Projects

The first international Sports Club for Health was funded by the European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture, as part of the “Preparatory Actions in the Field of Sport.” The project was led by the Finnish Sport for All Association and it included 18 partner institutions from 12 countries.

The main outcomes of the project were:

• The first book of SCforH guidelines for sports clubs with recommendations on how to implement HEPA programmes in their activities;
• Evidence-based health profiles for several sports that may serve as a ground for HEPA promotion in sports clubs;
• A set of indicators for self-evaluation of sports clubs regarding their HEPA promotion activities;
• A network of sport practitioners, health promoters, public health researchers, and policy-makers interested in promotion of HEPA through sports clubs.

The second international Sports Club for Health project was funded by an Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnerships grant from the European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The project was led by the Finnish Olympic Committee and it included 19 partner institutions from 8 countries.

The main outcomes of the project were:

• The updated book of SCforH guidelines with the definitions of SCforH concepts, list of SCforH principles, summary evidence on health benefits of physical activity and sport, recommendations on how to implement HEPA programmes in sports club activities, and specific considerations for different age groups;
• Evidence-based report on the status of SCforH implementation in 36 European countries;
• Recommendations for sport associations based on best practices on how to support sports clubs in adopting SCforH principles;
• One journal article and several conference abstracts with state-of-the-art scientific evidence pertinent to the SCforH movement;
• Further expanded and strengthened network of sport practitioners, health promoters, public health researchers, and policy-makers interested in promotion of HEPA through sports clubs;
• A resolution on how to continue promoting the SCforH initiative in the EU after the cessation of the funded project.

The third international Sports Club for Health project is funded by an Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnerships grant from the European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The project is led by the Faculty of Kinesiology University of Zagreb and it includes 17 partner institutions from 13 countries.

The aims of the project are to:

• document the history and current status of the SCforH movement in the EU and provide recommendations for its future development;
• develop an interactive SCforH online learning tool for the stakeholders in the area of sport interested in learning about, implementing, and promoting the SCforH principles;
• further raise awareness of the SCforH guidelines among sports clubs, sport associations, HEPA promoters, and policymakers in the EU;
• develop mechanisms that will support continuous implementation of SCforH guidelines in the EU by: a) encouraging the EU Physical Activity Focal Points to become contact points for the SCforH movement in their countries and providing them relevant training; and b) encouraging course and subject coordinators to include the SCforH online learning tool in the curricula of tertiary education institutions for health promoters, physical educators, and sport and exercise practitioners;
• expand the scientific evidence base supporting the SCforH initiatives and their effective implementation;
• further strengthen collaborations and partnerships between key EU stakeholders in the promotion of health through sport.