European Meetings of Company Sport

EMoCS intends to contribute to the European effort to further raise awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity throughout increased participation in, and equal access to, sport for all, especially at the workplace. The concept was to associate practicing moments and grassroots sport to specific discussions around benefits and synergies of sport and workplace context to open the door and minds around PA at work. Company sport is a new field rapidly growing in interest beyond personal initiatives. EMoCS aimed at developing a wider, more-informed EU level network by involving various stakeholders: companies’ decision makers, chambers of commerce, employers and employees, trade unions, HR managers, health organisations and insurances, public executives, media, regions and municipalities, sport ministries, other sport organisations like clubs or federations. Our ambition: Create new trend forecasters and influencers with a transversal approach. Our philosophy: alone, we go quickly, together we go further.The project provided the consortium with concrete evidence to further ground the legitimacy for their action in favour of the integration of a sport offer in the strategy of companies. The purpose was to collect data, study, figures, good practises to give employers, employees and decision makers the key points and steps to implement sport programme in their companies. The philosophy of the consortium was to show that company sport can be an excellent and efficient way to develop grassroots sport as it is simple and easy to implement, not so expensive, and can bring fantastic values to the company.The concrete evidence needed to be disseminated. At the beginning, PA at work was considered as a broad area not really known and not really well considered. We highlighted during EMoCS how it can be useful for the companies, as well as the employees and so for EU from a broad view thanks to:- 2 big events, Paris (927 pax) and Brussels (70 pax).- Deliverables, IOs and productions to illustrate the need for PA at work, the design of specific and concrete solutions/programmes to lever PA rates at work thanks to our studies, meetings, steering committees.- Public relations and discussions with major decision makers (EU Commission, Sport Unit, EACEA, International Olympic Committee, International Labour Organisation, National governments of members states…) to convince and engage them.To further strengthen PA at work, the project revealed several reasons to work towards a certification on PA at work:- Company sport is very attractive and efficient to develop physical activity. A certification would bring better recognition and credibility.- Company sport is a complete strategy that needs guidance from relevant stakeholders, EU sport policy and EU Physical Guidelines principles.- Company sport in an asset for companies to hire, retain and empower employees. A certification aims at guaranteeing a trustworthy strategy implemented in the company.The certification was the key element of the project and discussed all along the timeline of EMoCS.After specific study and exchanges with relevant stakeholders, the major and most innovative outcome of EMoCS was to conclude that YES:- need to regularise and organise this new market,- interest from companies to be helped and oriented- certification or a standard can be a effective toolWe also worked on the conditions of the creations of this certification by several actions:- Signature of the Paris Call, a pledge to introduce the standard- Roundtable on certification with experts at EMoCS 2019- Support video to the Paris Call- Benchmark and diagnostic review of existing initiativesThe concretisation of EMoCS project was his extension validated by EACEA. Indeed, The project WAC, Workplace Active Certification, co-granted by the Erasmus + programme in September 2019, aims to create this certification and standard.