EOSE In Brief

European Observatoire of Sport and Employment

EOSE is an international civil society organisation working towards the development of the whole sport and physical activity sector.

Permanent staff in 2024

Executive Board members

Member organisations

Countries represented

“A sport sector that fulfils its social, health and economic potential in Europe”.

EOSE VISION

“To facilitate and support the development of the sport and physical activity sector workforce, bringing education and employment together, to ensure people working and volunteering have the appropriate skills and competences to enable the sector to fulfil its potential”.

EOSE MISSION

Sport is recognised as having the power and significant potential to act as a policy tool:

  • To improve health
  • To contribute to economic growth and regeneration
  • To support community development, social cohesion and the integration of migrants
  • To create jobs and improve employability, particularly engaging with unemployed youth
  • To support the education and personal and social development of young people

Recent years have seen EOSE cement its position in the sector as a sustainable, independent, non-profit civil society network and expert association acting as a focus for skills and workforce development in the sport and physical activity sector across Europe.

From an informal group to a recognised expert organisation

Over more than 20 years of active work with its network in the sector…

EOSE has built a reputation and is recognised :

  • As an expert organisation in research and labour market analysis
  • As a facilitator building bridges between the worlds of education and employment
  • As a contributor to the development of a competent workforce of paid staff and volunteers with the right skills through innovative occupational standards and fit-forpurpose education and training offers.

1994

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Set up as an informal group

2002

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Official registration as a French not-for-profit organisation

2019

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First ever European Employer Skills Survey and EU Skills Summit

2022

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First ever European Skills Survey on Sport Volunteering

2023

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First ever European Sport Volunteering Summit, completion of 3 transnational projects, and a sustainable organusation with members in 30 countries including 25 EU Member States

EOSE
Positioning
& Ambition

There is a growing recognition of the potential of sport as a social and economic driver

and as a result there is an increasing level of expectation from national governments for the sector to become a powerful tool linked to mainstream policy in education, health and the economy and for it to be used to promote social cohesion.

EOSE in European Projects

EOSE and the whole sport sector operate in a changing landscape, and we are convinced of the need to pursue the work towards skills development and the modernisation of education and training to equip those working or volunteering in the sector with the right competences.

66

EU FUNDED PROJECTS SINCE 2002

40

PROJECTS AS COORDINATOR

i
26

PROJECTS AS A PARTNER

161

PARTNERS INVOLVED

201

PARTNERS INVOLVED

38

COUNTRIES INVOLVED

38

COUNTRIES INVOLVED

35

EU/INT NETWORKS

35

EU/INT NETWORKS

EOSE collaborates with its network of members and partners through ambitious transnational initiatives and projects to analyse the European and national sport labour markets, and to promote and support the modernisation of education systems and the development of a competent paid and unpaid workforce that is essential to the success of the sector.

"We were looking for an experienced partner in the sphere of EU funded projects and EOSE more than delivered. They managed to analyse the innovative educational outputs from the “PVGW” project in a clear and transparent way. We saw an immediate increase in the usage of the outputs after applying the modifications EOSE suggested. They took the time to understand our needs and the ones from our affiliated partners, the feedback from everyone involved was more than great. We wholeheartedly recommend EOSE to everyone we know and we are already continuing our fruitful cooperation through the follow up transnational project PVGW2.0."

Vuk Karanovic
Head of Development Department
European Volleyball Confederation (CEV)

"WADA is currently engaging with EOSE to support the development of their new Global Learning and Development Framework. With EOSE’s many years of expertise in workforce development, professional or occupational standards creation within the sport sector, their experience and insight is adding value to our work. We also respect the independent view that the EOSE staff bring and their contribution has been professional and extremely supportive.”

Amanda Hudson
Education Director, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)



"We have been delighted to continue work with EOSE on the EDUGOLF project to update and develop new standards and modernise education for golf professionals. We appreciated the project management of EOSE and the EOSE 7 Step Model which provided a structure for the standards and training material we needed to reform golf education.“

Ian Randell
Chief Executive
Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG)

"It is a great honour to be a member of EOSE! The EOSE team coordinates and contributes perfectly to various sports projects. They have very strong organisational and documentation skills. It was very inspiring to work with the EOSE team on the Erasmus+ V4V project. Thanks to them, many new skills and knowledge can be obtained. Being a member of EOSE facilitates access to a large international network in the field of sport.

Heidi Pihlak
Office Manager/Project Manager
The Estonian Foundation of Sports Education and Information


"Working alongside EOSE has been a very fruitful opportunity to engage with the most updated labour-related sector needs and state of the art regarding the current situation of the sports employment market. During several years UPM have partnered with EOSE, we have been able to understand the bigger picture of the demands and expectations of employers, education providers and workers during the first decades of the current century. Collaborating with EOSE has brought us to the larger European context, and hopefully we have given them valuable and interesting information about the Spanish situation."

Javier Pérez Tejero
Professor at the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences - INEF
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid “Fundación Sanitas“ Chair for Inclusive Sport Studies Director
Spain

"As a member of EOSE, LUNEX University develops close connections with European partners and together we aim at a better recognition of the sport sector in Luxembourg and Europe. This is achieved under the strong leadership of EOSE which regularly update its members on the latest policies and figures on the development of the sector. LUNEX is also very pleased to take an active role in contributing to European projects led by EOSE, the latest in date on unveiling the new forms of employment in sport which reveals future trends of the sport sector."

Mathieu Winand
Professor and Head of Department International Sports Management
LUNEX University
Luxembourg

"The FNPSL is very pleased to have joined the EOSE network for the past two years. The various exchanges with European partners and privileged access to the results of the work carried out by EOSE have allowed us to develop a deeper understanding of the European context of employment in sport, its challenges, and its opportunities, and to put it into perspective with the situation in France. FNPSL is also delighted to have been able to participate in its first Erasmus+ project under the great leadership of EOSE and wishes to continue the joint work towards better recognition of the sports sector."

Corentin Bonnegent
Head of International Projects
Fédération Nationale Profession Sport et Loisirs (FNPSL)
France

"A one-year-long experience as an EOSE member has brought several positive moments. First, it was the annual Members’ Seminar and General Assembly full of new contacts, observing and sharing current occupational trends in European sports. We also appreciated an inspirational insight into the topic of micro-credentials at the Capacity Building Workshop. We are looking forward to new topics and cooperation that we could utilise in research and teaching on the potential of sports for tackling social problems, adapting it for people with specific needs and mainstreaming the good practice."

Arnošt Svoboda
Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Physical Culture
Palacký University Olomouc
Czech Republic

"Leeds Beckett University has been part of the EOSE family for almost 10 years. We have been delighted to play our part in European projects that promote cross-border cooperation and mutual learning. We look forward to continued collaboration with our European neighbours under the knowledgeable guidance of our EOSE colleagues.“

Stephen Robson
Course Director
Leeds Beckett University

"We consider the membership in EOSE as an advantage, a new level for our academic and research developments. The extraordinary work that EOSE has materialized till now in terms of the education of trainers and coaches based on learning outcomes that refer directly to the needs of society and the requirements for qualifications in the job market, indeed is the best service that academic sports institutions can provide in respect of education and training in sport professions.“

Prof. Agron Kasa
Rector of Sports University of Tirana
Prof. Arben Kaçurri
Director of Sports Research Institute - Sports University of Tirana
Albania

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