More than football congress, a big success!

European Football for Development Network (EFDN) and the Eredivisie CV (ECV) jointly organised the ‘More than football congress’ on 18 October 2022. The event took place at De Galgenwaard, FC Utrecht’s stadium.

The congress highlighted the impact that the Eredivisie league clubs (can) have in society, from various perspectives such as governments, businesses and sports organisations. Cooperation between these parties is essential to successfully tackle social issues in terms of sustainability, inclusion and creating a healthy(er) society.

The name ‘More than football’ refers to the More than Football Foundation, which between 2004 and 2014 put the social function of paid football organizations on the map, strengthened and expanded it. Since the dissolution of the foundation, no congress has been dedicated specifically to ‘CSR’ in professional football, so the naming can be seen as recognition of the foundation’s valuable work.

As day chairman Rocky hehakaija said during the congress kick-off, the day was full of one-twos and triangles between clubs, organisations and government agencies.

Throughout the day, participants listened, learned and participated in various forms of knowledge sharing. The opening by Ton Strooband (EFDN) and Jan de Jong (Eredivisie CV) set the tone for the rest of the day.

“Alone you go faster, but together you get further”
Jan de Jong, Eredivisie CV

From here the presentations started; presentations by experts such as Niko Roorda, panel discussions on the cooperation between the private and public sector within football and sport, interviews with project participants and break-out sessions discussing various topics.

The break-out sessions were an excellent opportunity for the presenters to elaborate on what they did within their organisations. Here is a brief summary of what was discussed in some of the break-out sessions:

Tackling racism & discrimination (KNVB): Inclusive organisations deliver better performance, have a better reputation and image and greater engagement of employees, members and supporters. Under the banner Ons Voetbal Is Van Everyone, football is working to create a football landscape where everyone feels welcome.

MDT: During MDT, young people aged 15 to 27 learn to discover their talents, work on work skills and meet new people. In this way, you will better discover which study suits you and what kind of work you want to do. During this session, the speakers were happy to introduce participants to how professional football clubs like MDT locations guide thousands of young people in the Netherlands in their development.

EuroFit: EuroFIT is a 12-week lifestyle programme especially for supporters of professional football clubs who want to eat healthier and exercise more. The attraction of the club ensures participation and motivation. And with success: international scientific research has shown that participants lose weight, take more steps, eat more fruit and vegetables, show an improved blood count and score higher on well-being.

Sustainability: the urgency is high, we are already playing in injury time. Everyone needs to take action. Better, smarter, faster, more. So does sport. Sport is a small player with a big voice on this subject. During this break-out session, More2Win took participants through the steps that professional football in the Netherlands is currently taking to become more sustainable. Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen 04 is ahead of us and took participants through the steps they have already taken towards a more sustainable, future-proof business model.

Thanks in part to the large turnout, the day was a great success: many ideas were exchanged, connections made and a picture painted of what the social impact of football can be. The future is bright as long as everyone in football works together for a better future. EFDN and the Eredivisie CV together with all participants at the conference showed that we are #morethanfootball.