A lack of accommodation and sports facilities is not new on campus. Back in 2018, the Uraad expressed its concerns. In the years that followed, UT continued to grow in student numbers and so the demand for sports club membership also increased. In 2022, an air-supported dome and a temporary dance hall were supposed to provide short-term relief, but neither came to pass.
Two new teams
The lack of space has caused VV Drienerlo to operate with a membership freeze for a long time. 'Before the summer, around eighty people were on the waiting list,' says chairman Joseph Brugger. In the summer, the club got rid of that waiting list in one go, partly by setting up two new teams. 'But now we have a waiting list of eighty people again. Students who would like to play football at our club have to wait until next season.'
Brugger balks at the fact that Drienerlo is completely at the limit in terms of membership. 'We just want to be welcoming towards interested footballers, but that is not possible now. More space would be a solution, but we understand that is not a cheap solution.'
According to chairman Jasper Muskee, the situation at Harambee is similar, although he says the volleyball club has actually been at or over the limit for many years. 'At the end of the academic year, there is always some space released by students quitting. Then there is room for the new batch, but during Kick-In we often get hundreds of applications. The queue scares off a large part of them, but even then there is not enough space.'
Training until midnight
Muskee says about 35 interested volleyball players are currently waiting for a spot at Harambee. 'We work with three lines. Men's, women's and an internal league. There is no room in any of those lines right now.' According to the chairman, the cause is obvious: a shortage of space. 'We already train until midnight on weekdays. The Sports Centre tries hard to help and we really appreciate that. During the season, some space arises here and there, but that doesn't make the waiting list disappear.'
