that the rise in prices in society otherwise makes it more difficult for “ordinary” people to pay all expenses. It also affects the club to a large extent. – Now there are also those with a permanent job and a house, who cannot manage this because the expenses in everyday life have become so great. They must prioritize activities for the children, says Ryan. The club has an equipment shed, and also organizes evening meals every Monday. People can eat a hot meal there for NOK 20. It is also open to those who are not members of the club. – A boy who came took some food home with him when the evening meal was finished. It turned out that he had not eaten all day. It says something about the society we live in, says Ryan. Take action Even in the resource-rich urban areas, they notice the problem. – That we are talking about 20-30 per cent more cases than before is absolutely certain, says Tyge Carlsen, the manager of IK Gimletroll in Kristiansand. Especially in the last six months, he has seen that something has happened. Outstanding payment of membership fees and training fees increases. Clubs say that they have several hundred thousand kroner outstanding in membership dues and training fees. The picture was taken earlier. Photo: NTB He points out that the club is lucky to be located in a very well-resourced area of the city. It’s not a red alert for the club yet, but there is a trend. – We see that what we can call normal families must start to be prioritized. Such bills come further back in the pile than otherwise, says Carlsen. To help those who are struggling, they have now set aside a larger pot of money. Their team will also not play more than two cups a year in the future. The club manager emphasizes that it is in the teenage years that sports become more expensive. – Familiar usually has two to three children who travel to tournaments outside the city and training camps. Then it quickly becomes 10,000-15,000 a year to have a child in an activity, says Carlsen. Calls for action Chair of the Oslo Sports Circle Marcela Bustos wants to curb a price war in Norwegian children’s and youth sports. The head of the Oslo Sports Club, Marcela Bustos, is now asking the various sports to map out their own activity and what level it should be at. – What level of activity do six-year-olds need? What do ten-year-olds need and what do fourteen-year-olds need? Sports must take responsibility for making this clear. Because that will stop a professionalisation gallop, says Bustos. Klæbu manager Kate Tømmervold comes with a warning finger in the direction of sports president Berit Kjøll. Kate Tømmervold demands action from the sports leaders. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – One cannot stand on the throne and say that sport is for everyone. Then you have to practice it. I don’t know that being done today. From words to action, there is something we are missing, says Tømmervold. Among other things, she is frustrated that the club has been refused municipal funds this year, which goes beyond those with extra needs this summer. This applies, for example, to the offer for persons with reduced functional capacity. – Shared responsibility Sports president Kjøll sees that the situation has escalated sharply. She calls it a family financial crisis. – What action during your presidency do you think has yielded results in the fight against sports becoming too expensive for people? – Here I am referring to what we in the sports board have seen on the agenda. We have dealt with this issue on several occasions and we are following it up closely. One thing is what we do against the authorities. Another thing is what the sport itself does, says Kjøll. Sports president Berit Kjøll takes a serious view of the payment problem in Norwegian sports. Photo: BILDBYRÅN She points out that she is challenging the leaders of the various special associations on what they are doing with finances as a barrier in their sport. Kjøll emphasizes that they have a system where associations that work actively with this are allocated more money. – This is not about pointing fingers at each other. We all have a shared responsibility to ensure that all children and young people actually get to participate in sport, says Kjøll.
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Now people struggle with jobs and houses to pay for the children – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
