Associations fear division over vaccinations: ‘hot topic’

These are the problems that the community struggles to solve, says de Vries, but they also struggle within associations at boardroom tables. “The intensity of the debate in the country is reflected in the sports federations.” He also fears division. “If there is no good balance in the board of directors, managers can confront each other. Members no longer want to come because they don’t know if everyone has been vaccinated, or volunteers withdraw because they can’t do their job.”

Although the vaccine does not completely protect against the delta variant, there are members of the Geo de Pauls Club who would be happy if those who were not immunized were rejected. “They can hit us, and then we lose our freedom too. And we were inside for a long time,” says an older player. Another says, “I don’t want to take any risks.”

Instead of the guidelines from the discussion

Any association can take such action on its own, says Pablo van Klinken of Association.nl, a legal service provider for association managers. “Associations have a lot of freedom. If the board of directors wants to reject non-immune people, or make the QR code mandatory, and members agree to that, that’s allowed.”

But this is exactly the step that the president of the Jury Paul Association wants to prevent. He would have preferred to have clear guidance from the government rather than have an internal discussion about this within the assembly. “We ask the government: to clarify this. Take responsibility and do not transfer it to councils and volunteers from associations.”