Monday 18th October 2021

 

 

 

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On October 12th and 13th, the expert and academic partners of the ESCSE project (European Association of Sport Employers, Sport and Citizenship, Institute for Sport Governance, ASSER Institute, European Federation for Company Sport) met in Warsaw to advance on the format of the European Social Charter for Sport Event. The discussion was carried around the target group for this charter, the format of the charter, the commitments of sport event organisers and the enforcement of such a charter.

THE TARGET GROUPS: A SOCIAL CHARTER USABLE BY ALL SPORT EVENT ORGANISERS IN EUROPE

It is the view of the consortium that the Social Charter needs to be suitable and accessible for the widest range of sport events in Europe. This choice implies some challenges as there is a great variety of events and of regulations. However, it is key to the impact we want this charter to have. Indeed, the European Social Charter for Sport Events intends to impact the way Sport Events are socially built and prepared at European level. Therefore, the aim will be for this charter to be suitable for events of local, national, and European scale; to adapt to events that need or do not need employment in their preparation and to fit with the different regulations in place in the European Union.

THE FORMAT: A CHARTER AND A GUIDELINE DOCUMENT

This social charter needs to be easily usable by the sport event organisers. Its simplicity of use will indeed be a key to its success as the easiest it will be to implement, the most sport event organisers will be keen to use it and contribute to the evolution of the way we organise sport events in Europe.

In order to achieve this usability, the European Social Charter for Sport Events will consist of two documents:

  • The charter itself will contain the commitments to which sport event organisers agree in order to conduct a socially suitable sport event. The commitments will be simple, clear, general and in limited number, so it is easier for all the stakeholders to understand quickly what the social charter is about.
  • The guidelines documents will contain clear measures on how to achieve the commitments that sport event organisers have agreed to. These measures will be declined with different examples depending on the size and type of the event to make easier for the sport event organiser to implement the social commitments. The guidelines will also highlight positive examples of good practices that led to achieve the social commitments. It will also contain a way for the sport employers to efficiently evaluate and report on their social policy implemented through this charter.

THE CONTENTS: THREE FOCUSES OF COMMITMENTS

The study on precedent social commitments in the context of sport events and the consultation process engaged through this study have highlighted the need for commitments on various topics. Based on the result of this process the partners of the project have identified 3 main points of focus for the European Social Charter for Sport Events:

  • The Governance: having a good, transparent, and inclusive governance with an inclusive process is the first necessary step for a sport event to be socially suitable. As such the first part of the charter will contain commitments around the structure of governance of a sport event, its transparency and consultation processes, and the publicity of decisions and actions of the sport event organisation.
  • The People: the major element for a sport event to be socially sustainable is that it benefits to the people involved directly or indirectly in the event. If the worker-employer relations are a central element of it, sport events have the particularity to engage, especially in Europe, a large number of volunteers around the event. Moreover, the athletes are as well people engaged by the sport event that the organisation of the event need to consider. As such the second part of the charter will concentrate on how the event can benefit the people that actively participate in it.
  • The Sustainability: Finally, to be socially suitable, a sport event needs to maximize its positive impact on the host territory and minimize the negative impact. As such, the final part of the charter will contain commitments around the economic impact on the host territory, the environmental impact, the procurement and infrastructure management strategy and the engagement of local population in the event and around the event.

THE LEGITIMACY: AN OPEN CONSULTATION PROCESS

The project will now open the phase of construction of the social charter. For this charter to be suitable and legitimate, a strong consultation process will now be engaged. It will be the chance for all type of stakeholders of sport event to give their view on what should be in the European Social Charter for Sport Event. Workers unions, organisational committees, athletes’ representative, public authorities, environmental NGOs, supporters groups, civil associations will be given the chance to exchange with the project team about their views and to give their input for the social charter.

If you or your organisation wants to get involved, participate and make your voice heard on this topic, do not hesitate to reach for us through our contact form or to contact the project team at ease@easesport.eu

 

CLICK HERE TO GET INVOLVED!