Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

This overview addresses sport’s role and potential in relation to the eighth Sustainable Development Goal. It outlines the contribution of sport to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. The overview aims at informing, inspiring, encouraging and supporting sport’s contributions to the SDGs by football clubs, foundations, community trusts, football associations and leagues.

• The growing scale of the sport industry, and its links with other sectors, offer opportunities for economic growth and decent employment.

• Stakeholders in sport that base their activity on the respect of human rights can spur to positively impact local and regional business when organizing sport events.

• Sport goods and equipment should be produced in line with labour standards and in particular free from forced and child labour and discriminations of all forms.

• Sport programmes can foster increased employability for women, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, thus contributing to inclusive economic growth.

• Sport-based educational programmes provide skills for employability and opportunities to enter the labour market for youth.

• Sport-based employment and entrepreneurship can contribute to create decent jobs for all by complying with labour standards throughout their value chain and in line with businesses policies and practices.

• Sport can generate enhanced overall community involvement, and it can motivate mobilisation of the wider community and growth of economic activities associated with sport.

• Sport events can have long lasting effects on the population if they involve the population for their legacy, to be in line with human rights and labour standards, and to be sustainable.

• Sport organisations and sport events, if they adopt adequate policies and procedures, can be an opportunity for capacity building, creating jobs, and for economic, social and environmental sustainable development in general.

• Sport tourism, including tourism involving sport events, can create jobs and promote local culture and products.

• Sport can promote the effective and responsible management of volunteers, helping to promote their participation in society and community engagement.

Click on one of the icons below to learn more about each goal and how sport can contribute to achieving that goal.