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International Sport and Culture Association ISCA

ISCA

ISCA is a non-governmental international umbrella association with an active community of 3667 users and a democratic back-bone of 79 members from Europe and the rest of the world, promoting physical activity, social inclusion through sports, healthy lifestyle and grassroots sport in general.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Union of European Football Associations and

10 Dec 2025 · Stakeholder dialogue on establishing the Erasmus+ programme for the period 2028-2034

Response to 2021-2024 Triannual evaluation of the six Executive Agencies

26 Nov 2025

On behalf of ISCA - International Sport and Culture Association I would like to offer a specific feedback regarding HADEA. In the recent dialogue with framework agreement holders for operating grants (FPAs), HADEA used vague and confusing terms and guidance to ask FPA holders to review their work programmes to avoid socalled "reputational risks", including removing any reference to "advocacy" in the work programmes. Following this very challenging approach, no call for annual grants was ever published. We understand that HADEA was likely acting under some instructions from DG Sante, but would like to underline that we consider the entire management very poor and potentially in breach of EU rules. We also note that other executive agencies have handled operating grants very differently and much more in line with good governance principles. The poor management has lead to a collectiive formal complaint to the EU ombudsman, which can be accessed here: https://eu4health.eu/health-organisations-lodge-complaint-to-european-ombudswoman-on-2025-eu4health-operating-grants/
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Response to A strategic vision for sport in Europe: reinforcing the European sport model

25 Nov 2025

BY ISCA INTERNATIONAL SPORT AND CULTURE ASSOCIATION, UMBRELLA FOR GRASSROOTS SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MEMBER ORGANISATIONS (ISCA.ORG) ATTRACTIVE, AFFORDABLE AND RELEVANT SPORT ACTIVITIES TO THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS The main goal of shaping the future of sport in Europe must be to create the best possible conditions for sectors and organisations (sport models) which can provide attractive, affordable and relevant sport activities for the European citizens - where they live and across their full life span. To create the highest possible participation in sport and recreational physical activities. This requires political focus on the essential mechanisms, support systems and legislation governing the diversity of the organisations providing attractive, affordable and relevant sport activities. The current narratives of the European Sport Model are based on various features (whose meaning and usage have changed over time) and principles, which are not connected to the relevant mechanisms that are central to the development of sport participation. They do not create a common, fact based understanding of the reality of sport in Europe, neither the future priorities. This is necessary to shape future models of sport, that can develop sport participation among European citizens. PROVEN SOLUTIONS ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE The amount of local and national experiences in Europe is massive. There are a myriad of local and national solutions, which can assist activity providing organsations, policy makers and investors in creating conditions for the various sectors and supporting essential mechanisms for organisations. The potential impact of transferring and adapting proven good practices across Europe is huge and it stems from a diverse and creative organizational environment, which on an ongoing basis provide local solutions to new realities, new trends and new expectations from European citizens and societies. ISCA provides access to a huge library of good practices on isca.org. AVOID FOOTBALL BLINDNESS Reshaping and developing sport participation in Europe demands a strong political focus on the overall and primary goal and not distracted and blurred by one single sport and its comparably very few organisations. We must avoid that the very specific reality and issues in football are mistaken for the broader sport and participation sector. We call this the risk of football blindness. Just a few percentages of European citizens are active football players. Several other recreational sport and physical activities have a bigger participation among Europeans, not least when we have a perspective of all age groups/ life phases and a health enhancing perspective. That goes for activities such as recreational running, jogging, walking, yoga, swimming, fitness and strength training for adult age groups, and basic motor skills activities for children. Currently, these essential activities are not very visible in the European discussions. The football economy, especially the commercially successful activities and the national and international tournaments, dominate the political debate and thus distort the focus and reality of diverse sport and physical participation models in Europe. THE MYTH OF SOLIDARITY In almost all sports, financial redistribution from elite/professional levels to real grassroots activities and organisations is non-existent. In fact, grassroots participants often contribute the to elite development though their membership fees. Even in football, the actual redistribution to real grassroots participation is minimal. We need to acknowledge the financial reality of grassroots sport participation: The majority of support and income stems from municipal contributions and facilities, and citizens own contributions, including volunteering. The focus must be to strengthen grassroots sport on those premises. ISCA is continuously sharing evidence on the above realities of sport participation on realsportmodel.isca.org
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for cross-border education, training and solidarity, youth, media, culture, and creative sectors, values, and civil society

