KNVB happy with hard figures: professional football contributes more than 2 billion euros to the economy | Football

sport">“I am very happy with these hard figures,” said Eric Gudde, director of professional football at the KNVB. “I hope that this report will be sent to the right desk in The Hague, read and implemented. It is true that professional football has a ‘separate status’ during the Corona period this year, because football is also part of the solution, but for The Hague, sports and football are completely subordinate. I hope that with this report they will finally see how important it is. ”

sport">According to director Jan de Jong of the Eredivisie CV (ECV), the research shows the value of paid football for the economy. “Football does not cost money, it actually generates a lot of money. Often it is about the big earners. But they do pay 51 percent tax. This report objectively indicates, by a third party, how important football is. Not only economically, but also socially and socially. It is a cliché, but it is supported by this: football is the most important side issue in the world. ”

sport">Before the outbreak of the corona crisis and the closing of the stadiums, an average of more than 200,000 people sat in the stands every week. According to PwC, an average of 2 million people watch the live matches and 4 million people watch the summaries every week. The 34 professional clubs and umbrella organizations provide at least 3,254 full-time jobs and more than 8,300 volunteers are active. The clubs reach more than 280,000 people annually with their social projects. “Football connects millions of people, because it is usually the talk of the town,” said outgoing minister Tamara van Ark of Medical Care Sport in a response.

sport">The PwC survey, carried out on behalf of the KNVB, the ECV and the Coöperatie Eerste Divisie, also shows that two thirds of the professional clubs do not have a concrete sustainability policy. Only 5 percent of the board members are women, while the aim is 30 percent. Of the 8.2 million football fans, a third of whom are women, half have a college or university education, more than the average in the Netherlands.

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