NOC*NSF reintroduces Energy Coach scheme with support via Sport NL Groen

Good news for sports clubs in The Netherlands: the Energy Coach scheme is returning. This means that sports clubs and associations can once again receive free support to improve their facilities. Through Sport NL Groen, the platform developed and managed by CFP Green Buildings, clubs receive practical guidance to help future-proof their buildings. In this article, you can read what the renewed scheme entails and what it means for your club.

The Energy Coach scheme returns

Sports clubs in the Netherlands will once again have access to free advice on improving energy performance. With a budget of over €8.4 million, NOC*NSF, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), is reintroducing the Energy Coach scheme. Through this scheme, clubs can receive professional guidance to improve the energy performance of their accommodation. The scheme runs until the end of May 2027 and primarily targets clubs with the greatest need to take action.

The scheme aims to prevent outdated club buildings from failing to meet increasingly strict regulations for non-residential buildings in the future, potentially even facing closure. Sports clubs that have recently invested in solar panels but are expected to face higher energy costs from 2027 onwards due to the phasing out of the net-metering scheme can also benefit from tailored advice.

Targeted support for clubs with low energy performance

A key new element of the scheme is its focus on sports facilities with the lowest energy scores. The goal is to bring these buildings up to the level of the current EPC A by 2030.

CFP Green Buildings, on behalf of the Sports Sustainability Roadmap (Routekaart Verduurzaming Sport), is responsible for the digital platform Sport NL Groen and provides support in this process. Clubs that are invited based on a low indicative EPC can apply for a free Energy Coach via Sport NL Groen.

The Energy Coach supports clubs in drawing up a building-specific roadmap, including:

• necessary measures to move towards EPC A;
• an investment budget;
• an overview of relevant subsidies;
• support in reviewing quotations.

This roadmap forms the foundation for a realistic and feasible sustainability improvement programme.

Significant backlog remains across the sector

Of the approximately 7,500 sports clubs with their own accommodation, only around 1,000 had been fully improved by the end of 2024, according to figures from Sport NL Groen.
When the previous budget ran out in 2024, a total of around 5,000 energy assessments had been carried out since the scheme started in 2021. About 4,000 clubs had already begun implementing measures, but for approximately 2,500 clubs, not even an initial energy scan had been completed. It is precisely clubs with older, poorly performing buildings that are most at risk: sharply rising energy costs and potential closure due to new European energy performance requirements.

Working together for a sustainable future

In an initial response, Guido Davio, Director of Grassroots Sport at NOC*NSF, said: “I am pleased that we can get back to work with the Energy Coach scheme. It also shows how important it is that we continue to focus together on improving sports club accommodation. In doing so, we not only make sport more sustainable, but also ensure there are enough accessible and affordable places to take part in sport. This is a challenge that we can only address together.”

He also issued a call to action: “An EPC assessment combined with a sustainability plan is a great start, but that is where the real work for a club begins. Investment is required, and that demands affordable financing and, ideally, generous subsidies. Maintaining attractive financing mechanisms for clubs — for example through topping up the BOSA scheme, a low-threshold DUMAVA scheme and a revolving fund — is therefore vital.”

Want to know more? Keep an eye on the NOC*NSF website for updates on the opening of the scheme.