Jun 6, 2022
Today EU Athletes publishes the results of its research on the long-term impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Players and their Player associations in Europe.
This study is the continuation of the EU Athletes survey that was conducted amongst EU Athletes members at the early stage of the pandemic in 2020 (can be found here).
For EU Athletes Vice President, Natalie ORIVE, the results of this second survey shows that even if the pandemic is almost behind, it still has an important overall impact on Athletes in Europe “It was clear in our mind that the effects of the pandemic could only be measured in the long term, that’s why we wanted to have a clear evaluation of the situation two years after the pandemic has started”.
Over the last 2 years the work done by the Player Association for their members was structurally modified. With limited access to the players, no face to face interaction and majority of the work conducted online the consequences could have been dramatic. The results show that only 22% of the association have experienced a loss in their membership while at the same time 74% of them experienced an increase in a demand for services from the period compared to before the pandemic.
“In a really insecure time for players it’s great and encouraging to see players reaching out to their Player Association for help” Natalia Orive, vice-president of EU Athletes.
Structural governance problems, the involvement of the Player Association.
The report further revealed a number of issues of concern that need acknowledgement and drastic countermeasures. These include, among other things, a lack of respect for players’ rights and interests, a deprivation of players’ workers status and proper contracts, and insufficient involvement of player associations in decision-making processes. 48% of the player association reported a “lack of involvement in the decision making process” while leagues and federations were taking measures that would directly affect players (scheduling of the season, pay-cuts, health and safety protocol…).
58% of the members association have noticed a decrease in players salary during the pandemic period. “This situation is really alarming for athletes, especially in less professionalized sports” said Natalia Orive.
Mental health and women sport 2 areas of concern.
“We knew that COVID-19 would affect the mental health of athletes. Now we have the data that corroborate this statement” said Natalia Orive “From one day to the next athletes were going from permanent activity to nothing. It’s pretty much as if all the athletes in Europe retired on the exact same day, with no or little vision of what would come next. 70% of our members have reported a negative impact on their mental health. It’s really alarming and concrete measures should be taken rapidly. Mental health should be properly addressed from now on” she added.
While some player associations reported having witnessed more sponsoring and more media attention being brought to women’s sport, it remains a fact that the area is of low priority as 67% of the respondents received “no targeted support for women”. This is alarming considering that such support is necessary in protecting the significant progress women’s elite sport has seen over the past years.
EU Athletes will continue to work on a post-pandemic evaluation of the individual situation of its members to ensure that the mentioned issues of concern (as well as additional issues listed in the report) are duly addressed both at the European and national level.
You can download the full report here.
For any inquiries please contact EU Athletes : info@euathletes.org
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.
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.
Dec 10, 2021
The PROMobility project, 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.
The project’s workplan has been modified because of the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It was decided to start with the Online Exchanges on defined topics, which allow the participants to network and deepen their knowledge, and to continue with the physical job shadowing visits in 2022.
Four Online Exchanges have already taken place: Player recruitment and engagement and Response to the Covid-19 pandemic in June; Communications and media on 26th of November and the Online Exchange on Player Development has taken place today.
Player development is a key priority for player associations and this meeting has generated an important interest. Around 20 participants form different player associations have participated in the event. After presentations from AJFS, GPA and My Players, the participants engaged in discussions on the topic. The meeting allowed them to share experiences, learn from each other and develop good practice.
The Online Exchange on Commercial development and marketing will take place in the New Year, it will hopefully be followed to physical mobility of the participants.
Jun 21, 2021
PROLead is a collaborative partnership Erasmus+ project coordinated by EU Athletes. Partnership include German Sport University Cologne and 8 player associations from different countries and sports. Focusing on the topic of dual careers of athletes, the project aims to enhance leadership skills of athletes, as well as volunteers and staff of player associations, by designing and implementing leadership courses at the European and national level.
The project started in 2020 with research and consultation phase, concluded with the report the delivery of a Report following the desktop research and literature review of leadership education for athletes. This research, as well as the player associations expertise, contributed to the preparation of the European Leadership Course. The successful example of the Jim Madden Leadership Programme implemented by the Gaelic Players Association, who is one of the project partners, also served as an important source of inspiration to the project team.
Second phase of the project focused on the European Leadership Course for player associations staff and volunteers and have been delivered via online sessions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 32 participants from 20 player associations and 10 European countries actively participated in 12 modules delivered between January and June 2021.
Thanks to highly competent facilitators, the modules offered a broader understanding of topics related to personal development and leadership: personal skills and self-awareness, leadership behaviour and styles, trust and engagement, communication skills, inter and intrapersonal skills, organisational culture, leadership in action, flexibility and adaptability, crisis and change management. Additionally, the Course included panel discussions with distinguished leaders from and outside sport.
The goal of the Course was for the participants to develop their own leadership skills but also to prepare them in order to be able to organize national leadership courses for their member athletes. To help with that, the final modules focused on the design and delivery of leadership courses. The final module held on the 14th of June allowed the participants to reflect on their journey so far, to exchange between themselves and receive valuable feedback from the project staff.
The project is now entering a new phase: design and delivery of 7 national leadership courses for athletes in 6 different countries. Building up on the project’s results so far, these courses will be based on the European Leadership Course. Each project partner, with the support of staff, will work in order to adapt the course to their sport and country.
You can consult PROLead Intellectual Output 2 – European Leadership Course here.
Jun 11, 2021
The PROMobility project, 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. By improving the operation of player associations, the outcome of the project will be long lasting as the institutions develop through best practice and are better placed to continue their vital role supporting elite athletes.
The project, running from January 2021until December 2022, includes 16 partners, 20 PAs from 13 countries covering 8 sports and representing over 10,000 elite athletes. Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the implementation of the project has been modified. It was decided to start with a series of Online Exchanges on five different topics:
* Player recruitment and engagement
* Player personal development
* Commercial development and Marketing
* Communications and media
* Best response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
While it will depend on the sanitary situation, the physical job shadowing visits should start in 2022.
First Online Exchange on Player recruitment and engagement has taken place on 10th of June 2021. After the presentations from Natalia Orive (AJFSF, Spain) and Eugene Henning (My Players, South Africa) more than 20 participants engaged in discussions on the topic. The meeting allowed them to share experiences, learn from each other and develop good practice.
The Online Exchange on response to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic will take place on the 22nd of June, and the next ones will follow after the summer.
