Football Becoming Unaffordable for Young Brussels Residents

Rising registration fees, equipment costs, and facility charges are making football increasingly inaccessible for young people in Brussels, raising concerns about social inequality in youth sports participation. As clubs across the capital raise their prices, families from lower-income backgrounds are finding it harder to keep their children on the pitch.

The Cost of Playing in Brussels

At FC Kosova in Schaerbeek, parents now pay 500 euros per season for youth registration — a 50-euro increase from the previous year. The club’s 350 young players train twice a week and participate in weekend matches, amounting to three sessions per week. For some parents, the price is justified. “500 euros for the year, obviously you have to come up with it, but for 3 sessions per week, it’s reasonable,” said Daniel, a parent at FC Kosova, as reported by RTBF. Another mother added: “Anyway, elsewhere it’s even more expensive and my children love football, so no choice.”

Just a few hundred meters away, the Crossing de Schaerbeek charges 850 euros for boys and 500 euros for girls in its youth program. Thierry Forton, president of the club’s youth school, defends the pricing structure, noting that the club offers four sessions per week for boys and three for girls over nine months per year. “That’s less than 5 euros per session. That doesn’t seem excessive to me, compared to other sports,” he told RTBF.

Rising Costs, Rising Pressure

The financial strain extends well beyond registration fees. According to a 2025 study by the Ligue des Familles, which surveyed 823 families with over 1,500 children in Wallonia and Brussels, families spend an average of 1,295 euros per year on extracurricular activities per child — excluding stages, clothing, and equipment. For football specifically, the average annual cost is 361 euros per child, ranking seventh among the 11 most practiced sports.

Brussels families face even higher costs, paying on average 1,457 euros per year for extracurricular activities — the second-highest rate in Belgium after Brabant wallon. The study found that 65% of parents report that the cost of extracurricular activities represents a financial difficulty, a figure that rises to 85% for low-income families.

“Extracurricular activities are gradually becoming a luxury,” said Madeleine Guyot, Director General of the Ligue des Familles. “Especially since they add to the other costs related to the start of the school year.”

A Broader Pattern of Inequality

The issue is part of a wider trend of social exclusion in youth activities. A 2022 study by the Fondation Pelicano, which surveyed 103 social services, found that 65% report families in poverty no longer have financial resources for extracurricular activities. As RTBF reported, Christiaan Hoorne, Director General of the Fondation Pelicano, noted: “Carefreeness, leisure, and social relationships are essential for children in poverty, but are hardly possible anymore, given that a very large part of their budget is absorbed by other basic needs.”

The impact is particularly acute in Brussels, where poverty rates are higher than the national average, especially in communes like Schaerbeek and Molenbeek. Football, traditionally seen as one of the most accessible sports for all social classes, is becoming increasingly exclusive. An investigation by L’Avenir highlighted the extremes: a 13-year-old girl playing at Standard Fémina costs her family 2,680 euros per season.

Why Costs Keep Rising

Club officials point to a combination of factors driving up prices. “Everything is going up! The equipment pack, the rental of the field and the canteen, the fees and insurance to the Federation, not to mention the reduction in subsidies and coach compensation,” said Afrim Kas, Secretary of FC Kosova. Despite the increases, demand remains high. “In Brussels, it’s impossible and despite the prices, registration requests exceed our capacity,” he added.

Thierry Forton of Crossing de Schaerbeek echoed this sentiment: “And yet, every year we have to turn down registrations.” He also noted that the post-World Cup enthusiasm for football may further increase demand.

Limited Support for Families

Existing support mechanisms are often insufficient. Health insurance reimbursements rarely exceed a few dozen euros per year per child, while sports cheques are not available in all communes and are often income-restricted. The Ligue des Familles has called for expanding free provision of school materials, ensuring tax deduction benefits for all extracurricular activities, and creating sports cheques accessible to all ages with amounts scaled by income.

What’s Next

As the 2026-2027 season approaches, the question of affordability will remain pressing for Brussels families. Organizations like Play4Peace in Molenbeek have been working to bridge the gap by providing free sports access to disadvantaged youth, but their capacity is limited. Without broader policy intervention, the concern is that football — a sport that has long united communities across social divides — may increasingly become a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.

According to La Libre, the rising cost of living has already deprived a significant portion of Belgian families of access to extracurricular activities. The question now is whether policymakers will act to ensure that the beautiful game remains accessible to all children in Brussels.