The Canton, the City of Geneva and the Cantonal Sport Fund have launched a campaign to encourage people to join sports clubs. Local associations suffered considerably during the pandemic, in part due to the fall in the number of memberships. This campaign aims to encourage the population to do sport and to take up a regular activity again in a club, while also enabling sports associations to improve their financial situation.
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Like many other domains, amateur sport suffered a major setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by the authorities. Clubs recorded a considerable fall in their number of members across all disciplines.
The Department of Social Cohesion, the Department of Safety and Sports of the City of Geneva (DSSP) and the Cantonal Sports Aid Fund were keen to launch a communication campaign, in partnership with the Association genevoise des sports (AGS), designed to encourage the population to take up a sporting activity in a club again or even for the first time.
Picking up a regular sport again
Accompanied by slogans taken directly from the world of sport, the aim of this campaign is to encourage the public, young and old alike, to take up a sporting discipline again with a view to fostering good health through sport and social cohesion. It also aims to increase the number of memberships in clubs and associations. “Membership fees represent an essential revenue for numerous clubs,” says Thierry Apothéloz, State Councillor responsible for social cohesion. “In addition to the financial aid paid to the associations by the canton and the municipalities, the health situation is now such that the population can once again take up a sporting activity.”
“Beyond the aspects of discipline and intensity, regular sporting activity often helps improve our quality of life and our health. Doing sport means doing yourself a favour,” stresses Marie Barbey-Chappuis, Executive Councillor for the City of Geneva responsible for the Department of Safety and Sports.
New website
This communication campaign is accompanied by the opening of a website, trouvetonclub.ch. In order to provide the public with information concerning the possibilities available to them with regard to sport, the 500 sports associations which have already submitted a request for financial aid from the Cantonal Sports Aid Fund will be present on this platform from 4 October (search by municipality and by sport). Furthermore, every other club will be able to complete an electronic form from this date in order to guarantee their own presence on the site. The new website will ensure that sport in Geneva enjoys greater visibility, not only during the campaign but also in the long term. This will make it easier for people to find a sport they want to do or located nearby.
Scheduled to last three weeks, the campaign reflects the desire of both the Canton and the City of Geneva to support sport against the difficult backdrop of the pandemic in light of the resulting economic and social consequences. This desire could already be seen in October 2020 in the special support fund for sports associations (Covid-sport fund), totalling some 2 million Swiss francs, created by the joint efforts of the Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva, the Association of the Municipalities of Geneva (ACG) and the Cantonal Sport Fund.
Contact
DCS: Mr Thierry Apothéloz, State Councillor, by contacting Mr Henri Della Casa, deputy secretary general responsible for communication, tel. 078 674 69 95
City of Geneva: Ms Marie Barbey-Chappuis, Executive Councillor, by contacting Mr Cédric Waelti, senior policy advisor responsible for communication, tel. 079 596 19 79.
Article modifié le 03.05.2022 à 08:27