In a desperate attempt to save their license to play in the top division next season, Vitesse Arnhem, a struggling Dutch team, turned to crowdfunding. By Friday, they had raised over one million euros, with the players contributing their salaries to the cause.
This season, Vitesse experienced its first-ever drop from the top division in thirty-five years following an eighteen-point punishment from the Dutch Football Association due to repeated violations of their license terms and misreporting information to the authorities.
Vitesse chose not to appeal the ruling, but they now have a deadline to meet in order to keep their professional competition license for the upcoming season.
According to reports from the Netherlands, they owe 18.9 million euros ($20.35 million) in debt and have until the next license committee meeting on May 17 to satisfy certain requirements.
The group only needs to demonstrate that they have a viable plan for the future; they are not required to raise that much money.
According to Vitesse captain Marco van Ginkel, donations are flowing in from all over the place. Naturally, none of us can fall behind.
“For this reason, we have all chosen to give the club a salary sacrifice. We also intend to provide a worthwhile addition. Let’s move on to the two million!