A world first in Belgium. AA Gent is the first football club in the world to switch to special drinking cups with chip technology, which should replace plastic cups. The so-called ‘Smartcups’ are not only sustainable, but are also able to identify the buyer because of the chips in their base. This makes it easier to track down beer throwers – a theme that has also been discussed frequently in the Netherlands in recent times.
Because disposable plastic will be banned in Belgium from June 15, the clubs have to come up with an alternative. Ghent decided to team up with the Smartcups, an initiative of the Flemish start-up Goodless Smart Group. The reusable smart cups activate a special deposit system based on personal identification through a chip in the bottom. Someone who purchases a drink becomes known at the stadium, and is automatically refunded the one and a half euro deposit if he throws his cup into the specially designated ‘smartbins’.
With the smart cups, Ghent aims to save about 1 million plastic cups per season, which amounts to 30,000 to 40,000 cups per match. That’s not the only advantage. The identification element also enables the club to trace any beer throwers, which can reduce the burden on the police. In the Netherlands, throwing objects on the field was also a frequently heard theme last week, given the course of the semi-cup final between Feyenoord and Ajax. Davy Klaassen had an object thrown at his head, which prompted the KNVB to take far-reaching measures.
The union decided from now on to stop every duel when objects are thrown onto the field. The Smartcups could offer a solution in that respect. Next weekend, Ghent will test the system for the first time on the family grandstand of the Ghelamco stadium. Goodless Smart Group is also in talks with two other clubs from the Jupiler Pro League, co-founder Rudi De Kerpel said to The time.