Youth football in the city of Gent is under severe strain due to a shortage of volunteers and overflowing waiting lists. Chairmen of local clubs and alderman for Sport Bram Van Braeckevelt warn the situation urgently needs attention.
Angel José Pazos-Casa, the 61-year-old chairman of Jago Sint-Amandsberg, addresses the pressure. "The club was founded in 2014 and was immediately popular. We now have 500 playing members. We are full. Our facilities cannot handle any more," he says. Jago has a waiting list of 400 names. Pazos-Casa has funded the club with his own money for thirty years, despite it not being his full-time job.
Waiting Lists
At Standaard Muide, at least 100 children have been waiting for years. Chairman Lorenz De Grauwe, a 35-year-old teacher, explains how they manage the limited space. "We have had a waiting list of at least 100 children for years. We have a large and a small pitch," says De Grauwe. The club divides its pitch into sections to train multiple teams simultaneously. Standaard Muide also allows residents from the Renoboot asylum seeker centre to play on their fields.
Both chairmen expect the waiting lists to only grow longer. Stricter legislation on volunteers and a potential generational shift, with the over-60s stepping down, are contributing factors. The chronic lack of coaches and volunteers is a major problem for all clubs. Parents sometimes register their children with multiple clubs to increase the chance of getting a spot.
City of Gent
Alderman for Sport Bram Van Braeckevelt (Groen) acknowledges the challenges. The city of Gent awarded 455 euros in subsidies to Gent football clubs this year. In 2025, there were no subsidy applications at all. The KAA Gent Foundation uses city funding to organise free summer football at the Neptunus fields in Wondelgem. A collaboration between Sport Vlaanderen and the Sports Service, Start2Coach, aims to train new coaches.
The issue became painfully clear last summer when Sporting Club Gent's licence was withdrawn following a racism row. That forced 130 players to find new clubs, further increasing the pressure on other associations.
Context
All this unfolds as KAA Gent's first team is performing excellently. The Buffalos currently sit first in the Jupiler Pro League with 15 points from five games. They have a goal difference of +8, having scored ten and conceded two. The team holds a two-point lead over Union St. Gilloise. Recent form is excellent with four wins and a draw in the last five matches. The latest victory was a 0-3 away win at Cercle Brugge. The next assignment is an away fixture against KRC Genk, who sit eighth. Fans can check the full fixtures and the current standings.
The youth clubs hope the success of the professional team and city initiatives will encourage more people to sign up as volunteers. The need for extra hands and pitch space remains acute, the chairmen stress.