21 Nov 2025

The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) is an umbrella association that empowers grassroots sports and physical activity stakeholders to enable access and opportunities for more people to be active and healthy and benefit from the social value of community sport participation. ISCAs 100+ member organisations (70+ in the EU) have an estimated 40 million members. ISCA welcomes the stand-alone Erasmus+ programme in the upcoming MFF as it is one of the most recognisable initiatives of the EU and has provided invaluable international opportunities to millions of Europeans. Grassroots sport and physical activity are proven drivers not only of physical, mental and social health and well-being, but also as tools for skills development, non-formal education, social inclusion, as well as powerful promoters of European values, solidarity, and peace, having a crucial role in fostering a resilient and sustainable European society. The following are ISCAs recommendations and priorities for the next Erasmus+ Programme. - Five-time increase of the Erasmus+ budget in the upcoming MFF 2028-2024 (noting that the European Parliament has called for tripling and the Draghi report for a five-time increase) to match the demand and ambition of most Europeans to benefit from the programme. - Earmarking budget for the thematic areas under the programme to ensure a predictable outlook and transparency for the beneficiaries to ensure stable, long-term, and equitable funding. Beneficiaries cannot plan the work ahead without knowing the available budget, creating an instability which will directly affect the objectives of the programme. - Guaranteeing a clear and independent identity for grassroots sport AND physical activity. The sport sector is the biggest civil society sector involving youth (4th Flash Eurobarometer on European Youth), theres a public health crisis due to physical inactivity and the number of proposals under Erasmus+ Sport keeps increasing. In 2025 EACEA received 2390 proposals (34% increase compared to 2024) with 350 proposals qualifying for funding. - Reverting to extended geographical eligibility and strengthening transnational cooperation, by expanding Erasmus+ geographical eligibility globally. This would help strengthen EUs role on the international stage, support EU candidate countries in their transition and ensure the benefits of global expertise and best-practice sharing - thus enhancing innovation and competitiveness of European organisations. - Focusing on grassroots sports, health-enhancing physical activity and well-being that impact and benefit most people, especially those with fewer opportunities, rather than professional athletes and competitive sport event organisers. - Strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation and synergies between sport, health, youth and inclusion by integrating HealthyLifestyle4All as a mission goal across the Erasmus+ programme and the MFF. There is no competitive Europe without healthy Europe. - Ensure a reference to the Erasmus+ Committee while guaranteeing that diverse civil society networks representing the beneficiaries are included in structured consultations on evaluating and developing the programme. - Simplifying funding procedures and enhancing transparency, by reducing administrative burdens, clarifying eligibility rules, and guaranteeing transparent, harmonised assessment criteria to improve accessibility, trust and fairness for all organisations and countries participating in EU funded projects, especially grassroots actors. The current proposal does not sufficiently address how it will continue to support civil society, policy development and fostering cooperation between stakeholders internationally and thematically. We call for continued organisational support for civil society and reinstating operating grants across all policy areas for European level networks, as the current the proposal risks undermining the programmes long-term effectiveness.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness

12 Nov 2025

ISCA welcomes the proposal for a new EU Competitiveness Fund. We take note that it incorporates health priorities, including the former EU4Health programme. We would like to stress that: 1) Health promotion, disease prevention (and management), including via physical activity should remain a priority 2) Strong health contributes to europe's competitiveness, workforce productivity, and resilience. At the same time, we also argue that health and wellbeing are public goods and european values that deserve focus in their own right 3) We propose to have a stand alone health programme including those areas; and as a minimum to have dedicated thematic focus areas and funding available in the future programmes. 3) We also propose to maintain focus on the huge value of civil society in Europe in general, for health policy development, and in particular in grassroots sport promotion locally. This should ideally happen through continued operating grants to CSOs in the field of health. A strong civil society contributes to strong democratic resilience in Europe amd is a hallmark of European values
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Response to Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness

