Dutch Football Club Takes Municipality to Court Over Refugee Shelter Built on Its Pitch
IJsselstein, 29 May 2026
A Dutch football club is fighting back after construction began on its pitch without agreed terms in place. The legal challenge, filed today, could halt the six-month shelter planned for 150 refugees.
Construction Begins Without Agreement
Football club IJFC in IJsselstein, a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht, learned through a residents’ letter from the municipality that preparatory construction work for a temporary emergency shelter would begin on its second pitch — before any formal agreement had been signed [3]. The club responded swiftly and unambiguously. On the morning of Wednesday, 28 May 2026, IJFC announced it did not accept the start of building works and would take the matter to court [2][3]. Construction had in fact already begun on 28 May 2026, with the legal challenge filed on Friday, 29 May 2026 [1].
What Is Being Built — and for Whom
The planned facility is a temporary emergency reception location (noodopvang) to be operated by COA, the Dutch national organisation responsible for housing asylum seekers [1]. According to the municipality of IJsselstein, the shelter is intended to house 150 refugees — primarily families arriving through family reunification — from 1 July 2026 until 31 December 2026 [1]. The site will consist of six residential units, a play area for children, and round-the-clock supervision [1]. The construction itself, carried out by a contractor on behalf of COA, is expected to take between four and six weeks, beginning with the raising of the ground level before prefabricated residential units are placed on site [1]. Once the shelter closes, the entire site must be fully cleared by no later than 31 January 2027 [1].
A Club Left in the Dark
IJFC’s frustration centres not on the shelter itself, but on process. The club states that no clear or complete agreements have been established between the municipality and IJFC regarding the conditions of use, the consequences for club activities, restoration works following the shelter’s closure, or the allocation of responsibilities [3]. ‘As a board, we are surprised and disappointed by this step,’ the club stated publicly. ‘At this moment, no clear and complete agreements have been recorded between the municipality and IJFC’ [3]. IJFC had previously instructed its solicitor to request that the municipality refrain from starting any works until all terms were properly documented in writing [3]. The municipality proceeded regardless, leaving the club with what it described as no option but to pursue legal action [3].
The Municipality’s Position
Despite the legal challenge, the municipality of IJsselstein has maintained its position and continued work on site. A municipal spokesperson stated on 29 May 2026 that work would press ahead in the coming weeks [1]. Mayor Ester Weststeijn acknowledged the public anxiety around the timeline, saying: ‘People want 100 per cent certainty that it lasts six months and not a day longer,’ and added, ‘We want to stick to that because a promise is a promise’ [1]. The municipality’s asylum affairs councillor, Edwin Tas, was equally direct about the temporary nature of the arrangement: ‘If COA then says again that we must house refugees, we will not do so at this location’ [1]. Mayor Weststeijn also placed the situation in a broader national context, remarking that it would be better if all 342 Dutch municipalities ensured their own long-term reception arrangements were in order, ‘so that the chain works again — not that people are moved around as if they were parcels’ [1].
Precedent from Elsewhere in the Netherlands
COA has pointed to previous emergency shelter operations as evidence that temporary use of grass pitches is manageable and reversible. A COA spokesperson cited the Walibi site in Biddinghuizen as a comparable example, where emergency shelter was provided for 1,200 people over the winter on a grass surface, with subsequent restoration of the field taking between four and six weeks [1]. The IJsselstein case involves considerably fewer residents — 150 compared to 1,200 at Biddinghuizen — though the principle of temporary use of recreational land is the same [1]. The outcome of the kort geding (summary injunction proceedings) filed at Utrecht District Court on 29 May 2026 will determine whether construction can continue or must be paused pending further agreement between the club and the municipality [1][alert! ‘The court ruling date and outcome had not been confirmed in available sources at time of writing’]. Mayor Weststeijn has indicated that the municipality is not yet considering a permanent reception site in IJsselstein, and that any such discussion is unlikely to arise until after the temporary shelter has been dismantled [1].