The organization of the first business sports assemblies has been entrusted to CISE (Interfederal Council of Business Sports of CNOSF) in collaboration with the delegation for sports and diversity of practices.
Didier Besseyre (President of CISE, FFSE, and the European Federation of Business Sports)
“Business sports are not only evolving but are also becoming increasingly important. It’s a tremendous challenge that is in our hands.
The assemblies are a foundational act, and all contributions will serve for the future.”
Françoise SAUVAGEOT (Vice President of CNOSF, in charge of the delegation for sports and diversity of practices.)
“The role of sports in businesses needs to be re-evaluated because the working world is changing, and business sports could develop as a new area of shared responsibility in the corporate life.”
CNOSF aims to co-construct with private partners the outline of tomorrow’s business sports in all its dimensions.
The initial objectives are already:
- To identify, through the network of concerned actors, the different development modalities (issues, objectives, indicators) of sports practice in businesses, as well as its main development prospects.
- To provide, share, and promote good practices, particularly through the CNOSF extranet site to be launched in the second half of 2011.
- To propose tools intended to facilitate the development of practices for both the company and its employees and the federal world (structuring of the offer, intervention methods, evaluation criteria, etc.)
The current state and challenges of business sports
Sports in France today is undergoing significant changes.
In a specific political (RGPP, increased standardization systems, etc.), social (working conditions, health, etc.), demographic (age management, etc.), and economic (crisis period) context, there are numerous consequences for the sports movement.
Indeed, the actors of the sports movement must think about multiple alternatives promoting sustainable and structured relationships with the private commercial sector.
Denis MASSEGLIA, President of CNOSF, illustrates this very well: “Sports are at a turning point: we have to consider all practices and reflect on the French sports model, created in the 1960s, which takes little account of decentralization, the economic importance of sports, and the societal role of sports.”
The recent study conducted by TNS Sport, Ineum, and Audencia on the French federal sports system provides additional insight. It’s necessary for federations to adapt by creating new models (communication, management, partnership) to better meet the expectations of their multiple partners.
The issue of developing sports in businesses is no exception. Its historical recognition (sports laws of 1984 and 2000, Labor Code Art L438-8) makes it a social gain, both to defend and to develop.
Primarily synonymous with mass sports, it offers employees the opportunity to practice, via the company sports association or, in some cases, via the company itself, one or several sports disciplines for leisure, relaxation, or competition.
Outside the strict professional framework, it allows for establishing, developing, and facilitating exchanges between employees. If sports practice is primarily an indicator of good health (less fatigue, absenteeism, stress, smoking, and alcoholism, better recovery), it is statistically proven that employees involved in the sports association are often the ones who invest the most in the company’s life and actively contribute to its success and reputation.
A recent study (2008) conducted by the firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers quantified the return on investment in health sports initiatives offered to employees in the UK.
Each pound spent generates between 2.67 and 34 pounds per year per employee.
The profound socio-economic changes in recent years have reshaped the social landscape, bringing new questions regarding physical and sports activities.
The reduction of working hours and 35-hour weeks, but also increased flexibility, precariousness, and exclusion are, among others, new data to integrate into the diversity of responses to employees’ needs.
It is important that workers actively participate in the development and control of sports policies in the company so that they are not mere consumers of activities.
Conditions must be created within the company for workers, athletes, their families, and sports federations to participate in the creation and implementation of a specific practice, tailored to each company, for the benefit of all.
Finally, it is essential for the sports movement to emphasize the importance it attaches to associative life and the social dynamics to which it contributes.
