INCSR EUROPEAN CLUB FOOTBALL Best Practices from ECA Member Clubs INCSR EUROPEAN CLUB FOOTBALL Printed on Papyrus - Balance Pure White, recycled and FSC certified paper. Best Practices from ECA Member Clubs TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 Message from the ECA Marketing & Communication Working Group Chairman 7 Foreword by the ECA General Secretary 8 Introduction 10 Key Facts & Figures 16 Club Projects 146 Organisations Disclaimer This publication is based on the voluntary participation of ECA Member Clubs. The European Club Association has endeavoured to keep the information up to date, but it makes no representation or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, about the completeness, accuracy or reliability with respect to this information. The aim of this research is purely informative. Content and images were provided by the clubs and are protected by copyrights. © Copyright throughout the publication is vested with the ECA and all rights are reserved. This publication is primarily addressed to ECA Member Clubs and is not intended to be utilised or relied upon by any other parties. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior permission of the ECA. MESSAGE FOREWORD from the ECA Marketing & Communication by the ECA General Secretary Working Group Chairman Dear ECA Members, CSR and Sustainability have become essential components of the day-to-day activities of European football clubs. From community-related to resource- As Chairman of the ECA Marketing & Communication Working Group, I am pleased oriented initiatives, football clubs are acting in an unprecedented sustainable to present to you the European Club Association’s latest publication specifically and socially responsible way. dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in football clubs. As the representative of football clubs at European level, ECA has been leading This publication, which builds on the first ECA Community & Social Responsibility the way for its members in the field of CSR ever since the introduction of the Report published in 2011, provides a detailed overview of ECA Member Clubs’ activities Best CSR Programme Award in 2010, which rewards a member club with an and projects in the field of CSR. This new edition gathers projects of 64 ECA Member outstanding club-driven CSR project on an annual basis. This Award has been Clubs representing no less than 31 different countries from across the continent. gaining in popularity ever since and we can now count on an increasing number of applications year after year. In addition, a first report showcasing a collection As you can imagine, the projects featured in this publication are very varied in size, of ECA Member Clubs’ CSR projects was published in 2011 following an initiative scope and reach. They tackle diverse strategic themes and target different groups of by the ECA Marketing & Communication Working Group. people at the local, regional, national and international level - irrespective of the club’s size or budget. I’m sure you will all agree when I say that every club can truly make a However, in accordance with our mission to foster the exchange of knowledge difference, regardless of on-field or commercial success. and the sharing of best practices and with the ultimate goal of encouraging all clubs to be active in this important field, we felt that more could be done. At Manchester United FC, through the Manchester United Foundation, we use football to engage and inspire young people providing them with opportunities to change their Consequently, we decided to set up a Task Force dedicated to CSR under the lives for the better. By going through the different projects featured in this publication, umbrella of the Marketing & Communication Working Group. The ECA CSR Task you will see that there is a multitude of different ways in which similar objectives can Force, composed of several CSR club experts, first met in January 2016 and has be achieved. been elemental in the development of this publication. ECA Member Clubs hold an important position within society and have an appeal and The aim of this publication is not limited to presenting the status quo of ECA impact that reaches far beyond their local areas, countries or even continents. That Member Clubs’ CSR initiatives implemented in Europe and around the world, position carries with it a responsibility to give back to their communities both locally but most importantly serves as a source of inspiration. Indeed, this collection of and internationally. best practices will hopefully encourage all of you to start similar projects for the benefit of your local, regional and national community, if not at international level. For this reason, I would like to congratulate all ECA Member Clubs for their great efforts As you will notice by reading the following pages, great results can be achieved and achievements in the field of CSR; and I strongly encourage all of you to continue regardless of your club’s size and budget. your excellent work and to develop new initiatives in the future. I would finally like to thank all 64 ECA Member Clubs who have participated in I am convinced that this publication will serve as a further source of inspiration for clubs this initiative by sending a project of their choice, making it a comprehensive and to change the lives of many people in their communities and beyond. valuable publication for the years to come. Regards, Yours sincerely, Ed Woodward ECA Executive Board Member ECA Marketing & Communication Working Group Chairman Michele Centenaro Executive Vice-Chairman Manchester United FC ECA General Secretary 6 7 INTRODUCTION “CSR in European Club Football – Best Practices from ECA Member Clubs” is an ECA Publication focusing on ECA Member Clubs’ CSR projects. In a time where the social aspect of football has become essential in the daily life of clubs, this publication Scope & Methodology offers a good overview of some of the existing initiatives run by European football clubs. These initiatives are to be seen as a source of inspiration for clubs and sports organisations to further get involved in this area. Additionally, some key facts and At the beginning of 2016, the ECA Administration has sent out a “Call for Projects” in the form of an online questionnaire to its figures are also highlighted, with the main purpose of identifying the underlying trends emerging from the collection of these member clubs. The purpose of this questionnaire was to gather detailed information in a comprehensive and consistent way. projects. The clubs participated on a voluntary basis and – considering that many clubs run several projects at the same time – were free to choose a project of their preference. In total 64 clubs from 31 different countries responded to the “Call for Projects”, all of which have been included in this publication. All the content contained in this report has been exclusively provided by Background ECA Member Clubs and is presented as received by ECA. Additionally, selected organisations active in the field of CSR and Sustainability, with a direct link to football, have been contacted Since its creation in 2008, ECA has always been involved in the field of CSR. The ECA CSR Award was created in 2010 with the in a similar manner. A profile of each organisation, notably outlining their Vision and Mission, is also included in a dedicated aim to reward an ECA Member Club on an annual basis for an outstanding CSR project. Additionally, in 2011, ECA published a section at the end of the report, with the content reflecting the information received by ECA. first report featuring a collection of ECA Member Clubs’ CSR projects, which has inspired the creation of this second publication. In the last year, further to requests from its member clubs and driven by the desire to better serve their interests, ECA felt the need to get even more involved in this important area. Accordingly, a new strategy has been defined, of which this publication constitutes the first milestone. A Task Force was also created, composed of several CSR club experts, in order to better respond to the clubs’ needs and to bring forward suggestions and new ideas for future developments. The ECA CSR Task Force has already met a few times and was instrumental in the good development of this publication. Finally, at the end of 2015, ECA launched its own charity initiative “90 Minutes for Hope” in support of child refugees in Europe. Thanks to the outstanding participation of its member clubs, this initiative raised € 1.3 million to the benefit of Save the Children and UNICEF’s responses to the European refugee crisis. 8 9 Geographical Spread 64 ECA Member Clubs from 31 different countries submitted a project, showing the strong commitment of ECA KEY FACTS & Member Clubs from all over Europe to CSR & Sustainability actions. The great geographical diversity of the received projects contributes to making this publication a valuable and comprehensive initiative. FIGURES The following infographics provide a visual overview of the key facts & figures extracted from the 64 received AUSTRIA ESTONIA ITALY SLOVENIA 1 1 3 projects. Every club could only submit one specific project for the sake of this publication, therefore the following 1 statistics are not representative of the current situation around Europe and no general trend can be isolated. FK Austria Wien FC Levadia Tallinn AC Milan NK Maribor