From the 11th to the 13th of December EOSE members gathered for the EOSE General Assembly and Annual Members’ Seminar 2024 in Madrid, Spain. The event brought together 44 participants from 24 countries and was hosted by the Technical University of Madrid-CEDI (UPM-CEDI). This key event in the EOSE calendar provided the chance to bring together all member organisations to discuss issues in sport employment and education, as well as driving the development of EOSE as a key organisation operating in that space.
EOSE General Assembly 2024
The General Assembly on 11th December was opened by EOSE President Kirstie Simpson, who was followed by Javier Pérez Tejero from UPM and Diego Barrio Hernanz from the Higher Sports Council (Spain), who also welcomed the group to Spain and set the scene for the overall event. Fábio Jorge da Silva from the Portuguese Institute of Sport & Youth (IPDJ) then gave an overview of the EU sport policy context.
The formal part of the General Assembly included a report from Aurelién Favre, Executive Director, and EOSE staff on the membership situation (30 countries covered, including 25 EU Member States), 2024 activity report and a financial report.
The item concluded with a confirmation of Executive Board membership, which remains unchanged from 2023 after Kirstie Simpson (University of Chester, current EOSE President) and Signe Luika (RSI Latvian Academy of Sport Education) were re-elected for a further two-year term.
EOSE Annual Members’ Seminar 2024
Following the EOSE General Assembly, EOSE held the annual Members’ Seminar on the morning of 12th and 13th December at the same venue in Madrid.
This gave an opportunity for members to review EOSE’s analysis and presentation of sport employment statistics for the period from 2011 to 2023. EOSE members were able to examine European sport employment for the EU-27+UK as a whole as well as consider and discuss detailed breakdowns of the sport labour force by gender, age, level of qualification, part-time and fulltime employment and self-employment both for the whole of EU+UK as well as country by country.
Participants at the Members’ Seminar also spent time in interactive groupwork considering the sustainable development of EOSE. Members are at the heart of EOSE and it is vital they support and guide our future direction.
The event finished on the 13th with a spotlight on sport employment in Spain, delivered by Víctor Jiménez Díaz-Benito from Consejo General de la Educación Física y Deportiva (COLEF), and further insights on current initiatives from EOSE Members National Sports Academy (Bulgaria), Palacky University Olomouc (Czech Republic), and UPM-CEDI (Spain).
Aurélien Favre, EOSE Executive Director, commented:
I am delighted to reflect on the success of our Annual General Assembly and Members’ Seminar organised this year in Spain. The event demonstrated the power of collaboration and the shared commitment to driving progress in the sport sector.
Over three inspirational days, we had the opportunity to share and discuss latest insights and achievements, to reaffirm our collective ambition to build a skilled workforce for the sector, and to work together towards the sustainable development of EOSE. The interactive working groups and engaging Lego Serious Play sessions created a space for creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas. These activities not only deepened our discussions but also reinforced the importance of working together to address the sector’s challenges and opportunities at both national and European levels.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all participants for their active contributions, energy, and commitment to EOSE. This year, it was particularly great to see some new faces among the audience alongside our long-term members, bringing fresh perspectives while building on our strong foundation of collaboration and expertise. Together, we are shaping the future of the organisation and the sport sector in Europe, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you all.
Contact
Mr Aurélien Favre – EOSE Executive Director – Click here