For many football clubs, managing keys for their sports facilities is quite a challenge. Coaches, managers, and other volunteers all need a key to access changing rooms and equipment storage. Football club UVS from Leiden recently started using the digital and online DOM Tapkey Pro system, which makes key management secure and effortless. “We now have quick insight and maximum control over access to our complex,” says Pascal van Es, secretary of the football club founded in 1914.
It was a recurring issue every season: keys for changing rooms, equipment storage, and other areas would go missing. “It took a lot of time to keep track of which keys were in circulation. Every season, we had to reorder keys because people had lost them. In some cases, we even had to replace the door cylinders, which made key management quite a costly matter,” says Van Es, who contacted DOM Netherlands on behalf of the club.
Aside from a secure alternative to physical keys and cylinders, Van Es was mainly looking for a user-friendly key issuance and management system. “We were done with the endless lists we had to create and maintain. I was looking for a system that guarantees security and makes key management clear, fast, and simple. The DOM Tapkey access control system meets all those requirements, I can now say from personal experience.”
Multifunctional Use
Together with Melvin de Wever, Account Manager at DOM, Van Es takes a walk around the grounds of the Leiden football club at sports park Kikkerpolder 2. The facility is partly owned by UVS and includes multiple buildings with changing rooms, a canteen, boardrooms, and other spaces, as well as five football fields. Under the grandstand of the main field are large equipment lockers and safes where players can securely store valuables. “We’re proud of and careful with our facility, which we share with the student club LSVV,” says Van Es. A childcare organization also uses part of the main building. “We also occasionally rent the canteen out to third parties for meetings.”
The DOM Tapkey electronic cylinders on most doors clearly show that UVS takes its facilities seriously. “Still, it wasn’t just the security of DOM Tapkey that made us choose this system. The ease with which we can manage access rights online also played a big role.”
Smartphone, Tag, and Apple Watch
De Wever explains that multiple user profiles can be quickly and easily created in the special app or web portal. “Think of coaches, board members, and other volunteer groups within the club,” says De Wever. The different access rights for these groups can be sent quickly via the app or web portal to the relevant smartphone users. “Recently, the digital locks can also be opened with an Apple Watch,” says De Wever, who demonstrates just how fast and easy that is.
UVS opted for a third option: physical tags. Van Es: “That works best for us. We’re not only dealing with our own volunteers and staff, but also with opposing teams who need access to changing rooms for matches. We have an old-fashioned key cabinet that contains a different tag for each changing room, ensuring safe use. Only that tag gives access to the designated changing room, so no one else can enter during the match. The coach receives the tag on arrival and returns it after the game.”
Quickly Adjust Access Rights
A major advantage of the DOM Tapkey Pro access control system, according to the secretary, is the speed with which access rights can be modified. “If a departing volunteer forgets to return the tag at the end of the season, we can quickly remove that tag from the system. The same goes for lost tags. And if a coach forgets the tag and finds themselves locked out of the equipment room, I can instantly send them a one-time digital key via smartphone. Setting up the app is very intuitive and takes no time at all,” Van Es concludes with a smile.
Learn more about the cloud-based DOM Tapkey app.
