Le mois des sports à portes ouvertes peut-il transformer les essais gratuits en habitudes durables?

Sports clubs in Rumst, in Antwerp province, opened their doors to residents this September under Sport Vlaanderen’s 2026 Maand van de Sportclub campaign, with children and teenagers able to attend as many as three free trial sessions before deciding whether to join. The month-long programme, confirmed by the municipality and reported by Het Nieuwsblad, covers activities ranging from judo, dance and gymnastics to badminton, archery and Thai boxing.

The initiative places Rumst within a broader Flemish effort to bring newcomers into organised sport. It also overlaps with the European Commission’s European Week of Sport, which runs from 23 to 30 September across the EU under the #BeActive banner. These are separate campaigns, but Sport Vlaanderen is one of Belgium’s coordinating bodies for the European programme, alongside Adeps in Wallonia and French-speaking Brussels and the Leitverband des Ostbelgischen Sports in the German-speaking Community.

For residents, the immediate value is practical: a child can test a discipline without an instant membership commitment, while adults can meet trainers and judge whether a club fits their ability, schedule and interests. Rumst sports councillor An Van Dessel, of the N-VA, told Het Nieuwsblad that the free sessions were intended to show the breadth of the municipality’s offer and provide a low-threshold route into a suitable sport.

The programme extends beyond ordinary training. Move It scheduled introductory dance and conditioning sessions for 5 September, while the Fitboys planned anniversary activities in Rumst park on the same day, including walking, cycling and volleyball. On 30 September, pupils in primary and secondary schools will be invited to wear their club kit to class and introduce classmates to the sports they practise, according to the local report.

Individual clubs illustrate what the campaign is trying to make visible. Rumst municipality says The Animals, based at the Groenlaar sports hall, has more than 130 members, including about 80 young people, and offers recreational boxing, Thai boxing and mixed martial arts. Judoschool Reet, founded by Frank Pedus four decades ago, says it has school introduction sessions booked during September and October. Move It’s instructors Joke and Isabelle describe their dance and gymnastics association as a welcoming place where confidence and friendships can develop alongside fitness.

A similar open-door programme is running in Ekeren, an Antwerp district roughly 25 kilometres north of Rumst. The district lists karate, taekwondo and table tennis alongside adapted activities: Dansprovant is offering parkitango for people with Parkinson’s disease and their partners, as well as competitive wheelchair dancing. That range matters because access is not only about removing an entry fee; it also depends on whether residents can find an activity suited to their age, mobility and circumstances.

The Flemish participation picture is encouraging but incomplete. Sport Vlaanderen counted more than 1.462 million members of recognised sports federations in 2024—more than one in five Flemish residents—with growth particularly among teenagers and people aged 60 and over. Flemish Sports Minister Annick De Ridder, also N-VA, presented clubs as a foundation for both health and neighbourhood cohesion. The European Commission’s latest full Eurobarometer, however, found that 45% of Europeans never exercised or played sport in 2022, with lack of time the most commonly reported obstacle.

Those perspectives are complementary rather than contradictory. Municipalities and clubs stress welcome, experimentation and community; European participation data underline that an open door does not by itself overcome cost, transport, time pressures or a shortage of suitable provision. No local target for registrations or published method for measuring retention after September has been identified.

The next test therefore comes after the banners are removed. Residents can consult Rumst’s municipal sports pages for participating clubs and trial arrangements during September. Clubs and the municipality will then be able to see whether curiosity becomes membership—and whether newcomers remain involved once free introductions give way to regular fees and weekly routines.