Ahead of next month's European Week of Sport, Leigh Thompson, Policy Adviser, looks in more detail at what the week entails and how national governing bodies can get involved.
Those of you that use social media regularly might have come across the hashtag #BeActive lately. If you have seen it and wondered what it means, read on…
The first ever European Week of Sport (EWoS) takes place between 7th and 13th September 2015 and, as the name suggests, its aim is to promote sport and physical activity across Europe. The week is intended for everyone, regardless of age, background or fitness level. With a particular focus on grassroots initiatives, it is hoped the week will encourage Europeans to participate in sport on a regular basis and create opportunities in peoples’ everyday lives to exercise more.
The rationale behind the week will be familiar to UK readers. Physical activity and participation in sport is either stagnating or declining in many EU Member States with the attendant negative impacts on health, wellbeing and productivity. The EWoS is therefore a response to this growing problem and, in addition, it is hoped that the week will help to foster greater awareness of the role of sport in tackling discrimination and intolerance.
How is the week structured and organised?
While EWoS is a European Commission-led initiative, the week is being organised in each Member State by national coordinators. In the UK the coordinating bodies are the Home Sports Councils: Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland and Sport NI. For more information on how EWoS is being organised in the UK and how you can get involved you can email: ewos@sportengland.org.
Supporting the week are a number of partner organisations from across Europe as well as a number of high profile athlete ambassadors. Of the latter, the most familiar to UK sports fans will be the footballers Steven Gerrard and Clarence Seedorf and the tennis star Caroline Wozniaki.
In the UK the week is structured around four themed Focus Days:
•tEducation Focus Day – Wed 9th Sept
•tWorkplace Focus Day – Thurs 10th Sept
•tSports and Fitness Clubs Focus Day – Saturday 12th Sept
•tOutdoors Focus Day – Sunday 13th Sept
Given the Alliance reaches across both the organised sport and wider outdoor recreation sectors, of particular interest to our members will be the Sports and Fitness Clubs Focus Day and the Outdoors Focus Day.
In addition to the Focus Days, the UK will host a flagship Festival of Sport event, organised by StreetGames, in central London (details tbc).
How can National Governing Bodies, clubs and other sport and recreation organisations get involved?
The first thing sport and recreation organisations can do is register any events they are planning to run during the week. Events can take any form: organised walks, family days, taster sessions, fun runs – you name it, anything that enables people to get involved in sport and recreation and be active counts. You can register your event by visiting the EWoS website here. Once registered, your event will be added to the map of events taking place across Europe during the week and you will be able to download EWoS-branded material to help you publicise your event.
In addition, Alliance members and their clubs may want to consider:
•tHosting club open days or taster sessions, perhaps aimed at those new to your sport but who don’t know where to start;
•tOrganising a workplace challenge designed to get people active in their everyday work environment;
•tApplying to become a partner organisation and/or engaging with existing partner organisations across Europe to share best practice and contribute to the policy debate;
•tUsing social media (#BeActive) and the EWoS publicity material to promote events, share information and interact with others taking part in the week across Europe.
These are just a few ideas to get you started – creative Alliance members will no doubt have many more and we encourage you to register your events on the EWoS website. There is only one month to go so no time to lose…!
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