May 9, 2022
EU Athletes is pleased to announce that the Social Dialogue in Europe for Professional (SDE Pro) Sports project has been approved and is set to officially start in June 2022 under the Support for Social Dialogue programme. In the course of this 2-year project, co-funded by the EU, EU Athletes will together with the European Association of Sport Employers (EASE) and the German Sport University of Cologne contribute to the development of social dialogue between employers and employees in professional sport in the EU.
As highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, social dialogue in professional sport is underdeveloped at EU level, and needs to be strengthened. Social dialogue is an essential element to good governance in the sport sector and an important tool for the development of professional sport. It enables the economic development of the sector on the one hand, and the protection of athletes on the other hand. Therefore, this project is expected to bring about positive change for EU Athletes members, particularly in regards to capacity building, organization, and the creation of new player associations.
The first phase of the project (2022-2023) will consist of mapping and highlighting positive aspects of the various collective agreements in place on national level around Europe. From this, the project partners will produce guides gathering good practices and relevant information for the implementation of social dialogue in professional sports at national level (2023-2024). The common work of the associations and organisations from various European countries will potentially also contribute to the development of social dialogue in professional sports at a European level. There is no such framework in place in the EU right now, but this project will encourage a reflection for the future.
On 28th of April 2022, the SDE Pro Sports project partners met on Teams for a first operational meeting. The upcoming kick-off meeting is to be held in July 2022, including the three partners and five members each from EU Athletes and EASE. Members will be invited to the meeting to share their knowledge and reflect on a common ground for social dialogue in Europe. They will also be brought into the project at later stages and enabled active participation throughout its duration.
More information about the project is available here.
Apr 27, 2022
After two years of online meetings caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, EU Athletes members were happy to meet in person for the 2022 General Assembly. The event took place last Friday, the 22nd of April 2022 in Valencia, Spain and gathered over 30 representatives of player and athlete unions and associations from different sports and countries in Europe.
The participants reflected on the work and achievements of the association advancing the rights and interests of the European athletes over the last year, including Erasmus+ projects, advocacy work or the ISU case. Topics discussed also included the Russian invasion on Ukraine, place of player associations in the sport governance and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on athletes and their associations. The General Assembly was an opportunity to discuss the policy and future priorities, following an exchange on the draft of the new Common Position Paper, as the document adopted in 2018 is under revision.
During the Assembly, Brendon Batson (PPF) and Natalia Orive (AJFSF) were re-elected to the Board for next 3 year terms. Tom Parsons (GPA) and Mark Leroy (UA) were elected as new members for terms of 3 years and 1 year respectively. During the Board meeting tat took place directly after the General Assembly and recognizing their leadership in the previous years, Brendon and Natalia were re-elected as the President and Vice President of EU Athletes.
Apr 15, 2022
Every year on the 15th of April, the #EUSportIntegrityDay campaign is an opportunity to take a stand against match fixing and show commitment to protect the integrity of sport. This campaign was established by EU Athletes in 2014 and has developed and grown ever since, with more stakeholders showing their support every year. #EUSportIntegrityDay 2022 proved successful and was promoted by several public and private stakeholders, including player unions and associations from all over Europe, as well as WADA, Council of Europe or IBIA.
Match-fixing is not a new problem in sport. It is a persistent and ever-evolving phenomenon which poses a severe threat to the sports we love by undermining the integrity of the game. By virtue of the financial challenges and changing sporting circumstances pertaining to Covid-19 as well as the increasingly digital era, match fixing has recently taken new forms and diversified into new areas. This calls for strengthened and collective efforts by different stakeholders.
The involvement of athletes and their associations at national, European, and international level in the fight against match fixing is essential. Not only are athletes the ones with the most to lose if match fixing destroys public confidence in the sport they love and earn a living from, but they are also a vital factor in preventing match fixing as the “direct influencers” on the field of play. Athletes who are educated about the dangers of the phenomenon and who are given the opportunity to securely report to suspicious activity have the potential to effectively gate keep sports from manipulation.
An additional element of essence, the importance of which cannot not be understated, is good governance. Where good governance standards are met, including the respect for athletes rights and interests as well as the transparency at every level of sport organisations, there is less risk for match fixing to flourish.
Feb 25, 2022
EU Athletes stands with the international community condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the people suffering because of this unprovoked and horrific attack. This hostility must be met with a strong and adequate response from the World leaders, and we support the immediate implementation of sanctions.
Sport must also play its part. For far too long, Russia has been using sport and mega sporting events as a tool to strengthen its brutal regime. European governments and sport sector must reject the sportswashing practices by the Russian state, companies and individuals.
EU Athletes believes in the power of sport to have a positive impact and strengthen the fundamental European values such as peace, democracy, rule of law and the respect of human right. But for this to happen, sport organisations must demonstrate strong commitment to these principles, and be ready to take action when it is necessary.
A country that bluntly violates these fundamental values cannot be accepted in the international sport community and should face serious consequences. We believe that Russia must be held responsible by the international sport organisations for its actions, as they are clearly incompatible with the values that these bodies declare to stand for. Firm sanctions should include relocating all international sport events from Russia as UEFA has shown by moving the Champion’s League final from Saint Petersburg to Paris.
Finally, we encourage everyone to demonstrate their support to the people of Ukraine and to help in any way they can, particularly by donating to official charitable organisations.
Contact: Paulina Tomczyk, EU Athletes General Secretary paulinatomczyk@euathletes.org
Jan 28, 2022
The PROMobility project, coordinated by EU Athletes and financed by the EU under the ‘Exchanges and Mobility in Sport’ Preparatory Action, aims to develop cooperation in sport through job shadowing for the staff and volunteers at player associations in Europe and South Africa. Its goal is to improve the skills and knowledge base of key personnel at player associations, thereby enabling them to better support their athletes.
On 28th of January, the fifth and final Online Exchange took place as part of PROMobility, focusing on on Commercial development and marketing. Presentations were given on the topic by Iris Slappendel (The Cyclists Alliance), Eugene Henning and David de Villiers (My Players), and Ben Broster (Provale) – representing organisations with varying size, operation and experience. Subsequently, the participating organisations were divided into breakout rooms where they engaged in constructive discussions.
Previous Online Exchanges have dealt with Player recruitment and engagement, Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Communications and media, and Player development.
The project is henceforth entering into a much anticipated phase, as participating organisations will take part in job shadowing exchanges between March and September 2022.
