EFDN Members receive gold label for community work from Pro League

EFDN Members receive gold label for community work from Pro League

The Pro League awarded the ‘Football & Community Label’ to eighteen professional clubs. That is one more than last year. Clubs are rewarded with this award because they have developed or continued high-quality social projects in the 2020-2021 season. Four EFDN members, KAA Ghent, OH Leuven, Club Brugge and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were awarded with the gold label while Royal Antwerp FC, got the silver label.

The ‘Football & Community Label’ of the Pro League, formerly known as the ‘Pro League+’ label, is awarded to professional clubs that organise high-quality community work or actively participate in national projects such as the traditional Christmas campaign. The clubs’ social commitment is evaluated on the basis of a policy plan that pays attention to the local context, sustainable partnerships and valuable activities.

Clubs receive guidance in drawing up these policy plans, among other things through a cooperation with the Free University of Brussels (VUB). This way, clubs can receive support from the Sport & Society department of the VUB for both the drafting and the evaluation of their policy plan. A jury consisting of experts in social policymaking analysed the policy plans, work reports and social functioning.

Of the 26 professional clubs, eighteen were awarded the label: one more than last year. Cercle Brugge, SV Zulte Waregem and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise are the newcomers in 1A. Of the eight clubs in 1B, KVC Westerlo, Royal Excel Mouscron and Waasland-Beveren received the label.

“The Football & Community Label is an important recognition for the social commitment of the professional clubs,” says Jan Cas, Football & Community Manager of the Pro League. “In particular, we congratulate the Football & Community managers, who continue to use the power of football year after year for various disadvantaged groups and sustainable social projects around the club.”
The 18 clubs we warmly congratulate on the 2021 Pro League Football & Community label are, in random order by category:

A new feature this year is the division of the Football & Community label into three categories:

GOLD

The club showed an excellent social commitment at club level that is translated into a quality and strategic policy plan and plays a pioneering role in the field of socio-sports policy at national level.

SILVER

The club demonstrated sustainable social commitment to various disadvantaged groups with various quality initiatives and always participated in national initiatives and campaigns of the Pro League.

BRONZE

The club showed an increasing social commitment with the start-up of local social projects and the cooperation in national initiatives and campaigns of the Pro League.