Right-wing coalition's VAT hike will make football season tickets unaffordable to many

The PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB coalition’s plan to put the cultural sector under the high VAT rate of 21 percent instead of the low VAT rate of 9 percent, also includes sports events. The plan will result in much more expensive tickets and season tickets and make things like football matches much less accessible, the sector told AD.

The cheapest season ticket at an Eredivisie club like Feyenoord for next season costs 385 euros. After the VAT hike, which will take effect in 2026, that same season ticket will cost around 430 euros. And that is without the annual price increase of around 5 percent that football clubs implement.

The KNVB called the measure “a slap in the face” of the country’s largest popular sport. According to the Dutch football association, the right-wing coalition is passing its bills on to football supporters, players, and clubs. “This affects people with a small wallet, and they are more likely to drop out due to the higher costs, especially in times of rising costs,” a KNVB spokesperson told AD.

“When it was decided 20 years ago that the tickets would be sold at the low VAT rate, agreements were made about the proceeds,” the KNVB spokesperson said. “Approximately 3.5 million euros are invested annually in youth football and the development of over 2,800 football clubs. The loss of this is disastrous for amateur football.”

Matthijs Keuneng of Supporters Collective Netherlands wonders whether the new coalition considered the effects of the measure. “The great thing about football stadiums is that many people with different backgrounds now come together there, a reflection of all levels of society. The danger is that a popular sport like football will soon become something for the elite.”

The coalition’s “main lines agreement” did not specifically mention sports in this measure. The sports world hopes that the parties just didn’t consider that the measure also impacts sporting events and will give them the same exception they did to cinemas and amusement parks.

The fact that sports are included in the measure only became clear in parliament last week when D66 leader Rob Jetten complained that his FC Twente season ticket would become more expensive.