10 Nov 2025

The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) is an umbrella association that empowers physical activity and grassroots sports stakeholders to get more people active and healthy. ISCAs 100+ member organisations (70+ in the EU) have an estimated 40 million members. Our mission is centred on empowering organisations worldwide to enable citizens to enjoy their right to health, well-being, play and physical activity. We believe that the forthcoming Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness offers a timely opportunity to embed physical activity as a core component of the Strategy, ensuring that the benefits and access to healthy active lifestyle are distributed fairly across the lifespan from accessible playgrounds, quality physical education, combatting sedentary lifestyle and ensuring active ageing - thus keeping EU citizens healthier, happier and independent as long as possible. The economic benefits of increasing physical activity extend beyond direct health-care savings estimated at 8 billion annually (WHO/Europe). Physical activity and community recreation can also provide an accessible and natural platform for youth empowerment, socialisation, uniting generations, fostering dialogue and moving society towards closer social cohesion, mutual understanding, and reciprocal support. Intergenerational fairness must be addressed not just through economic or environmental lenses, but through social capital and well-being lenses too, to directly enhance quality of life across all ages. Physical inactivity, childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases are all interlinked major public health challenges that disproportionately affects certain age groups and contributes to significant healthcare costs, placing a future burden on younger generations. By investing in physical activity and public health promotion, the Strategy can have a three-level impact: 1. Health equity through healthy lifestyles by ensuring access to play and outdoor recreation for children and active aging for older people, to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and falls/injuries across life. 2. Social Cohesion through shared experiences that reduce social isolation, mental health challenges and loneliness, problems increasingly faced by both the elderly and youth. 3. Sustainable Systems to reduce the long-term burden on national healthcare and social support systems, ultimately resulting in more sustainable economy for future generations. ISCA's work directly showcases the power of shared movement. For instance, the EU funded project, GUM: Generations Uniting Through Movement is a practical blueprint for achieving the goals of the Fairness Strategy. Such initiatives operate at the grassroots level to bridge systematically knowledge and gaps in awareness between different age groups regarding the immense mutual benefits of moving together. Our recommendations and learnings from GUM (full document attached) on how to implement effective, long-lasting intergenerational programmes for a healthy, happier and more active population include: 1. Adapting Public Spaces for All Ages by ensuring facilities are equipped for simultaneous use by children, teenagers, and seniors. 2. Integrating Social and Cultural Exchange to promote physical activity and community sport as a means for cultural transfer and mutual learning. 3. Targeting Awareness Gaps in Policy to support campaigns and educational tools that highlight the mutual benefits proving that intergenerational movement is a multi-directional approach that improves quality of life for everyone involved. By explicitly integrating and supporting evidence-based physical activity, and initiatives like Generation United Through Movement, the Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness can ensure tangible, sustainable improvements in health, social cohesion, and well-being for all Europeans, today and tomorrow.
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Meeting with Hannes Heide (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and NOVE and

18 Mar 2025 · Stakeholder dialogue on The role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model

Meeting with Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and NOVE and

18 Mar 2025 · Stakeholder dialogue on The role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model

Response to Interim evaluation of the EU4Health Programme 2021-2027

8 Jan 2024

ISCA overall commends the value and relevance of the EU4Health programme 2021-2027 at the stage of interim evaluation. We applaud the efforts to focus on PREVENTION of disease and PROMOTION of healthy lifestyles, as required by the Objective a) of the EU regulation 2021/522. We encourage even stronger involvement of CIVIL SOCIETY, and encourage cross-sector collaboration to include health perspectives in policies regarding climate/environment/suatainability, economic development (and a healthy workforce), and rights-based approaches. ISCA (International Sport and Culture Association) represents the sector of Health-Enhancing Physical activity. In the following, we summarise our policy views in terms of health promotion, and encourage the EU to take these views on board in the continued implementation of the EU4Health Programme. The longer form of the contribution is attached. The Challenge: What needs doing in Health-Enhancing Physical Activity The evidence is unequivocal. Bodily movement is an indispensable tool to enhance physical and mental health. This is what is called Health-Enhancing Physical Activity, or HEPA. It may indeed be the single most important thing we can do for our health ! Nevertheless, levels of HEPA across the world are declining or stagnating. Why do 75% of adolescents not meet physical activity guidelines ? Why do we have an inactivity pandemic ? What needs to be done? The health sector in Europe spends less than 4% of budgets on prevention, and 96% on care. A shift in priority needs to happen to ensure financially sustainable health care systems and the wellbeing for citizens. This includes a commitment to health-enhancing physical activity and physical and health literacy, and to collaborating with other sectors for this promotion instead of only looking at controlled physical activity and rehabilitation inside the health system itself. Engage civil society in promotion efforts for physical activity Civil societies across countries are uniquely placed to support the HEPA agenda. They are a key vehicle to channel and voice citizens demands to policy makers. They have low-cost, often voluntary driven, solutions and offers to citizens well-being from sport, to outdoor play, scouts, walking clubs, and other leisure time physical activities. But also cyclists federations, patient organisations, health NGOs and youth organisations should be considered when designing the future solutions to HEPA promotion. It is cost-effective, democratic, community based action at scale, an warrants public investments. Include Health-Enhancing Physical Activity in wider societal agendas We believe that the benefits of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity justify a major policy shift in its own right. But we also find that HEPA can be a driver for other key political agendas: Environmental sustainability Economic development: Human rights-based approaches. Please find more information in the attached.
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Meeting with Antonius Manders (Member of the European Parliament) and Schuttelaar Partners

29 Nov 2022 · Healthy lifestyle