Emmanuel Macron announced an exceptional aid package to address the concerns of French sports leaders. This aid is intended for both amateur and professional sports.
“Maybe we’re not shouting loud enough. We’re not going to wear a yellow vest and take to the streets with signs,” Mr. Masseglia recently stated, highlighting the positive impact of sport on education, health, and social bonds.
However, he warned: “on the other hand, in all clubs, there are many citizens who want their role to be recognized. From the moment it is not recognized, they become somewhat rebellious against the system.”
Apparently, he was heard by the President of the Republic himself who—yesterday afternoon—participated in a video conference meeting with sports officials, during which he announced 400 million in aid for the sector (amateur, professional, sports halls).
This is much more than the 120 million previously planned in the recovery plan.
In fact, we are heading towards a reopening of sports with the resumption of sports activities for young people in clubs in December, following strengthened protocols, especially for indoor sports.
For professional sports, the return of spectators to stadiums will not occur before the beginning of 2021 and will have to respect a gauge that will be linked to the capacity of the stadiums or halls.
Clubs will also be able to benefit from exemptions on salary contributions for the months of October, November, and December (without a requirement for a drop in turnover), amounting to 105 million euros.
Lastly, the president announced the launch in 2021 of a “sports pass” system to help young people engage in sports activities, with a total cost of 100 million euros. The criteria for this aid, intended for families to pay for club memberships or buy equipment, have yet to be defined.
To provide immediate assistance to clubs and associations, an “emergency fund” of 15 million euros, the same amount as before the summer, has been released to support the most affected structures.
Finally, a “sports pass,” assistance to families to pay for memberships, would be implemented in 2021. This aid is requested by many stakeholders, including the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) as well as parliamentarians.
The latest figures reported to CNOSF, from a survey of 44,000 clubs and its approximately 160,000 affiliates (out of 300,000 clubs in France), show a 20% drop in memberships since September, resulting in an estimated loss of 260 million euros.
To curb the challenges related to volunteering, which fuels many clubs and associations, 5,000 civic service positions may be directed towards sports.
